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Please forgive my absence from my blog the past few days.. You are about to read the very difficult journey that my little Natalie Rose made into this world, just last Thursday and about my crazy life since..
Natalie was born on Thursday, June 28th, at 7:06pm. She weighed 8 lbs, 5.1 oz and was 20 in long!
Now are you ready for our story? (It’s a doozy, just to warn ‘ya!) Yes? Ok, here we go.
As you all know, I went into the hospital to be induced on Thursday morning. I wanted to try for a VBAC so the doctor was going to start me on light Pitocin to get things moving so he could break my water. Then we were going to see how I progressed throughout the day and we hoped to have her via VBAC by the end of the day.
That is a short version of what we had planned.
BUT…
Unfortunately, that is not what God had in store for both myself and little Natalie.
Some of you are friends with me on Facebook and already know what has happened but I wanted to create a post to share with you all because I do truly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers!
So. Here is Natalie’s birth story; definitely exciting (though not in a good way) and something I pray never happens to anyone else. Ever. Especially not to one of you dear readers..
Here goes.
Wednesday night, I was having contractions that lasted all through the night and prevented me from getting a lot of sleep.. But I wanted to hold off for the morning because I knew that’s what we had planned. So Thursday morning, at 6:30, we headed for the hospital with not a lot of sleep but totally ready to have a baby! 
Once we got to the hospital, they checked me and I was already 2.5 cm! Yay! (This was really wonderful to hear because at my last doctor’s appointment, a week before, my cervix was still hard and I was not dilated at all..) I was very excited at the thought of my body really being able to DO this, even though there were times that I doubted it.
We got settled in, they started a light drip of Pitocin and we just hung out for several hours.. The more painful the contractions got, the more my blood pressure went up so I was already starting to doubt my ability to go through labor without an epidural. (This wasn’t too big of a deal to me, though, because my main concern was to get the VBAC, not necessarily to do it drug-free) Around lunchtime, I could not take the pain anymore and decided to get some relief from an epidural. After that, things went much easier and my blood pressure immediately lowered back down to where it was supposed to be.
Shortly after getting the epidural, my doctor came in to break my water and get things moving a little faster.. At this point, I was about 3.5 cm and 90% effaced. After breaking my water, the doctor left me to labor some more on my own. I went on like this for about 2 more hours and when the nurse checked me next, I was about 5 cm. It seemed to me like it was taking a while but everyone who was there was encouraging me that I was doing well.
In the next couple hours, I was having very steady and strong contractions. Thankfully, my epidural was low enough that I could feel all the tightening without any of the pain.. When my nurse checked me again, around 5:30, I was shocked to hear her tell me I was at 9 cm! WHAT?! That sure had gone fast!! I was so excited because I was thinking that I really could do this and I was almost there!
She called the doctor about a half hour later. He took a little while to come up so while we were waiting, I began to do some pushing with the nurse. It was around this time that my epidural started wearing off.. I pushed some more (for about 15 more mins) but finally said I needed another dose into my epidural before I could push anymore. We waited and the anesthesiologist arrived very quickly to help out. My doctor arrived at the same time and so after getting the extra boost, I started pushing for the doctor.
I almost did it. I was probably an hour or so away from holding my baby girl. I was pushing and she was crowning!
Then it got terrifying. I started having the most intense, sharp pains in my entire abdomen. I was crying and telling them that something was wrong because I should not be feeling pains like this! Then my doctor saw blood in my catheter and told everyone that I needed to get into the OR right now.
My uterus had ruptured.
(We knew there was a chance of uterine rupture.. Everyone, VBAC or not, has the same risk; 0.6% chance; less than 1%. There is such a low risk of this that I had not even considered the possibility. The thought had crossed my mind, when discussing the risks of trying for a VBAC with my doctor, but it exited as quickly as it came.. I never dreamed this would become my birth experience.)
The next few minutes were the most terrifying in my entire life. I honestly thought that either I or the baby were going to die. The pain I had was nightmarish (something I pray to God I forget quickly) and being ran into the OR, people flying all around, all the commotion and panic in the air, was the scariest experience I have ever been in.
Due to the urgency to get the baby out of me, I had to be put out. In a matter of seconds after getting the drugs in my IV, I was asleep.
When I woke up, I found out that my baby girl had been driven quickly to our local Sacred Heart NICU Unit (the best in the area), which thankfully, was only about 15 minutes away from the hospital where I delivered. My uterus had, indeed, ruptured and had done so very severely, also causing my bladder to rupture at the same time. It took my doctors about an hour to repair my uterus (which they did, even though I am not advised to get pregnant again) as well as my bladder. My uterus did not tear on my previous c-section scar but diagonal across most of my abdomen. When they pulled Natalie out, they actually found her outside the uterus entirely, in my abdomen. I had never even heard of that happening before.
The fact that we both survived was a complete miracle.
Even though I have no idea why God caused this to happen to me and my baby girl, He was watching out for us! My rupture occurred right during shift change, right before 7pm, we were right across the hall from the OR, we both survived and I got repaired with a surprisingly small amount of blood loss!
All that happened on Thursday. It was a very busy and terrifying day for me. But in the end, I got my Natalie Rose, my beautiful miracle, and that is ALL that matters.
Since our traumatic experience on Thursday, I think that Natalie and I are both doing much better. Of course, I am doing better than she is.. I am on lots of meds and because of the bladder rupture, I have to have a catheter in place until the 12th (not pleasant, let me tell you…). Other than my physical pains, which are pretty minimal, I am still trying to process through what happened. It was truly the most terrible day of my life (as well as the best because I got Natalie) and I think I am going to need some time to recover emotionally from what took place..
Natalie, on the other hand, has been in the NICU since after birth but she has been healing so quickly! She was without oxygen, from when the uterus ruptured to when they got her out, for about 10-15 minutes. So we are not sure the damage, if any, that has had on her yet. All we know is that she is doing extremely well and is a very brave, strong and feisty little girl!
For 3 days, she was under cooling protocol, which cooled down her body temp to make sure there was no swelling in the brain from lack of oxygen. This is a semi-new procedure that helps a lot with young babies in the NICU, to help them heal faster from various injuries..
On Sunday night, she was warmed up and since then has thrived and amazed all her doctors and nurses!
She has been breathing on her own extremely well so they took our her ventilator. Then out came the stomach tube. Then out came her bladder catheter. Then out came her umbilical IV’s.. In just 2 short days, she has become detached from about everything, except for her central IV line and her heart monitors.
She has tests scheduled for this week to see how she is doing on the inside.. Today, she had her MRI and EEG done, both are different tests of the brain, to see if there is any visible damage. We will get the results tomorrow so I will update with a new post when I have news!!
*Natalie’s test updates coming as soon as we get them*
Holding her for the first time!
I apologize for the long post.. But I know that most of you want to know what happened with me and my baby girl. We had a very hard experience but are both recovering and working through it well. Please, please continue to pray for my daughter. She is strong but no one is too strong for prayers! I love her SO much and she means the world to me already!
Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We have a long road ahead but I promise to let you in on the ride!
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Wow hun, thank God you and your sweet baby are ok! I will pray for Natalie ! Thanks for sharing your story!
I am so sorry to hear of your traumatic experience and pray for healing for both you and your sweet baby girl.
Thank God you are both ok. What a scary experience. I had all 4 of my kids by csection. I didn’t have a choice for a vbac but I’m sure I would have never imagined anything like this happening. I will keep you and Natalie in my prayers!
My heart has been aching with yours for days. I know how badly you wanted a “normal” birth experience. To have all this happen to you, and Natalie is beyond anything I could have imagined. Your strength as a mother, your dedication to your family, to Natalie has been inspiring. So many would hung their head and asked why? You have fought to get to your daughter and ask what can I do next. That is extraordinary Jess, truly.
I continue to pray for you and your family for not only health, but peace as well. If anyone can find both it’s you.
Xoxoxo
Emily
Oh my word! I have never heard of anything like this happening! This is incredibly frightening and I can’t imagine the mental and emotional healing process you now have to go through (never mind the physical healing!). I will keep you all in my prayers.
God did not allow this to happen. We live in an imperfect word and bad things happen. It is what it is. This may have been a surprise to you but not to God. Since He knew what was going to happen He aligned everything so that your lives would be saved. He was not surprised by the turn of events in your labor so He made sure that the right people were on deck and that you were close to the OR. He protected you and Natalie from an even greater tragedy! This is an amazing blessing in the midst of horror. You are very blessed to have had all the right interventions!
My son’s Martial Arts class has a saying that I will leave with you:
“Peace and joy we wish you forever more.”
<3
oh honey, what a difficult, terrifying experience you had to go through! I am so sorry it had to turn out this way but SO very thankful to read the details and hear you and the baby are doing well and recovering! May God heal you body, and spirit from this journey, and bring you both home healthy and sound soon!!!
You know how much I’ve been praying and I am SOOOOO happy that both you and little Natalie are now ok after such a traumatizing experience. I honestly had NO idea something like this could happen and thank God that both of you are ok.
Little Natalie is such a fighter. She’s going to thrive and grow to be a strong, beautiful girl just like her mama. I cannot wait to watch her grow. And I pray that you are able to heal from this experience both physically and emotionally.
I am praying!
Thank you for sharing your story. It is amazing what our bodies, and our babies can withstand. So glad you and Natalie are recovering well. We will continue to keep you in our prayers, especially your little girl. God bless you and your entire family!
Oh Jessica, I am so proud of you for going through something like this and staying so strong and beautiful! She is absolutely precious and I can not wait to meet her. You get as much rest as you possibly can!!
I can’t imagine going through this. You, Natalie, & your family ate in my prayers. She is a beautiful little girl.
I’ve been thinking about you & sweet Natalie the whole week. I can’t believe what you’ve been going through. Absolutely terrifying. I’m hoping for a quick recovery for your physical injuries as well as your heart. And, praying that you get great results from Natalie’s tests.
It’s scary to not know why God has things like this happen but I know it’s family like us that use it for his glory. We don’t know now but in the future this testimony will bring people to him. Your a strong mom Jessica and and I can’t wait to hold baby Natalie Rose soon.
Oh, Jessica, this is so scary. I am so thankful that both you and Natalie made it through this!
Amazing story! I am so glad you wrote this so we would know from the source what happened. I have been following along on FB and praying for you all especially baby Natalie. What a beautiful pic of her. What a joy to know that God is Sovereign and in control of all things. If we would but realize our children are given to us by God and are really just on loan to us to raise for His Honor and Glory. I am so Thankful that He is The Great Physician. Continuing to keep you before the Lord in Prayer and praying for a speedy recovery. Also the baby that God would be merciful and allow her to have no permanent difficulties. May this situation bring you all to a closer walk with the Lord. Love, Aunt Lorie
Thank you for sharing this wand your beautiful Natalie Rose with all of us! I will continue to pray for both Natalie and you! What a miracle she is! Hugs!
So many prayers for you, Natalie, and your entire family. I hope you get very good news tomorrow.
I’m so sorry you went through that! Now is the time to heal and bond with your baby, not to research, but, when you are up to it, I hope you will look into the risks of inducing a VBAC. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends against induction of VBACs for this very reason-it greatly reduces the risk of uterine rupture. I hope your doctor warned you of this risk before inducing you. I’m so glad you and your baby are ok and I hope you can take her home soon.
**greatly INCREASES. Sorry
She is such a cutie. Praying for you.
Congrats on your sweet baby girl! Praying for a quick recovery for you and Natalie!
Oh my! You and Natalie are in my thoughts… What a scary experience, but so glad to read the happy ending.
I was crying as I read this. I will definitely pray for your healing, as well as Natalie’s healing. Congratulations on your miracle!!
We have continued to keep you and baby Natalie in our thoughts and prayers. You are one extraordinary mama and I do hope you are relived of some of your pain and heartache. Can’t wait to hear about how sweet natalie is doing.
she is quite a beauty! Congratulations on the birth of your little girl.
Wow! That is so scary. I’m glad that you and Natalie are doing better. I will be praying for her continued recovery and that there was no lasting damage!
Wow! This brings back memories of what could have happened to me! We also had an angel watching us from up above and dd was breach so instead of going through with the VBAC I went in for a csection. As soon as she made the incision, she could see the tear in my uterus! I am so glad ya’ll are doing good! I will keep you in our prayers!
Jess,
I am so glad you & Natalie are both doing well. That would have been such a scary experience for all of you. I will check in for updates, but I am glad to see that everything is going well so far.
Nikky
Oh my goodness! We’ll definitely be praying for you and sweet Natalie. Take care.
Hi there, one of my blog readers told me about your story as I was in a similar situation last month. I was going for a VBAC after 4 c-sections and ended up with another cesarean and a traumatic birth experience. You can read my story here: http://happilydomestic.blogspot.com/2012/07/from-vbac-to-cesarean-birth-story-of.html
I just want to say that I am so very sorry you experienced uterine rupture. I am very surprised the doctor induced you as that is a big no no with VBACs. In my research I found that most uterine ruptures are caused by inductions. I was told the only way I could VBAC was to go into labor naturally. I didn’t and that is why I was sectioned, but am thankful as my uterus was in horrible condition. I know it’s hard when things like this happen. I am still trying to wrap my head around what happened to me. I pray God give you peace during this time and for a complete recovery for your sweet baby girl.
I came to your site to see news of your baby’s birth and was surprised to read your story. I am sure that Natalie will grow up and be a strong little girl… taking after her Mom.
I hope you have very speedy recovery. Looking forward to more updates on Baby Natalie!!
Wow, what an experience. I have to admit, I could not pull myself away as I read this post. Although maybe I should’ve considering I’m trying for a VBAC any day now, but I feel more aware now and surprisingly not too panicked
Thank you for sharing such an important personal experience in you and your daughter’s lives. I will certainly be sending positive, healing thoughts your and your daughter’s way!
Wow. My OB told me this weekend that some things are just “a God thing. He just puts all the pieces in place and even if it’s not what we planned, it works out somehow.”
I was hoping for VBAC (due June 30), scheduled C section, then ended up with stat CS 1.5 hrs before scheduled because baby’s heart decelerated (41wks). I was whisked away from my husband and put under general anesthesia, tears flowing and not knowing if the baby or I would be okay. You’re right – it is SO incredibly scary! And I can’t even imagine that fear after laboring and feeling so much pain. You are so strong! Prayers will certainly continue for little Natalie and for your emotional healing. People tend to underestimate how the trauma of an experience can affect us. <3. Look forward to updates!
Oh how terrifying. I’m so glad you both are okay and she is here. I have no experience with VBAC but thank you for sharing your story. I will continue to pray for full recovery for you and your precious Natalie…BTW she is precious.
i have never heard of a uterus rupturing. this truly is an amazing story. wow!!!! thank god you are both okay.
Wow thank God you and Natalie are alive and doing well! First I cant imagine how scary that must have been to fear for your baby’s life and for your own life!! Secondly, I cant imagine how horrible the pain must have been!! My thoughts and prayers are with you and Natalie!
Congratulations on the new baby!
I can’t imagine how scary that situation was!! I’ll be praying for you both!
Wow. Sounds scary. Best of luck with everything.
I am so sorry things didn’t go as planned for you. I know how scary it is to have you little one whisked away from you. My lo was born at 34 weeks due to a placental abruption and spent almost 3 weeks in the NICU. It is the scariest thing you could ever imagine, but it also show you how strong you are. Now he is a healthy 4 year old who is off the charts!! She is strong like her mama!!
She is beautiful – so glad y’all are both ok!
Wow! What an incredibly terrifying experience! Thank you so much for sharing and you definitely have my thoughts and prayers as you both heal. She is a beautiful baby girl and I LOVE the name! We don’t find out the gender, and our little guy was born on June 29th, but if he had been a girl, her name would have been Natalie.
What a beautiful little girl, congratulations on her! Glad you’re both ok!
WOW. You poor dear, I am so glad that you got appropriate treatment and hope you’ve healed and continued to heal nicely. Congratulations on your baby, and even though I’m a stranger, I just wanted to say that I hope many good things come to you. Wow.
Its great to read everything turned out fine, slightly scary seeing I’m 28 weeks with my third. You never know what will happen at least someone was looking out for you two.
Oh my goodness I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I’m so glad you both came through it alive. I also hope you’re both completely healthy now. God understands the heart of a mother and her bonds we make with our children before they’re even born. Hugs to you- from one mama who’s experienced her worst nightmare.
What a scary experience…and after it started so well! I’m glad it turned out okay!
What a difficult experience but I’m glad that you and baby are doing just fine! What a true blessing she is!
Wow. Thank you for sharing your story! I am happy to read that you and Natalie are doing so well (and she is quite a beautiful little girl!) I could not imagine the emotional trauma that must have been, none the less the physical trauma for the both of you! What an amazing, amazing story!
OMG, that was so difficult to even read. thank goodness you are both ok! we didn’t go through nearly something so traumatic, and i know how hard things were for us. She is beautiful