The Birth of a Baby Girl: Via Emergency C-Section
Being a midwife myself, caesarian section just wasn't going to happen to me. People asked what my birth plan was...I said go with the flow. But hopefully accidentally birth at home. Go in for a check up and go home again 6 hours later.
As the 40 weeks arrived I knowingly knew bub wasn't engaged. Doing all the spinning babies known to man trying to get bub anterior and engaged. Getting a bit worried about change in movements by 40+3 I thought I want to get this show on the road and avoid induction as much as possible. Had a stretch and sweep followed by a chiropractor appointment. Few hours later 4pm early labour commenced! You beaut!
As the contractions got some more spice about them I thought to myself. They don't feel like I thought they would, having this sharp pain in my pubic pain which seemed to make me not even feel the contraction pain.
I continued spinning babies and mobilising trying to get bubs head into the right spot but the pubic pain got spicy very quickly. Resulting me into going into hospital earlier than I would have liked.
I got to hospital at 10pm, 7 cm dilated. But bubs head was hardly in my pelvis. Being a midwife I knew that this could be a sign baby could be stuck. I continued to mobilise and spinning babies. Tens machine was the best for helping me cope with the sharp pubic bone pain. I was describing to my collagues as a star post being driven into my pubic bone.
3 hours later the sharp pain got worse, I didn't think I could cope with it much longer. I asked to be checked of my process, my cervix was still the same maybe 6 cm dilated. Another indication that I was in obstructed labour. I decided maybe we would try rupturing my waters to see if it would help labour progress. Bub had very think meconium stained liquor. Another little tick to my checklist to let me know this wasn't going to plan.
Soon baby decided to have decelerations with every contraction. Followed by my body just stopping contractions all together. Could have been a sign my body was doing this to protect my baby.
We decided to go with an epidural and try some syntocin to get my contractions going again. Epidural was great! Happy days. But baby wouldn't tolerate any contractions. Wouldn't tolerate me mobilsing. Baby was stable while I was just sitting there in the one position without any contractions. After 14 hours of labour, I was a sitting duck waiting for my caesarian section to happen.
My little girl was born by caesarian section 10 am the next morning. Feisty, healthy and just a little bit green from the thick meconium liquor.
As a midwife I learnt, it's good to have a birth plan. Just as important to be aware of what can go wrong. Know what options you have in order to advocate for yourself and your baby .
Thanks for letting me share my story. Was rehabilitating just writing the story down.
ps. I forgot to mention, my daughter had 3 nuchal cords around her neck and body. She was also asynclitic and posterior which why the spinning babies didn't help me much. It also explains the thick stained liquor.
Birth story by Mum, Kirsty.
