Birth stories - Emergency c-section early birth

Birth stories - Emergency c-section early birth ^Featured

For Lauren Griffiths, the birth of her son, Aron, was incredibly stressful and traumatic.

She was under 20 and had no idea whether or not her son would see the light of day.

The baby arrived early, between 33 and 34 weeks. “I was in labour for two whole days without dilating even a millimetre. My obstetrician admitted me on 12 August 2002 and immediately put me on a drip in an attempt to suppress my contractions and boost my little boy’s lungs with steroids,” recalls Lauren.

Emergency

“By the following evening, which was my father’s birthday, it was clear that my precious son was in extreme distress and needed to be born in he was to survive. I underwent an emergency C-section and my wonderful father accompanied me into theatre and held my hand as the anaesthetist put me to sleep.”

A Mother’s Breaking Heart

Lauren regained consciousness as her father was ushered out of the theatre with a small, somewhat blue, shrieking baby and she was immediately sedated so that the doctors could stitch her back up. “I didn’t get to see my son until the following afternoon. I woke up the next morning, hearing the same cry I had woken up to in the theatre down the passage in the neonatal ICU. The nurse attending to me assured me that I had nothing to worry about and that it was not my baby crying. After I had been washed and dressed, I was wheeled to see him. He was surprisingly big. In spite of his size, there’s nothing that prepares anyone, least of all a young mother, for the sight of her little baby lying under light with needles and tubes sticking out of his head, fists and feet. It had been him crying earlier that day – they had to remove a drip out of his hand into a vein in his head,” recalls Lauren of this heart-breaking experience.

Separation and more bad news

Though the nurses were wonderful and Lauren expressed milk to cup feed him and spend as much time possible with her son, the worst part was not being able to hold him for as long as she needed to. “Kangaroo-care was still relatively new a bit of a progressive idea in that hospital. Many cuddles were cut short because he had to be placed under warming lights. The most awful thing was being discharged alone and having my baby test positive for jaundice. He spent a week in NICU and a further three days under UV-lights.” When he finally came home, Lauren was overjoyed, but wholly unprepared for having a baby with developmental issues. “I had to start feeding him special and expensive anti-reflux milk as his pyloric sphincter was underdeveloped and he took a bit longer to catch up than normal babies.” She adds that he did walk at eleven months and was able to speak very quickly.

A Happy Ending

Lauren speaks with pride about her son who, against all odds, made it. “Today Aron, which means mountain because he has an enormous spirit, is a healthy boy who plays the guitar and drums, does brilliantly in school without even trying and is very selective about his friendships. He has a wicked sense of humour and is the most beautiful big brother to his little brother and sister and an amazing son who has never stopped delighting me and my husband. I may have wished for a better birth experience, but I wouldn’t change him for the world!” - Staff writer

Birth stories - Emergency c-section early birth Featured

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Birth stories - Emergency c-section early birth ^Featured