Zachary's Birthday - The Nitty Gritty Deets

So here it is finally....it's taken so long to post details but I'm determined to so I can remember everything about this day, which happens to be one of theeee most awesome days of my life!

Here I am on Zachary's due date, April 5th.  So disappointed that he wasn't here yet.  I was sooo large, and uncomfortable, sooo sooo ready!  

I wrote this down seven days after Zac was born:

This is the first time I've actually had time to get the details out since Zac was born.  It has been an adjustment and still trying to get things figured out with little Zac.  He's the coolest little son ever!  He's very content and happy, except for one night he had some gas.... but he's just big and content, and I can't get enough of cuddling and kisses with him!

So, I know I have a tendency to be long winded.... I won't blame you if you don't want to read through all the gory details... but I also know I want to remember as much of it as possible, so I'll get down as much of it as I can remember :)

So last Wednesday (April 9th), I had a doctors appointment, where she stripped my membranes for the 2nd time.   I was still only dilated to a 1.  So defeated and bothered that my body just wasn't progressing!  I knew Zac was posterior (face up) and was just not able to drop down.  My body kept trying to push him down and out but he couldn't, and it was extremely painful.  I was really starting to think that a VBAC wasn't going to happen.  So after stripping my membranes again, I was so pessimistic that anything would actually become of it because of the first time.  I was just getting tired of the nightly cramping and contracting that was so painful.  Wednesday night was not the exception.  About 7pm I started cramping really hard...it was so painful.  Brandt was bugged at me for complaining and I didn't want to make dinner with so much pain, so I skipped dinner and went to bed, only I couldn't sleep because the contractions got hard and very rhythmic (like they usually had done at night)... but this time they didn't trail off... It was so painful and I was exhausted, and by the time 2:00am came around I was screaming out in pain. I told Brandt we HAD to go to the hospital (which was an hour away).  We were sure they were going to tell us to go home and come back after I was dilated further..... (rewind about 4 days prior... we ended up making the drive to UofU hospital about 9:00am because I had contractions all night long and ZERO sleep.  Of course, they said I was dilated to a 1+ and sent us home!  What a nightmare!)  So this time, on the way to the hospital, I contracted about 15-20 times which was almost unbearable.  We got to the hospital and they told me I was only at a 3+ which was progress from earlier in the day (about 2 cm further along), but they couldn't admit me until I was a 4.  I was so upset - no way was I going home this time!!!  As I lay in the hospital maternity triage for another 3 and a half hours while I tried to dilate.... I couldn't walk it was so painful, but I was able to sit on the medicine ball and rotate a little.  That did the trick and I finally dilated to a 4. Finally at 6:30 they admitted me and I got an epidural.  I tried to sleep but everytime I would doze off I would stop breathing.  Zac's heart rate would drop significantly and nurses would run in and tell me to breath.  Brandt had to remind me to breath every 30 seconds to a minute - which was unbelievably annoying and couldn't fall asleep because of that.  I stalled at a 5 for a couple hours and baby's heartbeat kept dropping off.  We tried different positions and when his heart rate would suddenly drop so drastically... it was so stressful and I was completely exhausted.  Finally, we found a position that Zac was okay with, on my right side with a huge peanut shaped ball between my legs.  I felt like I was so drugged up!  I just kept dreading a c-section.  My doc came in and talked about it a couple of times because it was seeming like my body was going in that direction, and her best interest was for the baby.  I prayed so hard that my body would do what it needed to do to get Zac here healthy! He needed to come down further and turn...he was still posterior.  After praying, Zachary turned completely to anterior....and Suddenly I was at an 8 and then a 10- and it seemed like he was more ready than ever...his heart rate was really questionable. I actually felt Zac pushing against my diaphragm with his feet....he was doing some of the work too!  It was true teamwork!   My doctor was FREAKING OUT that I had dilated so quickly after such a long stall.  She was screaming "OH MY GOSH - YOU'RE A 10 - IT'S TIME TO PUSH!!!!" I was thinking it would take 10-15 min or so for them to come in and get all set up for me to push him out, but NOPE!  Within a minute she had me taking some cleansing breaths to start pushing.  It was sooo surreal.  I kept telling her I was too exhausted and didn't know if I had the strength to push him out, but I was so worried about his heart rate dropping. I must have gotten an adrenaline rush, because we got down to business and I pushed like I've never pushed before, I put all my focus and strength into Zac, and from the time she came in and said it was time to push, until he was out, it was 12 minutes.  It was incredible!  Feeling him exit my body was something I can't describe!  I felt his head and then his body and then legs and feet - for having an epidural, it was sooo awesome, there was no pain, just weird pressure. It was something that I'll never forget.  He came out screaming, and they put him on my chest immediately!  We did skin to skin and it was incredible!  I bawled my eyes out!  We waited until the cord stopped pulsing before we cut it.  Everything went beautiful.  He was BIG!  The doc made a guess that he was 8 lbs, and I said 8.5lbs.  Brandt was thinking 7.5lbs.  When we put him on the scale a half hour later....everyone in the room was shocked to see the numbers on the scale.... 9.29 lbs!!!!!!  WHAT....I totally thought the scale was wrong...there was no way I pushed a 9 +  pounder out in 12 minutes...everyone was in shock, it was so funny!  I knew he was going to be big, but I had no idea ;)

 I felt so great...didn't feel any pain with him coming out, but I could still move my legs!  It was fabulous!  I did have a 2nd degree tear.   It's been a little painful, but totally manageable!

 I can't believe how different this birth experience was compared with Lucas.  Maybe I shouldn't compare, and I treasure my experience with Lucas, and I wouldn't take back my choice to have him C-Section, but my vaginal birth with Zac was hands down way better than with a CS!  Even with a tear!  I didn't hemorrhage!!  Because of that, I have so much more energy, and I can actually move and use my core, which I feel has helped aid in my recovery!  It's just been awesome!

We feel so blessed that Zac is here safe and sound, and very healthy!  He is such a special little rainbow, I'm so in love with him!