VBAC Guest Post: Induction

I am going to take you back to my pregnancy with my 1st 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.