An unexpected miracle: The birth of Matthew

I have three boys. The first was born vaginally and the second one was a C-section. It was pretty much out of my hands because the doctor said that the baby wasn’t dropping. I felt terrible afterwards, and even went into a deep depression over my surgery. After that I asked my doctor if I were to have a third child, would  a vaginal delivery even be possible? She strongly advised against it and said that she and her team of doctors did not practice VBAC. So I left it alone and seven months after my c-section I found out I was pregnant again. Although it was an accident, I did intend to have more children, but in the future. Obviously, it didn’t turn out as I expected. I wanted to look for another doctor because I felt like I needed the opportunity to deliver vaginally and that there was someone out there that would help me. At this point it felt impossible, but I started calling and found someone. I couldn’t believe it! I was so overjoyed and wondered, was it even possible?

My last two pregnancies had all been normal without complications, but for this one I developed a UTI. Throughout my pregnancy, my doctor gave me options. I couldn’t believe she took the time to actually listen to me. She sat with me as if I mattered and not as though I was just another pregnant woman. It felt like I found my perfect doctor. She was good, patient and understanding. However, she did tell me that if my baby was too big after my 38th week, I shouldn’t try to deliver vaginally. My ultrasound turned out to be perfect and the baby was positioned correctly. I felt I was at a good point, until I had to go in for an induction at 39 weeks. It was a Sunday and I was in the hospital for no more than an hour when the doctor checked me to find that the baby had flipped into a transverse position. I was in shock but she gave me two options: C-section or go home and see if the baby turns.

To me, it all felt wrong to begin with so I packed up my clothes and decided to go home. She was not happy but understood my decision and told me to come back in two days. I just didn’t feel comfortable having another C-section without trying alternative techniques. My husband and I did a web search on how to turn babies at this point. So for two days we practiced at home. When I went back my doctor was shocked to find that the baby had flipped back into the right position. I felt so happy. We attempted another induction at my 40-week mark. The induction began early at 8 a.m. but after an hour, there was still no progress. My doctor halted the medication but my contractions kept coming, so she asked if I wanted to push. I felt like there was no reason to push since I wasn’t dilating past 4 cm, so I told her we would stick to the C-section. I was told that I needed to wait an additional hour because the operating rooms were all booked. I was in so much pain and was unmedicated. I almost died thinking that I needed to wait longer. Finally, at around 10 p.m., they started to prep me. As I sat up, I screamed so hard that my husband heard me and felt like something awful had happened. My doctor stared at me in disbelief and asked if I needed to push. They laid me down. My doctor then told me to push. I pushed and before I knew it, my husband was by my side and the doctor told me to stop pushing. I was confused—I thought I had just started! Turns out the baby was already born! Somehow when I sat down he dropped. And with just one push, he was out. It was amazing.

I went from VBAC to C-section and back again to VBAC, all within 24 minutes, and then it was all over. I’m glad I looked for another doctor. I’m glad I fought her throughout the whole pregnancy. I believed anything was possible and before having another C-section I was going to fight until the end. It worked out, I was also realistic that if at any point my doctor stated that the baby or I was at risk, I would stop and do as she suggested. Luckily, everything worked out. I guess anything is possible if you fight for it. I told my husband it was a miracle, no matter how you look at it.