Saturday the 16th we were at my parent's enjoying the evening at the church picnic when I started to notice that my Braxton Hicks were feeling different and that I was getting even more than usual. By 9:00pm I was feeling pretty confident that labor was starting so we started timing contractions!
I enjoyed having my phone remind me that the next day was his due date and very likely the day he would actually be born!
We timed contractions and they were 5 minutes apart but lasting only 30 seconds. We went to bed to see if we could sleep. Unfortunately I wasn't really able to sleep so around midnight we called my mom so she could come get Emery. The contractions were getting more uncomfortable. Mom stayed awhile since Emery was just sleeping. I called one of my doulas, Melissa, to have her come help. I also called my other doula, Caitlin, (who lives 3 hours away) and she suggested I get in the shower to help get the contractions under control. That helped a lot and while I was in the shower Melissa arrived. I felt so much better after the warm water and like I could handle the contractions again. We spent time just taking contractions one at a time. Then Melissa had me lay down in a super awkward position on the bed to try to get some rest. I didn't like it at first but after a couple contractions I found it to be very helpful and I was able to sleep between them. I remember hearing Melissa and Jonah talking about me a few times and I was surprised how long I was able to stay in that position (somewhere around 2 hours). When I finally really woke up Caitlin was just arriving and I was glad to see her. Mom had gone to sleep with Emery at some point during the night. Emery woke up around 6:30am and they got ready to leave. I was so sad to say goodbye to Emery, I knew that the next time I would see her our family would never be the same. Most of the rest of the time was spent sitting on the ball or walking between contractions and then doing whatever felt best to handle the contractions.
That ended up being hanging on (mostly Jonah's) shoulders, squatting and making some kind of weird purring sound (at least that's what everyone else described it as) or low moaning. Jonah made sure I kept my sounds low and whenever I started getting high he would tell me to bring it down. I found that a little irritating because I just wanted to scream! But I always tried to listen to him. As the contractions got harder my squats got lower and I felt bad for whoever's shoulders I was hanging on because they had to squat as well but with all my weight on them. My doulas made sure I was staying hydrated and had things to eat to help keep up my strength. I mostly ate strawberries (fruit was the only thing that sounded appealing) but mom came by again in the afternoon and brought me some watermelon that was SO delicious. I definitely had times of doubt about if I could keep going and cried because I was so worried that I wasn't progressing like my labor with Emery (Emery was a C-section after 22 hours of hard labor that only dilated me to 2cm). My support team was so great though and they kept me going. Whenever I had doubts Jonah was always there telling me I was strong and could do it. At some point things stalled for about 45 minutes and I took a nap which was amazing but they quickly came back just as terrible as before they left. Finally sometime around 3:00pm my contractions had been strong, consistent and close together for long enough that we headed to the hospital. During the drive and getting checked in things slowed down a bit which I appreciated since riding in the car isn't the easiest place to deal the worst pain ever. In triage Rita (my midwife) checked me and I was 2cm and 80% effaced. That was very discouraging to me and I cried again but Rita was actually impressed by my progress. She had checked me on Friday I was completely closed so she encouraged me that it was good progress and I should keep going and would probably be successful with my VBAC. We decided to break my water and see if that helped to keep things moving along. I got into my room and my contractions started coming back stronger and regular again. Rita broke my water and put the monitor on and we just waited to see what would happen. I kept loosing water and I didn't appreciate it trickling down my legs. Rita checked me again after about an hour and I was at a 3. That was so encouraging, I was progressing! Labor shifted into my back though and hurt even worse than before. I was having a really hard time coping with the pain at this point. During contractions Ezra's heart rate would drop but quickly came right back up once they were over. Rita came back in and said she was going to try and reposition the baby. She had me get on my hands and knees and sway my hips while she pressed on my back. This was the worst. She did this through a number of contractions and then checked me again. No progress had been made. That's when it was decided it was time for another C-section. If I had been farther along Rita would have let me keep going but with his heart rate dropping and the likelihood of many more hours of labor she said he wouldn't be able to handle it. At that point I didn't feel like I could handle any more and was so disappointed but really relieved at the same time. I was so ready for the pain to stop and to meet our little guy. I was so mad that I still had to deal with contractions as they prepped me and got ready to move to surgery where I would get a spinal tap. It's always surreal to me as they wheel me down the hallways and I feel like I'm in a movie. Jonah had to leave me to get suited up for surgery and I didn't like being without him. Rita was there for me though and helped me get through getting the spinal tap and the contractions that came while they were doing it. Although I don't like the feeling of being numb from the chest down, it was such a relief once the pain was gone. I was worried Jonah wasn't going to make it into the room in time before they started but Rita assured me he'd make it and he did. It seemed to take a lot longer for them to get the baby out than I remembered with Emery but finally we heard his crying. I was so happy. He had pooped while he was still in me though so they had to make sure he was fine before I got to see him. Finally they brought him over and he was perfect!
Ezra Grey Trevino
8lbs 11oz 21 1/2 inches
born at 9:00pm
Ezra looked so much like Emery did when she was born! He got to stay with me for a little while before he and Jonah left to go wait for me in the recovery room.
It seemed to take a lot longer to get me sewn back up than I remembered from Emery and it turns out that it really did take a lot longer. Apparently my bladder tore and I lost a good amount of blood, enough that I needed a blood transfusion. So it took them awhile to get all of that taken care of. We could smell my burning flesh as they worked to stop the bleeding. That was gross and making me feel nauseas so I asked for an oxygen mask (which had been offered to me earlier) and that took care of the smell for me, phew!
Daddy and Ezra waiting for mommy to join them in the recovery room.
We were finally transferred to our room and were able to invite in our patiently waiting visitors. Aunt Heather, Grandma Chandler, Tia Sarah, and Tia Monique all came in together and were the first ones to meet him.
Next our ever faithful doulas, Caitlin and Melissa (who are also good friends of ours), were able to meet him.
