Gwendolyn's Birth Story, the perfect finale

Gwendolyn is officially six months old today, so it seems fitting that I finally get around to writing about her birth. I'm obviously not great at keeping things up to date on this blog, but it does serve as a solid location for documenting my thoughts. 

Gwendolyn Kate was born on April 10, 2023 at 3:25 am weighing 7 pounds 3 ounces, and measuring 20 inches. She was almost identical in size to her big sister, Daphne. 

You may remember that Graham's birth was a c-section due to him being breech with the cord around his neck. This meant that my entire pregnancy with Gwendolyn was spent wondering if I would be having a repeat c-section or a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). The doctors I spoke with throughout my pregnancy were all very positive that a vaginal birth was possible. I had proven myself perfectly capable of delivering vaginally previously with Dalton and Daphne's births. Ultimately, I decided I would schedule the c-section for 39 weeks with the plan to wait and see. 

During my 38-week appointment, the doctor and I decided to put an induction on the calendar for exactly 39 weeks. The hospital I delivered at is fairly busy and typically inductions get bumped, so we also decided to leave the c-section date (scheduled for 39 +2) just in case. Ryan's aunt was going to be in town to help with the kids while we were at the hospital and it was critical that we get this baby out in order to maximize our help! I had read plenty of information over the last two years about the risks of a VBAC and felt comfortable trying regardless based on my history. However, I was also comfortable with a c-section if that is what needed to happen. Ultimately, I decided to put everything in God's hands and see what this baby wants to do. 

Ryan's aunt arrived late Saturday night. Sunday morning was Easter which we had celebrated the weekend prior, just in case. Dalton and Daphne were going to be singing during our Sacrament service that morning and I wanted to attend. That morning, April 9, my only goal was to survive the church meeting. I wasn't having any contractions, so it seemed like an achievable goal. After church, I decided I was going to attempt to "walk" the baby out. We officially had someone in our home to care for our children while we were away, so anything was possible! My induction was scheduled for the following evening, but I'm impatient... 

While walking around our neighborhood, I felt a small trickle of water. I didn't think much of it, and after about 45 minutes of walking we came home to take a nap. I figured some sleep would be ideal if I was potentially going to be in labor. Spoiler alert. I never got my nap. While lying down, I felt another trickle of water... I decided to call my sister for a second opinion. I refused to be sent home from the hospital if it wasn't anything and I wasn't having any contractions. My sister was in medical school and had a strong interest in OBGYN, thus making her the perfect consultant. We decided that I should take a nap, spend the day with the kids, put them to bed, and then go get things checked out. A few hours of a slow leak, if it even was that, wasn't going to hurt anyone. I was about to hang up the phone to tell Ryan the plan when I felt a huge gush of water.

Never mind! Baby girl was ready to come, and I was grateful she was working towards coming on her own. Ryan and I packed up our things, said goodbye to the big kids, and headed to the hospital. Upon arriving at triage, it was determined that my water had broken. I still wasn't having any contractions, but they decided that I could be induced with a Foley bulb. This is one of the safe ways you can induce someone who has had a prior c-section. Labor can be fairly dangerous due to previous scarring on the uterus, so I had to be monitored pretty closely during the whole process. The doctor told me that the Foley bulb could take a few hours to fall out, but they were hopeful that it would be successful in jump starting the labor process. I was also told I could get an epidural immediately if I wanted one. An epidural was literally the only thing on my birth plan, so I said "YES!" to the opportunity. I was still traumatized from my unplanned epidural-free birth with Daphne, and didn't want to repeat that experience.

The Foley bulb fell out after 45 minutes, which is apparently record speed. The doctor and labor nurse were shocked. The doctor started me on a small dose of Pitocin. This was increased every 30-45 minutes until I was in active labor. I was slowly dilating during this time. Around 2:45 am, I began to feel felt extremely uncomfortable and felt like the epidural wasn't doing much to take away the pain. The nurse came into check and it was officially time to push. After approximately 20 minutes, a handful of pushes, and an episiotomy - Gwendolyn entered the world! (I consented to an episiotomy without an hesitation. I had scar tissue from Daphne's birth that was preventing Gwendolyn's exit.)

Later that day, we announced Gwendolyn's birth on social media as our new baby "Unicorn Lemon". This was a long running joke throughout my pregnancy. As soon as we found out she was a girl, we asked the kids what to name her. Dalton and Daphne decided together that Unicorn Lemon was the best name for her. Daphne was so convinced that Unicorn Lemon should be her name. She would get angry with anyone who told her otherwise. After posting online, I had several friends and family members receive concerned calls and messages that we named our baby such a strange name. It was a little alarming how many people believed the joke since our other children have fairly normal names. I let this joke go for about 24 hours before letting everyone know her real name. 

Unicorn Lemon was probably my easiest delivery of the bunch! Everything went exactly the way I had hoped it would go, and recovery was a breeze. She's a super easy baby. I think she knows she's a fourth child and has to be. Gwendolyn is almost always happy, and her siblings adore her. After four pregnancies with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, I'm happy to announce that the pregnancy chapter of my life is done. We officially feel like we have a complete family, and it feels soo good!