I just wanted to let you know that I also share your fears going into labour 2nd time round. I was also induced for the birth of my DS as he was 9 days overdue. I was really happy with the labour up until it came time for the after birth. I also had a retained placenta that needed to be removed manually under GA. I missed the first 4 hours of my son's life and even writing that down hurts. Luckily enough I didn't need a blood transfusion! However 2 months after his birth I went back to the hospital concerned about continued bleeding they had a look and told me it was not that much and would stop when it was ready. A further month went by and i was not well, couldn't get out of bed I thought I was suffering post natal depression. Finaly I went to a private OB and he arranged an US, It turned out I had further retained products causing me to be very sick. I had a D&C the next day. I felt so much better almost immediatly.
And now here I am for #2 and i am so so scare. I am 20 weeks and it is keeping me up at night. I decided to go private this time because the care i received through the public system was ordinady to say the least. My OB is trying to reassure me that it will be ok but at every appointment i just seem to want to go back over what happened and how to stop it happening again. My biggest fear, dare i say it is that it happens again and they can't stop the bleeding and I know the option in that situation are limited and not at all positive. I want to enjoy this pregnancy but i am spending most of it being terrified.
The one thing i do know this time round, i will be in control and i will not just blindly trust doctors, they are fantastic they save lives, but they are also human and they make mistakes.
I wish you all the best for the birth of your bub, I pray everything goes perfectly and you are able to come back and report a positive birth story following a retained placenta
GOOD LUCK and thank you for being so honest about your fears
Hey ladies! I was not induced for my first birth, so my experience won't be quite like yours, but it was a fast, hard, intense birth. I went from no contractions to birth in seven hours. At 6:00am or thereabouts, I woke up and felt the first pain. They came every five minutes from then on. By 9:30 we were at the hospital. I was only about 1-2 cm then. DD was born at 1:30 pm. So things progressed quite quickly, and I was overwhelmed and panicky during transition especially. I had a shot of narcotic then, which helped me to relax. I had a good birth - no tearing, no placenta issues, and breastfeeding began immediately afterwards. So again, I won't try to compare my situation with yours exactly. But my first labour and birth was definitely more of a rough ride than my second.
My second baby girl was also born relatively quickly - about a 7 hour labour again. But I felt much more in control. After a few hours of labour, I asked them to break my water, and had a shot of pain reliever first (demerol). Maybe I'd make a different choice now, but it made me feel more in control, I think. However, I'll tell you this - the narcotic shot does not touch the pain, really. You just don't seem to care that it hurts anymore. Anyways, DD2 was born within about 45 minutes of breaking my water.
My third baby was born at home. I had a long "pro-dromal" stage of labour - light labour all day, and then 2 hours of hard labour. No pain relief - all natural birth.
Fourth baby born after about 3 hours of intense labour. No pain relief - another all natural birth.
So, yes - second (and third and fourth) babies are generally easier. And natural birth is DEFINITELY a real possibility.
What you need is a doula, I think. Someone who will sit down with you, discuss your fears and your wishes for this birth. Someone who will stay with you in labour and help you stay focussed. Someone who can make suggestions for pain relief and help you relax. Someone who will advocate for you in labour and keep you from going through unnecessary interventions. I'd highly recommend that you investigate that possibility! If finances are an issue, student doulas need to attend a certain number of births before they are certified, and as far as I know, they offer their services for free.
Hope you have a wonderful birth experience this time around! All the best!
Pregnancy after retained placenta
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks