Emergency C-Section

Lindsay - posted on 02/03/2010

I understand why you may have felt like you failed, I went through 22hrs of labor, I was induced 4 times and my labor stalled at 6 centimeters. I was given the option of going through more labor and being induced a 5th time or having a c-section. Throughout my entire pregnancy I kept telling my husband that I wanted to do it natural, no pain killers, NOTHING! After going through all of that pain the only thing that I wanted was to see our son, so I chose to have the c-section. I didn't WANT it but after everything I had been through I just wanted it to end. We now have 3 kids and I have had c-sections with all of them. Don't feel like you have failed because you didn't have a vaginal birth. You accomplished something by bringing a happy, healthy baby into this world the safest way possible!

Jaimie - posted on 02/02/2010

actually, i'm really glad i didn't have my daughter vaginally. the c section wasn't that bad and i'd hate to think of having to push a child out of my vagina and what it would look like afterwards.

Aimee - posted on 01/29/2010

Toby was born via emergency c-section on oct 13. I was booked to be induced on that day due to gestational diabetes and I had been really struggling to put healthy amounts of weight on weekly. I went into spontaneous labour the night before my induction and I was over the moon!! I was having nice regular contractions and the hospital/midwife were expecting me first thing in the morning anyway so it was perfect. Unfortunately as the day wore on I was told I had "failure to progress" (sound familiar? lol), we tried everything to progress the labour including breaking waters and putting me on the drip at a realllly high dosage of hormone. Sadly for me all that did was give me huuuuge contractions with triple peaks but they were not co-ordinationg at all to get me to dilate any further than 6cms. Toby was very stubbornly posterior (back to my back) so this of course was stopping my cervix from dilating properly. He had pooed in his waters so the ob started to get a wee bit concerned that he may start to show signs of stress etc. We carried on for another 3 hours of the mega contractions and then when I was examined I was sooo disappointed to hear that I had not dilated any further at all!!! I was soooo exhausted after around 15 hours of that damn drip and monitors and insulin drips etc, I felt like I had so many things attached to me that I didnt know what was going on! The decision to go for the c-section was made and Toby was born a mere 40 mins later!!

It was really painful being in full labour but not allowed any gas while they prep you haha. And trying to answer 20 million questions and sign consent forms? What a joke that was with triple peaked contractions just rolling one into the other!! And then when they ask you to "be verrrry verrrry still while we put this big ass needle into your back", if I hadnt been wriggling around and in pain I think I would have laughed at that one! Does any one kinda feel like you could really feel them rummaging around in your insides and it actually really hurt? They kept telling me I wouldnt feel anything but I could feel ALOT but have no idea what was normal as its not something you do everyday!

But as soon as I heard Tobys first cry and they raised him above me so I could see him, it was easier to not think about the pain. Then I had a terrible reaction to the spinal block and had to stay in recovery for aaaages. I was very very lucky that Toby was healthy and well so they let him stay with me the whole time just tucked under my gown.

That was late on a Tuesday night and then I was told to go home early Friday morning! I wasnt ready at all and was feeling quite ill, they told me it was normal and reminded me that a c section is major surgery blah blah blah (so why was I being sent home after only two full days in hosp if it was such major surgery? thier answer= "you will be fine"). I was re-admitted 24 hours later with a roaring internal infection and had to spend 72 hours on IV anti-biotics. If I hadnt been sent home so quickly and theyd listened to me when I said I wasnt feeling well it may not have been so bad. In fact I specifically remember a midwife telling me that she thought I was just hungry!!!????? Sheesh. The ED doc was horrified at how the infection had advanced and said that someone should have picked it up easily 24 hours prior!! Hungry? Try feverish and the feeling of my wound being on FIRE!!

But you just cant dwell on these things I guess. Yeah you definately feel kinda ripped off and cant help but wonder what it would have been like if things had gone according to plan. But life just isnt like that is it?

Everytime I felt sad or upset about it all I would remind myself that I had an amazing baby and we were both alive! Some people go through all that and plenty more and may still not have a baby at the end of it. Or have a wee babe that needs special/intensive care and surgeries etc.

I would love to experience a vaginal birth for sure and really hope that I might be lucky next time around......but I'll just be happy with another beautiful healthy baby, no matter how he/she comes into the world cos what you get at the end is more important than the process itself.

Everyday we should all take moment to think about all the things we do have in our lives to be thankful for - as opposed to what we feel we dont have or missed out on. Thats really helped me to just accept everything that happened and be okay with it.

:-D

Andrea - posted on 01/29/2010

Dont feel bad I had to have an emergency c-section on 10/21 if i hadnt been a paranoid mom after gettin out of the er from having contractions at 7 months and them giving me morphine and sending me home where a day later i noticed my daughter was not moving i would have lost my baby so i thank god everyday that she is here, Plus there is a chance you can have a vaginal birth next time but if not dont let it get to you just think about ur baby being here bc w out the c-section things could have went down a whole different path.

Jac - posted on 01/26/2010

You are definetly not alone, my labour stoped progressing at 7cm and I had been at it for 2days they gave me the option of continuing but if that meant another 2days I was done so I said do what you have to do. And yes now I feel robbed - i got to the 7cm mark with the pain but they did the rest for me. I dont know what to say to make you feel better, it sucks & i hope myself i can go vaginally next time i really want to experiance that too!

Krista - posted on 01/23/2010

Hi Carrie,

I too had an emergency C section with my first son. When he was only 7 months old we found out we were pregnant with number two. What a shock!! I was emotionally bullied into having a scheduled c section for number two. Sections were the LAST thing I wanted. I felt like less of a woman for not being able to deliver vaginally. And I was sad and felt that way for a long time. I would cry a lot. Well, I am SO THRILLED to announce that our third boy was born on October 15th COMPLETELY naturally. No drugs, no interventions, with midwives the good old fashioned way. My advice to you is do your research, WAIT to get pregnant again so your body can heal, and find a care provider who will follow your wishes. I had a vaginal birth after TWO sections - SURELY you can do it after one. Be careful about someone telling you your pelvis is too small, or baby is too big also, these are excuses so doctors can section you to make it easier for them. My VBA2C was 9 lbs 4 oz. Good luck!!

Peita - posted on 01/19/2010

Please try to be positive, an emergency c-section is just that, without it, there is a chance that you or your baby could have come to harm or die!! I have never had a c-section and I have 3 beautiful children, however, after my last baby, I very nearly died after major complications. I had developed Placenta Accreta (where the placenta grows into the muscle of the uterous) and had to have an emergency hysterectomy, clamps on major arteries and my tummy packed until the bleeding stopped, I had a 9 unit blood transfusion also! I feel robbed that I can't have anymore children and the birth of my last was such a horrifying experience! I try and stay positive, I am alive and I have 3 healthy kids, don't dwell on the negatives, think of the positives, your baby boy for one and your health for another! Just remember it was an EMERGENCY c-section, not elective and there may be a choice of a vaginal birth next time! I live in Australia andd we aren't told we can't try for a natural birth after a c-section, quite often the first baby is a c-section, but many of my friends had quick and easy natural deliveries after their c-section! I had my baby 29th October and it has been a huge emotional struggle for me, not with my baby, but with everything that happened to me! If you are feeling down about it all, talk to someone, find a support group, see your doctor or health nurse, see a counsilor, they do help!! Take care of yourself and your little boy :)

Leanne - posted on 01/18/2010

Hi I had to have a emergency c-section on 3/10 i had Archie 4 weeks early due to pre eclampsia, in the led up to the birth me and my partner were so excited about the whole experience we was going to have together and i was so looking forward to that first contact... At first they told me i was going to be induced but that same day they said it was to risky and i had to be taken to theatre i defo feel cheated i didnt even get to experience labour at all.... I was so drugged up and poorly that i dont remember anything about Archie's arrival and due to having a Neck line stitched in (which is a canula through your vein in your neck) i was unable to hold Archie. Then he was wisked of to special care and i was taken in to special care myself it was 28 hrs before i met Archie.... if i have another one they have told me cannot have natural labour and have to have c- section :( I defo felt upset and cheated after mine and at first i felt my mothers instict didnt come straight away... But now i think as long as we are both healthy that is the main thing and im loving being a mum :)

Caroline - posted on 01/17/2010

Hey, I completely understand what you mean. I also had an emergency c section. I went through 12 hours of labour and pushed for nearly 2 hours but my little boy got stuck and he also turned back to back during my labour. I felt like i'd failed somehow, which i know is really silly as it was probably the only way to ensure my baby and me came out alive and well but i felt like the decisions were taken out of my hands and everything moved so quickly it was hard to take in. It wasn't until later that night that it hit me what had really happened and how much it upset me. plus my little boy was taken away after 5 mins of cuddling to the special care unit over night as he'd had to be resuscitated after being born. My health visitor said she thought i was suffering from post traumatic stress after the birth which i can now understand, having a major operation without any real warning or mental preparation is bound to make you feel awful both physically and mentally and i'm still recovering now i think, i still feel wobbly if i have to talk about the birth. I went over my maternity notes with my midwife after the birth which really helped me understand better what had happened to me and talked about future births (although i think it will be a long time if at all that i plan any more!) I feel more positive that if i did decide to have another baby that a vaginal birth would be possible as a close friend has just succeeded a VBAC but i would have to be more closely monitored. I think we have to remember that we went through a very difficult experience to bring our babies into the world and we should be proud of ourselves. i was advised to write down my experience to help me work through it which i will try to do and just speaking to other women who've been through a similar experience really helps. I hope you are recovering well and you're enjoying your beautiful baby, and remember you're definately not alone.