Miracle Birth

It seems every birth has a story, even ones that are scheduled C-Sections, which would seem to be rather uneventful.  Here is the story of our little Ruth coming into the world.

I had contractions for most of my pregnancy (they started at 12 weeks), but luckily through taking it easy, I was able to keep things under control and avoid preterm labor and bedrest.  We had the C-Section scheduled for 38 weeks, and at my 37 week appointment the doctor asked me how I felt about waiting another week to deliver.  I think any woman 37 weeks pregnant would not want to wait any longer, but I also wanted to make sure we had a healthy baby.  So we agreed that we would keep the scheduled date, but Jack and I discussed and prayed about it to make sure we were making the right decision.  We both felt strongly that we needed to keep the date for 38 weeks.

The last week of pregnancy seemed to go on forever.  I was having a lot of contractions-- the farthest apart were 10 minutes, and sometimes they were much closer to 5 minutes apart for the whole week.  The doctor had instructed me to not come in until they were 5 minutes apart and I had to breathe through them.  You know, full-blown labor.  Even with the contractions that met the time requirement, the intensity just wasn't there.  But after having so many contractions for so long, I was getting frustrated and tired.  What was going on?  How long could this go on before my body kicked in to full gear and went into active labor?  I would pray that the Lord would help me know when to go into the hospital, and that I would have this end soon.

I actually had a little delivery fantasy. (Fantasy because I knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but I really wished I could avoid the C-section.)  I imagined that after all this waiting, by the time I went in to the hospital in full labor, I would be fully dilated and ready to just push.  I would deliver naturally and avoid the recovery from the C-section.

Well, no such luck.  I made it to Monday morning, when we went into the hospital. I got all prepped for surgery (including two tries for the IV, my least favorite part).  The doctor was a little late, so I didn't go back the the operating room until about 7:45 am.  Surgery started and everything seemed to be progressing normally. 

Then the doctor said something (don't remember exactly what) and I knew something wasn't going normally.  Then she told us that as she moved my bladder out of the way to make the incision in the uterus, she saw the uterus and it was open already.  She could see the baby's face through the amniotic sac where the uterus had ruptured just moments before hand. 

Then as the doctor proceeded to open the sac and remove the baby (she never had to cut the uterus at all) she saw that the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck three times.  The cord was pretty long, but even so, there was no way I could have delivered her vaginally.  She wouldn't have come out!

The doctor was able to deliver Ruth and get my uterus sewn up, but she wasn't able to reinforce the area where it tore because of how close it was to the bladder. 

I feel that the fact that Ruth and I are here is a miracle.  If I had gone into more active labor, I would have had this tear happen somewhere other than in the operating room, and we could have bled to death.  If I had attempted a vaginal delivery and not had the uterine rupture, Ruth could have died from the cord being wrapped around her neck.

Now I see the week of contractions as more than just a nuisance and frustration.  I see it as Heavenly Father truly holding back the labor so we could be in the right place at the right time.  I see the impressions for us to not wait any longer to have the baby as a witness of how much Heavenly Father is aware of me and how he will guide me in my life.  This was a miracle in my life.