Gluten Free with Julie B: April 2016

We are almost 4 weeks in to our new normal as a family of four! I can't believe how fast time is going by and how much our girl has changed already! I wanted to share Lylah's birth story, mainly so I can share it with her later on and so I don't forget the details :) But also for anyone else who is interested. I personally love hearing about other moms' birth experiences.

WARNING: I write about waters breaking, contractions, and all the usual birth stuff so skip to the pictures if you don't care to know :)

This entire pregnancy we really weren't sure how Lylah was going to come. With Josh I was induced due to my high blood pressure, endured 36 hours of labor, and then had an emergency c-section. It was exhausting! (but worth it of course!!) My doctor said as long as my blood pressure and other vitals were normal, she was fine with me going into labor on my own and trying for a VBAC. Just to be sure though, we scheduled a c-section at 40 weeks in case labor didn't happen. I honestly was preparing myself for a scheduled c-section and although I was hopeful she would come on her own, I didn't really believe it would happen.

On Monday, March 28th, around 10:30 pm I was laying in bed watching Netflix (which was a normal part of my bedtime routine for the past couple of months) and I felt a slight "trickle". I didn't think much of it as I thought maybe it was just normal discharge (gross I know). It continued for about 15 minutes and I finally decided to get up and go to the bathroom. As soon as I stood up I felt a gush of water. I was SHOCKED! I knew it was my water breaking (because it was either that or I had just peed myself).

I started shaking, crying, trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was happening. I walked to Jon who was in the other room and told him "Um...so my water just broke." Needless to say, he was surprised as well and asked if I was sure.

Whoosh. Another gush onto the floor. Yep, I was sure! Amazingly, Jon stayed super calm and matter of fact, while I on the other hand was freaking out a little. I couldn't believe it! Here I was going into labor a week before my scheduled c-section. Our little girl was coming!

I wasn't having contractions yet so we took a little time getting packed up and ready. I took a shower because I wasn't sure when my next one would be, and Jon started making calls to the family. I started having contractions about an hour later but they were mild and only about 12 minutes apart. We woke up Josh and drove him to my mom's house. By the time we got to my mom's my contractions were getting stronger, so we went ahead and went straight to the hospital.

Once at the hospital, they had to make sure I was indeed in labor (yes I definitely was thank you very much) and they got us checked in. This process took FOREVER and the contractions were definitely getting stronger and closer together so I was eager to get to a room. Jon played music for me and I just kept breathing. About an hour and half later we were in a labor room and my nurses got an IV started and took some blood. I was able to talk through the contractions but they were definitely strong. Jon did great talking me through them as he watched the monitors and told me when each one was almost over.

Since I was only a couple centimeters dialated, my doctor wanted me to walk the halls for a while to try and get gravity to help me progress. I walked for about 40 minutes and then got sick (fun!) Contractions at this point were about every 4-5 minutes. And they HURT.

A couple hours later I was progressing (3ish cm), contractions looked great, and I decided to get the epidural. I knew how wonderful it was going to feel since I had one last time as well and I honestly was eager to get some rest since it looked like Lylah's delivery would be fairly quick. My doctor arrived around 6am to check on me and said that Lylah's head was still high, but my contractions looked great. They kept changing the way I was laying to try and encourage her to move down, and a couple hours later, I was at 5 cm and she had moved way down. I was thrilled!

Over the next hour I got to 6 cm, however Lylah started having decels, meaning her heart rate started dropping too much and too often. Flashbacks of Josh started going through my head. It was the exact same thing that happened to him! I knew at this point that a c-section was very likely since a drop in heart rate is usually a sign of a baby in distress. We waited another hour, but unfortunately I hadn't progressed any further. I also started having significant pain in my lower right side that was consistent and not coming and going like contractions. Once the pain started, my doctor wanted to get me to the OR right away and get the girl out! I was completely in agreement and at peace with everything. I knew that Lylah's safety could be in jeopardy if we waited.

The c-section went wonderfully, although slightly more complicated than last time. I was much more "aware" this time around since I had only been in labor for 12 hours instead of 36 so I felt a lot more discomfort. It took a while to get me completely numb but eventually I couldn't feel any of the test pricks (it's such a fear of mine to be able to feel the initial cut happening so I'm glad that wasn't the case!), Jon came in and the surgery began. Not long into the surgery I started having horrible pain in my upper right side and shoulder. I still don't know what it was from but I was in tears screaming for something to take the pain away. If it had been on my left side I would've thought it was a heart attack. They were able to finally give me something to take the initial edge off but the pain continued until they sewed me up. About 20 minutes later, they started to prepare to bring Lylah out. They held a mirror for me so I could watch her come out (SO COOL!) and on Tuesday, March 29th at 11:29 am our Lylah Jo entered the world!

They got her weighed and measured (a 6 lb 9 oz little peanut!) and brought her over to me right away. We were able to go skin-to-skin while they finished my surgery (something I wasn't able to do with Josh because he had to go get bloodwork done since he was born with a fever) so it was really special to have that bonding time right away. They got me sewed up and moved to recovery, and just like that we had a daughter!

During my surgery, my doctor was able to determine why both Josh and Lylah never made it out the "usual way". It turns out that my kiddos like to come face up first and my pelvis doesn't allow my babies to turn when it's time for transition. This is why I get "stuck" at 6 cm and both my kids got wedged in my pelvis and started losing oxygen, resulting in low heart rates. I'm glad to know there is a medical reason for my "failure to progress" and any future children we have will be delivered via c-section.

In recovery we oohed and ahhed over our tiny princess, shared the news with our family and friends, and Lylah started nursing right away (another answer to prayer!) A few hours later we got moved to our recovery room and got a visit from Mimi and big brother Josh (who declared "I don't like it" when he first saw her, much to our amusement!) My recovery from surgery went very well, and we were able to go home on Thursday afternoon. Having been through a c-section before was so helpful for me because I knew what would help me recover best (getting up and walking ASAP and getting off the pain meds ASAP).

Although I didn't get the VBAC I was hoping for, I am so thankful that God answered my specific prayers of going into labor on my own, knowing I was for sure in labor and not having multiple 'false alarms', a healthy baby, a good nurser, and an uncomplicated recovery. He answered each of those prayers for me and I could not be more grateful that HE cares enough for me and Lylah to answer my requests. We couldn't be happier that our family now includes our Lylah Jo. We found out about her existence during a very sad and difficult time for our family, losing our beloved Mom Jo, but her life has already brought us so much joy. What a gift from the Lord, to allow this little girl to represent the legacy my grandmother left. I know that she would be so proud and just love her to pieces!

Here's some pictures from LJ's birth and our days in the hospital. More on our family life is coming soon!