Did you have an emergency Caesarean?

[knittamerrykid]

I'm looking (out of interest) into the reasons why emergency caesareans are performed, specially in the UK, and would like to hear your experiences, I'm particularly interested in the chain of events leading up to it.
Thank you.

BrandyButterPie, have you ever talked about what happened. DD is only 3 but I've lost 3 years to ptsd following her birth. I was at home for most of labour (2 days) and I did the 6hrs of pushing at home too. DD wouldn't have got out alive without a cs (and I wouldn't have survived either) but they couldn't tell her position until the cs. The care I had at home was exemplary. The hospital experience was terrible. I sat post transfer at 10cm dilated, 6hrs into the second stage with back to back 2 minute contractions and no pain relief. I'd had nothing up to that point but having been told I needed to go to theatre and not to push at all as dd was distressed, there was nothing to do but be in pain. It took 2hrs to find an anaesthetist. I felt at the mercy of labour instead of an active participant in it.

Sorry, I'm waffling. Anyway, I eventually had counselling after sobbing through an appointment with a doctor about something unrelated to the birth. She gently pushed me towards some birth trauma counselling and good god am I glad she did.

I've had 2 years (until I got pregnant with DD2) of strong antidepressant, antipsychotic and tranquilliser medication, nearly four years of counselling and several inpatient hospital stays. I'm over it now.

No, seriously though, I actaully am much better now :) I honestly beleive that having DD2 helped me massively. not that I would recommend getting pregnant on purpose to anyone in that sitaution, but an accident certainly wasn't the end of the world. I even bonded properly with DD1 when I was pregnant with DD2, it must have somehow reset my hormones or something.

Anyhow, that isn't the point of the thread. My situation was very, very unusual.

I did a Hypnobirthing course and joined a local home birth support group with a view to lanning a home birth. I was still thinking about this option when my waters broke 3 weeks early!

I went into hospital to be examined and they didn't believe my waters had gone. They totally dismissed me and told me to go home and expect a long, slow first stage.

My contractions started about 9.30pm (waters having gone about 3 hours earlier) and very soon they were more or less constant. I felt pretty comfortable and the Hypnobirthing breathing techniques had me quite relaxed. I failed to recognise transition (I threw up and then told DH that I had had enough) but shortly after that I said we should return to hospital.

When we arrived, they left me in a corridor for what seemed like ages, but was probably about 15 minutes. Eventually one of the same midwives who had seen me with my waters broken earlier on came over with a scowl and barked, "what are YOU doing back here? We'll send you home if you're less than 4 cm".
She then quizzed me about birth options before finally examining me to find I was 9cm dilated. She then confirmed that my waters had indeed gone. On checking DD's heart rate, it was very erratic. She called a doctor who placed a clip on DD's head (wHich was engaged and ready to go as I was fully dilated by this time) and moments later he declared I needed a section a DD was very distressed and there was no time for consent forms or discussions. They wheeled me off for a crash section under GA.

My notes state that I was admitted at 1.45am and DD was born at 2.26am. My only concern about what would have happened if I'd had a home birth is that I possibly wouldn't have been attended soon enough by a midwife and there could have been a delay in discovering DD's distress because of this. I found the hospital staff very dismissive and I reckon they would have been reluctant to send a midwife out to me in time. I did have a very fast labour though for a first-timer. If you could guarantee being attended from the word go then that would give me more confidence.

Brandy, if I PM'd you, would you mind me asking a few questions or do you prefer not to talk about it?

Sure, PM away- I'm off to work now though, but will answer later :)

I had an emergency c-section as my labour was so badly managed (looooong story) that my husband and I pleaded for one for about 3 hours until we got one.

We feel sure my son would definitely have been born with birth injuries had they 'forced him' out the natural way.

I would certainly consider a home birth next time. I assume I will be properly reassured and well cared for and I believe that's really the key to a successful delivery!

In terms of safety - my son's heart rate was steadily dropping and I was loosing consciousness for a period of about 2hours before they finally agreed we could have the c-section - that's plenty of time to get you into hospital if you're at home.

Good luck!

I had an emergency c-section with DS. He had never engaged and still wasn't engaged when my waters broke at the start of labour. I dilated very slowly, and after about 12 hours(?) stuck at 5cm they decided to put me on syntocinon -- that got me fully dilated very quickly but he still wasn't moving down further than 0 station even with lots of pushing. They took me into theatre to try a ventouse delivery, had a bit of a rummage about and found that he was asynclitic (his head tipped over to one side and trying to be born ear-first) (which would have been why I wasn't dilating properly). They decided that they weren't even going to try the ventouse but would go straight for a c-section (I am grateful that they made that decision once we'd got to that point, although still hacked off that various policies had reduced my mobility earlier on and that no one had twigged the asynclitic position when there was still scope for turning him rather than waiting until he was well and truly wedged). He was never in any distress at any point and wasn't born until 40 hours after my waters went; he just was not coming out the conventional route although seemed happy as Larry to stick around wedged in there for ever...

Had very straightforward VBAC three years later with more cooperative DD1...

I had a c-section after being induced due to pre-eclampsia. Had my waters broken after 3 pessaries didn't work and was on a syntocin drip. All went well, had an epidural and g&a as I couldn't move around due to severe SPD so found handling the contractions hard.

After 14 hours I was at 8cm then stopped dilating for 4 hours - during which my temperature shot up due to an infection I was brewing and it was decided that maybe I should just have an EMCS. I was happy with that and after a very calm lovely chat with the surgical team I had the epidural topped up and my DS was out within the hour. It was the best bit of the whole pregnancy and labour - I was extremely lucky to have such a nice time of it.

I had an EMCS in 2008, following an induction at 10 days over due date.

I spent 2 days in pain with no pain relief, as I was not over 3cm and classed as being in established labour. They hooked me up to synto drip, DD went back to back, and her presentation was not good apparently. Needless to say, DD went into distress very quickly, and I had a EMCS.

Im still angry at the 'care' I received, and have very little faith in HCP as a result. It turns out DD was early and not 10 days over as Id been told, I tried insisting on my dates as I knew they were right, but got over ruled by the scan. Im 17 weeks pregnant with DC2, and will be more assertive this time round, including completely refusing induction.

My second baby was stillborn due to a concealed abruption so i was induced at 37wks with my next baby.

I got to around 5 or 6cms dilated when a huge blood clot came out (sorry tmi).
I was rushed up to the delivery ward where i continued to lose lots of blood.
They took me in for a c-section under GA.
Found out a few days later (was very ill for a while & kinda out of it for days) that i'd have a second abruption. Thankfully they managed to save my daughter.

2 EMCS here.
Planned Homebirth for 1st baby but after 2 days of contractions I went into hospital at 4cm's and to have waters broken/drip administered.five hours later no change so had the section.
2nd time,spontaneous labour but still did not progress so another section.DS was 10lb 6oz so was quite relieved tbh!

I had an emergency section.

I went to the antenatal clinic and the stupid doctor swept my membranes because I was 1cm dilated. He didn't even ask permission or explain what he was doing - when I started objecting to the pain, the healthcare assistant explained what was going on.

I went home that night and my membranes ruptured. I was put on a drip the next day, but the baby wasn't in the right position, so had to have a section as my membranes had been ruptured for 24 hours and there was a risk of infection.

Baby was born positive for Strep B and had breathing problems. Needed IV antibiotics for almost a week.

I was bloody furious when I eventually figured out that it was probably the membrane sweep that had caused my membranes to rupture prematurely.

Never let anybody near you unless you know exactly what is going on, and they need to seek your permission to do any procedure.

My second (dd1) was induced at 38 weeks because her growth was tailing off and she was very small. Within barely an hour of me going into labour she was in distress with her heart rate dropping to 30bpm and staying there. The mf pushed the panic button (literally), and I was whisked down the corridor for an emcs, leaving dh standing bereft in an empty room. A few minutes later, someone came back with a baby.

She was absolutely fine, but small, I think she just didn't have the reserves for labour. And as she was induced, I would have been in hospital anyway.

dd2 was born two years later by VBAC, with no complications. I haven't suffered any trauma (mental or physical) from the whole experience luckily, but then I didn't have to battle through a long labour first.

I had one for brow presentation which was only picked up after over 3 hours pushing and no progress.

Out of my three DC's two were born by EMCS. I went into labour with DD1 at 28 weeks which they couldn't stop. She was transverse and had my waters broken the cord would have strangled her. DS2 was delivered by EMCS as I got pregnant straight after DD1 and the scar wasn't holding. He was born 9 months after his sister.

Need wine!

I had an EMCS 5 weeks ago as my labour was failing to progress and DD was in distress. When they got her out she was 10lb 1oz, back to back and poking her chin out with her arms and legs stuck out like a star fish! I couldn't understand why my labour with DS (8lb 5oz) was so easy and this one was so hard, then it became apparent

I was desperate for a home birth which didn't happen for a variety of reasons. My midwife has since said if I had a homebirth it would have been no more dangerous they would have simply transfered me in when it becme apparent DD wouldn't budge. I think I might have had a better chance of puhing her out had I been at home and relaxed in water.

Ladies I cannot thank you enough for all your posts, lots of lessons to be learnt here. It is just unbelievable how strong you lot are, I didn't even know it was possible to have a c-section on G&A!!! that I'd rather avoid if at all possible...
It seems to me that care at hospitals is not all that it should be, and the care I've had so far with the community mws has been excellent. It's no surprise really, with a hb you get two mws, but of course you are still at their skills' mercy when it comes to identifying problems, but the speed of response to problems arising at hospital seems to vary so much that perhaps it's impossible to compare anyway between hospitals, let alone between hospital and home.

Santa how are you doing? I don't think I've seen you lately over the turkey farm.

serendipity glad everything turned out alright for your daughter, can't even begin to understand your loss, so sorry.

So many stories must be hard to remember, sorry to bring them up. Glad it is actually possible to recover Brandy.

missmehalia I thank you for your advice, absolutely right it seems, and for that quote poppet.

I hope we haven't scared you - we are the rare exceptions of the totally low risk prgnancies and labours that go tits up. I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if I've got it wrong, but I don't think anyone can have a cs on G&A could GA mean general anaesthetic? That's what they tend to use for the crash sections. Knocking you out is the quickest form of pain relief.
Anyway really really good luck, and whatever you decide I hope you have a calm easy birth, and more importantly a wonderful, wonderful DC!

I've planned 2 homebirths and had 3 caesareans.

With dd, the mw suddenly wondered, at 38.5 weeks, if the baby was breech. Given that I was planning a hb, we thought a scan might be sensible. If it was breech, I was planning on coming home, standing on my head etc (!) and then prob going to hosp if baby hadn't turned by the time I went into labour. Had the scan - baby was coming feet first, was small, and I didn't have 'enough' fluid. It was a large enough risk of cord prolapse for me to agree to stay in hospital and have a cs the next day. Not emergency though.

With ds1, I had placenta praevia. I'd been planning hb up till I found that out, at 32 weeks. At 33.5 weeks I haemorrhaged badly and had an emergency cs.

With ds, I had resigned myself to an elective cs. I had placenta percreta and had a crash cs at 32 weeks (and a hysterectomy!).

I'm actually trying to be encouraging here. I and my babies are living proof that the system works - you can plan a homebirth and if it doesn't work out, the baby comes out another way!

Yes, I think you'll find the few who have mentioned GA are talking about General Anaesthetic and a true crash c-section rather than gas and air... although read Birth: A History by Tina Cassidy for an account of a rare self-performed c-section (actually, do read it quite apart from that -- it's a fascinating book).

I'm sure I've been on the Feb 2011 group in the last couple of days opining about something or other (albeit sufficiently rambling that I can't now remember what it might have been...)

ds1 emcs 33wks severe pre-eclampsia

I was induced following unexplained bleed at 40wks+2.

12 hours later, not dilating although having contractions of full labour. Baby went into distress.

Once she was delivered at 10lbs they said she'd have never got out on her own, as she had her head stuck in my pelvis.

I think you are brave having a home birth.

I had an injection straight into spine, not an epidural, which just made me go numb from waist down. Epidural has failed. Diamorphine maybe?

DS was an EMCS at 37 weeks. There I was labouring at home for as long as possible, moo-ing away and only getting to hospital when my contractions were a minute apart and obviously close to giving birth - I didn't want to stay in hospital a moment longer than I had to .

Was checked by a midwife at 8am and was not dilated. I wasn't dilated an hour later and DS's heart rate was dipping and peaking dangerously . They sent for the consultant who wanted to put a clip (monitor) on DS's head but I still wasn't dilated (at all) despite hefy contrations for hours. Itlater turned out that my cervix had been damaged by a minor op so my cervix wouldn't dilate in a month of sundays, cervical stenosis is the official term IIRC.

At that point the room filled up with people and they got the form out for me to sign for an EMCS, it was about 20 mins from signing the form to DS being whipped out. Afterwards my sister told me that the theatre team were actually gathering outside the room about 20 mins before it went ahead as they obviously knew it wasn't going to plan. The actual EMCS was fine BTW, the theatre staff were lovely and very friendly. Recovery was very hard though, but no long term problems and the would healed up well.

Had a planned cs for DD 2 years later, so much more civilised and a faster recovery.

Lucybrad "am i right in saying that homebirth is statistically safer, because if there were any dodgy circumstances then they wouldnt be having a homebirth in the first place"

See what you mean but it doesn't give the risk to the person starting out at the beginning of homebirth does it? You don't know whether you will be in the lucky group that has no complications or the unlucky one that gets carted off to hospital mid labour.