Luca's Birth Story: Part I

A whole year later, and I am  just now writing this, but I want to remember it as best I can. One of the best days of my life! I wrote a short version in Luca’s baby book, but it just doesn’t do it justice. So here is the long version. Probably the very long version. Not sorry at all....

 

I’m going to start this story at the doctor’s office when I was 36 weeks pregnant. A routine check-up. Weight, Blood Pressure, Ultra-sound, measure the baby (and remember, I did not know the gender!). “You’ve got a big baby.” Every Appointment, my OB would scare me half to death. Jokingly, but in all seriousness. He would measure the spine, the legs, the belly. Always in the 80-90^th percentile. And the head, don’t even get me started on the head… Always at least the 90^th percentile. I was so scared. “How on earth am I ever going to bounce back from this… Can I just have this baby now? Please I beg you” Of course I couldn’t be induced at 36 weeks, but my doctor did say since my baby was measuring so large I would probably have he/she early and if I didn’t naturally, he would most likely induce me a week early. “Ok, ok so October 2^nd. That’s the latest I’ll go.” (My due date was October 9^th). So from that moment on I had it in my head that no way on earth was I going to have this baby later than October 2^nd… He also checked to see if I was dilated at all. And I was… 1cm!  Not much, but still a good sign. No doubt in my mind. This baby was coming early!... Boy was I in for the biggest let down of my life…

Fast Forward to the 37 week checkup… Finally full term! First words out of my mouth at the appointment, “You can induce me now right?” My Dr. laughed. Ultrasound. Measure the baby. “Holy Moly this kid is a giant.” Check to see if I’m dilated… No change.

38 week appointment… Doctor: “It’s looking like your baby weighs over 8 pounds already!” Me: “Why am I cursed!? Induce me already!” Doctor: “Let’s wait one more week.” Checked to see if I’m dilated… No change. The doctor said be active and walk a lot. Try to get labor started.

I was bound and determined. That week John and I went to the Morris Corn Fest three times! It was hot..  And every time we went, we walked what felt like 10 miles. I think I maybe had one Braxton hicks contraction on the last day we were there. The second of 2 I ever got my entire pregnancy… Later that week I painted our master bedroom, almost all by myself! (John helped too, but I did the majority) I was standing on chairs, on my hands and knees.. Talk about a labor inducer.. Ha, nope!

So then came the 39 week appointment. October 5^th, 3 days after I thought this baby was going to be out! I had it all planned in my head. John was getting off work early to come to the appointment with me. I did my hair and make-up all cute because of course my doctor was going to send me to the hospital right away to get induced, and I HAD to look good during labor. (Cause that’s the biggest priority when it comes to the whole process.. wow! Ha!) Bags had been packed since week 37, so we were all good there. I took some bump shots because these were going to be the last ones I ever took. John got home from work and off to the doctor’s office we went…

Talk about excitement. I was so ready. I was going to have this baby tonight or tomorrow, for sure!

We were the last appointment of the day. Doctor walks in, happy as can be. “You’re next on my list! Let’s see where we’re at!” Ultrasound: HUGE! And I mean measuring over 9 lbs huge! I legit almost cried. I remember picturing my baby as this chubby, bald kid (because I was a bald baby. Who cares that John had lots of hair as a baby. All our kids in my mind were going to be bald.. ha!) with rolls on rolls and an abnormally huge head. Kind of Michelin Man-ish, just bigger head. I remember telling myself “Every mom thinks their baby is cute, don’t worry…” I was worried.

Next up.. check to see if I was dilated anymore. In my head: “Of course I will be. I walked a marathon and painted a huge bedroom this week.  We’re all good.” Checked. 1.5 cm.. so basically no change. Now the tears did start flowing. I knew what that meant…

In the simplest terms I can use.. My doctor wanted my body to be a little more ready before he induced me. He explained ever so thoughtfully to us that if he tried to induce me that night I would probably end up needing a C-section. Now he told us if I was just really done he could call the hospital and I could either A. Try to be induced with probably no results and then C-Section tomorrow. B. He could just do a C-Section tonight. Or another option would be C. Wait one more week and then no matter what I will be induced, but hopefully my body will have progressed more by then.

Of course in my crazy, 39 ½ weeks pregnant, hormonal state of mind I wanted either A. or B. But then my doctor continued to explain that since I hadn’t progressed really at all on my own, if I ended up with a C-section, I would probably end up having C-Sections with all of my children, because my body will not know how to start labor…

“Are you kidding me!?” This is not what I wanted, at all!

He then continued to tell me that, after seeing how big the baby was measuring and again, “simple terms” how small I was measuring, I should probably prepare myself for what was most likely going to end up a C-Section no matter what. Basically, he didn’t think the baby was going to fit…

Obviously, he wanted to try to see if I could do it, but I should prepare my heart and mind for a very different scenario than I had thought these past 39 ½ weeks…

My heart was broken… Literally I felt like someone had just taken a knife to my chest. I was crying, sweating, overwhelmed.

Both John and the Doctor were encouraging me to wait it out another week because of that small chance that I could do it on my own. But of course I, all caught up in emotions thought, “If I’m going to end up with a C-Section no matter what, why wait? End my misery, please.”

I can so vividly picture that moment in time: John and my doctor both looking at me waiting for my decision.

What was I going to do? I was so torn. This is not what I wanted.

Little did I know, God had a plan. A perfect, beautiful plan for how my little Luca John was going to come into this world. And this was just Him setting the stage. It was God’s way of telling me, “You may think you know it all, but remember, I am in control.”