Olivia’s Emergency Cesarian
We were scheduled for an induction at 39 weeks on May 17th 2020. Due to COVID they were scheduling inductions to try to keep an even flow of deliveries in and out of the hospital. I had to self-isolate with my husband and two toddlers for two weeks prior to going in for my induction.
On May 16th 2020, one day before my scheduled induction and just two short months into the pandemic, I went into labor. Now, its important to understand that this was my THIRD baby… I knew what labor felt like.
Earlier that day I had felt twinges and began to think maybe I should start timing them. Within 5 hours they had become 4-5 minutes apart. I told my husband I thought we should make our way to the hospital, with it being a 50 minute drive.
We get to the hospital, they take me up to labor and delivery in a wheelchair, and we settle into our room. Now, its night-time and the doctor on call is at home. I saw no doctor at all that evening, just one nurse. She checked my cervix and determined I was only 1 cm. She told me she’d give me an hour to progress and if I didn’t they would have to send me home. She said that they could not induce or help me along because I wasn’t 39 weeks.
Now there wasn’t much I could do during that hour, like walk, because of COVID. So fast forward an hour to when she returns to check my cervix and to no surprise, I had not dilated any further. (I say no surprise because in my medical history with two prior babies, I needed an epidural to dilate… this was not something my body could do on its own.)
We were told “you're not in 'real' labor”. I pleaded with the nurse to let me stay with tears in my eyes. I KNEW I was in labor, I didn’t feel comfortable driving almost an hour home with consistent contractions. But I was given no choice, so home we went. Her advice?? Don’t come back until the contractions are strong enough to bring tears.
My husband and I returned home at about 11p that evening. I couldn’t sleep I was so uncomfortable. By 5a I couldn’t take it any longer…. And I knew something was WRONG. I had started bleeding and slipped on a diaper for the drive. My husband has never gotten us anywhere so fast in our entire 10 years together. We made it to the hospital in about 25 minutes.
At this point, I’m in severe pain and bleeding. I was not offered a wheel chair, no one offered direction, no one helped at all. I get to labor and delivery and a familiar nurse helps me to a room (I had her with my son). I no sooner get into the bathroom to change and I hear a nurse come in and say to my husband “you know, if she hasn’t dilated we will be sending her home”. Are you kidding me!? Sunday the 17th was supposed to be my induction day anyway!
I come out of the bathroom and report to her that I am bleeding. She tells me that is normal and that she’d like to check my cervix. I go to sit on the bed… blood gushes EVERYWHERE. Panic hit her face. As he laid me down to check my cervix, more and more blood poured out. Immediately it became chaos. She had called in all staff.
The doctor was called from home and rushed in within 15 minutes. For the next hour doctors, nurses, lab technicians, anesthesiologists all worked on top of me... checking my cervix, cleaning up blood, attempting to take blood (with flat veins due to blood loss), getting ultrasounds, zapping my stomach to rouse baby. Terrified. I was terrified. At one point the nurse asked me why I was shaking so vigorously… I was in shock, honestly.
At about an hour in, with still no progression, I was in a position that I could finally tell my doctor that an epidural is the only way my cervix dilates. It was then that she called for one. She explained to me that the baby’s head was popping out of the cervix when she would insert her fingers. She said she wasn’t sure the epidural would help and that I may need a c-section. Needless to say, I never did dilate and my baby was no longer responding to being stimulated.
As I signed the papers to approve an emergency c-section, I began to grieve. I wouldn't have the birth experience I had with my boys. Not even close. And this broke my heart.
My Cesarian was an emergency. My cervix was not dilating and my little girl was in distress. (Which my doctor confirmed she knew the night before, although I don’t think she meant for me to hear that.)
I felt EVERYTHING as they cut into my body. They had to change the meds half way through because I was screaming in agony. I felt them pull my limp baby out of my abdomen. And I watched as they whisked her away. She was transported to children's hospital, and due to COVID I was alone in the hospital to recover.
They kept me for 24 hours… 24 HOURS. And on I went to sit at children’s hospital for the next two days. Thankfully, by the grace of God, our little girl was perfect. Healthy and ready to come home that second day. I am thankful for the doctor that saved my baby’s life, but I am also so angry that my baby’s life needed to be saved! I should NOT have been sent home!
THIS is what began my fascination with Doula’s and how I found Emily! And out of it all, MOMents Beyond the Bump was born! I want to support mama’s with experiences like Jade and I had. I needed the support with breastfeeding, c-section recovery, sleep… I didn’t know who to turn to. So I TURNED INTO that person for mamas like you!
