My labour and emergency caesarean section story of Jayden Zander - 13th of November 2009.
On Wednesday the 11th of November after lunch I went for my 40-week antenatal appointment with my OB. My BP was 150/110 on my left arm and 150/106 on my right, she did an internal and said his head had dropped a bit more since my last internal (38 weeks) but my cervix was still posterior. Being due the next day (12th) she decided to go ahead and induce.
At 2.30pm I was admitted to the Maternity Ward and got my first lot of prostaglandin gels in at 5.30pm. I started to get slight contractions around 7pm. I didn’t sleep much at all because those contractions were annoying, I think that night Mark and I got around 3 hours sleep. At 6am they done an internal and put in another lot of gels, the midwife said Jayden had dropped and my cervix was 1cm dilated, but still however very posterior.
I had contractions all morning, went walking up and down the stairs and around the hospital gardens that made my contractions much stronger. At around 2pm I had another internal and another lot of gels the midwives said that I was 3-4cm dilated. At 3.45pm I was in so much pain and having contractions every 2 minutes I went for a bath on the L&D ward, I was in there for an hour it was so great and relaxed me so much. After my bath I started loosing what looked like my mucus plug. At 6pm I had another internal and now I was only 2cm dilated, still having contractions every 2 minutes and what I thought was my mucus plug was actually just the gels clumping together and coming out, eww.
I got so upset and kept thinking that it would never end, I was devastated that I had been in so much pain and my body was doing bugger all!! At about 8pm my Mum came for a visit, she took me for a walk into the hospital gardens it was relaxing (besides the contractions) it was such a warm night, I really wanted to be at the beach lol. Mark brought me up tea to the hospital because I gave him mine earlier thinking that active labour would be just around the corner, but I was wrong.
About 9pm I started bleeding bright red and I was still having contractions every 2 minutes. I finally gave in after 27 hours of labour and got the pethedine shot. I remember trying to talk to Mark but my eyes were closed, I have no idea if I was making sense or not, I think I felt maybe 4 more contractions and I was out until my next check at 3.30am. At 3.30am had another internal and another lot of gels, I asked if I had made any progress and she shook her head (no). My contractions had slowed down at this point and were anywhere from 4 minutes to 10 minutes apart but they were lasting a lot longer and were much stronger.
At 9am a different OB came in and did an internal he had planned to break my waters. My cervix was completely soft but I was back to 0cms and he couldn’t break my waters because Jayden was still too high. He said I could try the gels 1 more time in hopes of dilating but he was already convinced that it would end in a c-section. I declined the last lot of gels because the contractions were so intense and the gels hadn’t done much so far except soften me out. I cried to Mark telling him I didn't want the c-section. The Midwife told the OB that I hadn't had a real chances of labouring properly but he didn't listen. I didn't stick up for myself.
[I will
forever regret at this point I didn't pack my bags and leave that hospital].
I was sent back to my room to have breakfast and told to fast from 12pm including any drinks. Mark left and went and played some computer games with his brother in law while I slowly laboured on my own. At 2pm they came in to give me my BP medication, which meant I could have a small drink of water, yay.
At around I think 4pm the Midwife (Lisa) came in to start getting me ready for surgery. I got into my gown and Lisa put my stockings on, they are supposed to stop DVT or something. Just after 4.30 theatre called and said they were ready for me, I got into my bed and was wheeled down. When we got there I was placed in the waiting bay and Lisa took Mark to go get changed into the scrubs while I was asked a whole bunch of questions. I was then taken into a room to get my IV put in. Lisa took Mark around the back way where they had to wait.
I got my IV put in and then I was taken into the OR to get my spinal. I was so scared, that was the one thing I didn’t want but to be honest it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, just a small pinch when they put the area to sleep and then I couldn’t feel the rest. The guy that was doing it was really nice and explained everything as he did it. After getting my spinal Mark was allowed to join me. They started prepping and draping, it was all starting to happen now I was so nervous to meet our baby boy.
The spinal was the weirdest feeling ever; I could feel everything they were doing minus the pain, so odd. They wanted to put my catheter in when I was still on the ward but I asked for it to be done after my spinal because I remember my Mum telling me how horrible they feel.
At 5.28pm (which isn't the correct time because I have pictures but that's what is on his certificates) on Friday the 13th of November baby Jayden Zander Kite made his entrance into the big wide world weighing 4050grams (8lbs 14oz). He was 52cm long with a head circumference of 36cms. They pulled the drapes so I could see him delivered the rest of the way and then he was bought around to me so I could see him properly. I bursted into tears, it was the most amazing moment of my life, he was so perfect.
Lisa and Mark took Jayden into the room where I was given my IV to clean him up, weight him and such and then he was bought back to me. The OB let me hold him while I was still being stitched up, I always thought you weren't allowed to hold them until you got into recovery.
After they finished stitching me up Mark took Jayden into recovery and I was transferred back to my bed and taken in there too. I was given Jayden straight away to bond skin to skin and Lisa helped me attach him for a feed. I don’t know how long I was in there for but it didn't feel all that long with him in my arms. All I remember was holding my little boy, that’s all that mattered at that point of time and the nurse poking my legs asking if I could feel them. We were wheeled back to Maternity ward where my Mum and Aunty were waiting to meet him. Lisa cleaned him up for us and dressed him in a little gown.
The next morning my catheter and drainage tube were taken out, my stockings were taken off and I was allowed to get up and have a shower. I was in hospital for a week including the induction but only for 4 days after the c-section.
The one thing I wasn’t shown was how to get in and out of bed properly so for the first 2 days I had been straining myself because I was doing what I thought was the easiest way. I cried so much when the midwife showed me the proper way she said it would hurt now but if I did it this way I would see a big difference. she was right.
The third day was the worst for me, Mark had to go back to work, Jayden was taken to get his shots and heel prick done, my milk was starting to come in and I had used up all of my really strong pain relief so all they could offer me now was panadol or a suppository which made me feel really sick and dehydrated.
On the 4th day I felt really good, other than my milk being a crazy amount that I was drowning Jayden in it and it felt like he wasn’t drinking much because I was still crazy full after a feeding, I wanted to go home.
I suffered some nasty PPD from this ordeal and still haven't over come.
My repeat caesarean section story of Eli Blake - 1st of September 2011.
At 35 weeks I hesitantly agreed with my Husband to have a repeat caesarean section. I really wanted a VBAC but it seemed at the time that having a repeat was the best option for my husbands work incase I ended up with one at last minute and him not having holidays etc, having all these thoughts and the choice played on my anxiety big. My 36 week OB visit she asked how I would live to deliver and we said c-section. She never once asked why, just started with paper work. We were booked for the 1st of September, my Nieces birthday. I tried to fight for a different day but she wouldn't budge.
So on the 1st of September I woke at 6am to take my BP medication and have a light breakfast, after that I had to fast. I did plan on going back to bed but I was too excited. Around 8am Jay woke up and Mark got him breakfast while I had a shower and used that pre-operative surisponge wash the midwives had given me, that stuff smelt bad haha.
We then went to Marks Sisters house to see our Niece for her 3rd birthday. At just after 10am we left for the hospital leaving Jay there with his Nan.
We got to the hospital and went to administration, we waited around there for a bit for CSA to take us up to the maternity ward. Once we got to the maternity ward they said they didn't have a bed for me just yet but were working on a few discharges so I should have one real soon. I was placed in a 4 bed bay to wait. They also didn't have enough staff as there were 2 in labour so they had to call in a midwife especially for my section.
I think I got my private room just after 11am and my midwife Naomi came in around 11.30 to introduce herself, she was lovely. They said I had to be dressed into my gown and have my stockings on by lunch time. Once I was dressed for theatre I waited in bed until they were ready with the bair warmer on.
At about 1pm I was wheeled down to theatre and asked a bunch of questions, I had to do my consent form again because it had been lost. I was freaking out a little by now, could feel my heart racing but tried to stay calm. I was left alone for just a short amount of time and didn't want to think about what I had just agreed to.
I was taken into a little room where my IV was put in my arm, that hurt and bruised pretty much straight away, even at 10 days PP the bruise is still there. My spinal was then given, at first it didn't hurt to bad but then he had to try again and again and again.. 6 or 7 goes later it was finally done and I was in tears from the pain.
I was layed down and then wheeled into the OR. The spinal made me feel so sick, felt like it rushed to my head, I didn't know whether I was going to be sick or just pass out, everything seemed blurry and my heartrate was racing. One of the nurses got me a wet facewasher for my head and once I felt Marks hand and felt safe knowing he was there. I kept asking if they had started yet.
I remember the OB asking if I could feel the coldness of them washing me down and I couldn't. I also remember the midwife setting up the warmer for the baby in the OR, when my eldest was born he was taken into another room and I missed out on seeing him being cleaned up, weighed, measured etc. That made me feel really special cause I wanted him in the same room as us like I see on all the youtube videos from the US.
About 10 mins after I had been given the spinal all the sickness started to get better and I could finally just try and enjoy the birth of our baby, it just left me feeling very exhausted and I kept closing my eyes.
IT'S A BOY!
At 1.37pm Eli Blake Kite entered the world crying louder than his brother did, looking much smaller but a lot more chubbier He was showed to me over the curtain and then taken over to the warmer to be cleaned, weighed, measured then wrapped. He weighed 8lbs 2oz, was 50cms long and had a HC of 35.5cms. His apgar was 9 at 1 minute and 10 at 5 minutes.
He was given his Vit-K then handed to Mark, Mark then bought him over to me. He felt all sticky to me cause he still had a lot of vernix on him but he was soo adorable. Mark handed him to me and I held him for a little bit until I started feeling too tired and handed him back to Mark.
When they were finished stitching me back up they asked if I wanted to BF and I said yes so I was placed on my side to make it easier. Once I was in recovery Eli was given back to me and we attempted our first BF, he latched great and fed for an hour. After about half hour of being in recovery (just after 2.30pm) I was wheeled back to my room with Eli still attached to my boob lol.
The midwife set up my drip and oxygen and left us to bond while she filled in our paperwork. We rang Marks Mum as soon as we got our phones so she could bring Jayden up to meet his little brother. I then rang my Mum to let her know everything was well and that he was here then I rang my Dad and surprised him completely cause he had no idea I was even having Eli that day.
Jayden kept sitting on the bed next to me holding Eli's arm, he didn't know what to think when he cried though. We then rang for the midwife to come in so we could get Eli dressed and so I could be turned onto my back before my spinal started wearing off. After that my midwife went home. Marks Sister and our Niece came up to visit.
Eli's temp started to drop so we had to put mittens, his hat on and wrap him in some extra blankets, that done the trick and in the morning he was actually too warm so we had to take some layers off.
I had the worse after pains, I never had any after my first c-section. I was asking for so much pain relief cause nothing was working. They had to give me an anti-D shot cause Eli was a positive blood group, antibiotics to prevent infection and some other injection to thin my blood, I had none of those 3 things with my first c-section either.
Just before 7am my catheter was removed because I kept saying 'I just want to get up and shower but i'm scared', I was so worried I wouldn't be able to walk because of how much pain I was feeling. I stayed in bed until they had done hand over and a new midwife came in to help with the shower.
Getting up was so painful but the shower was worth it. I remember the midwife kept saying 'he's smiling, aww that is so cute' while Mark was helping me in the shower haha. My mum and sisters came up this day to meet Eli.
That night was the hardest, Eli fed for 7 hours straight with only a few 5-10 minute breaks trying to bring my milk in. I felt so sad cause he was acting so hungry and there was nothing there. We ended up giving him a dummy just so I could get a little rest. The midwife that we had that night was extremely rude.
By morning I was feeling fuller and he wasn't so hungry after each feed but by night I was so full he couldn't latch properly and I could barely sleep. The midwife got a pump for me and that helped a tonne, he could latch better and I ended up being able to sleep. Marks Nan and Pop came to visit this day and so did Jaydens god mother.
Day 3 - Sunday the 4th of September - Fathers day.
The midwife came in early morning to do Eli's hearing test while he was still asleep, I asked her if I could go home because i'd like the spend fathers day as a family. She said she'd have to check with the OB but was pretty sure it would be ok. The OB that came in was the smurf that done my first c-section with Jayden. I didn't want him touching me but he had to check my incision. After I had showered he cleared me to go home, we waited a couple hours and got discharged about lunch time.
PPD this time has been much worse and I am still dealing now. Physiatrist visits, psychologist visits and medication just to try heal the pain. I can not talk about the boys deliveries to people face to face, the words just do not come out like they do on paper. I can't wait for this to be over.
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