Written in August 2012:
Jennalyn Cheri
The week of my due date I'd been having lots of contractions, they seemed to get regular and stronger but then slow down before I could decide if I thought "this is it"! Then sometime between Friday and Saturday they completely stopped. During church on Sunday I felt like something was kicking at my cervix (scary thought!). On Tuesday morning (40 w 4 d) I went to my midwife appointment and everything went as normal until she checked my baby's position. She gave a funny looking face when Trent jokingly asked is baby was still head down (the week before she had dropped quite low and had been head down since 24 weeks). She said we would just double check to be sure so I was sent to wait for an ultrasound. The tech in ultrasound kept the monitor moving fairly quickly while she told me a few things that looked good on the scan and then I waited for my midwife to come tell me the news. I waited, and waited a very long time. I felt in that moment that something was definitely wrong and my feelings on Sunday had been signs of something bad. When she finally came back she had another midwife with her (there are three and one happened to be out of town). They explained that baby had turned double footling breech and her feet would be coming out first if I were to deliver but they talked with the on call OB for Wednesday and she had agreed to attempt an external cephalic version to flip the baby. They both consoled me as I cried and sat in shock at this unexpected turn of events. Chances were a good 50/50 that it would work and with her being so big it would be difficult, plus the fact that I was vbac made the whole ordeal more sensitive and controversial. I tried everything that day to get baby to flip on her own. I tried laying on a board off the couch upside down, doing flips in a pool, and many other stretches I had found advice on the Internet for. The next morning I headed into the hospital, got my epidural (required for my ECV and proven more successful since my uterus would be relaxed), and was wheeled off to the OR. This experience was unlike any other I've been through. I told them she had been moving some in the last day mostly to my left side but they decided to try to push her to the right since, at the time, it was less distance to move. Two OBs massaged vigorously on my belly to get the baby to move. One had her hands on the bum and one on the head. They got her transverse but she wouldn't budge any further. So then they tried to flip her the other direction (270 degrees ), the direction I suggested. It hurt, even with an epidural. I cannot even describe what I felt in those minutes. I tried to relax and kept encouraging her telling her I knew she could turn. Then there was excruciating pain that happened very quickly and I screamed, she's doing it! She's turning! Then a pop feeling happened and they said she was in the pelvis! Hooray! I cried tears of joy and thanked the OBs over and over again. My vbac was back on track and I was thrilled. They put a very tight binder on me to keep her from attempting to flip and we discussed the next step. My midwives had said they thought it was the best choice to induce if it was successful and I felt the same. I knew if I went home I'd be anxious that she would turn back and I wouldn't be able to sleep or do much of anything else. So into a labor room I went. They removed my epidural but left the catheter in, just in case. I wanted my natural birth and as close to no interventions as possible (already resigning to the fact I'd need pitocin again). At 5pm they finally started the pitocin after we knew all the epidural was gone and at 9pm my water was broken. I got into a great groove with contractions and before we knew it I was 7cm at 5am. I had the binder removed (finally! It was difficult in contractions to get comfortable). It was incredible how i could feel how to breathe with each contraction so the baby would move down and not come back up. I actually loved contractions! Around 10am my midwife came in (a different one from the day before since shifts change at 7am) and decided to change things up since I seemed to be stalling a bit. She allowed me to take off all the monitors and pitocin and get in the shower....amazing!! We decided after to have internal monitors put in so I could move more and get the baby to move down and not worrying about her. She had been moving a lot away from the external monitors so I couldn't move a lot of directions. They got both monitors inserted (ps, I hate cervix checks, worse than labor and delivery itself). Then they couldn't get the baby's monitor plugged in. Turns out they had new monitors but not compatible cords and of course they find this out on me! So out comes the monitor and insert old monitor. I kept having to move sides because she was having heart decels. The new on call ob comes in to check on me and she discovers I'm 8cm and there is the cord on top of baby's head. I cried, and screamed no no no! She tried all she could to move the cord but it would not budge. I had stayed so calm through my whole labor. My midwife said she had never seen a mom labor so peacefully before, especially on pitocin. If she didn't know I was at a 7 she would have guessed I was at a 2. But this news was difficult to take after all we had been through. As I shed some strong tears they quickly stopped the pitocin, put in my epidural again (thank goodness we left the catheter in!), and left us alone for a minute. My mom had been there since about 630am and she held my hand as Trent gave me a blessing. My doula was fantastic helping me cope with the news. Before a they started I looked the OB into the eyes and told her she better sew me up so I can have plenty of other children. She assured me that even with 2 c/s they'd still let me vbac the next time. What scared me so much about c/s was the three hours after Logan's birth that I don't remember. The anesthesiologist wanted to put me under but I kept telling her no. She was ridiculous but I'm glad the OB kept telling her off. She had an interesting view on things. Jennalyn Cheri was born at 12:36pm and brought right to my face. I was so thrilled to get to see her right away and hold her against my cheek. She looked so big! Trent was off with baby and they let my doula scrub in and be with me the rest of surgery. I remember everything! They wheeled me to recovery and in came baby. She was sucking at her hand like crazy and latched right on when I began nursing her only minutes after coming in and half hour after her arrival. 8lbs 11 oz and 21.5 inches! She was my biggest baby! Recovery has been better than Logan's but it still difficult with two young kids and a c/s. I hate not being able to do much at all but living with my parents has been great. Mom has helped a ton with the kids as Trent had to go back to work Monday. We left the hospital in record time for c/s, after exactly 48 hrs. Jennalyn sleeps so well and the kids are loving her :). Her name comes from my mom (GayeLyn) and Trent's mom (Sheri).
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