Nora’s Birth Story | A Natural, Hospital VBAC

I love reading birth stories. And I especially love reading stories in which women have natural, hospital VBAC births, because they feel a bit like the unicorns of the birth world.

So today I’m sharing my unicorn of a birth story!

I’ll start out by saying that my first two births weren’t ideal. My first son, Clark, was born via emergency c-section at 35 weeks when I had a placental abruption (you can read his birth story here). My second son, Elliot, was a successful VBAC, but I had to be induced via Pitocin at 40 weeks because of high blood pressure. After laboring on Pitocin for around 13 hours, I just couldn’t do it anymore and got an epidural. I was incredibly thankful that my VBAC was successful, but it still wasn’t exactly what I’d dreamed of (aka a natural, hospital VBAC).

During my pregnancy with Nora, I dreamed of going into spontaneous labor.

Of getting to labor at home – uninterrupted – with just Blaise and our doula by my side.

Of laboring in my own bedroom amidst candlelight and classical music.

Of hopping in the shower when I needed to without worrying about monitors and IV lines.

Of going to the hospital only at the end, when I was nearly ready to push.

I knew that it was probably hoping for too much, but I prayed and asked God for the gift of this spontaneous, at-home, dream labor.

And y’all, He gave me just that.

Without further ado, here’s the story of Nora’s completely natural, hospital VBAC.

I awoke at 5:00 on a beautiful, mid-September morning to contractions that were strong, 5 minutes apart, and about 1 minute long. I’d had a lot of false labor in the previous couple of weeks, though, so I wasn’t really too convinced that I was in labor. I timed the contractions and then tried – unsuccessfully – to go back to sleep.

At 6:00 when Blaise’s alarm went off for work, I whispered in the dark, “I might be in labor.”

I gave him a rundown of the last hour, and he decided to stay home until we knew for sure what was happening. We snuggled in bed until the boys woke up, then got on with our normal morning routine. He made us breakfast while I took what I hoped would be my last shower before delivering baby girl. While I was in the shower, our doula, Julie, arrived at our house, and I was really hoping that this wasn’t a case of really elaborate false labor.

After a quick breakfast, Julie and I took a walk around the neighborhood while Blaise took the boys outside to play. It was a gorgeous morning. It promised to be a 90-degree day, but it was still cooler, the sun was shining, and the birds were chirping.

My contractions ramped up during the walk, and by the time we got back home, Julie was suggesting that we have Blaise’s mom come pick up the boys so I could really focus on laboring. I was so nervous to make that call, because I really felt like it would fizzle out and then I would have interrupted everyone’s day for nothing. Julie assured me that this looked like the real thing.

Not active labor yet, but certainly very reassuring early labor.

A Very Long Early Labor

After the boys were gone with grandma, we spent the ENTIRE DAY laboring. We took walks, I bounced on the birth ball, we snacked, and we rested. I also tried some other tricks such as nipple stimulation and pressure point massage to see if we could get the contractions picking up at all. They’d been a bit irregular throughout the day.

They’d be 3-4 minutes apart on walks and I’d have to stop to breathe through them. Then I’d get on the birth ball and they’d slow down, sometimes spacing out to as much as 10-11 minutes apart.

The one thing they didn’t do was fizzle out completely.

So we kept at it: alternating between walking, bouncing, eating, and resting. At some point in there, I lost some of my mucus plug with bloody show, which was encouraging. But by around 9:00 that night, I was frustrated and exhausted. Julie was totally my rock when I’d start to really express that frustration, as she just kept reminding me that there are a lot of reasons why early labor may take a while and the fact that the contractions weren’t stopping was encouraging.

I was nervous, though, that we’d keep pressing on and I’d run out of energy. I was afraid that I’d waste it all on early labor, and then not have enough to make it to the end without an epidural or some other medical intervention.

The three of us decided to take a step back and pray about it. We prayed over my labor, for safety for the baby and me, and for wisdom as we decided what steps (if any) we should take next. After praying, Julie had me do some maneuvers just in case it was an issue with Nora’s position slowing things down. One maneuver in particular caused incredibly intense contractions to start, and I got really excited that maybe that was the push my body needed to really kick into active labor.

A Disappointing Trip to the Hospital

After a couple more hours (so it was midnight at that point), the contractions had become quite a bit more intense. I was starting to really wonder how far along I was and we were all feeling confident that things had progressed enough that we could make the trip to the hospital.

When the nurse announced that I was only 3 centimeters dilated, I nearly cried.

It was one of the most disappointing moments of my life. And really, by the looks on Julie and Blaise’s faces, they were just as disappointed as I was. I’d been working so hard for 19 hours at that point, only to find out I’d literally made NO PROGRESS since my doctor’s appointment a couple of days before.

We had some decisions to make.

Thankfully, my amazing OB – who was super supportive of my desire for a natural, hospital VBAC – was the doctor on call, and she gave me the options:

• I could stay at the hospital, take a heavy sleeping pill, and go to sleep with the hopes that getting rest would help kick me into labor.
• I could stay at the hospital and have her break my waters, because that would almost certainly do it.
• I could go home and try to sleep.

After talking over the options with Julie and Blaise, I decided to have her strip my membranes first (the least invasive of interventions, but one that might work) and then go home. As I was leaving labor and delivery, my doctor said, “I’ll see you back here later this morning.”

We walked out of the hospital at 2 a.m. with me feeling incredibly defeated. Julie told me to go home, take a nice hot bath, and then go to bed. Since I still wasn’t in active labor, the bath would theoretically slow my labor down (or stop it) so that I could really get some sleep. I assumed that Julie was also going home, because we’d had a long, unsuccessful day of early labor…but nothing else.

As I said goodbye and wished her a good night’s sleep, too, she said, “Oh, I’m not leaving you. I’m going to run home, grab a change of clothes, and then sleep on your couch. You’re having this baby!”

Heartened by that, Blaise and I drove the 5 minutes back home and then ran a hot bath. While in the bath – the bath that was supposed to slow or stop my labor – my contractions picked up. I could feel some subtle shift in my body. The contractions were deeper and more intense, though still not much closer together. As I climbed into bed, I was already starting to groan with each contraction.

It was definitely different.

For the next 5 hours, I slept lightly, woke to moan into my pillow through each contraction, and dozed back off between them. I knew Julie was asleep on the couch and Blaise was in bed beside me. I wanted them to get rest, so I labored as quietly as possible, but I knew this time, we really were going to have a baby.

A Very Fast Active Labor

At 7:30 a.m. (22.5 hours after early labor first started), I was jolted awake by a contraction that felt like it was ripping my body in two. I instantly got onto my hands and knees, moaned loudly, and felt something slip out. Thinking I didn’t want to bloody up our white sheets, I carefully climbed off the bed and half-moaned, half-spoke to Blaise, “Something’s come away.”

I waddled into the bathroom to find that I’d lost a great deal more mucus with a lot more bloody show. I moaned very loudly on the toilet, and Julie and Blaise were instantly in the bathroom with me. Someone suggested I get in the shower, so while they were getting the water on, I brushed my teeth – in that moment, it seemed really essential.

I climbed into the shower, but couldn’t stand up. Each contraction felt more intense than the last, and there was not even room in my mind to acknowledge that I was for sure in active labor. I got down on all fours, but that wasn’t comfortable either. I asked them to turn the shower into a bath, so they quickly began to fill the tub. That wasn’t really comfortable either, but it provided some relief and I was at least able to lie back and endure the contractions.

Within a few minutes, I began to panic with each contraction. They were too much and I started to say things like, “I can’t do this. I can’t relax. It hurts too much!” Julie was there reminding me to breathe with each contraction and keeping me focused on one contraction at a time, not the others to come. Blaise was there encouraging me, telling me how great I was doing, and telling me how much he loved me. They both kept their hands on me to keep me focused.

I’m not sure how long I labored in the tub, but I know that I came to a point where I couldn’t do it anymore. I knew that if we went to the hospital, there would be pain relief. I didn’t want an epidural, but I did want nitrous oxide. So I climbed out of the tub.

And then everything gets sort of hazy in my mind.

I know I made it a few steps into the dining room and got down on all fours again. I was completely naked, soaking wet, and laboring on the floor. Each contraction felt as though it was tearing me apart, and I was near tears, crying out with each wave. I half-walked, half-crawled into the living room, where I went down on my hands and knees again. I leaned onto the chair through another contraction, and then remember saying to Julie, “I’m not a wimp if I get an epidural. I just can’t do this anymore, I NEED an epidural. We have to go to the hospital.”

She responded, “Just breathe…”

But the reality was we really did need to get to the hospital…FAST.

In the background while I was working through one contraction right after another with no break between them, Julie was instructing Blaise to grab our bags and get to the car. I was still naked, so the two of them somehow got my dress back on me and herded me to the car.

I climbed into the front seat, but immediately knew that there was no way I could sit. The pressure was TOO MUCH. As I was standing at the car in the driveway, another contraction came and I screamed out, “BLAISE, HUUUUUUUUUUUUURRY!!!” Julie was rubbing my back and said, “Don’t scream. Low moans…”

Then we were moving.

A Barely-Made-It-to-the-Hospital-in-Time Birth

I was on my hands and knees in the backseat while Blaise drove us to the hospital in record time: 3.5 minutes. We pulled up outside the ER doors and Julie was there with a wheelchair. I was starting to have pushy contractions, and getting grunty with each contraction. Before I got out of the car, Julie quickly lifted my dress to peek and make sure Nora wasn’t going to be born right there in the parking lot.

She rushed me through the ER and to the elevator with me leaning over the back of the wheelchair, moaning like a cow. I remember my sandal falling off and me telling her to grab it, and then we were in labor and delivery. This time, there was no time for intake questions. Julie shouted out my name and birthdate as the nurses scrambled to get me into a room.

As we entered the room, I climbed out of the wheelchair and my water broke.

I said, “I need nitrous! I need gas and air!” A nurse responded, “Honey, we have too much to do before we get nitrous.”

Why wouldn’t anyone just give me some relief?!?

I climbed onto the bed and got through one contraction before they checked me cervix again. I remember thinking, “If she tells me I’m only like 5 centimeters dilated, I WILL DIE!”

“You’re 9 centimeters! You’re almost there!”

This time, there was actual rejoicing in the room! I was SO RELIEVED that it was almost over! I felt an overwhelming urge to push with the next contraction, but they were all telling me not to push, to pant. Julie said, “Blow in Blaise’s face.”

I sure did try.

But I pushed a little anyway.

Suddenly my doctor was there, telling me, “Her head’s right here, you can go on and push.”

And push I did.

A Natural, Hospital VBAC…Just in Time

With the next contraction, I pushed twice and Nora’s head was born. They asked me if I wanted to reach down and touch her head, but I said, “No, I want her OUT!” I took a deep breath and pushed one more time and suddenly Nora was there on my tummy, all wet and warm and squirming with life.

It was an absolutely perfect birth! We arrived at the hospital at 8:50 and she was born at 9:01. I didn’t even get an IV inserted because there just wasn’t time, and aside from having my membranes stripped in the wee hours of that morning, there were no medical interventions. I didn’t even get the nitrous I had so badly wanted during labor.

But I wasn’t sad.

A Perfect Birth Story

Looking back on those 28 hours of labor, I am overwhelmingly grateful for how it all happened. The early labor was long and it was discouraging to make a trip to the hospital only to come back home; however, there were several things that stood out to me.

• While in early labor, I was able to walk outside, enjoying the fresh air, sunshine, and sounds of birds chirping. Julie, Blaise, and I had some great conversations on those walks, and while it all took much longer than I had anticipated, it was enjoyable.
• A lot of my labor happened in my own home. Throughout the night, we had our twinkle lights on, candles lit, and classical music playing in the background. Blaise and I snuggled in bed while resting, and we stayed connected throughout the entire labor. It was so peaceful, calm, and relaxing.
• The actual active labor phase was short! I woke up at 7:30 knowing for sure I was in active labor, and she was born only an hour and a half later. It was crazy intense (because, um, labor), but wonderfully short!
• The plan that my doctor, doula, and I had discussed ahead of time was that I would show up when I was ready to push. Timing that can be pretty tricky, but we timed it perfectly and that’s exactly how it happened!
• Without my amazing doula by my side, I don’t know what decisions I might have made when early labor dragged on and on. Y’all, don’t give birth without a doula! (See my reasons why here.)

I’d LOVE to read your birth story! Drop it below!