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Matthew Sex: boy Born: 09 October, 2002 Age: 9 years & 132 days Birthday in: 233 days Starsign: Libra Development: See the 32 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

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Mia Victoria Sex: girl Born: 29 April, 2009 Age: 2 years & 293 days Birthday in: 72 days Starsign: Taurus Development: See the 32 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

Birth details

Original due date: April 27
Type of delivery: Cesarean section
Duration of labor: 13 hours altogether
Weight @ birth: 9lbs 7oz
Length @ birth: 21 inches

Mia-Victoria-`s birthstory

It all started with another u/s for growth on Monday April 27th, which was my due date. The u/s confirmed that the baby was going to be big, no question about it, although we still had no idea how big was big. On Tuesday I had a dr appointment, and my doctor gave me the absolutely most painful internal exam of my life. When he finished, I saw some blood on his fingers, and when I sat up I felt warm fluid coming out of me. He told me there were no changes in my cervix, which was still 3cm dilated, and that the baby was lower but still fairly high. Then he asked me very innocently if I was by any chance losing any fluid. I said,"I don't think so," because the sensation definitely stopped. He told me to go home, rest for about 2 hours, and if I don't go into labor by 6pm he would send me to the hospital anyway for induction.

When I got home, there was more and more fluid - but I wasn't sure if it was my water b/c amniotic fluid is supposed to be clear and this was more on the light brownish side. However, within maybe 10 minutes there was a huge gush of water coming out of me - still not clear, but the volume convinced me that it was indeed my water having broken. Suddenly it occured to me that the really painful exam could be the famous membrane-stripping... Although my dr never said a word about it. I called the dr's office and told them that my water broke but its color was concerning. My dr sent me to LD to have it checked. I was waiting for my husband who was stuck in traffic on his way back from my son's piano class, so I decided to chill... Took a shower (it was a really hot day!), packed the last-minute things, called my family, and looked up "brown amniotic fluid" online, only to find out that it was most likely meconium water. My husband finally got home, and we went to the hospital in the worst traffic imaginable... Nothing like getting 5-minute apart contractions in the middle of a crowded highway on a ridiculously hot day!!!!With people honking at you and sweating behind the wheel :D. It took us an hour to get to the hospital, and by then my contractions were 3 minutes apart and getting uncomfortable. We got a room, where they hooked me up to the monitors, iv, etc. They confirmed that the brownish color of my fluid was caused by meconium, but told me not to worry about it at all since it happened all the time in case of due and over-due babies. At that point, the baby was doing great and I was offered epidural. Told them I wasn't in pain yet, and that I wanted to wait for my doctor who was on his way to the hospital. He checked me after 9pm, another really painful exam!! Especially the part where he placed that tiny monitor on the baby's head made me squirm in pain, since the baby was pretty high... For the next couple of hours many things happened. First of all, my fear of contractions getting stronger plus another painful internal exam made me agree to epidural. I was reassured that my negative experience from the first pregnancy would not repeat itself b/c they had this top-notch anesthesiologist on the floor that night, not too mention that she was being supervised by the head of the anesthesiology department (the hospital I gave birth in is one of the leading women/children's hospitals in the country). And then the epidural farce could begin...

To make the long story short, no epidural can give my body relief from back pain. They tapped me twice, using four different kinds of medication and continuously increasing doses. Anesthesiologists kept walking in and out of the room, shaking their heads in disbelief. They could not help me, all their expertise and experience gone to hell. I was very quiet, trying to breathe and crying through the waves and waves of pain, holding on to the bed rails and almost losing consciousness with every contraction. I was falling asleep in between contractions. Didn't want my husband to touch me, to talk to me, to pity me - I was determined to focus, and to get through this ordeal that every single contraction was becoming. Because the contractions I was having on my own were not dilating my cervix, they gave me pitocin to see if that would do the trick.

Needless to say, my body was not cooperating. Psychologically, I was ready to get through any amount of pain necessary to help the baby out, which was precisely why I was heartbroken to find out at 5am on Wednesday April 29th that after so many difficult hours no progress had been made. My cervix was still 3cm and the baby was still pretty high. My doctor came to me and very patiently explained that we tried everything we could. Pitocin gave me more pain, but did not help dilate my cervix. The baby was doing great and we could go on like this for another 12 hours or so, but the doctor thought it unnecessary torture with no real prospect for a more positive outcome. He knew very well how much I did not want a surgery, and I could tell he felt really bad for me, but he went ahead and recommended a c-section due to failure to progress. I agreed - I was ready to fight, keep fighting, but only if it made sense... By then it was plain to see that it was time to give up and count my losses.

From then on, everything happened incredibly fast. They prepped me up in between contractions, which were absolutely paralyzing, they gave me spinal block (again, in between contractions which was hard b/c I wasn't supposed to move at all but my body was shaking violently in so much pain). They got my husband ready as well, set up everything, strapped me to the table, and things just happened one after another. I was so relieved not to feel any more pain, and so exhausted from it all, and I was crying because things went SOOO unlike they were supposed to, and my husband was there talking to me and trying to distract me, holding my hand and telling me that he was proud of me, and that I was wonderful and brave, and that he was so happy not to have to watch me in any more pain... Then I felt strong pulling around my belly area, which actually moved me around a bit, and I told my husband how strange it felt. The pulling was harder and harder, with something pushing against my chest as well, and I told him that they were taking the baby out of me that very moment, even though I had no idea what was really happening. I was right!! We heard our little girl cry, and we looked at each other and he kissed me, and I started getting all worked up about him not taking pictures (which, of course, he started doing right away)!!! My husband was the one who brought Mia to me. They unstrapped my arm so I could hold her, and I will never forget what it felt like. I was crying and kissing her, and wishing her a happy birthday...It was so emotional, to finally have her with us, after everything that happened that night... Just like it was wonderful to watch my husband become a dad and handling it so gracefully through the storm of unfavorable circumstances... (he's a great stepdad to my son) We were so proud of each other, and so in love, and that will probably be the most cherished memory of that morning to me, us so exhausted and smiling at each other, and kissing through sterile masks, while wearing those funny operation room hair caps and gowns, and hearing the doctors and nurses in the background...

Mia is a wonder. She was 9 lbs 7 oz, 21 inches when she was born. A big, strong, beautiful baby with dimples like her dad. She wasn't a planned baby, and at some point in despair I even contemplated having an abortion, but now when we look back we know that we were supposed to have her from the moment we met. Everything about her is perfect, strong, determined, calm, balanced... Everything. She breastfeeds beautifully, is very patient and sweet. My c-section was far better of an experience than I ever thoguht possible. In fact, the recovery has been easier than recovering from my vaginal delivery 6 years ago. I'd rather have bikini line stitches than those after tearing!! My incision is practically invisible. A day after I was up walking. I'm not even bleeding anymore, just occasional spotting.

Sometimes things are not meant to happen the way we want them to... But then, so often, it turns out for the better...

When I think about giving birht to Mia, I feel proud of myself for trying to have a vaginal delivery, for trying to handle everything and not giving up until the fight became an unreasonable one. I also feel grateful that I was in good hands, that my feelings were taken into consideration and not just acknowledged, and that I knew when to stop being stubborn. I'm so happy things happened exactly the way they did...

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