We are halfway there!
I am twenty weeks and I am finally feeling much better and getting some
energy back. Everything has looked good
so far and they are hopeful that I will carry this baby further than Little
Sis. To help with that I have been getting hormone shots for the last four weeks
and will contiue to get them weekly until delivery. They are huge shots and somewhat painful, but
Ryan is actually able to give them to me at home. So far the baby looks great and is moving
and kicking a ton. We have a sonogram
next week and will have a gender reveal party on Saturday so that Ryan,
Pockets, Little Sis and I can all find out the gender of the baby at the same
time.
Now for more detailed information about doctors, hospitals,
and procedures that will probably only be interesting to a few of you, but it
more of a verbal processing activity for me so feel free to stop reading. Also
it is really really long!
So when we first moved to Lubbock as I looked for an OB I
was interested in finding someone that was VBAC friendly just in case we ever
did get pregnant again.(there are no Midwives in Lubbock that I could find). I asked around and tried to get into everyone
that was recommended but everyone was full or was unwilling to just consult
with me except for this AMAZING woman that I found and that a dear friend of
mine was very pleased with. She was very
sweet and a strong Christian woman. Her
office was very nice and I felt good about my choice. She said that she didn’t
do many VBAC’s but that she felt I was a good candidate and would be more than
willing to try. At the time I wasn’t
pregnant though so that was enough.
Well we did have a change of heart over time about the
possibility of more children. Ryan and I
felt strongly that we were taking control of our own lives and wanted to give
control over to God and trust that He knew better than we did!
Now that I was pregnant I went to the OB and immediately
asked again if she felt that I was a good VBAC candidate which she assured me I
was. As I talked to women and read
stories online about VBAC experiences, I started really questioning my current
OB. Each time I talked to her office
staff they were amazed that she said I could VBAC and would comment that they
didn’t know she would do that. I would
go a few weeks and get worked about what would happen, but each time I would
actually see the OB for an appointment she was great and sweet and re-assured
me that I could try.
Several weeks ago, I started watching some documentaries
about labor and delivery and started reading the same natural birthing books
that I did with first two and it led me to do some research. What I found was that having a VBAC depends
on so many factors including a provider, a hospital, and support staff. This made me consider using a doula during my
labor to help advocate for me when the OB was too jumpy and provide alternative
measures at times. As I started calling
doula’s I seemed to get the same feeling with each one. They were all supportive of my VBAC attempt but
felt that I might not have the “most” supportive provider and more than that
the most supportive hospital. They all
said they would help, but their recommendation would be to make a change. Several of the doula’s I spoke too told me to
pull the c-section rates from the government’s website and talk to other mom’s
to see which hospital they delivered with.
This is where my amazement began. I started talking to nurses at both hospitals
and moms that have delivered at each one and this is what I found.
Hospital A- Very
pushy about epidurals and wants a mother to have one immediately on
admission. They don’t have many women
that use doula or actually prefer un-medicated labor (or so they say) and most
astonishing there government reported statistics show that 56% of all women who
walk into their hospital will deliver their baby via c-section. (The national average is 35% and the American
College of Ob and Gynn warn about an average greater than 25%!). One Nurse even
told me the idea is get moms , make them comfortable, and get them out as fast as possible so that
you can be back in the comfort of your own home.
Hospital B- Has been
working for the last five years to lower their c-section rate and increase
their breast feeding success. In order
to this, they have agreed to pay for any patient to have doula services for
free. Their role is pain management,
positioning, and emotional support of mom.
With this women are more likely to have un-medicated natural deliveries
because they can tolerate the pain better, are moving in ways to allow the baby
to drop, and are able to be successful at actually pushing the baby out. With the doula services in place now for an
extended period of time, the OB’s that work there are more exposed to natural
labor which doesn’t always go via the book or protocol. When I pulled their c-section rates it shows
that of all women who walk into their hospital, only 17% will deliver via
c-section! What a difference!
I took this information and realized I had to make a decision.
I considered pushing my luck and trusting my OB that she would do a VBAC and I
would not be one of the 56% at hospital A (she doesn’t have privledges at
hospital B) but I kept coming back to the idea, of what happens if for some
reason she is not there. I mean she has
to get lunch, she has to continue to see patients while I am laboring,
etc. I would be trusting my care to the
on staff doctor to not push a c-section.
This is what happened with Little Sis.
My midwife had just left for the day and the on staff Fetal Maternal
Medicine Doctor felt that I should have a c-section that day so that we would
not take the risk of an emergency later.
Knowing that I felt completely out of control and absolutely hated that
birth experience, I knew I would have to
make a change!
Well, today I met with a new OB who the doula recommended,
and it was kind of mixed emotions. Her
office was great and they assured me from the beginning that she was very VBAC
friendly. When I met her though the very first phrases out of
her mouth, was “I am very VBAC friendly, I have done over a 100 VBAC’s, but I
just don’t think you are a very good candidate!” Wait, what? I don’t understand. Everyone from my Midwife in Dallas, the OB
that did my C-section, and every other professional I have talked to, plus the
guildines published by ACOG say I am a great VBAC candidate. Well we talked and talked some more. She discussed that since I had a preterm
c-section the incision may not be as low in the uterus as most people since I
wasn’t as far along. I then shared more
about why I wanted to try a VBAC and the birth histories of the first two
kids. The more we talked the more she
realized that I might actually be a good candidate. She made a comment at one
point that she strongly disagreed with the Fetal Maternal Medicine doctor that
did my c-section and that there was absolutely no reason that should have ever
happened to me! I should have been able
to deliver her naturally, a question I asked at the time.
In the end she said we could keep looking into it and after
she got the surgery report that could verify some of the anatomy things we
discussed she would feel more comfortable. She commented too though, that no
matter what, I was the one that would have to make the choice. She would be supportive of my choice and
would try to give me the birth that I desired and if for some reason there was
a reason that it would not happen that I would feel in agreement with the plan.
There were lots of other logistics that
we discussed but all in all, we are both on the same page and will be moving
forward with an un-medicated VBAC attempt at hospital B using a doula! I think I am still a little hesitant to trust
this OB on some level, but examining the research, hospital protocols, and
knowing that I will build trust with her over the coming months I feel that
there is really nothing more I can personally can do other than PRAY.
With that, we are asking that if you are willing, would you
please pray for complete healing of my old c-section, that this baby
would make it to full- term, and that I could be prepared emotionally for the
journey ahead! Thanks so much in
advance.
Oh and don’t forget to stay turned for the big gender
announcement next weekend!
