My Baby Story

Hey Y'all!
Yes, I have had the baby via fourth c-section on January 10th. Her name is Sophia Grace Paul and she is beautiful and perfectly healthy...Thank the Lord! As many of you know I was shooting for a vbac at a birth center two states over, but the Lord had other plans. I went into intermittent labor on Monday January 7th and by that night I thought that I was truly in labor, having contractions 10 minutes apart from ten that evening until I drove to MS to the midwife. I met here at the birth center and the contractions died down and she sent me home. Tuesday night came and from 10pm until 5 am I thought...this has got to be it! I cannot bear these contractions anymore! We got a sitter and drove again to MS to the midwife. We spent all day at the center waiting and waiting, but eventually things died down again even though I was 100% effaced, 1-2 centimeters dilated, and baby was fully engaged and on the lip of the cervix. I went home again! Wednesday night came and the same thing happened but the contractions felt ten times worse! From 10pm until 6am I thought I was in hell...excuse the expression. I breathed through them the best I could, took baths and showers and cried out for dear life and even cried tears, but I didn't want to leave until they were five or ten minutes apart. Six and seven am came and I took one last shower and the contractions started to die down...AGAIN! I thought I was going to lose my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That morning I had an appointment with my back up OB here in town. I called my midwife and asked her if she wanted me to go to the appointment. She said that it would be good to get all my vitals done(especially my BP because it was running high the last month) and get a vaginal check done. I went down to the OB and the nurse took my BP...it was 180/110, each time she took it. Maybe the night of pain causing that?!! My urine was negative for protein. He gave the vaginal exam and told me that I was definitely in labor, 100% effaced, 2 centimeters dilated, but the baby became unengaged and was floating in the womb. She was not ready to come out yet. The OB was very nervous and wanted me to go down immediately to the hospital for a c-section. I still refused at that point, but went for the mag-sulfate drip to bring down the blood pressure. Well, even with the drip, it was only getting a little better so he was ready to take me right then and there for the c-section. My husband was not with me yet because he was taking the kids to the sitter. I called him and told him what they wanted to do and he said, "NO WAY" After going back and forth with him, my midwife and friends, I realized I had to make this decision somewhat on my own. I knew that something was not right in my body and I didn't want to go for the VBAC any more. I had fought a good fight for the VBAC, but I didn't want to be stupid. The VBAC was long sought after and very important to me and my husband for many different reasons and I cried many tears, but I felt a c-section was needed at this point. I had to fight off all the guilty feelings in my mind with a stick. Could it be that God had other plans, even if it was a c-section? I had peace eventually, even though everyone around me didn't...That was TOUGH! The OB came in one last time before the c-section was done and I started to weep and told him my plans of having this VBAC in another state. He had no idea what I was doing. I told him I hope he takes good care of me, he held my hand and was very sweet and reassuring to me that he would take good care of me. Mind you, all this is happening without my husband present. I felt lost...but I now see that was God's design, because if he was there he would have insisted they let me try to have the baby. They gave me a spinal block and finally my husband showed up. They began the procedure. The doctor resounded at the sight of the uterus, "IF you had waited one more day this would have been disastrous for you and your baby!" He explained to us that all he needed to do to get the uterine wall open was put his finger down and press it open and ZIP the rest opened without even a scalpel's help. In a healthy uterus you would need a sharp scalpel to cut through all of it. I was ripe for a rupture. I'm still in disbelief. Baby had quite a bit of meconium in the sack as well, more than the norm, which could mean distress for the baby. (three day's worth, I guess). The OB was having trouble controlling the bleeding at first, but he finally got it under control and sewed me up. I was in the hospital for three days, meditating on all that happened. I am so thankful that the baby is here and that we are healthy. I just wept in the hospital and held Sophia Grace and thanked God over and over again...what a precious blessing! At this point I don't care how she came! Praise God she's here! Thank you all for praying for me. Continue to pray for me. My blood pressure is still high, my iron is very low(7.3) and I am recovering from this fourth c-section. Pray for my husband, he really wanted the VBAC. We struggle with the idea of faith, doctors and God-given intuition, but the Lord is good to us, He reveals things to us in His time. It's been quite a ride and I'd do it all over again to receive the kind of reward you get in the end of it all...another arrow shooting out into the world for GOD's GLORY!

Thank you all for everything, the meals, the gifts and especially the prayers!

Blessings to each and everyone of your families!

The Paul Clan