I just wanted to share my experience of my unplanned CS.
I went into labour just after midnight on June 15th, and after enduring 3 hours of back-ache labour, I conceeded that I need an epidural. My contractions started at 1min & 40seconds apart & neever changed, and I was in intense pain between the contractions too. I was already very tired, and although I said I never wanted an epidural, I was too exhausted to continue without one.
At 5am, my contractions started to die off. This seems to be fairly typical for me as I'd been contracting over night for about 2 or 3 days, but when the sun came up they all stopped. Mum & DH joked it was so I could go ack to work in the fields. So I was given syntocinon to get things started again. I was 7cm dilated. Baby Jack was rebounding after the contractions brilliantly. The midwife estimated his arrival at 7am.
7am, and there was no baby. I was stuck at 9cm, so the 'jungle juice' was increased & I got out of bed to sway & squat, and otherwise encourage baby down. That got me where I needed to be, so it was time to push. I, however, couldn't feel the bearing down pressure I was meant to. I could feel the Middy's fingers, but not the sensation of needing to push. Jack wasn't descending. Apparently, a boney point in my pelvis was longer on the left than the right. Combining this, and Jack facing the wrong way, and my birth canal being too tight (no one said you could do too many pelvic floor exercises!!), he couldn't come down. I pushed hard, and he'd come only so far before not being able to get any further down. The Middy warned us of the increasing possibility of a CS, even though we really didn't want one. The OB was called & we tried more pushing. He said we could try to do it vaginally, with a ventouse, but to be honest, both Jack & I would sustain some damage (because he was still so far in), and the best option would be CS. Thanks to the Middy warming us up to the idea, we agreed. "Lets go have a baby", I said through tears of disappointment. Not in myself, and not in Jack, and not because I was pushed to make the choice - but because I really did want to deliver vaginally, just not at the cost of my baby's health.
So off I was wheeled to surgery. DH came with me & sat by my head the whole time. I don't remember holding his hand, but it sounds like something I would do. They filled me up with epidural drugs & I was numb from the arm pits down. The blue sheet went up, the camera handed to on orderly to take a photo of the crucial moment, and then I began to feel all the pressure & tugs of them cutting me to find my baby. I'm sure they were talking, but I don't remember a word. To me, the whole world was quiet & hushed, waiting for Jack's arrival. I heard absolute silence.
Then I felt the student OB pushing just below my ribs, very firmly, and then with more pressure, and a second later, sound came back to my world in the form of Jack's first squark. Two tiny little squarks! A symphony to my ears and my heart. DH stood up & peeked over the blue sheet like a Meerkat. More squarks rang out, and my heart melted & broke all at once. My little boy was here!
They whisked him over to the pediatrician, who suctioned him. I could just see a writhing purple blur of baby through the tears streaming from my face. And before I knew it, a neat little package was placed on my chest.
That was the best moment of my life (second to my wedding, and finding out we were pregnant). My teary DH & my tiny little son. We were officially a family, in every sense.
Below is a link to my photos. The orderly took so many! I'm so impressed because these are the photos of the birth of my son. I don't see the blood, and the medical stuff, and the blue sheets - I see my baby being born through a different passage, but safely & beautifully. Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket
and this is my favourite picture of all because of the look of pure excitement on DH's face. There's no fear, and he doesn't see the surgery being performed. He's only seeing the pure birth of his son. Still - not the kind of photo you get framed. http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/IMG_6463.jpg
Gorgeous!
I had a little chuckle... everyone is very serious and concentrating on the subject at hand. And then there is your DH, head popping over the blue sheet with a big grin on his face that just says "proud daddy"
Congrats chick! Glad it all well well xx
Congratulations on a beautiful birth! Your descriptions of little Jack's arrival has warmed my heart and brought a tear to my eye .
You do make a beautiful family, and that photo of your DH is just gorgeous!! The orderly certainly did an awesome job - you should put them together in a printed book through snapfish or someone similar, the images tell quite a story!
It really does make a difference when you have made the decision to have the c-section rather than feeling bullied into it. It was that way for me too.
What a fabulous birth story, you did a fabulous job, it sounds like it was very full on Thankyou so much for sharing, I really needed to see and read this tonight
I really loved how calm it seemed and the images of the arrival really show how gentle a CS can be (appear), what a fabulous set of images.
You DH's face is awesome
Take care xxoo
Oh darling one, thank you so much for sharing your story and those truly amazing photos. What a wonderful record of the event! I agree, the one of your DH peeking over the sheet to have a look is just gorgeous and you look so beautiful too. Awww.... well done and thank you again.
Although I did come to a realisation last week: the only thing I am really p'off about is how sudden my labour started. I read with envy about women that were able to watch telly or do some house work waiting until it got too much. In that way, I feel a bit ripped off that I never got a chance to work up to where I was.
Entreat, thank you so much for posting this!! i had an emergency c/s with my first son, but i had to be put under GA and so was not awake for his birth. if i have another baby down the track, i have also been told i would have another c/s, so i'm looking for positive stories, and yours was amazing!! how truly wonderful, im glad yo and your little boy came out perfect, and that photo of your hubby is priceless. so great of the orderly as well to take all those photos! they are ones to treasure
so thank you, hopefully i can have a positive c/s down the track as well, thank you for sharing xxx
how lovely I got teary at those pics! the midwife only took 2 pics of my son after the c section, you were so lucky you had a great photographer! I can't believe they let your hubby peek over! its great!
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Positive C-section experience
So I was given syntocinon to get things started again. I was 7cm dilated. Baby Jack was rebounding after the contractions brilliantly. The midwife estimated his arrival at 7am.
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and those truly amazing photos. What a wonderful record of the event! I agree, the one of your DH peeking over the sheet to have a look is just gorgeous and you look so beautiful too. Awww.... well done and thank you again.
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