Emergency C-Section stories

My Birth Story - (Emergency C-section)

Theo János
Born 9th May 2008 6:53am
Weight: 6 lbs 15ozs
Length: 54cm (21.6")


My baby boy Theo was found to be breech at my 39+5 day appointment after an in-depth conversation with my consultant they advised that a c section would be best for baby and I, so I was booked in for Tuesday 13th at 8am. The consultant whom I saw at the hospital was quite rough when checking to see how Theo was lying and I totally believe this started my exciting journey to meet my beautiful son.

After the appointment at 10am I was suffering with some type cramps and lower backache didn't think too much of it cos the cramping had been sort of on and off since the Saturday. At 11pm that evening I said to Rich my husband " I reckon I might have had a contraction" it felt different to a braxton hicks, lower down and the almost painless feeling kinda peaked and disappeared.

Well I went to bed and didn't sleep too well at all, I was tossing and turning and really couldn't get comfy, at around 2am the cramps were getting worse but still bearable....just before 4am I had a really, really painful contraction...I knew there was no doubt it was a contraction and 'POP' I literally felt and heard my waters break at the peak of the contraction, I felt down below and thought...utt oh!!! but at the same time I was excited......it was really happening!!

Rich jumped out of bed "what do I do?" he says, well very calmly I called the hospital and they advised to come in straight away although my contractions weren't what I would deem as extremely painful at this stage just uncomfortable, that all soon changed, on the way to the hospital my contractions were less than 5 mins apart lasting around 90 seconds and Ouch!!!!! very painful, I concentrated on my breathing learnt through Hypnobirthing and hey do you what, it seemed to work

Got the hospital could barely walk at this stage but managed to talk in-between contractions and get checked in, got strapped up, think they took me more seriously when they saw my contractions were off the scale and now often less than 2 mins apart, I had a GIANT plastic thingy inserted in my woohoo and a torch shone in there (checking for babies bum and/or feet) I was told I was 4cm dilated and the baby had poo'd so we needed to make a decision fast, the doctor asked me if I wanted to give birth naturally although an emergency c section is highly recommended...well what would you say!!!!

Had a spinal block so I could be awake through it all, just so happened to have my worst contraction whilst they were inserting it! but......10 minutes later I was holding my gorgeous son, he was delivered to Snow Patrols - Chasing Cars....still can't quite believe I am finally a Mummy! We are thrilled and feel just so lucky to have been given the gift of being parents.

I stayed in the city hospital until early Saturday evening and was transfered to my local hospital stayed there until yesterday late afternoon, they ideally wanted me to stay 1 more night as 3 nights is the usual for c sections, but I appear to be healing fast and well (I am taking it easy though!).

Theo has taken really well to breast feeding and I am dead excited cos it looks as though my milk is starting to come in he feeds every 1.5 -2 hours at mo which is a little time consuming.

Having my son is by far the most amazing experience of my life, I could never have imagined how much love I would feel instantly for him.

Here are the piccy's:-

Theo 2 minutes old - he didn't cry straight away which was worrying but all was fine.

Mummy in recovery looking ummmmmmm rough! and numb from the boobs down!!

Owen Michael
Born 6-3-2008
11:51 AM
5lbs 15oz
19"

My due date wasn't until June 23rd. The morning of June 2nd I woke up to start my first day off as a soon to be stay at home mom. I remember feel a little weird. I got up and got dressed and headed out to do some shopping. While shopping I started feel a slow leak of fluid. I just assumed that my little boy was on my bladder but as the day wore on the leak became worse.
I finally called the Dr. around 6 PM and she suggested I come in just to check on things.
I remember apologizing to my DH for wasting our time but once I got settled in the hospital they Dr. came in and said we were having a baby!!!! Apparently I was leaking amniotic fluid.
They started pitocin and within two hours I was having pretty strong contractions. The nurse wanted me to sleep but I was too excited!!!
Around 4 AM I received an epidural and was finally able to sleep!
At around 10 AM I started pushing. I was so numb from the epidural I couldn't feel anything so the nurse decided to turn down my epidural. However, she actually turned if off and within minutes I could feel EVERYTHING. After pushing for 45 minutes they decided that I needed a c section!
I was taken to the OR and I could feel them cutting me!!!! I was in terrible pain and so they ended up giving me a general and I wasn't even awake when Owen was born!!!!!!

Owen was so tiny! I wasn't expecting him to be so small! All of my SIL's and my sister's babies were so big...... But he was just the cutest little thing I had ever seen!

He is 3 months old now and he amazes me every day.
I'm so in love!

I'll try to add some pictures later!

Lou Lou

Great stories !!!!!

Lucy Clare.
Born June 10th, 2008 at 9:13 p.m.
Weight: 5 lbs 12 oz
Length: 18.5 inches

I had alot of high risk factors throughout the pregnancy. I was the ultra-sound queen, I think I had 7 or 8 all together, some at my dr, some at a paranatologist, and some at the hospital. Towards 37 weeks they were concerned that Lucy was not growing like she should (with my other complications). A last ultrasound showed she did all the movements neccesary to be mature enough be ok, so they scheduled me to induce the next Monday.

I went to the er Sunday afternoon because I had trouble breathing, like a band around my chest. Dr told them to keep me and start inducing. Sunday night they had a insert that was to ''soften my cervix'' - It was a long night, because they had to check it every hour. then Monday first thing they started the pitocin. Side note - the nurse did not hook up the monitor correctly to tell my contractions, so almost every time I had one the husband was gazing at the stupid machine saying ''gee, that one didn't even register''. I wish I had clobbered him at the time lol, cause he really made me feel like I was being a major whiner about how bad they hurt. They consulted with my dr Monday night, and I was effaced but not dialated, so he had them turn off the pitocin for the night so I could get some sleep (or maybe it was so HE could sleep I don't know).

When my water finally broke early Tuesday afternoon husband (across the room) and I BOTH heard a sound like a cork popping off a champagne bottle, and I FELT the cork pop lol. After that they did the epidural. The stupid anaesthesiologist had a new toy, some thing where I could control the medicine flow. He fiddled with it a LONG time and couldn't get it working. The doctor figured my epidural had enough time to start working and was going to do the catheter and internal monitor and all that fun stuff, only to have the anaesthesiologist tell him no - he put the needle in me but he had not started the medicine yet. I think we both wanted to strangle him! So he gave up finally and did it the old fashion way. He gave me way too much though, after about an hour I was 100% numb from my chest down. By then everyone had left, including my husband because he had to drop off the other two kids at a friends house. The dumb anaesthesiologist was the last to leave, and he left the curtain on my doorway open after he wheeled his machine out. Which wouldn't have been so bad, except my blankets were around my feet and I couldnt reach them because I was too numb; my call button for the nurse was also outside of my reach; and last but not least they left me sorta hanging off the side of the bed towards the door. And of course this is about the time the group of what sounded like 20 people -- including little kids -- came down the hall sounding like they were on the way to a party. I felt like an exhibit at the freak show!! I just went someplace else mentally lol. Husband came back finally, and amazingly as soon as he started helping me get straightened out two nurses popped into the room and made him let them do it. Where the hell were they for the hour and a half before that? It was funny because my engineer husband was still fascinated with the now properly hooked up graphs of the contraction strengths, and after the epidural he commented on some really strong ones (which I didn't even feel) and I was like yeah-whatever, you are blocking the tv could you move.

Then baby was in distress every time I had a contraction and had not moved down at all. Suddenly things started happening fast. They turned off the pitocin and started giving me oxygen. They hung two huge bags of saline on my iv and turned them all the way up to pump them in me as fast as possible -- my whole body was shaking from the cold from them. The chief anaesthesiologist just happened to be wandering down the hall introducing himself to everyone (yeah everyone who was going to be getting an emergency c-section but hadn't been told yet).

They wheeled me down the hall to the operating room, and made me drink toradol -- which made me nauceous. Then they put the oxygen mask on my face. It must have started out pretty routine though, because the dr and his assisstant were having a detailed discussion about classic cars a ford shelby to be exact (don't I remember the most important things? lol). I couldn't feel anything at all from the c-section. No pressure, no nothing. I was having alot of trouble breathing, so to be honest I was more focused on that. When he got me opened up she had the cord wrapped around her neck, and he had to take it off before he could even take her out. Lucy did not cry for a few minutes, and I was just starting to get scared when she started. The nurses were talking about how long her eye lashes were, and how pretty she was. She got 9s for both apgar scores. They stuck her in my face for a moment, but I was still having breathing problems and was really out of it. Then they took her up the hall to the nursery and my husband went with her. Luckily the nurses made him go get the camera (which he had forgotten in the hurry before the c-section) and told him all of the 'picture taking opportunities'' so we did get some good pictures of Lucy soon after she was born.

Right as they finished closing me up I told them I was going to throw up, and started by the time they got a bag to me. They just held it up to me, and I could not lift my head so I got the joy of trying to do it while laying flat on my back facing up. I finally got my head turned and got it over with. I remember them getting ready to put me back on the gurney, and the next thing I knew I was back in the room a couple hours later with my husband. Lucy stayed in the nursery the first night, and then was in the room the whole time after that. The next morning they put morphine in my iv. Some nurse was trying to lecture me about baby care, and I told her not to waste her breath right then because my eyes were rolling back up into my head and I couldn't comprehend what she was saying lol. Just let me lay back and enjoy my drugs lady!

I stayed 3 more nights, and went home saturday morning. Having my priorities, I immediately made my best friend run to babies-r-us with me to get Lucy some premie clothes because all the newborn ones were way too big and I did not trust my husband to pick out clothes. I recovered amazingly fast from the c-section, except for a couple staples that worked their way out after a few days (gee I wonder why). I had to go to my dr's office every 3 days to have his assistant clean it out and redress it, and between times my husband got the task. This went on for almost a month til the hole finally closed up. I recently discovered after all the swelling and what not finally disappeared that I have a large patch on my abdomen that has no feeling. The doctor said that is possible, and I may gradually get feeling back, or it may never return. I wonder if that is the reason my recovery seemed to go so fast - I couldn't feel the pain lol.

But in the end all is well that ends well, cause the c-section was needed, and the end result was a healthy little baby girl.

The end.


The birthing center is the top floor of the wing on your left.






First bath at home -- all squirming arms and legs lol.

Rachel is the eldest of my 4 children. Before the kids came along my ex and I did alot of travelling, Rachel was conceived in the Ivory Coast in West Africa. Both myself and ex contracted malaria on our travels and it was on a visit back to the UK that I discovered I was 10 weeks pregnant and had my last serious bout of malaria. The doctors were convinced that I would lose Rachel as the medication to save me was mega. Anyway, we both survived and I went into labour with her on March 31st 1990. She was obviously not in a rush to be born as the labour went on and on and on. Eventually on the 1st of April I gave in and had an epidural but then couldn't feel to push !! By this time of course I was knackered, Rachel was distressed and to top it all I had a high temperature. The midwife phoned through to the surgeon explaining an urgent c- section was required as her patient was possibly having a malaria attack. I heard the surgeon laughing his head off down the phone !!!! Once it was established that it wasn't an april fool's joke I was rushed off to theater and Rachel was born at 12.15am on the 2nd. Phew, what a palaver !!

Noah
March 16th 2009
6:52 PM
7lb 7oz 19.75in

Here is my birth story for my beautiful baby boy...

On March 16 2009 I was scheduled for an induction at the hospital for 6:00 am it was a Monday morning we arrived and where sent down to admissions to finish some paperwork and get all checked in after this we walk back up to labor and delivery and my heart is pounding the entire time for whats to come.While waiting for a nurse to check us in we where standing at the nurses station as she was on the phone the whole lobby was silent so we could hear her whole conversation about a woman who just arrived by ambulance and was 38 weeks along and they could not detect a fetal heartbeat and she would not admit to doing drugs although she looked and acted very much on them she also had no record of any prenatal care, this was so scary and so sad to me! DH mom and 2 sisters are sent to waiting area while I put on a gown and answer some personal questions for the nurse. Everyone came back to the room I was hooked up to an IV and all the belts for our monitoring things where going good I was still just at 3cm. along with out screen we also see everyone else's screen in labor and delivery just no names or anything personal so nurses can see things at all times.... well we seen the whole labor with the mother who had no fetal heart beat and they never did pick one up My pitocin was started and we where all just hanging out laughing and taking pictures of the room and baby bed etc that was all set up for our little boy. The Dr came by around 9 and checked me I was still at 3 maybe a tight 4 so he broke my water and the fluids where clear everything was going good... the nurse came in and upped my pitocin we continued to all watch tv play games and hang out the nurse checked again and I was a 5cm we where all getting excited! I was starting to feel the contractions since the pitocin was being upped and my water was broken they where not so pleasant I was told when the Dr came in I could have and epidural when I wanted one but I wanted to wait it out as long as I could to see what labor was like they where getting pretty intense and I was breathing through them but some where sticking way too long and some where just back to back I was at 6CM by this point and in tears with the contractions so my epidural was on the way in the meantime the nurse had to put in a catheter OWWW I didn't know this was part of the deal!!!
any how this was done and in came the epi cart and I was all set up the epidural was not as bad as I thought and read it to be the worse part was the local... It was nice! I was feeling good but my contractions seemed to space out a bit so the pitocin was upped again at this time my mom and sisters left to get lunch and the nurse came in and checked I was at 7CM wow!! not too much longer! DH and I where sitting in the room and the nurse came in pretty calm and started making DH help roll me to the sides I didn't know what was going on but it turns out the babys heartbeat was in the 80's for some reason, once flipped onto the other side it came back up WHEW!!!
I was now at 8CM and shortly after 9CM and starting to feel the contractions but not in a painful way just yet we were so excited the babys heartbeat dipped again though so I was getting really nervous she had to put a monitor on his head at this point with a small tool that was inserted through the vagina I was also put on oxygen that I had to stay on and it made me really nauseous his heart rate was ok my mom and sister where back and the nurse came in and I told her I was feeling the contractions so she checked and I was at 10!!!! She said she was going to call the Dr and ask if we could start pushing since I was feeling the urge, in she came and we got started I was pushing with each contraction but by about the 3 or 4th one the babys heart rate dropped down to the 40's and the nurse was screaming to get the Dr over here NOW and I was thrown onto my side again but the heart rate was a struggle to bring back up I was breathing really hard and crying very hard at this point we had lots of nurses in the room and finally it started making it's way back up the dr took about 15 minuted to arrive I was so angry I was in Pain from the contractions at 10cm fully dilated no meds working and no Dr with my baby having a hard time..... He puts me back over and we start pushing I was pushing as hard as I could with every contraction and still I was being told to push harder after a good few pushes he says he is going to attach a vacuum to the babys head to try and help coax him down since he wasn't coming down at all with my pushes he tried to stick the first one in and I SCREAMED AND ALMOST went backward it was so painful!! he stuck a second smaller one in and tried with no success, he said in a calm manner to the nurse to have anesthesia on hand and prep the Csection room we may need it and looked at me ans said if we don't make any progress with the next few pushes we are going to have to have a Csection I started to panic and I was pushing as hard as I could so hard that my last push I somehow had a bloody mouth, I was crying in pain with each contraction on top of each other no baby in sight and waiting to be wheeled into surgery things where starting to race in my mind and everything got pretty foggy from here DH was thrown some scrubs my mom and sister where giving me a hug and kiss while I was being pushed off still in the most pain i have ever had I was given and injection that was for the surgery in my IV that made things feel like they slowed down to almost a stop and made my pain so much worse I was also given a spinal block is what I am guess a super cold liquid put into my epidural line while in the Csection room I had my eyes shut but I will never forget rolling in and seeing all the huge dome lights tons of Dr and nurses rushing around and a man counting all of the utensils out loud 4 scalpels will never leave my mind! I was scooted on to a surgery table in the middle of a contraction and it hurt like hell!! a big blue tarp was thrown up in front of me my arms where taped down and my eyes where now shut until DH came into the room even at that point I couldn't keep them open I don't know what meds I was given but it made me really drowsy.... I felt alot of tugging and pressure but nothing painful. FINALLY a BIG LOUD GURGGLING SCREAM AND MY EYES opened so wide and filled with tears my baby was born and he was not even a big baby!! it really was the best thing that had ever happened in my entire life!! so I had 14 staples put in , it is hard to get around and hurts to sit stand and walk but I would do it all over again for the end result! he is so great!! I will add pics to my post when I get home but this is most of the story with some details left out because I am super tired but wanted to share!