So theatre was being arranged and I was a wreck. The contractions were so painful. I was screaming, swearing in so much pain, and so angry with my body. How could my body be rejecting another baby. This sux. I’m so sorry baby I tell my still pregnant tummy. In between contractions I ask the nurse to take a photo. I look shocking, but I regretted not having any pictures right before the twins were born. That picture was taken just as I was about to wheeled off to theatre. According to my camera it was 2.10am.
Off we go down the halls to theatre as the contractions pound my body one after this other. It is so painful, I want this baby out!!! No! No I don’t! I hate this, I hate that I am having my baby so soon. I am screaming with the pain, probably made worse by the stress and anxiety. All of a sudden “I need to push!!!” I had this feeling I have never felt before, this overwhelming urge to push. “I need to push... Ow”... I keep screaming.. “Don’t push” they tell me, “we’re nearly there” Just as we get in the anaesthetic bay I have to push and my waters break, they spurt out like a fountain.
“Someone check her” I hear Dr B yell. A registrar puts her hand in my vagina and says “yep it’s clear” She look me in the eye and says “Go, push this baby out, you are going to push this baby out”
Through all the pain and rushing around me I remember thinking ‘Push, I don’t know how, I haven’t researched this’ lol..
So push I did. The midwives were trying to breathe me through the contractions and encouraging me to push. The feeling was like nothing I’d ever felt before. I pushed with everything I had. I was on my back with my knees up. I asked if I could move. I wanted to go on all fours. I felt like it would relieve some pressure. The middy’s wouldn’t let me move because they were monitoring bub’s heartrate. I was pushing and remember thinking it would never end. Finally someone looks down and says “I can see the head, it’s got hair” I keep pushing then finally I look at this tiny body in between my legs as it plops out! I hear a cry!. I move his foot out of the way and see I have a son. I touch his head before they take him to work on him. I can still see them from where I am in the anaesthetic bay working on my son. The nurses ask if he has a name, “Jett” I tell them, “Jett Anthony” Then I look at the clock, “What time was he born?” I ask. I am told he was born at 2.44am. I ring JD who was still at home an hour away. "We have a son,” I’m crying and laughing at the same time. I’m so happy I have a little boy. I call my Mum, “You have a grandson” I tell her. Silence.... “Mum are you there?” Poor Mum was in shock! It was just too early.. Just before they take him away to the Intensive Care Nursery I get a picture next to him. It is 3am. A nurse told me later, the first thing I said to him was “I’m so sorry baby”....
Then OMG more contractions.. WTF, no one tells you this part... I thought it was over once the baby was out! The placenta, I have to birth the placenta. It’s not coming out. A midwife has her hand in my vagina, I am screaming in pain, “Get your hand out leave me alone” She calmed me down and said the placenta was stuck.. I was having an epidural put in slowly in preparation to go theatre... My blood pressure is dropping, the anaethestists tell me they need to put an arterial line in to monitor my blood pressure, “I don’t care” I yell, “I’m in pain, where’s this epidural” then a big blood loss. I don’t remember much, but I remember being in theatre while a team of 20 medical professionals work hard to save my life.
I had started haemorrhaging because when Jett was born I still had the stitch in my cervix and he tore through it. I was bleeding so much I lost all clotting capabilities in my blood. I remember the awful feeling of being held down with a rebreather oxygen mask being held on my face while my placenta was manually extracted. The anaesthetists were desperately trying to get venous access all over my body because I was losing so much blood. It was so scary I was begging them to knock me out but they couldn’t because my blood pressure was so low and also because they simply didn’t have time. The situation was out of control. I lost 7.5 litres of blood which is approximately double my body volume. I ended up being in theatre from 3.30am til 7am. In that time I received 42 (yes 42) transfusions. When I was stabilised I was sent to Intensive Care where I stayed for 2 days before moving to birth suite (so I could have 1 on 1 care) then the maternity ward. I had a bakri balloon in my uterus and vaginal packing to prevent any more bleeding. I had 5 lines, 1 in each groin, 1 in my foot and 1 in each arm. I was covered in bruises from the numerous attempts to get venous and arterial access. It was extremely traumatic and after that I would cry just getting a blood test because the pain would trigger my mind back to that.
I ended up having to have a D&C for retained product (9wks later) and I was so terrified. I was fine though and I think it may have helped me get over the trauma a bit because I know the chances of a situation getting that out of control again are very very slim. I am so thankful that I had an amazing team and I was in a hospital large enough to have access to all the blood I needed otherwise I would have died. I had a de brief with the anaesthetist and she cried when she saw me. The staff that were involved also had to have counselling and debriefs. Considering all that I recovered quite quickly and now I am just concentrating on loving my son
ETA: So to sum it up Baby Jett was born at 25+5wks 29th September 2011 weighing 874gms and was worth every second of pain He's soooo cute! Also I'm glad I had a vaginal birth regardless of all the trauma that happened after.
Simply amazing! You are such a strong woman, after reading about 42 transfusions my first thought was 'where can I donate blood' - and I'm very anti-needle!
I love hearing about your boy's progress on your blog (and happy 100 days!)
What an amazing mum you are and your pride and love for all of your boys shines through so much in your story and your blog! I follow Jetts story every day and have everything crossed for you both for the big test tomorrow
Thanks for sharing your birth story and journey
thank you for sharing this journey with all of us. i have been following your story now since taite and seth and through with jett...
you are an amazing woman... i love reading your blog everyday and seeing how strong little jett is getting.
when I read that I want to vomit.....I came so close to losing you Your amazing, Jett Definetly got that from you You did so well babe, I'm so happy you had a VB! (well, you know what I mean!)
Love you xxxxx
Reply With QuoteHun, I have no words, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that but thanks for sharing.
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Jett's birth story - Part 2 (LONG)
He's soooo cute! Also I'm glad I had a vaginal birth regardless of all the trauma that happened after.
when I read that I want to vomit.....I came so close to losing you
Your amazing, Jett Definetly got that from you
You did so well babe, I'm so happy you had a VB! (well, you know what I mean!)
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