The birth story.

If the way our kiddos come into the world is any indication of their teenage years then we are in serious trouble...

We were scheduled for another c-section on October 27 at 9:30 am.  I dropped Teagan off after "school" on Wednesday, the night before, with Josh's parents so we could prepare and I could get some rest before the surgery the next day.  I'd had about 3 random contractions, real ones, later Wednesday afternoon but figured nothing would come of them and assumed I would be going in the next morning to see Dr. J and have this baby.  Dropping Teagan off was hard and of course I cried all the way home but I found comfort in knowing she was with her Grandma and in very capable hands. 
When I got home I walked in to a hubby that didn't feel good so neither of us wanted to cook.  We ran out and picked something up and settled in for the night.  Around 7:30pm I started having some mild contractions but again, thought nothing of them, and so Josh went to bed around 8ish.  I stayed up and breathed through the contractions until around 9 when I decided to go and take a shower, straighten my hair (yes, I wanted decent hair for delivery) and then go to bed.  Well, I got my shower done and the hair done but when it came time to go to bed my contractions weren't having it.  So, I went downstairs and bounced and watched TV (CSI) and breathed through my contractions.  They were getting so strong and so frequent that I started timing them.  I was texting with my friend Meghan (who at the time happened to be in labor too!) and working through the contractions when Josh came down to check on me.  By then it was around 11pm and I decided it was time to call the nurse on call because holy cow WE WERE IN LABOR!!  I was putting last minute things in the suitcase when the nurse called back.  By then the contractions were every 5-8 minutes apart and anywhere from 45 seconds to 1min and 30 seconds.  Yes people, when I labor I labor fast and furiously.  The nurse told us to come on in, especially when she found out I was a VBAC and so come on in we did! 
I was different with these contractions compared to with Teagan.  With Teagan I was a cave woman who would have scared off a ferocious predator but with Baby BearI was calmer and my breathing was a lot better.  We got to the hospital (laboring in the car SUCKS by the way) and of course came in the wrong entrance and got turned around a few times.  Finally we found the front and Josh dropped me off at the front desk (where I was supposed to be in 6 hrs) and then went to park.  Watching people's faces while I stood there at my wheelchair breathing through contractions was priceless.  The man at the desk kept asking if I was sure I wanted to wait on Josh because he could wheel me up right then.  I politely told him I was okay and just wanted to wait on my husband I wasn't having the baby right yet.  The woman at the desk told him to "Shut up, she's concentrating and doesn't need to hear you right now".  Let's just say when Josh got in the lady was the one who wheeled me upstairs, not the man.  It was a pleasant ride. She was a very sweet lady and we chatted all the way up to the 8th floor, in between contractions that is.
Finally, we got checked in, got a room and I put on that lovely hospital gown.  I was actually in a good mood for a woman in labor. I just knew we were going to have this baby the old fashion way! How could I not be in a good mood?!?  I had one nurse who actually told me I was one of the most pleasant pregnant women in labor she'd ever had.  When they checked me I was at 5 1/2-6cm dilated (that would be 5-6 in 4 hrs) which was crazy because I'd been at 0 at my last check up.  It was around 12ish when they checked me.  They hooked me up to the monitors and I had to stay on the dreaded bed which was the last thing I wanted to do.  I couldn't stand and rock and work through the contractions like I'd been able to do at home and they were coming a lot harder and a lot faster.  I could definitely see the appeal of a birthing center or home at that point.  Eventually the doc came in to check on me and I was at 8 1/2cm.  Let me just tell you, that "transition phase" was HELL but I was determined to rock it out.  It was harder laboring when I was confined to the bed.  But it was worth it knowing Baby Bear's heartbeat stayed steady and she was strong.  Dr. P said we needed the babies head to come down a little further or it was going to be around 2 hrs of hard pushing.  Unfortunately as soon as he left I felt the need to push which is something we didn't want just yet because Baby Bear needed to drop down more.  The pain and urge to push intensified by 20 and started getting the best of me.  I lost my train of concentration and couldn't come back to it.  I looked at Josh in the middle of a contraction with wide eyes.  Then it was over I told him I felt like I'd rocked it, we were still going to have a VBAC but I was going to concede and get the epidural if we could make it. He asked me if I was absolutely sure because he knew how bad I wanted to go completely natural and I told him I was sure.  There was slight chaos after that because I didn't know if we were going to make it waiting on the anesthesiologist because he was in the OR and it took him 5-10 minutes to get there.  Thankfully he got there in time.  After the epidural it did get easier, obviously because I was numb.  I watched the monitor in amazement because my contractions were above the top level and it wasn't painful anymore just slightly uncomfortable.  I don't regret getting the epidural and I am very proud I got as far as I did. 
My parents came in for a few minutes after that and stayed for a little while. It was great knowing they were there and just right down the hall.  Josh was able to get some much needed rest and I laid there watching the monitor and Man vs. Food.  I couldn't sleep more then 20 minutes at a time because I was numb and that was just weird to me.  When the nurse, Jody, and Dr. P came in around 6ish he checked me and decided Baby Bear's head was far enough down.   He broke my water and told me I'd be pushing in a few minutes and we'd have a baby within the hour! Oh mercy, did my adrenaline start pumping then!! Nurse Jody was an amazing coach.  She talked me through how to push and she really helped me focus.  They got out the mirror for me so I could see ( I do better when I can actually SEE what I'm doing) and I don't regret that at all! It was amazing seeing Baby Bear's head! I even got to touch Baby Bear's head! Finally at 7:11am on October 27th, Kyra Mae was born via a successful VBAC.  The doctor congratulated us on our sweet baby girl!  It was an amazing feeling.  God is so good.  It was everything I thought it would be an more.  They laid her on my chest as soon as she came out and then within 45 minutes I was able to nurse her for the first time.  I felt like wonder woman.