Everyday Susa

Part 1: Nova's VBAC So where was I? Oh yes. Fresh newborn in my arms, my husband by my side, and my preschooler being cared for by a dear friend. I had VBAC'ed. I had pushed a giant head out. I had succeeded. I was on a high only hormones and euphoria could bring. And then it all crashed down. Nova was born at 7pm on a Sunday, and the doctors planned to release us on Tuesday - barring any issues. They wanted to monitor my pre-E to make sure that it was going away on its own, as well as monitor Nova since she had been a meconium baby and I was GBS+. No one was too worried about my pre-E diagnosis since it had occurred only a couple hours before birth and birth is supposed to be the ultimate cure. I spent that first night wide awake, staring at my precious baby while Stephen slept on the world's hardest, narrowest couch beside me. My extroverted self thrived off interactions with  various medical personnel, and I remember thinking that this hospital stay wasn't ba

CAVEAT: Birth involves the female body and frank discussions of it. If, for whatever reason, you feel uncomfortable reading such terms and descriptions, stop here. Fair warning. Seriously.  My due date with Nova was Friday, June 8th, and like with Landon, I was in a bit of a time crunch to get the baby out. While Landon's birth had a deployment looming, Nova had a "Report No Later Than Date" of 41 weeks simply by virtue of being a VBAC. Her 41 week mark was June 15th, and lucky me, the hospital did its planned C-Sections on Wednesdays and Fridays. So, at my 38 week appointment, we scheduled a C-Section for 41 weeks and the awesome doctor told me she hoped that I would go into labor before then. Right before my 40 week appointment, Dr. Awesome called and apologized profusely: we had to move my scheduled C-Section date up by two days. I was heartbroken. Convinced that this was the end of my VBAC hopes and dreams, I made my friend E process my feelings with me...over and