Hi Guys!!! I'm back as a mom of two! Can you believe it?! Its been almost a month and a half and I feel like it was just yesterday that I was counting down the days to my due date oh so desperately! It still feels so surreal to have TWO kids! We're still getting into the routine of things and I'm learning to manage my time between the two. Although exhausting to say the least - I wouldn't change it for anything! Okay, yeah, a very cliche thing to say haha, but I really mean it! :) Anyway, if you've been following me for sometime, I had posted my birth story with Isa (you can read it here!) so a lot of you already know I had a C-section my first time. My main goal for this pregnancy/birth was to "VBAC" which is basically the abbreviation for "vaginal birth after C section."  I really didn't want a repeat C-section (my first experience left me so traumatized) so I transferred my care to the medical center in downtown Houston because the hospitals there are better equipped to handle/perform a VBAC due to the nature of this delivery being a little more risky.  I was convinced this little guy would come sooner but he proved me wrong, I guess they really are nice and comfy in there! I was having Braxton Hicks since I was about 36 weeks but that was the extent of that and they never really progressed to any real contractions. In my last few prenatal visits, my cervical checks showed 0 sign of progress and I started getting really anxious because I kept fearing another C-section. I had my 40 week appointment which was on a Thursday and I went in feeling pretty defeated because there were absolutely no signs of baby coming. I sooo badly wanted my body to go into Labor on its own because my doctor was not going to let me go 5 days past my due date. Anyway, when she checked me again there was still no progress and I was getting ready to wobble my pregnant self out of her office and back home when she asked me how many times he was kicking me in about 1-2 hours. I actually noticed the night before that he had not moved as he normally does (he was a very squirmy/active baby) but I didn't think much of it since he was at his maximum capacity in my tummy and there was probably not much space left in there! When I told her not a lot, she ordered a baby monitor immediately to check on his movements. Long story short, after hours of monitoring, she wasn't satisfied with what she saw so she basically told me "you're having this baby today! but now the real question is - HOW?!"  So in my case, for my VBAC to be successful, I had to go into labor naturally with no medical intervention (basically I could not get induced in order to have the most successful outcome which would be the vbac). With Isa, I failed to dilate on my own and was induced and after 23 hours of labor and ended up with a c-section so my doctor wanted to avoid going down that same route. I was so mentally distraught from my first experience that I was resisting till the end to go for another c-section. Luckily, my doctor was really amazing and she helped me understand the pro and cons of trying to attempt the vbac (given my body was making 0 progress and baby was showing signs of fetal distress and decreased movements) but then ultimately left the decision up to me. I never felt so indecisive in my entireee life. On one hand I knew if I stuck with the vbac, it would probably be a very similar traumatizing experience because they were going to "place a balloon on my cervix" to help it dilate for about 12 hours and then give me a little bit of pitocin if I still had not progressed. My doc explained to me that this could very quickly go south if there is no progress. The best outcome would be a "scheduled" c section in a more controlled environment and she promised me it would be a lot less traumatic than last time because I'd go in knowing what was to happen. After what felt like the longest hour of my life, I ultimately decided on the C-section. I was still sooooo sad but I knew this would be the best for me and baby. They prepped me up and rolled me right into the operating room. This time everything felt so slow motion and my nerves were really all over the place. I had to keep telling myself to remain calm because I knew if I started crying I would just mentally loose it! I couldn't even look at my mom cause she started crying and I was like ok no, I cant do this right now! lol! It made me realize how strong the mind is, really. I was freaked out don't get me wrong, but I was able to keep myself calm by literally talking to myself and taking deep breaths. Once the epidural was in and they numbed me, they called in Shahbaz and got right to work. The operation felt sooo long and I was just trying to get through it as calmly as possible even though I was dying to cry lol. There was sooo much pressure and tugging, at one point I felt like all the doctors sat on top of me! Finally after what felt like an eternity of tugging, we heard that precious cry, subhanAllah!!!!!! They pulled him out and Shahbaz jokingly asked me "do you want to see him?" (with Isa when he asked me that I said "no!") and I noded my head yes so fast! He was so cute, so perfect! I was SO GLAD it was over! Doctors took my placenta out, stitched me back up, and rolled me out of that operation room with him on my chest. I felt sooooo happy alhumdulillah. Even though its NOT exactly what I wanted, I was so thankful he was here with us, healthy and perfect. I didn't get to experience any of this the first time so it was just a very good, happy, proud moment and feeling.  I hope I didn't bore you guys with this longgg story lol but that was basically it. I'm finally 6 weeks postpartum and starting to feel better. I'll share some special pictures we took below:
Ismail Ali Niazi  Born: 09/06/2019 7lbs 16 oz 22 inches long