On Wednesday, July 31st, we arrived at the hospital at 5:45am for our scheduled induction to attempt a second vbac at 40w4d. By 6am, they had us admitted and in a room. I was only 1 to 1.5 cm dilated and soft. They started with a very low dose of pitocin at 7am. I was on a Bluetooth monitor, so I was doing a lot of standing and using the birthing ball, trying different positions to get things moving. By 9am, I was only 2 cm, 50% effaced. They broke my water. I was a little worried about them doing it so early, but my doctor was convinced after my last vbac that I would have a baby in the next 24 hours. The contractions definitely changed at that point and got a lot stronger.

At 11am, I asked for the epidural. I was only 3 cm and 70% effaced. My husband and I thought it would be a long afternoon, so we decided to try to rest. Of course he was able to nap... At 3pm, I was only 5 cm. Then things got a little crazy.

The baby’s heart rate started dropping out, we could hear it on the monitor. I started feeling not good. I was shaking and freezing and light headed. The contractions were coming back to back (I couldn’t feel but could see on the monitor). At 3:30, they had been moving me to different positions to try and help the baby l, but it wasn’t working. They decided to check me and I was a 7/8. So I was transitioning too fast. They turned off the pitocin, but it didn’t help. Baby’s heart beat kept crashing and my blood pressure was crashing. A lot of people came into the room at that point. It was close to 4pm, and they said we had to get the baby out. They thought I might have a uterine rupture. I was very lightheaded and nauseous, they checked and I was a 10, 100% effaced, 0 station. So we tried pushing. I pushed as hard as I possibly could to get that baby down the birth canal. I almost passed out with each contraction. Between contractions, they were rolling me from one side to the other to try to help baby’s heart. It was scary as you know what. They brought in a vacuum, but before they could use it, he was crowning. 2 more pushes that contraction, and out came my blue baby, with the cord around his neck and shoulder, and also in a true knot.

After a few minutes working on him, we finally heard him cry. Best. Sound. Ever. Both of us were fine once I delivered.

Somehow only ended up with a first degree tear, despite the crazy pushing. We are stronger than we think ladies!