Unplanned Cesarean Birth Story
What to expect when it’s time to go into labor? Although every woman has an experience of their own, every one of them has a birth story to tell.
It all started with my doctor telling me I could pick a day to be induced. I was not expecting that. I was looking forward to the day but afraid of the unknown. I thought about it and decided to go ahead. I was going to be 39 weeks on Tuesday, January 14 & induced Monday night.
Sunday night we as a family had a whole discussion about naming the baby, until then we hadn’t made a decision. I had a long list of names and the name chosen was not on it. I lost the name battle BTW, I wanted baby Vincent but baby Nicolas was victorious.
My Water Broke
Around 1:30 am I wake up with mild cramping and a strong urge to pee. So I get up and go to the bathroom… Low and behold my water broke… I called out to my husband but he didn’t hear me as he was sleeping soundly… I get up and walk towards the door dripping and call out again… He gets up, what’s happening? I think my water broke, I say. Having never gone through this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What do we do? He says. I’ll call the doctor.
The doctor tells me to head to the hospital (I thought, crap I didn’t finish packing my bag… I’m such a procrastinator)
I go and tell my husband what the doctor says.. and he’s back in bed..!!! Honey we have to go.. Now.
We get to the hospital’s maternity wing at Boca Regional at around 2:20 am. I haven’t dilated much, I think around 3 cm. By 4:30 am, I am in pain… A lot of pain. I don’t know if I’m a sissy or if my contractions were really bad but they were so close together.
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At this point, I requested an epidural. It took about 20-30 minutes for everyone to get in place for the epidural to be administered. Staying in place while you are having a contraction is no joke. I’m given Pitocin to help with the dilation since now I’m pain-free, contractions slow down. Good for pain management but bad for things to move along.
By lunchtime, I was at 8 cm but the doctor said we have a problem. Baby is stuck! Your cervix is too small and it is now pressing on the baby’s head.
We have to have a Cesarean.
Upset and frightened as I did not want surgery. I was prepared to deal with a burning vagina not a cut across my body. Lots of What if I die questions were running through my mind, but I did not have much choice there. At 2:00 pm I’m prepped and taken into surgery.
By now I am ready to just fall asleep. I was given a second dosage of the epidural and I could not stay awake for the life of me. I fought so hard and I won but I felt so bad. Being that sleepy was killing me.
Baby is Here!
At 2:15 pm, Nicolas is born weighing in at 7.7 lbs and 20.5 inches long.
I saw him from the corner of my eye and heard his little cry. It was such an emotional moment, I wish I had been more awake to experience it. But I was in love and thankful he was well.
They cleaned him up and took him away while I was being closed up. You feel them cutting into you, pulling the baby out, and closing you up. It’s a weird sensation. You feel no pain but know you are being messed with. They were done and the doctor came to talk to me to ask how I was feeling. Apparently, I dosed off for a second and my eyes rolled into the back of my head.
Frightened, the Doctor asked if I was okay? I say yes, I’m just really sleepy. At which point he says you were gone for a second there and looked at the nurse, and asked her to keep an eye on me.
GREAT! Now I really won’t sleep. I fought so hard to stay awake and any hospital staff that entered the room was asked by me. Am I okay to sleep? I’m scared I won’t wake up. I did sleep eventually and am still here.
Hope you enjoyed reading my Unplanned Cesarean Birth Story story. How about you?
Tell me all about your birth story in the comments below.
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I had a very similar story. My cervix managed to get to 7 cm before I was given the epidural. Once everything was ready to go & I started feeling pressure, they ended up having to push the baby back in. He was in distress – his head stuck by his temples because his head was too big, heartbeat was irregular & he flat-lined twice from the pressure. My OB came in & said "We have to perform a C-Section". When you are a mom who wants everything as natural as possible, those words are a curse. I was terrified & worried, but seeing the baby's electrocardiogram, I knew it HAD to be done.
Fortunately, everything with the surgery went well & I have a healthy toddler who is smart, funny & loving. Sometimes things happen when we least expect them…Being a control-freak, it's hard to let others do what they are best at. But you have to trust. Just let go and trust.
Now, I have a scar that, let's be honest, I don't love for vanity reasons, but I've learned to appreciate because it's a scar I had to bear to have a healthy son. You gotta pick your battles. In the end, I won the war. You did too.
Much Love.
Xo, E.