Hmm, where do I start?!
Here goes...
Well, we got up fairly early on the Thursday morning (I'd already been booked in to be induced,we had to be there by 10am). I had some breakfast which promptly ended up in the loo...more nerves than anything I think because if truth be told I was dreading giving birth again. Off we went to the hospital, and we were shown to our room and advised that the midwife would be in shortly to do an examination and insert a pessary if needed or break my waters if my cervix was favourable.
When she came to check me over I was only 1-2 cms dilated (despite being told I was 2cms the week before when I had my sweep!), my cervix wasn't effaced and it was still a bit posterior so she advised I had a pessary rather than break my waters which I was fine with. This was at 10:45am....by 11am I was already in considerable pain (prostin pain apparently) so I went and had a long soak in the bath which did help. (I got out once and got back in more or less straightaway when I realised how much of an effect the warm water had on the pain)
By 12.30 I couldn't cope in the bath anymore so the midwife suggested I try a tens machine. I was a bit dubious as I'd used one when in labour with my DD which didn't seem to have any effect but this time it did - if nothing else it was a distraction from the pain in my lower back as the contractions seemed to be every minute or so by that time.
At 2:15 I begged them to examine me again as I kept being told I wasn't in labour yet it was just prostin pain from being induced but I wasn't so sure and wanted to be able to have better pain relief if I was actually in labour. By this time I was 3cms dilated and decided there and then I wanted an epidural...there was no way I coupld cope with another 7cms to go with that level of pain! (Apparently the condition I had causes severe & constant pain prior to the abruption but no one was to know that was the case)
Knowing I could have an epidural actually helped and I calmed down a bit and carried on with the TENS while they got hold of the anaesthatist (sp?)...an hour later he turned up and they put a canula in my hand ready for the drip that you have as well as the actual epidural. I was laid on my side at this point and was just about to sit up ready for the epidural when I felt my waters go...or so I thought. I told the midwife this and she said that's good news, won't be long now...and then realised it wasn't my waters but blood. LOTS of blood. I could feel it gushing out of me and was so scared, but the midwife tried to reassure me telling me she thought it was my waters after all, with just a hint of blood (DH told me later this was just a ploy to calm me down, she looked at him and sort of signalled to him not to tell me what was happening IYKWIM). With this she pressed the emergency button, and within seconds my room was full of people including the surgeon who did the op. She did a quick internal and I heard her say my waters were still intact and within seconds they were literally running down the corridors to theatre with me.
I couldn't say a word to anyone at this point - I was too scared, and in shock I think. I just kept repeating 'please God, please God, please God' to myself under my breath.
We left for theatre at 3:40pm, they started putting me to sleep at 3:45pm, the c-section started at 3:46pm and my precious little baby boy was born at 3:50pm. Speedy work or what?! There was no time for an epidural so DH could be there, or even for me to give written consent - they took it as verbal.
They checked Ben over and he was fine - his Apgar score was 9 both times, so he obviously wasn't too badly distressed by the turn of events thank God. Ben was taken to DH at around 4pm but it was 4:50pm before I woke up...I didn't have a clue what was happening and kept wondering why all these people kept telling me I'd had a beautiful healthy blond haired baby boy, weighing 8lb 8oz, who was with his Daddy right now?? I soon came round though and was desperate to see him, so they took me back to our room at 5:10pm, an hour and 20 mins after the birth. DH was so relieved to see me - he thought something had happened as they'd been telling him since 4pm I would be back soon....poor DH, he really went through the mill, not only wondering whether he would lose his son, but me too...
The rest is a bit of a blur...I'd lost a lot of blood (2 litres) and was in a lot of pain and very drowsy from the op. I remember MIL bringing DD and DS to see us but they weren't allowed to stay very long because I was still losing quite a lot of blood so they needed to keep checking me over. My blood pressure was all over the place too (no surprise there!).
I think I tried feeding Ben that night but I'm not too sure whether it worked or not...I was in a lot of pain and on morphine so I was a bit spaced out to say the least.
The next day I had a blood transfusion as my iron count was really low and my pulse was very fast. I can't believe what an effect it had - before the 2nd unit had even finished going in I felt 100% better and the colour started to come back - I was white as a ghost until this point apparently but was unaware of it as I couldn't get out of bed until the Saturday morning which was the day after the transfusion so I never saw myself in the mirror (although I look absolutely shocking on some photos!). From that point on I really picked up well, I still couldn't eat anything though, they kept trying to make me have something but after a mouthful or two I would be retching which was excrutiatingly painful on my c-section cut.
On Saturday they removed my catheter and got me out of bed so I could have a bath - I had to lay there for quite a while until DH had managed to peel the dressing off me (I could only bear for him to do a few mm at a time!) and then I stayed up most of the day sat in a chair which was brilliant because I could have proper cuddles with Ben for the first time - I couldn't hold him properly while I was stuck in bed, it was just too painful and I felt like I was going to drop him all the time.
And that's it really - our journey started 2 and a half years ago and finally came to an end last Thursday. I still can't quite believe I'm a mummy again, and the realisation that it almost went so tragically wrong right at the last hurdle still really affects me although I'm trying really hard for it not to do so, because at the end of the day, we're both here safe and sound, and my prayers have well and truly been answered for which I will be eternally grateful.
Loubie & Ben xx (6 days)
PS There will be no more additions to the family. Never. Absolutely not. Not in a million years!!
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
Welcome to the Mumsnet Birth Announcements forum, for announcing births and meeting others in our community. Visit our pregnancy resource hub for more information.
Birth announcements
Loubie's birth story (crash c-section due to placental abruption) I never do things the easy way!!
39 replies
Loubie37 · 17/01/2007 14:48
OP posts:
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.