Welcome to the world, Fisher Scott Eby.  We are so excited that you’re here.  Our boy is 7 1/2 weeks old now, and we are getting the hang of parenting him a little more each day.  It has taken me a little while to be ready to tell this story.  I did not have the birth I planned or expected, and for some reason I needed to mourn the loss of that for a little while.  As my due date approached, everything was looking good.  I had been 3-4 cm dilated for weeks and almost completely effaced.  Because Fisher was measuring large, my doctor wanted to induce before my due date.  I wanted to wait until a few days after, and she respected that decision, but didn’t want me to wait very long.  We negotiated for 3 days after the due date.
On May 31st we went in for our induction at 8 am.  They told me not to eat, but I’ve never been a rules kid so we hit Chick-fil-a on the way.  I researched eating during labor and saw that the only reason they tell you not to is because of the slim chance of an emergency c-section, and if in case of c-section the slim chance you will have to put under general anethesia.  Jed made me confess to the nurse that I had eaten (he is such a rules kid), and the only consequence was that I had to wait until noon to be eligible for an epidural.  So glad I ate those chicken minis.
I wanted to try to birth without meds, but knew it would be difficult with pitocin contractions.  When we arrived I was 4 cm dilated and totally effaced.  I started progressing well and held off the epidural until around 1.  The reason I went for it was that I had my sister and brother-in-law in the room (who are a nurse and doctor) reading the monitor and telling me the strength of the contractions.  I could handle them ok where they were, but knew they would be getting worse.  Once back labor started I was ready for some meds.
My doctor offices 2 floors below labor and delivery, so she was in and out all day which was unexpected and awesome.  Fisher was flipped sunny side up which makes for a difficult delivery, so she tried to turn him twice.  This was not fun.  Seriously not fun.
After laboring from 10 until 5:30, I was at 10 cm and ready to push.  Fisher was still facing up so I knew I had a hard road ahead.  My doctor, our awesome nurse, my mom, sister, and Jed were all in the room.  I pushed with everything I had for 2 hours without much progress.  Fisher moved only from a -2 to a -1.  My doctor was concerned but knew I wanted to avoid a c-section so she let me push a further 30 minutes.  I have never worked so hard in my whole life.  My epidural wore off for the most part after 1.5 hours of pushing, and the back labor was like no pain I’ve ever experienced.  My sweet sister was my doula and massaged my back throughout the pushing while Jed and our nurse held my legs.  My doctor allowed me to try several different positions (all fours, on my side, etc) but nothing worked.  After 2.5 hours of pushing and no movement, my doctor broke the news that I would have to have a c-section.  She didn’t want to attempt to use forceps or a vacuum because he was stuck behind my pelvis and his shoulder would almost certainly break.  I agreed to a c-section and the wheels went into motion.  I was calm and had a peace about it, but it was pretty scary for Jed.
Because my epidural had stopped working a new had to be put in, but it didn’t work either.  Finally after 45 minutes of trying to get me numb the doctor had to use local and light general anesthesia.  This freaked Jed out because I had eaten a few Luna bars throughout the day (so not a rules kid).  Thankfully Fisher was not in distress so they were able to wait for me to be numb.  The c-section went well and Jed was handed our beautiful baby boy at 8:56 pm, just 13 hours after arriving at the hospital.  He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz, and was 19 in long.

This is our first family photo.  I am totally out of it, but so relieved to have a healthy baby.  I just knew he was a boy the whole pregnancy.  🙂

Our sweet friends and family were in the waiting room for hours so they could meet our boy.  They are awesome.

Fisher was a little bit angry to be out in the world.  
Finally I got to hold him in the recovery room where we tried to nurse and had a few minutes to bond.  I fell in love instantly and am so grateful to have him in my life.  I mourned the birth that I wanted and that was not expected.  It was really hard for me to get over the fact that I couldn’t birth my son the way I wanted to.  Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for modern medicine because without it my son and I might not be here.  Fisher was so stuck in my pelvis that the nurse had to push him back out so the doctor could pull him out.  Yikes.  There was no way he would have birthed vaginally.  I second guess the decision to induce and wonder if we had waited until he was ready if he would have flipped over to the correct position.  We will never know, and I have to come to terms with the birth I did have.  I was made to be Fisher’s mama, and I am so thankful to the Lord for providing me with a beautiful, healthy son.    
 Did you have a birth plan?  Did your birth go according to plan?  

8 Comments on Fisher’s Birth Story

  1. Oh sweetie, believe it or not, it’s perfectly normal to mourn. I mourned not going into labor naturally. I also went the pitocin route for an induction. This is a beautiful birth story! You did all that you could do, and by God’s grace you and handsome little Fisher stayed safe and sound!

    Simply beautiful!

  2. i had hoped to go into labor naturally, go through labor and take showers,bath, use the birthing ball, walk. and deliver vaginally…

    I ended up getting induced at 41 weeks
    cervadil and pitocin, i was up all night with contractions so by the time i got my epidural i fell asleep. i didnt want to get out of bed while contracting all night.
    Giada’s heart rate accelerated and i was only 4-5 (i was progressing super slow) and ended up getting an emergency c-section
    Nothing went as planned but i ended up with a beautiful healthy baby girl and i love her more then anything<3

    congratulations. he is a cutie!!

  3. your first lesson in motherhood…moms dont call the shots, the kids do 😉 Seriously, I think its better to not have a plan then you are not dissapointed and sometimes pleasantly surprised! My 1st and 2nd daughters were sunnyside up so I feel your back pain sista! SUCKS!!!

  4. I thought about going in with a birth plan, but all my L&D nurse friends told me to forget it because labor is so unpredictable, so I just went in with an open mind. I too had horrible back labor after being induced, but after 69 minutes of pushing, that 9.3 pound wonder finally made his entrance. All I can say is thank heaven for epidurals!

    My SIL just had my nephew last week and she had the same experience that you did-induced, stuck, emergency c-section and then it didn’t take so they had to put her out completely. She didn’t get to see my nephew for two hours! She was angry and upset things didn’t go the way they should, but she realizes that as long as they make it here healthy and safely, who cares how they got here?!? So welcome little Fisher to this big wide world!

  5. I stumbled across your blog through a pin about your path to VBAC. With my oldest son, I had a normal pregnancy. He was measuring big, but not huge. I went into labor naturally and labored at home for several hours. After about 8 hours of active labor, my water broke and the placenta abrupted at the same time. My hubby and I rushed to the hospital where the baby and I were monitored for about 15 minutes before being rushed into the OR for an emergency CS. William weighed in at 8 lbs 14oz and 21 inches long. Fast forward 3 1/2 years, I had a repeat CS with little man #2. Micah weighed in at 10 lbs, 3 oz and 22 inches long. Now, my husband and I are planning for baby #3 and I’m really torn between trying for a VBA2C or just going with the flow of another RCS. I have very easy recoveries, but I’d really like to try!

  6. Becca,
    I just stumbled upon your blog and read Fisher’s birth story. I live in Richardson and just had my first baby in November 2016. I went into labor naturally, had an epidural at 8 cm, and was complete in 3 hours afterward. I pushed for 2 hours, and Franklin did not move. I feel like you were telling his birth story! I pushed so hard that I felt like my eyes might pop out into my lap! (Now I know that I wasn’t actually pushing properly) My doctor was concerned that if she used the vacuum, his shoulders might break. I tearfully and fearfully agreed to a c-section. My doctor also had to push him up out of the birth canal in order to get him out of my uterus (again, I feel like you are telling my story!) It’s been 4 months, and I’ve mourned the loss of a natural birth but been so thankful to God for my sweet healthy 9 lb 11 oz baby boy. I’m pouring myself into VBAC research and hoping for different results next time, and I’ve chosen a new doctor and a new hospital for delivery. I am working to connect with other women in DFW who have gone through similar situations, and I would love to meet you if you are not opposed to it! I’m a transplant to DFW from Toledo, Ohio, and am still working on making new friends!

    Thank you for your story. Pinning and keeping up with your blog from now on 🙂

    -Lindsey

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