VBAC Guest Post: Induction

I am going to take you back to my pregnancy with my 1^st son Dustyn. At 20 weeks they said he was measuring big so they wanted to keep an eye on him. We did several ultrasounds and he just kept getting bigger and further away from the size he was suppose to be. Genetics were not on his side, hubby was 10lbs 5oz at birth and I was no small baby either weighing 8lbs 6oz. Many ultrasounds later it was determined that he was going to be a very big baby so my doctor told me she thought it would be best to schedule a c-section at 39 weeks. I was a young new mom, so I listened. I was also scared because my hubby ended up stuck at birth and they almost lost him and his mom {they ended up doing and emergency c-section}. We did the c-section and he came out 10lbs 4oz. At the time I was thankful for the c-section because I honestly didn’t believe I could have had him naturally.

{Dustyn born February 29, 2008}

Fast forward two years, I am now pregnant with Carsyn. Some where in those two years a seed was planted about VBACs. I was blogging at the time, so I am sure I read it one someone’s blog. The power of blogging, seriously, is awesome! I had decided I wanted a VBAC for several reasons, main one being if I had another c-section I was going to be done having kids. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be done. Also having a 2 year old to chase around and pick up after a c-section would not have been ideal. From the beginning I was going to a midwife and planning for a VBAC, then found out she was pregnant and wouldn’t be back in time. I heard terrible things about her colleagues, so I found a new doctor at 15 weeks. She was amazing and 100% supportive of my plans.

Another skip in time, I am now 38 weeks pregnant and Carsyn is starting to measure a little big, so they try to induce me and it fails. At this point I am disappointed and scared on whether I will be able to have a VBAC. The doctor decides to wait another 2 weeks and try to induce me again. I was actually having some contractions on my own before they started inducing me, but they weren’t doing anything. She started me on a very, very low dose of Pitocin, we all know VBAC’s and Pitocin don’t mix well. So they went up slowly and would only go to 20ml of Pitocin. We reached the max and I am dilated enough for her to break my water. After that the contractions were very strong and close. I wasn’t getting a break in between them so she suggest I try half a dose of Nubain to take the edge off. It worked, I was actually falling asleep in between contractions. It gave me a little relaxation, which was enough for me to dilate the rest of the way. You see, I was totally against an epidural for several reasons. I wanted to be able to feel my contractions, I didn’t want to stall and I wanted to make sure I could feel if my uterus had started to rupture.

So here I am fully dilated, they had turned off the Pitocin by this point. They moved me to the big room and I started doing some practice pushes while they got everything ready. My doctor was really amazing, she acted more like a midwife then a doctor. She was there the ENTIRE time I was pushing. She walked me through everything and told me what I was feeling. I loved this, then I knew what I was feeling was normal and was getting me closer to meet Carsyn. I pushed for 30 minutes and Carsyn was born into this world May 11, 2010 at 12:47 am. It really was such an amazing experience and I would do it all over again. I hope to have more kids in the future and now I feel like I can. For those wondering he was still pretty big 9lbs 5oz.

Do I think I could have had Dustyn natural? yes. Am I glad they did a c-section? yes and no. I am glad he is here and I didn’t have any issues with my c-section, but I wish I would have been given the chance to try. You can read Carsyn’s original birth story here. Thanks for reading my VBAC story, if you have any questions feel free to email me sarah@naptimemomtog.com. My advice to you if you are trying for a VBAC, believe in yourself and your body, and find a doctor that supports your decision.

HISTORY Buying a shipment of returned watches, Richard W. Sears started the R. W. Sears Watch Co. in 1886. He hired watchmaker Alvah C. Roebuck the following year. By 1889 the watch business was sold and a mail-order company, Sears, Roebuck, and Co., was formed. Offering good prices and money-back guarantees, the company introduced its first catalog in 1896. Roebuck left in 1895, and Sears brought in new partners Aaron Nussbaum and Julius Rosenwald. Sears left in 1908 due to differences of opinion with Rosenwald, who later became president of the company.

Sears established its first retail store in 1924, setting its sights on the opportunities the automobile would bring with farmers, the company’s main customers at that time, driving to town to shop. In 1925 the company launched a tire line and followed it with an offering of auto insurance in 1931.

Looking to spread its business into other categories, Sears bought Hobart Development shopping centers in 1959, several savings and loans, Coldwell Banker (real estate), and Dean Witter Reynolds (stock brokerage) in 1981. Sears established the Discover credit card in 1985 and continued to branch out through the 1980s, even entering into a partnership with online service Prodigy in 1984. The company continued to experiment with various business strategies, including auto supplies and repairs, while lessening focus on its retail stores. The result of this diversification was disastrous; by 1992 the company had lost $3.9 billion. CEO Ed Brennan decided to go outside Sears for a successor, choosing the vice chairman of Saks Fifth Avenue, Arthur Martinez. site sears coupon code

As CEO of the Sears Merchandise Group, Martinez shuttered 113 stores and closed the catalog division, eliminating 50,000 jobs. Brennan spun off Allstate, Coldwell Banker, Dean Witter, the Discover card, and sold the Sears Tower in Chicago. Martinez was named CEO of Sears, Roebuck, and Co, and set out on a $4 billion, five-year store modernization program. The company began to bounce back, and Martinez developed plans for growing. In the mid-1990s he began setting up freestanding specialty stores away from malls to sell hardware, furniture, and farming equipment.

STRATEGY With the arrival of Martinez, Sears changed its marketing strategy. While the company had always assumed that its customer base was males, Martinez discovered the typical customers were females with an average household income of $38,000. This was the start of the innovative and successful advertising campaign, “The Softer Side of Sears.” Martinez has four main strategies: build small stores away from malls, build a service operation, invest in the Sears brands, and redesign existing mall stores with the core customer in mind. Furniture departments were moved out and makeup counters moved in, merchandising and displays were updated, and well-designed clothing was brought into the stores.

INFLUENCES When the retail side of Sears became less important in the 1980s, the company floundered. Martinez vowed that would not happen again. With the spinoffs of unrelated companies in the mid-1990s, Sears was primarily a retailer again, for the first time since 1931. While the company plans to grow through specialty stores, money is also being pumped into the mall stores. website sears coupon code

FAST FACTS: About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Ownership: Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a publicly owned company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Officers: Arthur C. Martinez, Chmn. & CEO, 58, 1997 base salary $1,125,000; Robert L. Mettler, Pres., Merchandising Full-Line Stores, 57, 1997 base salary $700,000 Employees: 334,000 (296,000 located in the United States, 38,000 in Canada) Principal Subsidiary Companies: Sears, Roebuck and Co.‘s subsidiaries include: MaxServ; NTW; Sears Hardware; Sears HomeLife; Tire America; Western Auto Supply Co.; Parts America; AllAmerica Termite & Pest Control; Sears Canada, Inc.; and Sears, Roebuck de Mexico, S.A. deC.V.

Chief Competitors: Nationally, Sears competes against mid– to low-priced department stores, hardware stores, hardware manufacturers, and appliance stores. Major competitors include: Ace Hardware; Best Buy; Black & Decker; Circuit City; Home Depot; J.C. Penney; Montgomery Ward; and Wal-Mart.

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