My partner came back and rushed me to the hospital at 10am. Just as I was in pain and anxious about unexpected early labour, my 2 years old daughter said the most unexpected and wonderful thing:
“Mommy in pain? I am here mommy”
and gave me a hug.
Vaginal Birth C-Section (VBAC)
2 years ago, I had emergency C-section with my first born. I wasn’t given a choice. The only regret was I had to go through contraction for 30 hours without epidural only to find out C-section was the only way to delivery my baby. This time, vaginal birth after C-section (VBAC) was at the top of my list. There is nothing to prove but only once in a life time motherhood that I wish to experience. Due to my age and VBAC preference, the midwife team assured close monitoring till birth. One thing for sure, I am not ready to endure the same contraction pain as before. Surprisingly, the anaesthetic team administered the epidural shot for me despite 8cm dilation. They advised that I should be fine as long as I could stay still amidst contraction pain and epidural procedure.
Epidural
Come to think of it, I felt guilty for getting mad at the midwife team, thinking that they lied to me about epidural’s coming. I was in so much pain. Well, as people say…never mess with a pregnant woman in labour, lol. Perhaps I would have given birth straight away after epidural with rapid contraction and dilation. Instead, I had contraction for another two to three hours before the midwife team queued me to start pushing. Difficult to imagine how it would be like without painkiller. According to my midwife, epidural can sometimes slow down delivery process as mothers get too numb to push. As opposed to without, we are more likely to push harder and get pain out of way.
Episiotomy
My labour was not as straightforward. Due to very round baby head, the first few pushes were not successful. My partner said he couldn’t see anything coming. I couldn’t feel anything either. The doctor and midwife team used ventouse suction cup to assist in delivery. They also suggested episiotomy to make more space for my baby to be born. The miracle of natural birth, huh. These are my biggest fear of vaginal birth and they happened anyway. Aftermath was not on my mind. All I wanted was a natural and safe delivery.
What it means for me?
I am truly blessed with my partner’s encouragement and support.
“It’s a boy.”
Not knowing baby’s gender was a pleasant surprise for us. It took 7 hours all in all, the fastest delivery we ever experienced! The downside was I lost too much blood, 1.3 litres to be exact. All because the last push coincided with episiotomy procedure, where blood gushed out without warning. Also threw up 3 times as a result of local anaesthetic reaction. These didn’t matter so much as I was so looking forward for speedy recovery with natural birth, back on my feet to play with my little girl as soon as I can.
First time vaginal birth experience, a memory that I will cherish for a lifetime.
“Birth is an experience that demonstrates that life is not merely function and utility, but form and beauty.”
Christopher Largen
