That Time I Almost Gave Birth in a Mini Van...[PART 1]

Alright. It's actually, literally, truly official: I am the world's worst blogger. In the time since I last posted I got pregnant, had an anniversary, my oldest turned two, and I had another baby. The wooooorst. But I got busy entertaining a toddler everyday. And I got pregnant. And tired. And decided to take up my new hobby which are afternoon naps (PS they're delightful...if you haven't tried them out lately you should. You'll thank me later). At any rate, I have had several requests to share the story of my sweet newest bundle of love's birth story. And believe me when I say it. is. GOOD. So here I am. With a sleeping baby on my chest in between feedings (with a belly full of cookie dough Oreos and milk...don't judge me) ready to share the magic and mystery of birth with you. 

DISCLAIMER: you are going to read a birth story. Walk away now if you don't want to hear it. Go on...leave. Get outta here.

Now, most of you remember the story of Oliver's birth; a long, tedious, nearly 24 hour labor that resulted in an emergency c-section and a looped out mama and baby with a nearly four day hospital stay. Hear me when I say this story is literally the exact opposite of that. 

Ben and I knew a few months after having Oliver that if the Lord were to bless us with more children, we wanted to try for a VBAC. We knew we wanted more children and the idea of having four and five major surgeries just didn't sound appealing to anyone involved (yes, you can pick your jaw up off the floor...I want lots of babies). For those who don't know, a VBAC is a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. Sounds simple enough, right? WRONG. The road to a VBAC is truly an uphill battle. You feel like you're fighting against everyone. "Well, there are several risks involved..." "Wouldn't it be easier to just schedule another cesarean?" "Is this really the safest thing for you and your baby?" But I didn't care. I had done my research (which basically makes me a licensed physician now) and the risks of a repeat cesarean were GREATER than attempting a VBAC. So that's where we were. Thankfully my doctor was supportive of our decision. Cautious, but still supportive. The other doctors in the practice were as well, even with their comments of, "Well I don't normally recommend them, but you seem like a good candidate." Reassuring, no? 

So we were prepared. We weren't entering into this birth blindly. We knew what to expect. I knew that labor would be hard. I knew it would probably be long. Heck, we even hired a DOULA that's how hipped out we were. I worked out, maintained a healthy weight, tried to stay away from high hormone foods, whatever I could do to help ensure that this birth went differently than the last. We were fully trusting that God was going to give us the desires of our hearts.  We knew there was nothing we could do to change what he had already predestined this birth to be, and that freed us up so much to just enjoy this pregnancy and realize that whatever happens, God would still receive the glory. 

At the risk of this being the LONGEST. POST. EVER. I am going to turn it into a two part. Stay tuned for the gripping conclusion tomorrow...