Leah's Babies - Andrew
by c/s and Steven by EBAC.
By Leah
I was two days overdue when I
attended my Thursday appointment at the prenatal clinic.
After an internal examination I was booked in for an
induction Friday week. I was told I was only one centimetre
dilated and the baby's head still wasn't engaged. This was a
real disappointment because I had hoped everything would
happen without any form of assistance. We had wanted a drug
free natural birth.
Alex went to work that afternoon
and I settled in for another night in front of the TV taping
our favourite shows so we could watch them on the weekend.
At 2am I had 'a show' but I thought it was more than likely
bleeding from the internal. I woke again at 4.20am with an
urgent need to go to the toilet. Alex beat me there and as I
waited in the dining room I felt my waters break. I went
back to bed trying not to get my hopes up. At 7am I was
woken once again, this time it was a contraction. I started
timing them thinking once again it was probably just Braxton
Hicks. The contractions were lasting about 20secs and coming
every 10mins. I didn't wake Alex until 8.20am. I kept
telling myself that after the next contraction I know for
sure if they were the real thing or not.
I woke Alex and told him what I
thought was happening and then I got out one of my pregnancy
books to match up the signs. We still weren't sure so Alex
suggested I ring the Hospital. The Midwife told me to bring
my bags. We thought it was possibly a false alarm and they
would send us home - with this in mind Alex finished
calculating his shares and had a few shots at pool before we
managed to get out the door. We even parked in a two-hour
spot in the belief we would be in and out.
At the hospital (9am) the Midwife
confirmed that my waters had broken, the baby was lying
posterior, and that I would be admitted. The baby was
monitored by a CTG and after that I stayed in the labour
ward lounge room until midday. I was then transferred to the
ward to wait until labour was fully established. Alex had
left to make phone calls and move the car out of the
two-hour parking space.
We spent the afternoon pacing the
corridor and I had a shower, which really didn't help much.
At 4pm I couldn't take it anymore and asked to be moved to
the labour ward so I could use the gas. Once I was up there
I completely lost track of time - the contractions were so
consuming. I was on the floor kneeling into a beanbag. The
gas was good. I still don't know if it actually worked or it
just took my concentration somewhere else. At 6pm I was 7cm
dilated and encouraged to get in the shower. I wasn't all
that keen until I felt the relief the hot water brought. I
spent the next 3 hours in the shower sucking on the gas
while Alex showered me with hot water. The midwives were
amazed at what a difference the water was making - I was
coping much better with the pain - Alex and I were holding a
conversation between contractions. The midwife, Julie,
suggested I try standing up and stomping to make the baby
move down. I tried but felt much better sitting on the
stool. I was really tired by this stage.
At 9pm, 12 hours after I arrived at
the hospital, I was taken back to the delivery room to start
pushing. I was on a floor mat with a beanbag behind me to
rest on between contractions. Alex was on my right, a nurse
on my left, both were holding my feet up during a
contraction. I was using my arms to pull back my legs while
a midwife used her finger touching where to push. I stood up
and hung onto the back of the bed but it didn't help. I was
pushing in all the wrong places. The urge to push didn't
feel all that great. At one stage the midwife told Alex to
look at the baby's head and we were told the baby would be
here in another 20 minutes. This spurred me on but
unfortunately to no avail. After an hour of pushing the baby
still wasn't progressing. An obstetrician was called and I
was helped up off the floor onto the bed. I was told to stop
pushing. I laid on my left side in absolute agony screaming
into Alex's ear while we all for the Doctor. It seemed to
take forever and several times someone lifted up my leg to
see what was happening. I can't remember anyone speaking to
me and I felt very stranded and scared. Alex held my hand
and he was the only one I was aware of that was doing
anything to comfort me.
The decision was made to vacuum the
baby out. At this stage the pain was so intense it prevented
the obstetrician from having a proper examination. The urge
to push had finally kicked in taking on a life of its own
but still there was no progress. An epidural was ordered. We
waited again. The baby was closely monitored and a blood
sample was taken from his head. The doctor wasn't satisfied
so an internal monitor was attached to his head and strapped
to my inner thigh.
Finally the anaesthetist arrived
and administered the epidural. After two unsuccessful
attempts lying on my side I was told I had to sit up. It was
so difficult to remain still while the contractions were
coming thick and fast. Alex wrapped his arms around me in a
headlock but accidentally touched the green drape. The
Anaesthetist angrily replaced the drape and told the nurse
to tell Alex not to touch anything green. I was told that in
fifteen minutes the pain would be gone. I focused on the
wall clock and waited for 12.55am. At 1pm I was no longer in
pain and even having a conversation. The epidural gave me
the shakes and the baby was now in distress - his heart rate
was dipping and he had passed meconium. I was told that
caesarean was the only option. I was prepped for surgery.
They took out my contact lenses and wheeled me down. The
doctor monitored the baby's heart rate all the way. I asked
her every time if the baby was all right.
In the operating theatre the green
drapes were placed around me and each arm was out to the
side. In one arm, a drip as my waters had been broken more
than 18hrs, and in the other arm, a monitor attached to
measure my heart rate and blood pressure. Alex walked in
dressed in surgical greens looking like something out of ER.
He was told not to touch any thing green. He had learnt his
lesson in the delivery room when he touched the green drape
placed over my back for the epidural. Alex sat beside me but
he could also see over the drapes and informed me of their
progress. I was freezing so they piped hot air onto me. I
could feel them tugging away inside me and in less than 10
minutes we heard our baby's cry. It was a boy. We cried. It
was so intensely emotional. Off to the side the baby was
given the once over. He wet the midwife and was then handed
to Alex. All I could see was this little blurry face (no
contacts lenses) all bundled up. I wanted to hold him but it
was next to impossible being tied down to the table. A few
photos were taken before Alex and the baby were then whisked
off while I'll was sewn up. It seemed to take forever and
the Dr commented on my stretchmarks (how tactful!).
In recovery I was given a
self-administering morphine drip, which never quite worked
properly, and I laid there alone. A pulse monitor on my
finger beeped annoyingly and I stared at the ceiling.
Sometime later the doctor came and saw me. She said that the
baby was wedged in my pelvis due to a brow presentation and
there was no way he would have been born vaginally. Alex
arrived in recovery and we spoke for a while before I was
moved to the maternity ward.
Alex was only with me briefly in
the maternity ward. He was told he couldn't stay and I
suggested that he go home and rest as long as he possibly
could and I would see him that afternoon. He also had to
ring up our respective parents and let them know the good
news. At 4.30am the midwife brought our new baby boy in for
a feed. I was still in a lot of pain but was encouraged to
roll onto my side so he could be attached. She came back a
short while later to take the baby but I wanted him to stay
with me. I stroked his head and held his hand until 6am when
the midwife returned and took him to the nursery. The
midwives then proceeded to unhook me from everything
&endash; no drip, no morphine, no catheter.
I slept till about 10.30am. I had
to ask the woman in the bed next to me to buzz for the
midwife. I couldn't move without causing myself pain. In
came the midwife. I told her I wanted a shower. She went
through my bag to get out my gear. She yanked me out of bed
as I drew my breath back in pain. I followed her ever so
slowly up the corridor holding my stomach all the way. She
gruffly told me it would do no good &endash; she didn't
realise until I was undressed that I actually had a c/s. I
showered myself and felt almost refreshed. Back in the room
I gingerly climbed on the bed and laid down. The midwife
found me a footstool to help me climb into bed &endash; why
do they make those beds so high?
I stayed for nine days as Andrew
and I had a lot of difficulty learning how to feed. He had a
poor suck and developed jaundice thus getting sleepier and
sleepier. My milk eventually came in seven days after he was
born thanks to regular period on the electric breast pump. I
was under an enormous stress as a result of Andrew's birth
defect (unrelated to his mode of delivery) in his left eye.
It wasn't the way I envisaged my baby's birth or any of the
days that followed. Nonetheless he was born alive, healthy
and very much loved.
By Leah; Mum to Andrew,
18th July 1998, 3.7kg, 51cm long, agpars 8 &
9.
Also by Leah.
My two pregnancies have been
complication free. Following the emergency c/section birth
of my son Andrew in July 1998 I was keen to avoid another
traumatic labour or caesarean.
I fell pregnant with baby #2 in
November 1999 and according to my dates the EDD was July
27th 2000. I saw an obstetrician for my 12wk appointment
and was booked in for a dating scan and to see if it was a
twin pregnancy. Apparently the uterus was large for dates.
The scan bought the EDD forward a week to the 20th and this
discrepancy would cause me much unwanted stress in the final
weeks of my pregnancy.
Twice in the early stages of the
pregnancy I was offered a repeat c/s and one hospital Ob
even suggested an induction at 38wks.
When the official due date came and
went uneventfully I was classed as overdue and all sorts of
intervention was suggested placing undue pressure on
me.
At a 40wks+6days Ob appointment I
was 1cm dilated. Apparently enough to "ARM next week". I
stated my due date case once again only to be overruled by
the previous ultrasound results. I was also asked if I
wanted c/section. Another ultrasound was ordered to check
the baby‚s presentation and size along with a
pelvimetry. All of a sudden there was some concern that the
baby wouldn't fit through my pelvis ˆ my first baby was
a brow presentation not CPD. I fronted for the ultrasound
the following day. It revealed a healthy baby and placenta.
I cancelled the pelvimetry ˆ I didn't want a useless
and dangerous test.
The next day I received a phone
call from the PNC asking why I hadn't fronted for the
pelvimetry and whether I going to show up for the Ob
appointment.
Later that morning Alex, Andrew
& I all went to the hospital. Once there (41wks+1) an
internal revealed 3cm dilation. The Ob then proceeded to
stretch my cervix to "try to get things moving." He started
to tell me how the induction would be carried out until I
interrupted him. I asked why we couldn't wait given the due
date discrepancy and my concerns about the dangers of the
drip in relation to uterine rupture. He told me I could have
a scheduled c/section since I had already had one and that
he wanted me to be aware of the increased risk of foetal
death by going more than 10 days over. This really
frightened me and I started to doubt myself. We agreed to
wait until I was 14 days over their due date before ARM, no
drip, as long as I had daily CTG‚s.
I left the hospital that Friday
following a CTG hoping things would happen before next
Thursday scheduled induction (ARM). We all went to
Collegians for the $2 lunch , a cheap lunch just like
Alex & I did the day before I went into labour with
Andrew.
I went to bed that night at
midnight. Alex and I had been trying repeatedly to get
Andrew‚s contact lens in. I had a bad backache and
desperately wanted a hot shower but there was no hot water
left. I didn't think anything of the ache because the baby
was lying posterior. At 2.21am the backache was intense
enough to wake me and I realised that contractions were
coming every 3 minutes. At 3.30am I couldn't stay in bed any
longer and got up to watch TV. The contractions remained
constant at 3 minutes lasting 40-50secs. At 4am I was in two
minds about what to do ˆ I wanted to remain at home as
long as possible to avoid any undue intervention but the
contractions were getting stronger. At 5am I rang the
Birthing Unit. The midwife suggested I come in for
assessment and blood work in case of another c/s.
At 5.30am I woke Alex. He rang his
Mum to come and watch Andrew and we arrived at the Birthing
Unit at 6am. The CTG told the same story ˆ contractions
3 minutes apart lasting about 60secs. We waited for the
change of shift so the midwife who did the assessment would
be the one assisting the labour. I was found to be 3-4cm
dilated, the baby was lying posterior, the head was engaged
and the forewaters were bulging. We were shown to our
birthing room.
I had a hot shower while the
midwife arranged us some breakfast. Blood work was done and
a cannula inserted (just in case!). I laboured for the next
few hours with little progress. The contractions were
actually getting weaker. I sat on a birthing ball for
comfort while Alex snoozed in a chair. The midwife asked
roughly every hour if I was interested in rupturing the
membranes. I preferred to wait a little longer hoping my
waters would break naturally.
At 10.30am I was getting tired and
not progressing ˆ still 4cm and the contractions were
weaker and further apart. I was worried that I would be
exhausted by the time the baby was ready to be pushed out.
At this stage Alex told me to look at my stomach. Its whole
shape had changed and was considerably lower. We believed
the baby had turned. I allowed the midwife to rupture the
membranes. I felt the water rush out. It was incredibly
warm and perfectly clear. I started shaking from shock but a
warm blanket quickly rectified this. As I sat upright on the
bed the pain started as the baby‚s head started to
press on the cervix. The contractions intensified and I was
using gas to cope. The external foetal monitor was on during
this time and I really didn't care because I had no
intentions of moving.
By midday I was fully dilated and
second stage had begun. The midwife suggested I turn around
and lean over the raised head of the bed to make room for
the baby as she anticipated his delivery wasn't that far
away. At 12.10pm a foetal scalp monitor was attached, as the
EFM wasn't tracking the baby‚s heartbeat reliably. The
midwife held back an anterior lip as I started to feel the
urge to push. Second stage lasted 55mins and it was the last
five contractions that had the extra 'oomph' in them that
allowed the baby to move down the birth canal.
At 12.50pm the baby's heart rate
dropped to 60bpm and the doctor was paged. His heartbeat
didn't improve. The midwife performed an episiotomy &endash;
without anaesthetic (ouch!). The midwife explained that
there was no time and the swelling of the anaesthetic would
hinder a quick delivery. The head was born. The cord was
wrapped twice around his neck. The body followed quickly in
the next contraction. The pain stopped.
Steven John was born Saturday 29th
July at 12.55pm just as the doctor entered the birthing
room. Alex cut the cord. At 1pm the placenta was delivered
after an injection of syntocine. A second injection was
administered due to blood loss.
The midwife put Steven in the
warmer and wiped him down. From the moment he was born he
was sucking his fingers and then he started on the blanket.
His agpars were 7 and 9. Steven was handed to Alex wrapped
in a white blanket while the Dr removed a clot from my
uterus to prevent more bleeding. I could not believe how
much this hurt. I received ten stitches to repair the
episiotomy. I held Steven for the first time after this was
done. He looked beautiful. A head covered in thick black
hair, chubby little arms and legs. He weighed 7pd 8oz and
was 51cm long. He breastfed for 40 minutes while Alex rang
our parents on the mobile.
I left the hospital on Monday and
the community midwives made three visits at home to make
sure everything was fine and to give Steven his heel prick
test.
Tuesday August
15th
The midwife who assisted the birth
rang to show her appreciation for the thank you card we sent
to the Birthing Unit and to find out things were going. This
really made my day. She played a significant role in
Steven's arrival and I think it was due to the combination
of her care and our determination that made the vbac a
reality.
The vbac has physically helped me
understand that Andrew‚s (first born) c/section
delivery was necessary. My body was trying with all its
might to push him out but due to his brow presentation he
was not going to be born vaginally.
I had the best possible outcome for
me ˆ a beautiful and healthy baby plus the birth I
needed. I would have definitely preferred to miss out on the
episiotomy but for me there was no comparison to a
c/section.
Just one more comment on midwives.
The care I received with my first born was also exceptional.
The midwife (Karen) who assisted with Andrew's birth came
down to my hospital room - she missed the emergency c/s
birth due to a shift change. For two mornings running she
came down from the labour ward to see how things were
going.
The whole cycle of things seems
complete now - Karen was the midwife who took over following
Steven's birth to do the weighing etc.
The care I received during Andrew's
birth is the reason why I chose to go through the midwives
clinic for my second child even when I had the option of
going to a private hospital.
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