My VBA2C Story - Yes it is possible!!!!
I had my first vaginal delivery, to my third son, on April 6th, 2017. After having 2 unnecessary C-sections back in my hometown, this time I was in Dubai as an expat; having even more fear and anxiety. Thinking that it’s most probably my last pregnancy, I was really willing to have an experience of natural delivery this time.
On my way to VBA2C I made lots of research and read lots of positive and negative experiences from others through internet. Having lots of back and forths in my mind;
I found myself extremely frightened due to my previous 2 C-sections.
But on the other hand I was pretty sure that I did not want the third surgery and I really wanted to experience the vaginal delivery.
During my research, I came across Hypnobirthing and I thought that it can be an option for me to release my fears, to relax, to learn more about birthing and to increase the success chance of my VBA2C.
Me and my husband, attended Jasmine Collin's Hypnobirthing classes and I also attended prenatal pilates classes in order to be more fit to deliver more easily. We learned lots of things from the Hypnobirthing classes like relaxation, breathing techniques, birthing positions, and much much more.
I can definitely say that Hypnobirthing classes contributed to me very much in terms of knowledge and self confidence.
Having my mucus plug coming out in the morning of the last Hypnobirthing class, I was a bit nervous to deliver that day or the next since my husband was in a business trip and not in the city. During our conversation that day, Jasmine told me not to worry as it would be unlikely that I would deliver when my hubby was not around. She said “ Your mind plays a big part in birth and you need to be mentally ready to let go”.
And she was correct!
My baby waited almost 2 weeks more until that Thursday morning of April 6th.
My husband was back, and I was totally ready and excited to have my baby out. I was working until the very last day and I was in the office busy with meetings on Wednesday. Thursday morning, I woke up to a tiny bit of blood in the morning and I realised that I was having some light menstrual cramps.
I thought it’s a better idea not to go to the office and have some more rest in my bed. By chance, I already had a scheduled appointment with Dr Raj in American Hospital at 3 pm the same day.
Since I did not have any contractions or any other pain, I decided to have rest and see what will happen during the rest of the day.
I called my husband and told him that it may be a better idea to go to the appointment together and he told me that he will pick me around 2 pm. Between 11 am and 2 pm; I was pretty active in the house preparing lunch for my two sons, having shower, checking my hospital bag, bouncing on my fitness ball and practicing some breathing techniques which I learnt from the Hypnobirthing Classes.
I was having some contractions but they were pretty irregular and not very painful.
After 1 pm, my contractions were a bit more closer to each other and I felt that they were getting a bit more stronger. When my husband came to pick me; I was pretty excited to see my doctor and to have an idea about what was going on. We reached the hospital around 3 pm and Dr Raj made a vaginal examination to let us know the situation.
She told me that I was already 4 cm dilated and she sent us to the labor ward.
I had to be closely monitored because of my previous C-sections, so going back home and coming in a later stage was not an option for me. After having the paperwork done, we were in our labor room around 4pm. My contractions were pretty intense after this point and were much regular like every 7-8 min.
I did not want to take any epidural or any type of pain killer since we wanted this experience to be as natural as it could be.
My husband closed the curtains, I was listening to my rainbow relaxation and trying to use the birth ball to find more comfortable positions in between the contractions. Around 5 pm, they asked me to get in the bed, and they told me that they need to monitor with NST due to my high-risk condition. I took it easy.. It was totally fine. I was already tired since morning and I was even willing to lay down a bit; and I knew that this process was to avoid the risks and to protect me and my baby.
I was not stressed about it, and I was totally positive (thanks to the positive affirmations!!)
After 5 pm I was all in bed. I was having terrible contractions, they were really getting painful and I was thinking if I made a good decision to refuse the epidural or not. At this point, my husband was very strong, telling me that it’s only a matter of time and everything will be finished within a couple of hours. He kept doing light touch massage on my back, whispering positive affirmations on my ear, holding my hands and reminding me how good everything was going.
Around 6 pm, doctor Raj called the room and asked the midwife to check me once more vaginally to see how much dilated I am. She was finished with her patients in the clinic and trying to understand if she needs to wait or go back home for a few hours.
The midwife checked me vaginally and she told that unfortunately I was only 3 cm. I felt terribly sad and disappointed to hear that.
Dr Raj left the hospital to go home saying that she will come back around 10 pm... I was asking myself how possible it is that I was already 4 cm around 3 pm when I came to the hospital, and I had lots of contractions over the last 2-3 hours and I was told that I’m only 3 cm now?? I was going to cry! I was really demotivated...
Thanks to my husband once more at this point that he whispered me to believe that there is a mistake, it is not possible at all..
He said “ You are dilated as much as you feel, don’t listen to anybody and don’t lose your concentration.. ”
I chose to believe him, visualizing in my mind that I’m already 6-7 cm. I was having unbearable contractions! I was turning from right to left; left to right; rolling around inside the bed like a ball to find a comfortable position. Relief was coming only with practicing the surge breathing and listening to my rainbow relaxation.
I was having my Hypnobirthing ribbon on my wrist and I was trying to stay calm and confident. Just after half an hour around 6.30 pm my water released with a very strong contraction. My contractions were too intense and coming very frequently like every 2-3 min. They offered me some oxygen mask to breath through in between the surges.
After my water released, I started feeling a strong pressure with every contraction and some urge to push which was hard to stop.
I asked the midwife to check me again. She checked and told that I’m 9 cm. I don’t know if it was a mistake in the beginning, or it was a miracle of positive thinking afterwards but they immediately called Dr Raj from her mobile and told her to come back as the baby was coming.
They brought me to a laid down birthing position on the bed. It was not the ideal position we learnt in the classes, but somehow I had to carry that NST bands on my belly and I was having so much pain that I couldn’t question anything after that point.
My husband was saying me that he could see the hair of the baby in between my contractions.
He was saying “ You are almost there, hold on, you will do it, you will do it!.”
It was 6.45pm on Thursday evening and Dr Raj was in Dubai traffic trying to reach back to the hospital. Midwife and nurse was telling me not to push, and I was freaking out with contractions trying to stop my urge to push and breathing through the oxygen mask during my contractions which were not even stopping after this point. I chose to go to my safe place :)
After my water released and until Dr Raj was arriving; in between these two, I was having so much pain that I chose to use my hypnobirthing techniques to have a trance like state. It was so interesting that I did not even recognize Dr Raj’s arrival.
My eyes were closed, and I was totally silent, and I only heard my husband and the midwife talking; but I was like in another world.
Luckily Dr Raj arrived to hospital around 7pm and immediately took over. I knew I was in safe hands after she arrived. She was so professional, so calm, and so confident that I was relaxed again and ready to have my baby out.
After a few push and with some little help of Dr Raj my baby boy Marsel was born at 7.36 pm, safe and healthy...He was immediately being placed on my chest. It was amazing! I was holding him and kissing him while we were waiting for the placenta to come out. I delivered the placenta within 10-15 minutes without requiring any medical intervention and my husband cut the cord only after the placenta was already out.
The pride and joy I felt as a mother after my VBA2C cannot be explained with words.
It was a dream for me, and it turned real!
It was a wonderful experience and I will never forget that day...
Thanks to Jasmine Collin for helping me to achieve this; releasing my fears and anxiety with teaching me the best of her knowledge and motivating me for positive thinking.
Thanks to Dr Raj for fully supporting my VBA2C trial, and making me feel in safe hands at all times.
And finally, big thanks to my husband for being with me during this long journey and holding my hand at each and every moment of it...
Yeliz x
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