Birth Story | Patty's Redemptive VBAC at UCH
Rebecca and I were so excited to work with Patty and her family for the birth of their 2nd baby. Patty’s story is a beautiful one…and we wanted her to share her own telling of her experience along with some of her birth photos.
I had wanted a vaginal delivery with my first child, but medical complications resulted in an emergency C-section after laboring for over 30 hours. It was a challenging recovery as I had not anticipated an emergency C-section (who does?). This time around, I was determined to go into birthing with a "birth preference" instead of a "birth plan." My hope was for a VBAC, but I knew to be more flexible with my wishes compared to my first.
Finding a midwifery group willing to accept a VBAC attempt was the first hurdle. We moved to Colorado in June, so I had to not only get to know a new area, but also find a medical provider who was open to my desire for a VBAC. While the local Denver/Boulder area has several midwifery groups, very few are available for VBACs. Ultimately, after a long search, I was able to find great care with the Center for Midwifery at UC Health.
I was 41 weeks pregnant when we decided to induce labor. Induction was a long ordeal, lasting 2 days (40 hours). When I was finally 10cm dilated, I was overjoyed to begin the pushing process. It was a personal victory as I had never reached 10 cm with my first birth and I was sure that I would meet my new baby shortly. As I began pushing, it was clear that the baby's position was not ideal. Baby was stuck at my pubic bone, despite our many repositioning attempts. Hours passed and I continued to push into the early hours of the morning. Contractions were every 3-4 minutes, with a series of 3 pushes each time. Time disappeared and fatigue set in. After almost 4 hours of pushing, the medical team re-evaluated my progress and there was discussion of a potential C-section if the baby did not exit within the next half hour. Dismayed and panicked, I looked to my husband. Mental calculations told me that I had about 24 pushes to get the baby out, otherwise my "dream birth" would not come to fruition. Each contraction, I pushed with all my might. Between contractions, I remember just saying, "Please, please, please." I was pleading to the universe to give me have the delivery I wanted. Finally, after 4 hours of pushing, my baby was born, and I met Nora for the first time with tears of happiness. At last!
The entire birthing journey with Nora was a personal redemption story. My intent with her birth was not to replace my first birth, as traumatic as it was, but rather to complement it. Much like the journey into parenthood, both birthing experiences were unpredictable, challenged my limits, and required grit and determination. There is no experience in the world quite like giving birth and the experience has shaped me into the person I am today.
