My Unplanned VBAC Birth Story: When Baby Arrives in a Hurry

My first birth was an emergency c-section and my second was an unplanned VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). The best-laid plans, right?

Birth plans gone awry are the quintessential example of one of life’s favorite maxims; control is an illusion.

My Unplanned VBAC Birth

I went into spontaneous labor in the wee hours of the morning, just a few hours before my scheduled c-section.

So I guess you could say I was prepared for the arrival of my baby that day; I was just not prepared for her to arrive via VBAC. Definitely not an unmedicated VBAC.

Going into Labor

My first contraction hit me at 2:31 am. I was used to waking up in the middle of the night with aches and pains, so I did not think too much of it. I got up to pee for the millionth time like any other night and then went back to bed.

Then another strong contraction hit at 2:40, and another at 2:47. I still wasn’t sure if they were true labor contractions, because I had been experiencing Braxton hicks since my second trimester.

The contractions seemed a bit stronger than my normal Braxton hicks though, so I woke my husband up. I still did not believe it was the real deal, but I needed some moral support anyway.

My husband saw that something was different though, and called labor and delivery to let them know we were coming.

I almost considered waiting to go into the hospital. After all, I was scheduled to be at the hospital in just a couple of hours anyway to start prepping for a c-section. 

We decided better safe than sorry.

When I started to get dressed and found that I could barely pull on my sweatpants, I realized I was in active labor. Regular contractions started every 4 minutes or so.

Heading to the Hospital

We grabbed my hospital bag, woke up our toddler, and jumped in the car.

I started feeling intense pressure in my tailbone. As my contractions got closer together, I thought I was going to fly off my car seat from the pain. We arrived at the hospital at about 3:30 am. 

Since we had our 3-year-old in the car, my husband dropped me off at the entrance of the labor and delivery department. We said goodbye and my husband said he would return as soon as the babysitter arrived to watch our son. Due to ongoing COVID regulations, young kids were still not allowed in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital.

The sitter was scheduled to arrive at our house at 5 am, so it still seemed reasonable that our original plan would work. We figured we still had plenty of time before the c-section, even with my contractions kicking off. After all, most women I knew had labors that lasted for hours and hours. 

Rapidly Progressing Labor

By the time I finished signing admission papers, however, I could barely walk and wanted to cry. A nurse handed me a cup to pee in and pointed to the bathroom. I did my very best to pee in that little cup, but I could hardly sit on the toilet. The pressure and pain searing through my pelvis was overwhelming.

I managed a few drops of pee, and when I looked in the cup I saw that it was tinged pink. I felt a small gush of liquid run down my leg. Did I just pee my pants? Or, did my water just break? I could hardly think or move.

I hobbled out of the bathroom and told the nurses that I thought my water had broken. A nurse shuffled me over to a bed to check my cervix. Somehow I made it up onto the bed and after a quick check, the nurse yelled out, “There’s nothing left!”. It was go time.

VBAC Delivery

I started spontaneously pushing as the nurse quickly wheeled me to a delivery room. Someone told me to call my husband and tell him to come back because the baby was coming. 

Now I was really starting to get scared. I also started making some surprising squeals and screams as it was clear my baby was wiggling her way through my birth canal.

What about my cesarean birth? And what about pain medication per my birth plan? The hospital staff just kept saying that the baby was on her way. There wasn’t enough time and a VBAC seemed to be the only option. 

Once in the labor room, the on-call obstetrician started coaching me to push. And I pushed as hard as I could. At moments, I did not think I was going to be able to keep going. Those nurses really know how to keep a mama focused though and I was so grateful for their encouraging words.

At one point when I had my face buried in my hands and felt like I was on the verge of breaking, I heard the nurse say something about my baby’s heart rate. She said she needed out and that I needed to push with the next contraction.

Feeling like my baby was in danger was all I needed to pull myself together. So after a few more minutes of hellish pushing, my beautiful healthy baby girl emerged. I do not know if I have ever felt so relieved.

She arrived exactly 11 minutes before I was scheduled to start prepping for a c-section. 

The Golden Hour After Birth

As my doctor stitched up a second-degree tear, I lay with my baby in my arms looking down at her for the first time. I never want to forget that moment. This tiny warrior clinging to my chest was simultaneously ferocious and incredibly vulnerable.

During what had been a miserable pregnancy, I sometimes wondered if I was going to love the seemingly vicious baby growing inside me. I somehow pictured her coming out ready to continue torturing me.

As I looked at her for the first time though, I felt nothing but love. She looked so small and innocent and perfect. I thought about how the birth process must have been even harder for her than it was for me.

Postpartum Recovery After VBAC

Initially, I was pleasantly surprised that I was not in a great amount of pain after delivery. There must have still been adrenaline and other pain-numbing hormones surging through my body.

Postpartum Pain

Once everything quieted down after the birth though, I started to feel a strong ache in my lower back and bum. Everything felt tender and swollen.

I wasn’t particularly alarmed and assumed that in a couple of hours, the pain would ease up as my body rested. After all, everyone told me that recovery after a VBAC was much easier than after a c-section. 

Long story short, it was a long and arduous postpartum recovery. Much harder than after my c-section with my first child.

I felt delicate and achy for months. Sometimes I felt like my pelvis was going to crack. I was also dealing with hemorrhoids, a postpartum anal fissure, sleep deprivation, and a handful of other aches and pains.

As recovery dragged on, I wished that I had a c-section instead of a VBAC.

As the aches and pains have become less and less as time has gone by though, I look back on my VBAC with appreciation. It was humbling, empowering, terrifying, and exhilarating all at once.

In the end, all that matters is that my little girl arrived in this world healthy and happy.

A Birth Story To Remember

I am still healing and my body is forever changed; but, I admire the strength and beauty of the female body and the birth process. The major upheaval we go through as women to bring our children into the world. The wonder of growing humans inside our bodies and then releasing them into the world.  

Although my unplanned albeit successful VBAC was a trying experience, I love that I will get to tell my daughter her birth story one day.

About how she came into this world on her own terms. How she was so excited to greet the world that she entered in the most unexpected way. What a way to start a life. My beautiful baby girl.

Related:
When to Allow Visitors After Birth
Recovery from Anal Fissures Postpartum
Breastfeeding Nipple Pain in the Early Days
Packing Your C-Section Hospital Bag

Do you have a birth story to share? Feel free to say hi and share in the comments below!