I ended up having a successful VBA2C. I was in labor for 30 hours and pushed my baby out in 3 pushes. Labor started at 7am on Thursday May 15 and progressed slowly. Things got intense that evening and I woke up every 5 to 10 minutes all night long with contractions. At some point around 3am my husband began texting and calling the midwives who suggested we wait, but said we could come in at any time. We showed up at the birth center around 9am and I spent a great deal of time walking and vocalizing through the contractions. They were pretty intense. It was around noon when one of the midwives requested to check me and I agreed. I was at 7cm. I sat on my birth ball mostly after that because it was too much to walk any more. I was checked again around 1:20 or somewhere near there and the midwife said I was at an 8 with a bulging water sack. She asked if she could break my water and I said if she felt strongly that it would help me progress. She broke my water and another midwife suggested I sit on the toilet for a bit before getting in the pool. My first contraction after that was extreme. I screamed. And pushed. With the next one she asked if I could not push and I tried to not push but near the end of the contraction my body just pushed on it's own. So she rushed me back to the bed where the other midwife checked me again and said I was complete. She asked me if I wanted to get in the tub, and I said there was no way I was moving from this spot. With the next contraction I pushed again and then had the midwives all yelling at me to not push so hard and to slow down. At the end of that push, my baby's head was crowning. I could feel it right there and it was such a surreal feeling that this was actually happening. When the next contraction began, I grabbed my husbands hand and pushed as slowly as I could per the midwives instructions. My baby just slid right out and was immediately placed on my chest. My beautiful VBA2C baby was born at 1:47pm on May 16, 2014. I was is such a state of disbelief and euphoria I couldn't even wrap my mind around it. I began shouting that I did it. I pushed my baby out. I did it!!
About 15 minutes later my placenta came out and I began bleeding profusely. The two midwives that were with my began to shout for the third midwife to come help. She came running in and then ran and grabbed supplies. I was given an IV and she shoved some pills in my mouth and told me to chew them up. I remember the pale look on my husbands face as he stood there with our newborn baby in his arms. At some point one of the midwives reached onto the bed and scooped the blood off of it with her arm. I don't think I'll ever forget the splash sound as it hit the floor. One of the other midwives reaching into my uterus with her arm to stop the bleeding. Finally, it stopped. And I got cold. I was so very cold and I was sure I was dying. Someone had put my baby on the bed next to me and everyone was rushing around. I remember looking over at her and thinking about how much she needed me. I couldn't even talk, I was just so cold. My mouth was completely dry and my teeth were chattering. They finally piled some blankets on top of me, but it wasn't enough and I stayed cold for a really long time.
I was too weak to sit up, so I had to stay laying down. It was finally decided that I would transfer to the hospital in case I needed a blood transfusion. One of the midwives went with me to provide necessary medical info to the doctors and nurses and I was very comforted by her presence there with me. She left after an hour or so and I missed her greatly as I began to hear from every single nurse and doctor that came through my door about how dangerous VBACs are and how I should never have done something like that. I was repeatedly told how I risked my life. Despite the fact that the hemorrhage had nothing to do the birth being a VBA2C.
Despite the hemorrhage and the post birth hospital transfer, I would do it again. Where there is a will there is a way.
