Birth Stories

Emergency C-Section. Muhammad Aaqil

Here you go Mandz, a short summary that is 4 months too late:)

Due Date: 30 November 2010
Birthdate: 6 December 2010
Apgars: both 9 out of 10
Labour: 13 and a half hours of labour, epidural, spinal block and born via emergency c-section.

My little rajah (prince) was a complete surprise, having being conceived just 3 weeks after his mum and dad got married. I was on the pill at the time. i thought my excessive need to constantly need the bathroom was an undiagnosed kidney problem Nevertheless, much to my surprise i was a little bean that was in there.

I spotted from 6 weeks to 10 weeks (the worst experience as i was terrified i was going to lose him). my pregnancy had continuous nausea and vomiting all day, everyday, from week 7 to week 41. sciatica and migraines also reared their ugly heads (I'd do it again though, i plan to anyway:)

Given that my starting weight was 45kgs, the joke amongst family and friends was that i would only carry to 38 weeks and then the baby would run out of room and I would ave an early labour. So much for that. 41 weeks later, 10 kgs heavier, swollen and swaety in Durban's humidity, and looking like i have Kwashiorkor (sickness characterised by stick-like arms and legs and a protruding belly) according to my sisters, this baby was in no hurry to come. I had my heart set on a natural birth, using lamaze breathing techniques. it was the way my mom had birthed me and my sisters, and the way her 3 sisters had birthed their children.

I was familiar with the breathing techniques from the time i was 12 years old. baby was in the right position (LOA) for a natural labour as well. But he turned posterior at 39 weeks and would not regardless of which way i hung or swung myself flip back.

My gynea was concerned about my size for a natural labour, about baby's position and that i was now looking at being induced as i had passed my due date.

Was scheduled to have an induction on the 6th of labour. I prayed excessively, walked like i was crazed, drank awful tasting Indian spices, drank delicious tasting Indian spices, and everything else known to induce labour so as not to have the induction.

something must have worked, the morning of the induction my waters broke naturally at 2 am. i laboured at home until just before 5 am when i went to the hospital as that was when i was supposed to go in for the induction. my contractions were progressing on their own so nothing was given to me. i continued to walk and labour until 8am. baby was still in the wrong position, and an internal showed i was dilating very slowly (3cm dilated). the pain did not bother me, pain seldom does i drill my teeth at the dentist with no pain killers. i was determined not to have any pain medication. laour continued to progress slowly and i was asked to take an epi to relax me, help speed things up and it looked like this trial of labour might end in a c-section and an anesthetist might not be available later to do one. was not to keen in having one but agreed. the epi only caught to the left side of my body, so continued to labour until 3:30pm with feeling contractions on the one side of my body. at 3:30pm i was 6 cm dilated. Aaqil had being showing signs of distress. at some point blood started coming out of the catheter tube in my urine and his heart rate dipped from 140 to 70. both he and my body were now in distress. i had to have an emergency c section, but i was only half-numb and they needed to find and anesthetist. once one was found, the epidural was taken out, and a spinal block was done. Aaqil was born at 4:49 pm (about 14 hours later).

i was not only sad that i didnt get the labour i wanted but he was taken away from me before i could latch him or have skin-to-skin. Dh was also sent away with him, so i was alone for the next hour and a half, when they finally wheeled him into my room. his dad had been with him and had done skin-to-skin, as he knew that is was i wanted, and he did not know where i was taken as well. i latched Aaqil at that point, he fortunately took to the breast like a champ, and we have been exclusively breastfeeding since:)

Congrats Rikki, glad everything went well with Kate's arrival .

Kate Elizabeth Walsh Birth Story.

Date born: 28/03/2011
Weight: 3.820kg
Lenght: 50cm
Time" 10:05

So we are finally at home and Em has Kate, so I have some time to type out our birthing story.

We were hoping for a VBAC with Kate, but this was not meant to be.
However we gave it a good try and are over the moon with the outcome

On Sunday afternoon I started feeling strong surges at around 1pm - I left it unmentioned for a while as I didn't want to go to hospital just to be sent home again. By 3pm, DH started to realise that I was having surges and insisted we went to hospital. I was busy watching a TC series and told him once the episode had finished we would go. But he had to fetch Em from my mom first. So while he fetch Em, I did some washing, finished packing our bags all the while stopping to breath through my surges.

We eventually got to the hoospital at around 5/6. And the nurses hooked me up to the monitor and my surges were very strong, lasting 20-40sec and 2-3min apart - I was hardly feeling them at all - all I felt was a light period pain and pressure on my tummy. The dr came in and I was only 1cm dilated and about 60% effaced. Kate was at -2 engagement.

So every 2 hours I would be strapped back up - but thankfully they allowed me to stay on my birthing ball while monitoring me, so I continued to do my thing.

At 12pm the nurse checked me again and I was told I was 2-3cm and Kate was at -1 engagement. Still a while to go but I was happy that there was progress!

During the labour I slept, DH massaged my feet and back. We all had supper and chatted. My doula was fab and was a great help, espcially with keeping parents up to date and making sure our wishes were met.

Then from about 4am I wasn't feeling any surges, and the nurses wouldn't check me for progress, so I was feeling very emotional at the fact I didn't know what was going on. I said one way or another I wasn't leaving that room till I had my baby in my arms.

The monitor was showing that I was still having surges dispite me not feeling them, but I felt that things were slowing down - I had been in active labour now for over 16 hours and felt more should be happening. The Dr came back in at 8am and I had not progressed at all. My tummy was also starting to hurt whenever Kate moved. So the Dr was getting worried. He is a very pro natural Dr, and said if it wasn't for the fact I had a c-section before he would have sent me home to progress. But he was worried about rupture at this point. Mat and I trusted him - and we was so apologetic about the fact we wouldn't get our natural birth. So my c-section was booked for 9:30.

I was taken in and given my spinal, and then Mat came in at 9:50 - Kate was born at 10:05 - the Dr was wonderful and still allowed the cord to stop pulsing before cutting it, and allowed us to discover the sex of the baby ourselves. I was then allowed to hold her while they stiched me up.

Sadly the pead picked up water on her lungs and she was taken straight to an incubater and then to have x-rays done. After that she was put into NICU.

Mat was with her almost all the time as I was bed bound due to my drip and cathater.

The nurses helped me express milk for her and then at 3am the next morning I demanded my drip be removed so that I could shower and then go to her. I basically stopped taking pain meds then as well and would only take when the nurses forced me too.

I was then allowed to visit her often and at 11am they allowed me to breastfeed her. She latched like a champ and fed well. They also allowed me to demand feed, and would phone me during the night when she woke up to come and feed her.

The next morning the pead gave the go ahead for her to leave nicu and she came to our room. She sleeps ALL the time and I actually have to wake her for her feeds. - Sometimes it takes 20min to get her awake enough. She is so chilled and laid back, doesn't get bothered by noise or people holding her. I'm sure that all the hypnobirthing tecniques are partially responsible for her being so calm.

So today we are home, I am in no pain at all (honestly the most painful part of all this was having my blood pressure taken every 2 hours) Kate is sleeping next to Em and everything is perfect.

Jordyn Dylan Howard
Due Date: 09/11/2010
Birth date: 05/11/2010
Emergency C Section
3.65kg
07.57am

My due date was 08 Nov 2010, and on the 05 Nov 2010 at 5am I woke up needing the loo. As I jumped out of bed I felt a gush, when I got to the loo I didnt think it was my waters but maybe the mucous plug. I was confused so thought I would take a shower(and I find it so funny that almost everyone of us did that when the motions started ) much to DH's dismay. I burst into tears in the shower as I realised what was happening. I started getting period like pains that would come every couple of minutes. I got out the shower and we sat and I had one sip of tea, wondering what we should do(they say dont rush to hospital)- and then another contraction and another gush of fluid. When I went to the loo I saw that the fluid was greenish and I got a huge fright as I knew Meconium was reason to get to hospital asap. I phoned the maternity ward and they said I must come in immediately.

We put all the bags in the car-and I think I still thought it wasnt going to happen. When we got there they hooked me up to the feotal monitor and were monitoring my contractions. Then they asked to see my Sanitary Towel at which point I saw horror on their faces and they started jumping around. It was stage 3 Meconium and I was told I had to have an emergency C section for the babies sake. My contractions were coming thick and fast and I had dialated 3 cm already and this was only half an hour later. I didnt second guess having a C section, and it didnt even cross my mind to be disappointed about not having natural.

At this point we were told they were getting theatre cleared for me as this was an emergency, and that we would be parents within an hour. We were overcome with joy and I must say it was scary but there wasnt time to even think about it. Nobody even knew we had gone to hospital as we didnt think it was necessary to phone our parents at 5am for a false alarm. So we quickly let our parents know and I was wheeled too theatre to meet with the anaethetist. We had left all our bags in the car as we werent sure at which point I said to DH, the camera!!!!!What about the camera, we didnt think there would be time to fetch it. The theatre staff said he MUST go fetch it, they would do my Spinal Block in the meantime. With all the prep in Ante Natal Class for this part of the procedure- it was still not easy. The anaethetist battled with a so called needle and when she got it in eventually it really hurt and I started feeling weird, told her there was something wrong. I remeber her saying whats wrong, and all I could concentrate on was not moving and saying I dont know! It was scary. Then she got a longer needle and within seconds we were ready to go.

I was relieved to see DH in his scrubs, feared he would miss the birth due to a camera! I remember lying there and being so nervous, and so worried about baby. I was told I wouldnt feel pain but I would feel a lot of tugging-and boy do they tug and pull. Its the strangest feeling. It really doesnt take long but I promise you it felt like eternity for me. I heard them say "Dad stand up your boy is about to be born" and DH looked -and yes in the excitement didnt video/photograph it! I know I didnt hear a cry and just wanted to know if he was ok. My gynae quickly showed him to me, but he had to be whisked off to be suctioned. I saw them working with him and Dylan watched. I heard him cry...what music to the ears. I started with the tears and I remember the anaethetist wiping my tears. They brought him over to me while my gynae was still busy with me, tried to hold him for a second, but was so scared I would drop him at that angle. They told me they had to get him to the nursery as he needed urgent attention. DH went with them. So I lay there on the operating table, and felt empty. You always picture being able to hold your baby, bond, feed maybe....well all I had was fear and couldnt be with my baby. I remember those minutes after they took him away, felt like hours. The Gynae told me that he would be another 10 minutes. I just lay there in silence. As they took the placenta out I felt horrid, felt light headed and nauseous. I told the anaethetist and she said its normal due to that big blood loss and she quickly administered meds accordingly. I heaved a few times, though for no reason really. I remember clearly the male theatre assistant rubbing my face, I think I could see I was scared. But it all passed within a minute. I was ready to be wheeled back to the ward.

I got back and DH told me that they were battling with Jordyn, he had aspirated the Meconium and they had to suction a lot. They came to us and said that he would have to be admitted to NICU for care. They wheeled him through in his incubator for me to look at and then he was gone. This was 8.00am. I lay flat on my back, drip and catheter in and was told I would be that was until the next morning. DH had to keep going to ICU and seeing how LO was doing and coming back and telling me. He brought photos everytime. I felt horrid. I had just given birth and I couldnt even be with my baby. We didnt envision this could happen. Well the next morning, I got myself ready at 4 am and was allowed to go to my son at 6am only. I walked all the way to the NICU, didnt care about the pain. And that was the start to me going up and down all day and all night to see my son. We couldnt wait for him to have the feeding tube and oxygen disconnected so we could hold him. This only happened on the Saturday afternoon-so he was 36 hours old before we got to hold our son. on the third day he came out of NICU and was still in his incubator but was doing great.

As a first time mom I had hoped for natural without painkillers, but things didnt turn out that way. I dont regret anything because in the end we have a healthy baby boy and it was still amazing experience and will be one of our most special memories.

Hey Meags, *congratulations*! I haven't been following moomie much since dh and I have delayed ttc for a bit, but I pop in every now and again to see what's happening and I'm so excited to hear about Matthieu’s birth . Congratulations again!

Wow Meags,God's hand was upon you and Matt.I am glad that joy came with that stressful situation and Mael was a great birthing partner.Congrats friend once more