one year ago today...

Has it already been a year? Really?!? That went by wayyyyy too fast!
I have been so emotional this weekend, and as I go into today, I feel just this swirl of excitement, nostalgia, gratitude, and sheer thrill. Will I get any sleep tonight? I just can't stop remembering...

Here's the timeline of my birth, which I am so thankful that my doula recorded for me!

5:45ish, at sunrise I woke up to the pop of my water breaking. I rushed to the bathroom and sat on the toilet just in the nick of time for the full gush. I was actually quite perturbed at first. I did not want to labor without my water! I woke Marco and told him we need to clean the house.
6am I call my doula and tell her, but contractions really haven't started yet.
6:40 I text her back saying contractions have started, if she could start to get ready to head out to my house.
7am my dear friend Andrea shows up and I'm taking a quick shower.
7:05 my husband calls my doula Tonya to come, things are picking up and he's nervous. :)
7:25am Tonya arrives, Marco is timing my contractions which are about 4 minutes apart and 40 seconds long.
7:45 Marco's family arrives to watch the older 3 and I retreat to the bedroom to avoid too much of an audience.
By 8am all the kids have woken up and we are getting ready to head up to Denton. I didn't want to go to the hospital, but didn't want to labor with so many people in the house, so we decided to head to the park close to the hospital to walk.
About 9ish am we stop by the hospital just to use the bathroom. I walk in happily and smiling so the security guard won't know I'm in labor, lol. I am not ready to be there yet...
Something I remember quite vividly walking out of that hospital was the absolute awe of what my body was doing. It was incredible and I remember feeling so grateful to get to labor. And the presence of God was so thick. I teared up a few times, but had to force myself to focus on the task at hand. I tell myself there would be plenty of time in the future to shed those tears of joy and thank God for his faithfulness to me!
We get to the park and I start to feel really nauseous. Yay, transition! This sucks. So thankful, but it's getting harder to stay relaxed. We hardly get any walking in and I start throwing up (I swear I got an extra centimeter dilated right there, lol!)
We arrive at the hospital at about 10am, get to my room, try to potty but couldn't because I could feel he was sooooo low.
Shortly after I get checked and I'm thrilled to hear I'm already 10cm, completely effaced, and 0 to +1 station. YAY!!!
Pushing was HARD. Nothing could prepare me for that. I wasted about an hour or so pushing in a position that just would not work because I just could not make myself move. My doula told me later she thought subconsciously I just needed everything to slow down a little, to let me brain wrap around the idea that I WAS doing this! I think she was right, it was all happening so fast!
11:05am my doula, and doctor finally convince me I can move so I turn around over the back of the bed. I immediately feel him descending.
11:34am Sergio Emanuel Perez is born! I DID IT! He weighed in at 6lbs 7oz and 18.5 inches long.

My triumphant birth forever changed me. Next to my salvation in Christ it is the most redemptive, healing experience I have ever been blessed to have. I am forever grateful to my God, my healer and strength, to my amazing husband, who was so incredibly supportive and endured my not-so-fun pregnancy with me, to my doula and now treasured friend Tonya, I could not have done this without you, and to my other dearly treasured friend Andrea, whose presence there gave me so much support and strength.

Happy birthday sweet baby boy. And happy VBAC day to me!

My VBA3C after inverted T birth story

My VBA3C after inverted T birth story
After 3 very traumatic c-sections, we were quite surprised that I was pregnant again! Since I had been told that my only option was to deliver by cesarean, we did not plan to get pregnant again. After the initial shock passed, and desperate for a better delivery, I began to seek out options. I was referred to an OB by a group of midwives who told me "if anyone will give you a chance to VBAC, this doctor will". You see, my first c-section was an Inverted T, literally an upside down T incision I was given when my breech baby was stuck in the birth canal. This increased my risk of uterine rupture, which is why so many doctors had told me "NO" to VBAC. But wow, I finally had some real hope!!
Long story short, after a great consult with my new OB, we went forward with plans to VBAC. We knew that the risk of uterine rupture was higher, but carefully weighed that risk with the risks of another section, the potential complications given my history, and the recovery time it would require, and decided to go for it!
I gave it my all to prepare for this birth. I took childbirth classes, hired a doula, and got chiropractic treatment to help with positioning for birth. I joined support groups including a local ICAN, read and researched everything I could get my hands on, and wrote an excellent birthplan. I wanted to do everything in my power to set myself up for the very best chances of success. That way, if for some reason another c-section was required, I could be at peace with that, and I would know that I had done everything in my power, so it apparently was just not meant to be.
Labor started at dawn on Sunday morning, August 16th, when my water broke at about 5:45. Contractions started about 30 minutes after. Labor was great. I was amazed at the incredible work my body was doing to birth my baby. I teared up a couple of times during my labor while reflecting on the fact that I really was doing it!!
At 10:30 am, we arrived at the hospital, fully dilated!! Sergio Emanuel was born at 11:34 am, weighing in at 6lbs 7oz, 19 inches long. He was beautiful, and healthy, and I DID IT!! I BIRTHED this baby! I held my beautiful, vernix-covered, VBA3C after inverted T precious baby boy! Thinking about it today still makes my heart smile!