Reese Emery Hines
6lbs 13oz. 19 1/2"
August 20, 2013
4:56pm
My last day of work was Friday Aug 9\th (my co-workers threw me a surprise
shower that Tuesday before!).
All summer
we've been tackling some major house projects, but after my last day it seemed
that there was an extreme push to get the final touches on the house done and
ready for the baby. I call it "EXTREME NESTING". While I couldn't do
a lot of lifting or the manly stuff I was determined to prove my own worth in
cleaning, organizing, and preparing for the baby. Drew thought I was crazy when
I went through and washed all of the baby clothes a month before, but don't men
understand that is what you are supposed to do!? We were finishing
the addition to the house as well. . Drew was working hard on the flooring and
baseboards in the new bedroom and we were still living with scaffolding and
dust in the main room. The scaffolding came down on Friday evening August 16th
(just four days before Reese was born!). Anyway we actually tackled all the
major projects within days of Reese's arrival and within shreds of our sanity
and patience. Although the master is still in progress to this day, the
main elements came together. Drew ripped out the tile and put down our own
Pinterest inspired concrete counter top, patched dry wall, back splash, painted
the cabinets, and added new hardware! ( I am very happy that the ugly towel rod
is gone). Drew's mom and sister also came out and painted the new bedroom, both
Asher's bathroom and the master bathroom, Asher's bedroom and two dressers for
the new room--all while I was away at work earlier in the month! I refurbished
a rocking chair I had gotten off Craigslist for free, painted the laundry room
and completely reorganized it with cute little bins found garage sale-ing,
completely reorganized the guest bathroom closet, cleaned the kitchen from top
to bottom, cleaned and shampooed the carpets (all that construction dust was
nasty!), and I did a lot of painting touch ups to the baseboards and new room
:) All in all renovations are tough to live through and living with scaffolding
in our house from late June to August with a toddler was no fun! We were
thankful to get our living room back!
On Friday August 16th Drew's parents invited everyone to get together for
a birthday dinner celebration at Texas Roadhouse. Bob's birthday was on Aug 13
and Julie's was coming up on Sept 9th so of course in stead of us pampering
them they turned around treated us to dinner sans kids!! Grandma Marje,
Tyler, Charlotte, Allison, John, Bob, Julie, Drew, and I were all there. Not
knowingly this is the last babysitter night out we would have :) The dinner was
such a fun night! Allison and John surprised everyone by announcing they are
pregnant! It was exciting! And I was due in a week and one day (on August 24
th).
We had everyone go around and predict what Allison would have: boy or girl...
and also guess when our baby would be born. Most everyone thought that the baby
would be late except for Bob who guessed Wednesday August 21st. Drew guessed
Wednesday, August 21st too and I had a feeling that this baby would come early
too, but I was conservative and guessed Thursday August 22nd. I had a feeling
he would come early (I knew he had been waiting a long time to be a part of our
family) but I was still skeptical because all I had to go off was Asher who I
went into labor with right on my due date (after getting my membranes
stripped). He was born the day after his due date. I knew I was going to wait
for this baby to do his own thing and even though I was trying for a VBAC my
doctor still said he would allow me go up to two weeks overdue.
The next day on Saturday I started to feel a little ill and I could
definitely feel my body slowing down. I was feeling sick to my stomach so
I canceled all plans for that evening which included driving with the rest of
our Primary Presidency (Janie Homer, Gena Mahler, and April Prescott) to a
baptism in Fallon. I get carsick so the last thing I wanted to do while feeling
ill and 39 weeks pregnant was a long car trip even though I am sure no one
would have objected to me taking the front seat. I stayed home to enjoy a
relaxed evening in. Tyler and Charlotte ended up stopping by with their boys,
but I was feeling a tad better by then and we sat outside on our bench talking
and watching the boys play outside.
That night very late I started having really painful contractions. There
were spaced about 10 minutes apart, but enough to keep me awake. They were very
very painful and I almost woke up Drew. Instead I went downstairs…then the
contractions started to get very irregular... even so I was up all night and I
kept thinking that this was a repeat of the night I went into labor with Asher.
I was just waiting for the contractions to get closer together. I kept thinking
that by morning we would be heading to the hospital. However the contractions
never got closer together and eventually petered out (always my worst fear with
each pregnancy to go into labor but then for everything to stop...) so I
crawled back to bed in the wee hours of the morning, collapsed from exhaustion,
and tried to get some sleep. I was dead tired that morning and if ever I
needed Drew to be there to get up with Asher it was that morning, but he had to
get off to work. He had been working at the gun show since Friday. I told him
that morning when he got up to get ready that I had been up all night with
contractions and I really didn't want him to work the gun show. I was so
frightened that I would go into labor without him there to help or that my
water might break and I didn't have any back up to get me to the hospital and
get Asher to a babysitter etc. My first labor progressed very fast for a
"first timer" so I didn't know what to expect this time around.
Drew promised he would be near his phone and if needed I could call his Dad's
cell phone and he come at my beck and call. Surprisingly I didn't have another
contraction all morning. I was sleep deprived, but I got ready for church.
Regular church had been cancelled for the entire building so that members could
join the search for an elderly woman in our ward with dementia who had been
missing since Friday. That very morning around 8am
she was found by a search party made up of members from our ward. All wards
were invited to a special combined meeting at the Stake
Center later that day. It was either
10am or 11am
and I took Asher with me. I was getting very slow and it was getting cumbersome
for some time to carry Asher (Mr. 35
lbs) but he was an absolute angel the entire time
playing with his quiet book and coloring. I remember enjoying the meeting
immensely and it was very emotional as well, everyone's testimony of prayer was
strengthened by the miracle of finding Sister Haines. I was also grateful that
I didn't have to prepare for sharing time that day since I was so tired. It was
a wonderful tender mercy :) Drew got home from the gun show later that day and
asked how I was doing and I had absolutely nothing to report ... no
contractions that I could recall :)
Monday I have no idea what we did, but I do remember nagging Drew all
day... I wanted to get the headboard up, clean this, clean that, and had a huge
to do list for him. Those contractions of Saturday night really put in
perspective for me how little time we had left! Our house was looking
fantastic, but our marriage was a little frazzled from all of the renovations,
DIY projects, and my unrealistic dream to have everything *perfect* for the
baby to arrive. I also vaguely remember watching an episode of Game of Thrones
that night (we were hooked) and we had also fought that night- I can't remember
why, but I was mad and so was Drew. I stayed up late and watched more Game of
Thrones because I couldn't sleep.... eventually Drew came down and said
something to the effect of not wanting to fight when we were so close to
welcoming a new baby. I agreed, but I was also distraught from all the raging
hormones. It must not have been important cause I can't remember a thing, but I
remember feeling that Drew was being insensitive to my fragile condition. I
couldn't understand why Drew didn't understand how completely stressed my
emotions were and how stressed out my body was at 39 weeks pregnant. I stayed
up to 2am/3am
or so because I couldn't sleep and I couldn’t stop watching Game of
Thrones.
Tuesday morning I was exhausted, but got up for my prenatal appointment at
8:30am. -I told the doctor about my
contractions on Saturday and some other signals of impending labor that I was
experiencing (my body slowing down, discharge, loosening bms etc.) but he just
shrugged his shoulders and basically said there was no was to know when the
baby would decide to come. He checked my progress and told me I was about 3-4cm
dilated and 50% effaced. I was surprised that I was at 3-4 cm already since with Asher my water
had already broken and I was in the hospital when I was 4cm dilated. I felt
like 3/4 cm was good, but I knew there was a ways to go since I was only 50%
effaced. My doctor was calm and unconcerned (I didn't mention to him that I was
having a few sporadic contractions while we were talking... they didn't bother
me much and I assumed they were Braxton Hicks) since this is my second
baby we discussed that I could be walking about at 3-4 cm dilated for who knows how
long. I also expressed my concern of having this baby before Aug 31
however since we only had insurance until the end of the month. Tentatively Dr.
Garcia said he would call and schedule me for an induction on Wednesday, August
28th or August 29th in case I didn't go into labor naturally before then.
I didn't mention that this was my birthday (I didn't think it would come to an
induction... I went into labor naturally before), but just chuckled... what are
the odds? We talked again about trying for a VBAC... how this would affect my
labor if I checked into the hospital when Dr. Garcia was not on call. He said
no matter what they would call him and he would be there. It is so hard to find
a Dr. who is willing to do a VBAC these days. I am extremely grateful to have
found a supportive and willing doctor. I was still afraid that I might go
to the hospital at a weird time like with Asher at 2:30am and get some on call doctor that would want to do
another c-section on me. On my way out of my appointment we scheduled another
appointment on that Friday.
After I got home I ate breakfast. I e-mailed my family with a little
update… I also checked Face book and noticed that it was going to be a Blue
Moon that night. It occurred to me that more babies are born around a full moon
and took a mental note in case I did go into labor and had a baby under a “blue
moon”.
Drew and I did some work outside
in the backyard. Drew was tending to the garden as usual and was enjoying a
relaxing-ish morning. I took Asher in the front yard to help me take something
out to the recycling bin... Tuesday is our trash day. Our neighbors Sandy (who
is also pregnant and lives across the street south of us) and Harvey (an
elderly gentlemen who is super friendly and lives across the street as well
north of us) were outside and they both came over to talk to me and see how I
was doing. I told them about my appointment. I told them I was feeling pretty
good but had definitely had some contractions and then I felt another right
then. I'll never forget something Sandy
said that morning when I told her that with my first my water had broken before
I had even progressed to 4cm and I was already at 3-4 cm and was feeling really good. She told
me that my water was acting as a “cushion” for any contractions I was feeling. I
never really thought of my water as a "cushion" for the contractions,
but it made sense. It was hot outside and nearing Asher’s nap so I told them we
would keep in touch and started to head inside... I also let them know that
Drew's mom and sister may be coming to our house if the baby arrived to help
out and extra cars would be outside our house. Asher had been playing around
out front while we chatted so I brought him inside. I told Drew in the backyard
that I had had a few more contractions.
Finally I realized that I should start
keeping track of the contractions. It wasn't til around 11:30am that it was becoming consistent so I
felt that I should start to record them. They were about 5 min apart
then. I really hadn't eaten well; I didn’t feel like eating, but knew I
should eat something for energy and if I did go to the hospital I might not be
eating for a long time so I forced myself to eat some yogurt.
Then I went upstairs to our bedroom and
started packing a few final things into a bag for the hospital. I had my things
set aside, but I hadn't yet put them in a bag. I told Drew to get his things
together too "just in case" since he always waits until I'm actually
in labor to put anything together for the hospital :) I kept Drew informed
every time I had a contraction. We were discussing what to do with Asher... let
him nap at home or perhaps take him to nap at a friend’s house since we might
have to leave to the hospital in the middle of his nap. I still wasn't sure if
we should call anyone... I didn't want to bother anyone and then to have my
contractions peter out again.
Drew suggested we call his sister and her husband since they
were available and they had offered to babysit while we went to the hospital.
They were down in Gardnerville though which was an hour away. I told Drew we
should wait in case the contractions stopped… then I had my next contraction
and I said “You’re right, call your sister!”
the contractions were getting stronger and were consistent. I had no
idea how fast things would progress so best to be on the safe side and have
them on their way.
I was stinking dirty and hadn’t showered … I knew I needed
to clean up and get ready. I really wanted to do my hair and makeup and look
nice, but between contractions doing my makeup and hair was the last thing I
wanted to do. I got in the bath instead because I didn’t want to be stinky for
the doctors, but I didn’t wash my hair (which I really regret! I looked like a
wreck the entire time). The bath felt great for the pain… Drew brought Asher
upstairs and put him in the bath as well. Asher was a little mad that I was so
big and taking up the whole bath tub (which was hilarious), but it was fun and
we played. Not only was it good for the pain, but it was a good distraction. I
felt great while in the tub and I don’t really remember feeling the
contractions half so much.
Allison and John showed up while I was pacing in our
bedroom. Drew put Asher down for a nap and then came into our room to help me
manage the contractions. By this time I was nibbling on strawberries and Drew
had a timer up on his phone and was recording splits every time a contraction
came. As I started to feel a contraction come I would lean over the portable
A/C unit and have Drew apply counter pressure on my lower back and breathe
through the contractions while shifting my weight from one foot to the other. I
was perfectly calm and was happy with our team effort towards pain management.
Matt Taylor texted Drew to rally up men for the service
project that night at the church house, he told Matt that we were probably
going to the hospital, but I guess Matt thought we were already on our way
there so Matt told me that Danielle was trying to call me (she’s a post-partum
nurse at St. Mary’s). I hadn’t gotten any missed calls so I called Danielle and
clarified that we hadn’t gone to the hospital but that my contractions were
close. She consulted with me and told me to call my Dr’s office and let them
know my contractions were 4 min apart since I was attempting a VBAC they might
want me to go in sooner to monitor me more closely… I guess I have to admit I
didn’t really know what my plan was. I guess I was waiting to go in to the
hospital when my water broke because that’s what happened with Asher. But with
Asher my water broke earlier when I was at 4
cm. Danielle also
recommended me to an awesome nurse to ask for when I got to the hospital. I
believe the nurse you get makes a huge difference in the kind of care and birth
experience you end up with so I was super happy she knew the nurses personally
and recommended me ask for a nurse named Jen (I think that was her name?). I am
so happy I had Danielle to consult with and that she correctly advised me to
call my doctor (and ultimately go to the hospital right away).
I called my doctor’s office and left a message for the nurse
that my contractions were about 4 min apart… sometimes less than 4 min apart,
but that my water had not yet broken. A nurse called me back right away and
told me that I should go straight to the hospital (again because I was
attempting a VBAC) they would want to monitor my progress.
We grabbed our things and said farewell to Allison and John.
I was so grateful that they came up to watch Asher when they did, that Asher
could stay home and nap in a familiar environment with as little disruption to
his normal life as possible since we were just about to turn his world upside
down! I remember I was wearing my green Dickies shirt and some tiny grey shorts
as we left. It was August, hot outside, and I was in labor, not an ounce of
makeup and I hadn’t washed my hair in 2-3 days… it’s true that you loose all
sense of decency in labor… I had little regard for how awful I looked and
wanted as little clothing touching my body as possible. Hahaha… poor
brother-in-law got an eye full!
As we were getting in the car my neighbors were again outside
and I waived to them and yelled, “Wish me luck, we are off to the hospital!”
Amazingly I was extremely calm—I trusted my body was able to have a normal
birth, but I knew there was a good possibility that I would end up with another
C-section as well. In the car I first told Drew how stupid I would feel if the
contractions petered out and this was all false labor. Then I proceeded to
coach Drew on what I expected of him… what support I needed from him. I needed
help remembering to breathe. I was very specific. I told him I needed him to
help me take a cleansing breath, start with heee heee hooo breathing, and then
a cleansing breath as the end of each contraction, also I needed his 100% focus
on his laboring wife! I also told him I would like him so tell me I was doing a
good job, to encourage me to keep going, and most of all to be my advocate. I
also told him I needed him to advocate for me to continue for a VBAC and for a
natural birth since I would be otherwise preoccupied with pain management.
Light droplets of rain were falling outside on the way
there. We texted family to let them know we were on our way to the
hospital! I was also texting my
sister-in law intermittently--she was going to come to a birth story
photography for me. I was hesitant when it came down to it though. I was scared
that she might come to the hospital and I would be in labor for 10 more hours
or something and she would just be sitting around. She wanted to come to the
hospital right away, but I just told her to wait. I was also scared to have a
photographer in the hospital for all the nitty gritty ugly stuff…I didn’t even
do my hair or make-up that day, but in the end I am really happy that she came
and I have those photos to remember Reese’s birth always. Really cool is that I
was able to see Reese born through still shots!
We parked in the parking garage and walked across the
parking lot underneath the terrace to the entrance to the maternity ward and
checked in at 2:30pm (exact time I
checked in with Asher two years ago, but at 2:30am).
It was kinda nice this time around that my water hadn’t broken yet so I didn’t
get that “yeah right… we’ll see” attitude from all the nurses. They were more
willing to accept me when I just said that I was having contractions 4 min
apart and my Dr instructed me to come to the hospital. Once ushered in the room
I changed into the gown they gave me and socks and we waited my nurse to come
in. Drew put on a comedian stand up clip from Brian Reagan on his phone for us
to listen to. He thought it would be funny to put on this clip about pain
management. At first it was funny, but then I got super irritated because I was
already hypersensitive to pain management so listening to a guy jest about pain
was NOT helping so I finally told him to turn it off. It wasn’t helping to
listen about someone talking about pain so much. Soon we were greeted by a tall
nurse with shoulder length sandy hair… I was like, “Wait! My friend in post
partum told me to ask for Jen (?)” and she said, “That’s me!” She told me that
Danielle had called the hospital ahead of my arrival and told her I was coming
in and to take care of me. It was sheer luck that she was not already with
another patient. Oddly, it didn’t seem like the maternity ward was very busy.
Danielle thought that Jen’s personality would work well with mine and someone
who was supportive of a natural VBAC! I was so touched that Danielle called
ahead for me and that the hospital was already expecting me! She proceeded to get all my information in
the computer and write my information on the white board including VBAC &
“no episiotomy” while I rocked at the edge of the bed and Drew applied counter
pressure to my lower back. I had already explained that I was trying for a
TOLAC- or VBAC and that if possible no episiotomy so when she asked me what my
birth plan was I just looked at her and said, “that’s it right there on the
board, right? I want to have a vaginal birth!” She just laughed and told me how
so many moms-to-be bring in these detailed several page birth plans.
I tried to stay upright as long as possible and move and
sway from one foot to the other as long as possible. Finally the nurse asked me
to lie down. I asked if I could still walk around and based on my last birth I
thought this would be ok since my membranes had not ruptured, but she still
said its still basic policy that they like you to lay down. I was terrified of
lying down because I thought it might slow down labor and I had a good thing
going standing up and swaying, and my previous experience birthing in an
uncomfortable bed was no good…. So of course I was scared that it would be a
million times more painful in the bed. However, to my delight I found a great
position on my left side (facing the monitor and nurse) while holding onto the
railing and still allowing Drew to apply counter pressure to my lower back. She
checked me and told me I was at a 5 or 6 and 80-90% effaced! I was so
surprised! I told her that just this morning I was at 3-4 and only 50% effaced.
She told me my body had done a lot of good work today J
I remember Drew being amazing during the contractions! He
was so good at helping me take a cleansing breath and then breath with me HEE
HEE HOO. The nurse told us that she was impressed and asked if we had taken a
class… well we had technically two years earlier with Asher, but hadn’t
reviewed anything since then. I had just mentally prepared myself to relax and
be calm as much as possible. My nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural and I
told her that I felt good that at this point is was pretty manageable. I told
her, “not right now, but I’ll just keep going and let you know if I need
it.” When the going got tough I had to
switch to left hand on the rail and holding Drew’s hand with my right (some how
he was still able to rub my back with his one free hand)… and yes Drew said his
hands were incredibly sore after the whole ordeal! The nurse had just barely
left the room after asking me all the routine questions and gowning up and
preparing the room… small moments later I felt a pop and water starting gushing
out, but it felt so good to finally have my water break! It relieved some
pressure. It was 3:15 when my water broke.
But all I could think of was my neighbor earlier that morning saying how
my water was acting as a cushion for all the contractions. So when my water
broke all I could think of is, “Oh no! My cushion is gone!” I knew the
contractions were going to get much worse.
I pushed the red button and my nurse rushed back in. I told
her that my water broke and somehow she already knew that’s what had happened
when she got the call. She kept saying how I was “confirming” my admittance so
she shoved some paperwork to me I think and I had to sign something. The
contractions were getting intense and the breathing got much harder. The ‘Hee
hee ho’s” were just not working anymore …I
couldn’t keep up with the breathing and my left hand was starting to go
numb. I was also starting to feel a lot of pressure too. The nurse told me I
wasn’t getting enough oxygen so she suggested I puff my checks and blow out…
this helped a ton and my hand started to regain feeling. The pain was so
intense I was now lying on the bed and squeezing Drew’s hand and shaking it
through the contractions. It was around that now I asked for an epidural. Drew
would tell you I “begged” for an epidural. I looked to my nurse and asked her
to send in the anesthesiologist. Then when I saw no signs of his imminent
appearance I asked when he was coming and why wasn’t he here yet? She just told
me that I had zero fluids yet so I couldn’t get an epidural for another 15 mins
until they got some fluids in me. In hindsight I would realize that I was going
through transition. I never felt pressure like that with Asher because he did
not descend. Now I was started to feel a lot of pressure. The contractions were
starting to get incredibly painful and intense and Drew told me I asked for the
anesthesiologist again. Finally after hurrying around me to get things going
she checked my cervix and told me I was complete! I looked at the clock, it was
4pm (but it was still several minutes
before I started pushing). The back
labor was SO painful and I just thought to myself, “OH NO! What was I thinking!
I should have gotten the epidural when I had the chance!” I’m pretty sure I
said that out loud. I was so exhausted I didn’t know if I had enough energy
left to go through pushing. With all the pressure I asked if I could get
upright to stand or squat. I knew gravity would help me and it felt more
natural to get up. The nurse pulled out the squat bar and lowered the bottom
half of the bed. There was a lot of activity… nurses were rushing in the table
for delivery and preparing everything. My sister-in-law arrived and starting
taking pictures… I can’t say I even noticed she was there. It’s still hard to
remember all that was going on around me, but I also remember this amazing
downpour of rain outside and from our window we could see the huge flood of
rain collecting on the roofs.
At this point I didn’t really know what to do since I had
never gone this far and I was really relying on the nurse to coach me through
the pushing. I just looked at her and she said I could start pushing whenever I
felt like it. I started to push which helped to combat the pain, but I was also
anticipating the pain too early and the pushes I was putting in were “beating”
my contractions. My nurse urged me to let the pressure build a little and I had
to learn to adjust. I was also wondering in the back of my mind when the doctor
would come? I didn’t know how this went since it was all new to me, but was the
doctor supposed to be there, right? How long would I be pushing? Dr Garcia was
stuck in a surgery and the other doctor was too so the midwife Lynn Anderson
came in! Boy, was I having an amazingly unique birth experience for a VBAC! Lynn
told me how absolutely rare it was for the hospital to allow the midwife to do
a VBAC! When she came in I talked to her
a bit and asked her if she would work with me and help me avoid a tear. She
said she definitely would.
In all I pushed for about 45-50 minutes. During the entire
time I was pushing it felt like every attempt was futile. The nurses, midwife,
and Drew kept telling me how good I was doing and to keep pushing and they
could see the head! But I didn’t believe them! He felt so far in still and
every push felt like I was doing nothing. The nurse just kept telling me that
how soon he came would depend on my efforts so I focused all my energy on
pushing
well to get him out sooner.
She helped me to push longer and harder each time (longer than I would have on
my own). Then everyone could see the head and he was making his way! The
midwife encouraged me to reach my hand down at this point and feel his head. It
was strange, he really was close to being here!
In between contractions I was so exhausted; I no longer had the strength
to pull myself up to the squat bar and had to stay seated for each contraction
with my knees up and my feet up on the squat bar. I would collapse onto the bed
in between contractions and it felt like and eternity of pain … I just didn’t
know how much longer I could manage. Drew was amazingly supportive and
comforting and really cheering for me (which is exactly what I needed). I just
wouldn’t have had it any other way.
I
could now feel the progress as he moved down the vaginal canal.
The midwife told me to put my legs down and
she stretched and stretched out my cervix. She said I had a beautiful crown and
she was trying to make it so I didn’t tear. It seemed like she was trying to
slow down the process to make sure I didn’t push too hard too fast so that it
would be less likely that I would tear. It was only another push or two and
Reese Emery Hines was born at 4:56 pm!
It seemed a great big cheer of excitement went up, but I just collapsed and was
so happy it was over! I was so relieved. Another nurse cleaned him off quickly
and put him right on my chest and we shared our first skin to skin contact. We
also tried nursing right away! To have only known the immediate separation
after a C-section this was the most amazing experience, what I had fought for
my entire pregnancy. I felt so relieved and ecstatic that I had successfully
had a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean! I just kept repeating in my head, “I did
it, I did it, I DID IT!” After all the work to find a doctor who would even let
me try and supportive towards me… it was all worth it. They took Reese to get
measured and reported that he was 6 lbs.
13 oz and 19 ½
inches. I was so surprised to find out that he was almost a whole pound smaller
than Asher. The midwife told me that if Reese had been 7 lbs 10oz like Asher I probably would
have been pushing for another hour! I just think all the stars aligned to allow
me this perfectly amazing birth experience (and a little baby with a nice small
head too.)
Drew’s mom came in soon after giving birth and gave Drew and great
big hug. We had tried to reach her at school to come for the birth, but we
couldn’t get a hold of her since she didn’t get reception where she was.
Drew was handed Reese all bundled up and he
came over to me wiping his eyes with tears of joy. I hugged him and kissed him
and I was so emotionally grateful that Reese was here, but too exhausted to
cry. Dr Garcia then came in to check on me and when he came in the feeling
inside me and his reaction was priceless. He waltzed in the room and put up is
arms and had a huge smile on his face and said something to the effect of
“Congratulations! Look at you! I just saw you this morning and here you
are!”
Not to mention we scheduled an
induction this morning too! He said how he was sorry he was stuck in surgery
(but I wasn’t sorry I was so happy to get the midwife Lynn in his
practice).
I was proud that I could be
another successful VBAC he could report of out of his practice. After all our
talks of “maybe” this is possible and “let’s try for it” and all his support,
but also peppered with many talks preparing me for a repeat C-section it was so
wonderful to have him walk in and I could beam, “I was successful!” and “I did
it”. I was also pretty happy that it went quickly. He then stepped in and
proceeded to stitch me up and the nurses pressed on my stomach. Ouch! Now I
wish I had an epidural for THAT… the stomach compressions and afterbirth and
the stitching up too (even though there was a local anesthetic it was still
uncomfortable). Dr Garcia was happy for me and congratulated me again and we
shared some laughs and he gave me instructions on after care. Julie got to hold
little Reese and they brought food in for me. I did not feel like eating
however. I was strangely hungry, but didn’t want to eat anything. Drew spoon
fed a few bites of jello and that was all I could do, but I was thirsty!!
I held Reese again and nursed and then he was
off to the nursery and they prepared me to move to my recovery room.
I was so exhausted but happy too. Drew and his mom left
so that they could see Asher and get him
ready for bed. After that Reese was taken to the nursery . My sister in law,
Charlotte, who was there for the birth stayed at the hospital with me and
accompanied Reese to the nursery. The nurse got me up and the first task was to
go to the bathroom. I had to ask the nurse if anything was happening because I
honestly could not tell if I was peeing or not! She then asked if I would like
to be wheeled to my recovery room or walk. I choose to walk. I felt pretty
good, but was happy to get back in bed after the walk. It was much harder to
walk after a vaginal birth than the C-section.
I was happy that my sister-in-law was there to keep me
company before they brought in Reese. Everyone had left and I wanted some
company. Soon though my other sister in law Allison and her husband John came
to the hospital and Drew too (once he put Asher to bed at home) with food for
their dinner and a smoothie for me. Drew’s mom was kind enough to spend the
night at our house so that Drew could stay the night with me at the hospital
(something I didn’t get with baby #1). Everyone took a turn holding Reese and
we talked about how Asher did while we were gone and a little about the labor
and babies in general since Allie and John are pregnant too. Allie asked me
which was easier the C-section or VBAC…. but the intensity of labor was too
fresh so of course at the moment I knew a C-section was the easier route. My
C-section only took 30 minutes with no pushing, but I know hands down Vaginal
is the way to go! The recovery is just amazing and fast!
Recovery from my C-section was 8 or 9 weeks at least, but 2 weeks after my VBAC
and I felt 100%! It is the best kept secret J
 |
| With my our friend and day nurse Danielle Taylor right before we left the hospital |
Many things were new about Reese. Asher had been a pro at
nursing from the start, but Reese was much harder. It was really hard to get a
good latch and then once he finally got a good latch he would keep unlatching.
I learned in his two week appointment that he had a small tongue tie, but my
pediatrician assured me that he would grow out of it. It was actually my good
friend Jen Reeder that alerted me to his tongue when she came to visit me after
he was born. Reese also had acid reflux pretty bad and it has been a struggle
until he was about 4 months old. Also Asher was a sure replica of me at birth and Reese just shouted "Hines" to me when he was born. He has so many Hines traits. His hairline is exactly like Drew's (Asher has a widow's peak like me) and his fingers and body type just seems to be exactly like Drew.
Drew did all the work
that first night in the hospital and it was so wonderful. The next morning Dr
Patrick Coletti came in to meet up and he was such a crack up! He advised us to
stay the night again in the hospital to monitor Reese, but my day nurse, my
friend Danielle Taylor, came in and told me I was cleared to go home so I had
the choice to stay or go home that evening. Julie brought Asher to the hospital
that morning to meet Reese for the first time. We told Asher that this was our
gift to him… a new baby brother! He was a little distracted by coming to the
hospital though and couldn’t hold still! Asher stayed for a short visit before
leaving with Grandma again. I love staying in the hospital and being taken care
of, but Drew told me (Great) Grandma Marje and his dad would be at our house
this afternoon waiting to welcome us home so after a lot of deliberation I
decided to go home that afternoon instead of stay another night. It took
forever to get discharged, but we finally were released and Uncle John, Aunt
Allison, Grandma Julie, Grandpa Bob, Great Grandma Marje, and brother Asher
were all waiting at home to meet baby Reese. The second we walked in the door everyone was waiting for us and Reese was instantly placed into Great Grandma Marje's arms :)
Asher instantly wanted to hold
brother just like everyone else and loved being the center of attention! From
the start Asher has been such a sweetheart to his new baby brother. Reese loves
watching Asher play and Asher loves imitating Mom and Dad by giving him lots of
kisses and tickling him! He doesn’t mind Reese crying (like when we are in the
car) and is always concerned for him when he’s crying “Reese crying!”
Julie stayed with us the rest of that week and took Asher
out on walks each morning to the park and cooked meals and cleaned for us. My
mom had bought a ticket to come stay with us over Labor Day weekend, but since
Reese was born earlier than expected I called her up and asked her if she might
come sooner. She was able to change her ticket and flew in that Monday night!
The transition to two was a lot harder than I thought and it was so wonderful
to have our moms help with Asher every morning so Drew and I could catch up
some sleep, and also clean and cook! My mom took Asher out each day to the park
and on walks. She was also there for my birthday and we hang Bangkok Cuisine to
celebrate! The last day she was here we went up to Lake Tahoe
and enjoyed the beach although it was really smoky from the California
fires.
Reese also had a lot of visitors other than family: Jen
Reeder came with her daughter Reagan, Laura Stodmeister and Mandy Kloen (Asher
had a play date with their daughers Charlotte and Jaina which he loved! And so
did I since I was seriously lacking on getting him out of the house.) Lisa
Aland, Chanika McCombs and Maxwell & Trumann. We also got meals from
Rebecca Walker, Jamilynn Wolfe, Greg Adams (he made a gourmet salmon dinner for us!)
Janie Homer, and one other person from the ward brought a meal. Debbie Rice
also came, but we were napping so missed seeing her. We have such amazing caring friends and family and it was so wonderful all the outpouring of support,
meals, and love when he was born!
I had the most amazing birth experience with Reese. It was quick, it was intense, but it was beautiful. And I am so happy I was able to do a VBAC and the recovery was amazing. Magical almost! I still can't believe how opposite the two births were between my two sons. With Asher I went into labor naturally, but ultimately had an epidural, pitocin, and a C-section. And on the complete opposite spectrum I had an all natural VBAC with a midwife! Wow! I feel like I've done it all! I was certainly open to having an epidural if I needed it, but deep down inside I always wanted a natural birth and I am so happy that when it came down to it when I wanted it I didn't have the option to get it because it was too late. Now I know what it's like I think I could definitely do it again. It's hard when you don't know how long the pain is going to last or what it's going to be like, but I would do it again.
