Our birth experience with our first son two years ago was extremely traumatic. Being put under general anesthesia for an emergency C-section, left me dealing with a lot of emotional trauma, PTSD, and shame over having not been "there" when our son was born. My husband wasn't allowed in the OR, so he also missed the birth of our son. What was supposed to be such a happy and beautiful time for us was surrounded by so much pain.
When we got pregnant with our second son who was born less than 2 weeks ago, we knew we wanted to try for an unmedicated VBAC.
I had a lot of anxiety about just how much support I would receive once I was in labor at the hospital. I was fearful that despite promises my provider had made to me about what I would be allowed to do during labor, that I might be faced with resistance once I was in the hospital.
From the moment I met Susanne, I KNEW that she was part of God's plan for my birth. I could sense from the beginning that she was going to help us carry out our birth plan as much as possible. She was exactly the kind of person we needed in that hospital room with us.
Every step of the way, I knew she had my best interests in mind. I knew she understood and respected our birth plan and perhaps most importantly, I felt that she REALLY WANTED to see us fulfill our hopes for a VBAC.
There are countless ways I could explain how much she went out of her way to help us fulfill our desires for having an unmedicated VBAC, but perhaps the following will serve as a good example.
Since I had opted to not have an epidural, I relied on other pain coping techniques. The most helpful of which was the ability to move about and have my husband perform rebozo sifting during contractions. Both of these things obviously make it challenging for the monitor to keep tabs on the baby. Never once did Susanne give me a hard time about how difficult I am sure I was making her job, in fact, it was quite the opposite. When the monitor would "lose" the baby because of my movement or positions, Susanne would simply come into the room and readjust the monitor (over and over again). And countless times, she would patiently stand with me and hold the monitor in place while I swayed, or my husband sifted my hips with the rebozo through painful contractions. She was incredible. I never felt pressured to return to the bed or stop doing the things my body was telling me to do to get through the pain. Without this kind of support, I honestly don't think my son's birth would have resulted in a successful VBAC. And this is one of the many ways she exceeded our expectations.
Susanne did much more than provide us with extraordinary care. She changed my life. Undoubtedly, her support was monumental in me having a successful VBAC. And this VBAC has helped to heal some of the pain from the first birth that was so traumatic. It's allowed me to find confidence and strength within myself that I had lost. And perhaps most importantly, it allowed me and my husband to, for the first time, see our child be born, hear his first cries, and hold him during his very first moments alive. As I write this, I am brought to tears with gratitude for these gifts she has given us.
Thankful doesn't even begin to express how appreciative we are but thank you, Susanne. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support during one of the most important and memorable days of our lives.