As you may have read here before, I had a huge desire for a natural, vaginal delivery. As you also may have read, towards the end of pregnancy, I had a rather uncooperative daughter who refused to stay head down and preferred the breech position. On Thursday Feb 23rd, I saw my midwife Emily who again confirmed Avery was still head up, complete breech. I felt pretty defeated, I had huge hopes that she would turn again, and though I knew there was technically still time for her to turn, it just felt like a huge loss.
Fast forward to the next morning, 4 am, I was awakened by my first labor contraction. I tried to go back to sleep, and was unable to because of contractions but also because of the thoughts running through my head. Slowly but surely, the contractions became closer together and stronger, lasting longer and longer. I knew in my heart it was the beginning of the real deal. Sadly, at 38 weeks and 3 days, this should be a wonderful thing, but I was torn. If labor didn't stop and Avery didn't turn, it meant another c-section. I knew if I showed up at the hospital with her in the same position as the day before, I would be under the knife in an hour or two. I just wasn't ready to give in to that yet, and I kept hoping either labor would back down or she would miraculously turn around while in labor (it has been known to happen!). On the flip side, however, I had NO desire to get to active hard labor if she was still breech. Why be in pain if the end result is the same? Eventually, when it because obvious that labor was increasing and not backing down, I summoned Carl home from work and we trekked to the hospital. I was glad to see Dr. Horn on call, he is a wonderful Christian man, and in prior appointments he had been supportive in my desire for a trial of labor. However, he confirmed what I already knew, Avery was still breech. He even agreed to let me labor a while longer at the hospital to see if anything changed. We did so, but eventually, I decided to throw in the towel. I won't lie, I was disappointed in the outcome, I wanted so badly to prove I could do it and to have that experience. However, I am thrilled that I advocated for my wishes during pregnancy, and even more thrilled that Avery got to pick her own birthday! I had piece of mind knowing that she would be ready to enter the world since my body had started the process all on its own.
Dr. Horn prayed over myself and Avery, and Carl and my sister Melissa gowned up to join us in the OR. It is always an awesome day when you welcome a life into the world, but it was extra special to share it with my little sister, who wasn't able to be present at the birth of either of my other girls. I have some wicked cool pictures and videos of the surgery, which not everyone would appreciate (if you are into that sort of thing, feel free to stop by and check them out-they are a bit gruesome for your average Joe). I also have some amazing pictures of Avery's birth and the moments that followed, and the feeling of hearing her new born cry won't wear off for some time. She is quite a sweetheart and really completes our little family. Avery Pearl was born 2-24-12 at 5:27 pm. She was 7 lbs, 2 oz, 20 in, and has a TON of dark hair! Her sisters are so smitten!! I hope you enjoy her pictures below, I wish blogspot wasn't so slow to upload pictures or I would post a ton more!!
Just after birth!
One week old!
No comments:
Post a Comment