My Water Broke in Wal-mart and a Successful VBAC

For some, the first two years of a baby's life fly by, but I think about all that happened since Johanna's birth and it seems like a long time. She was born in Indianapolis, turned one at our Virginia home and now is two in Delaware. She was born the day before her December 3 due date, but that was actually a surprise to me!

My mom flew into Indianapolis on November 30; I picked her up but went back to work that day and ended up working until almost 10 p.m. that night to sell one more new home before going on maternity leave. I don't advise this, but I did end up being the top selling Indianapolis Sales Rep that last quarter, in spite of the fact that I was on leave the last month of the year. My pregnancies have actually proved to help my sales technique, but I'm still kind of annoyed at myself for putting in those late hours the day before I went into labor. Yes, I had a family to provide for but my priorities were somewhat out of whack.

39 weeks pregnant at the park in our Geenwood, Indiana community

I was completely unprepared when my water broke the next day. Mom, Adria and I had planned to pick up a few groceries, then relax with pedicures after lunch. Baby Girl had other plans for us.

We had just stepped into Wal-Mart when I felt it. Yes, my water broke right in the produce section of Wal-Mart! No, there was no clean up on aisle 9 or anything nasty like that. I'll spare you the details and just say there was no question what was happening and it's a good thing there was an extra jacket to sit on in the car!

It was such a surprise because I'd had a check-up at the OB the day before and there were NO signs this baby was coming anytime soon, in fact he thought it might be another week at least. There had been no contractions or dilation or any of that lovely stuff that precedes labor.

This was a first for me. I never labored with Adria, as a C-section had been recommended due to her spina bifida and the need to protect the "sac" protruding from her back as much as possible. For more about her birth, read here. My OB in Indy was great and fully on board with my desire to try a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-section), but he too was surprised when I called to say my water broke.

Once he confirmed this, he sent me straight to the hospital for the baby to be monitored as there can be complications with a VBAC and I would need to deliver within 24 hours. He also asked me if I'd be willing to go to a hospital that I had not planned because he had a mom laboring there already and was concerned about not being there for one of us if we were in separate hospitals 15 minutes apart. I saw the value in this, though I was disappointed to not deliver in my hospital of choice. It ended up being a good thing because we both delivered within an hour of each other.

We made a quick stop to get some lunch before going to the hospital because I knew they wouldn't feed a laboring mom, especially one who was at risk of needing a C-section. But, I did not have my hospital bag packed yet (I'm a tragic procrastinator...don't wait this long if you're pregnant!), so my dear husband had to pick out some clothes and supplies for me and baby and bring to the hospital. This is not ideal, folks, but he did okay.

Adrian was actually working 45 minutes away that day as this was during the brief period when he'd returned to work. He left work and was able to be with me as I labored, while my mom watched Adria at our house. I laid in the hospital bed with monitors on my belly for hours before I really felt contractions, but they came and I had the "joy" of experiencing labor pains. Much of the night was a blur as I felt almost constantly faint with aches and pains. I have a low pain tolerance and a history of passing out (yes, I fall down too!) so I had no preconceived notions that I would go through delivery "all natural."

When midnight rolled around and I was still only 3 centimeters dilated, it was time for Pitocin to kick things into gear. My OB was concerned about the labor progressing so slowly, but I'd heard horror stories about how this drug causes extremely painful contractions and I was already feeling fatigued. So I said, bring on the epidural if we're starting Pitocin!

In my experienced opinion, an epidural is a wonderful thing! So what if I could barely walk the next day? Kudos to all you amazing women like my mom, mother-in-law and sister who collectively gave birth to 15 children without one epidural...but as for me, I took the "easy" road on this one. For the next three hours, I literally slept through hard labor. I was surprised once again when my OB checked me just before 4 a.m. and said it was time to push! I thought I had several more hours based on how slow things had been going but that Pitocin did work. I will add that there are new studies out this year about some possible risks of the drug, but my experience is that it helped things along and prevented another C-section.

For 45 minutes, I did controlled breathing pushes at the guidance of my OB and wonderful doula at each contraction. There was a little trouble getting baby girl out, but at 4:44 a.m. on December 2 Johanna entered the world!

She had a precious cry and Adrian called his parents so they could hear it. Another three weeks would go by before they'd have the chance to meet her. I felt so incredibly thankful to have a chance to deliver a beautiful, healthy baby girl!

And then I heard the sweet tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" over the hospital speakers; they played it every time a baby was born at St. Francis Hospital. Welcome our little star, Johanna Belle!