Rebekah LaRenne

Rebekah LaRenne Roberts

Born via C-section at 12:01am on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 (she would have been born on the 16th if it hadn't taken so long for the doctor to pull her out...#chubbybabyproblems)

20 1/8th inches long.

9lbs. 4oz. Which is entirely carried in her cheeks.

She was born one week before her due date.

She is the sweetest thing.

So those are the highlights...if you want to read the whole birth story, it's below 

in all its details and glory!

Preface: I have been trying to figure out how to tell her birth story in a way that is not a huge emotional overhaul for me...and a long, boring story for you. I had been planning the entire pregnancy to do a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) which was a big deal after having not one, but two, previous c-sections. It was something I felt very strongly about...an experience that I have ached for... and struggled to get support for. In the last several weeks, I felt like things were in a great place and I had the support that I needed to make this all happen just the way that I'd hoped and planned. The fact that it didn't happen the way that I hoped and planned makes it kind of an emotional story to relate in my head.

 However, if I take you along for that ride, here, on this blog...you'll have a novel to read, I'm pretty sure.

And so. 

I am going to err on the side of too little information rather than too much. I'll be thorough, (like a good birth story should be!)...but if you want to hear me monologue about my emotional internal battles, you'll have to get those gory details another way. 

You're welcome. ;) Ha.

This story officially begins on Monday. I had a doctor's appointment where my OB and I had planned for her to do an internal exam to see if anything was happening...y'know, internally. It was a week and a day before my due date, but I was dying to be done being pregnant. My pelvis was SO SORE and wonky this time around! Unpleasant, to say the least. While she was "internally examining," she did a sweep of my membranes (um, surprise!) to see if that would get things moving along for me. I had mixed emotions about that, but have heard that stripping membranes only really gets things moving as long as your body is ready for it. SO. Okay.

On the drive home, I had a few killer contractions which also included an emergency pull-over to 7-Eleven to use their restroom. Full disclosure: I even parked in a handicapped spot to save time. EMERGENCY, people!

But by the time I got to my friend's house to pick up my kiddos, though, things had calmed right back down. A little bummed, but hopeful, the day played out as normal.

That night I awoke to my water breaking around 2:45am. I tried not to get too excited as it wasn't accompanied by any major contractions or anything. I let Darren continue snoozing until I had more to tell, and I crawled back into bed with a towel and tried to fall back to sleep so I would be all rested for labour. EEEeeeee! 

Only I couldn't sleep. Because all of the sudden I realized that there was one scenario that me and my doctor had not even discussed or planned for: what would happen if my water broke and I didn't go into labour!? Normally if that happened, you would just be induced after 24hrs (with and OB...midwives will sometimes let you wait a little longer).
BUT!
With c-section scars, being induced is risky business as it makes labour artificially more intense and increases the chances of rupturing. Being induced or having labour augmented artificially was already something that I was not comfortable with in my situation...but never something that I figured I'd have to reconsider because I assumed I'd go into labour just fine on my own. I was supposed to go into labour just fine on my own! After an hour of laying in bed I got up to bounce on my exercise ball and try to get things going. I also consulted "Dr. Google" on the matter and researched a little for this scenario that I hadn't even thought I might deal with. It was either induction, or a c-section if contractions didn't start on their own. I worried a little, prayed a little, and ultimately felt calmed by the fact that it was still early and that I likely had a whole 24hrs before I would have to even deal with the possibility that I wouldn't go into labour. I felt like the best thing I could do was go back to bed and get rest. I slept fine, unawakened by any labour pains (fortunately? unfortunately?)...

By the time we were up and at 'em that Tuesday morning, it had already been 7hours since my water broke with nothing else happening. Darren and I drove the kids out to my mom's house so we could go check in at the hospital. My doctor was even on-call that day so we got to chat about the situation with her. Anytime we were waiting around, I was walking. Even bouncy, goofy walking...anything to try and get things going. Baby's movements were fine, heart rate was fine. We were told that all we could do was wait, but that it was unusual for it to take this long for labour to start once the water had broken, that normally if your body was going to go into labour, it did it pretty darn quick after the water had broke. I was given the 24 hour mark as the longest they would let me go without doing something (read: induction or c-section). I was told to come back at 8pm.

And so Darren and I walked and walked around the mall. We went home and I bounced on the ball. I drank some more of my red raspberry leaf tea, squatted, lunged, jumped. Castor oil was not needed at this point (and all that that implies...), but I tried everything else that you can do once your water has broken to induce labour. A few contractions that were really more like Braxton-Hicks...but mostly nothing...and definitely nothing intense or regular about any of it.

And then it was dinner time, and there was still nothing. 

And then there was a breakdown with tears (not Darren). And then there was my sweet hubby talking me through this decision I wasn't supposed to have to face. And then there was a blessing from said sweet hubby. And then it was okay. The rest of the evening was a very spiritual experience for me; I felt that the Lord knew me and my situation...and I left it in His hands.

We came to the decision that we would go back to the hospital and prepare for another c-section (still all the while secretly hoping that labour would start on its own before it actually happened). When I considered whether to be induced or have a c-section, I still felt incredibly uneasy about being induced. Even though I really didn't want another c-section, I felt better about that option than being induced at that point. It may have just been a case of The Evil I Knew vs. The Evil I Didn't...but I don't really think so. 

I was prepped for surgery. While waiting, I was still walking and bouncing...but still nuthin'. I joked with Darren that maybe it was because our baby had a fat head that wasn't descending far enough to put the necessary pressure on my cervix to get things started. Harharhar.

Turns out, umm...that might have been the case. 

During the caesarean, the doctor performing the surgery had to spend a good couple minutes pulling the little lady out of me. She was wedged into my pelvis good and tight. She must have been determined to be born "the next day," because she was not coming out either way until 12:01am, the 17th of April.

She is here! And I'm sure she came just the way she was supposed to. I'm still not sure why things worked out the way they did, but I know that the most important thing is that she is here, healthy, and loved. We are SO EXCITED to finally have her in our arms! (and not in my belly...haha)

She has a little bump on her gums that has made breastfeeding interesting, even though it's small enough that it shouldn't (in theory) cause any problems...but we're working it out and things are steadily improving. The docs call it congenital epulis and it can be pretty nasty, so we're glad her little bump is small and not a huge issue. We decide on surgery or wait-and-see at a dental follow-up appointment in a couple weeks.

Other than that, everything has been lovely. She has captured all of our hearts, including her older siblings who love to coo about how cute she is.
She has also been born at the perfect time: Darren was totally excused from a final or two, and his summer job doesn't start until next week so he is taking care of all of us this week. What a hunk. :)

An obscene amount of Pictures will soon follow on here, I promise. In the meantime you can peek at a few Darren took over here.
ORrrr...you can follow me on Instagram (lauralonzrob)...because I can't seem to help taking a bajillion phone/ipad pictures of her.