ICAN of Somerset County, NJ

My Birth Plan

I did not have a birth plan for my first birth which ended in cesarean.  The midwives I used that time actually told me, "We are your birth plan."  For some reason, I accepted that. 

For my second birth, I found midwives who were truly open and respectful of my desires for my birth experience.  Below is the birth plan I gave them (it is based off of a birth preferences sheet I received during my HypnoBirthing class at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, NJ:

BIRTH PREFERENCES

 

 

PREADMISSION/ADMISSION

We request:

- to have as much required paperwork as possible competed during a preadmission visit to eliminate interruption during relaxation for labor

- to consider natural means of induction if pregnancy reaches 42 weeks or there appears to be a medical need for delivery

- to wait for labor to start naturally after SROM

- to remain at home as long as possible before coming to the hospital

- to decide whether to use a wheelchair or walk to my room

- to return home if I am not dilated at least 4cm

- no IV upon admission; instead, I would like a heplock in place

- To have the following persons present during my birthing: husband and doula

- To use my iPod to listen to music/meditation

- No discussion on pain tolerance and pain levels; I would prefer to have my comfort level assessed as needed.

- No telephone calls in my room

 

DURING LABOR AND BIRTH

We request

- The opportunity to experience the most natural, intervention-free birth experience possible

- To use wireless telemetry monitors instead of being hooked up to stationary monitors

- Only necessary staff or observers in room. We ask the staff to honor our need for quiet

- To have staff refrain from references to “pain,” “hurt,” or “hard labor”; instead inquiring about “comfort level” as needed

- To have my doula, Sarah, as well as my husband present at all times

- No offer or suggestion of anesthetics or analgesics or labor enhancing procedures unless requested

- Fluids during labor including juices, herbal teas, broth, ice chips and popsicles

- To be free of blood pressure cuff between readings

- To assume labor positions of choice including the choice to walk and move or not walk and move during labor

- Minimal number of vaginal exams

- To allow labor to take its natural course without references to “moving things along.”

- To use natural oxytocin (nipple) stimulation in the even of a stalled or slowed labor

- No rupture of membranes

- To use tub, shower and birthing ball as desired

- Use of Hypnobirthing breathing down techniques for birthing

- To birth in an atmosphere for gentle encouragement – calm, low tones only- during final pushing stage without loud coaching.

- To assume the birthing position of choice that will least likely require an episiotomy

- To take pictures during birth

- Use mirror if desired to see crowning and birth

- To delay cord clamping until it stops pulsing

- To have baby placed on my chest following birth

- To have baby assessed while on my chest

- To have father cut the cord

- To allow natural delivery of placenta without pitocin

- To have our daughter come shortly after birth

 

 

We would like to discuss:

Methods of natural induction/augmentation of labor

Perineal massage/warm perineal compress

Episiotomy

Vacuum extractor/forceps

 

 

CESAREAN DELIVERY

We request

- to avoid a cesarean delivery unless the baby’s life is in imminent danger

- to have at least 1 arm free/not strapped down to table

- To be placed at a slightly raised angle

- for anesthesia to be monitored/adjusted to prevent feelings of suffocation

- To have screen lowered during baby’s birth

- to see the baby immediately following delivery in order for us to announce the sex

- to have baby placed on my chest immediately following birth

 

FOLLOWING BIRTH

- lower bright lights temporarily at the moment of birth and until baby is on my chest

- allow vernix to be absorbed into baby’s skin; avoid vigorous rubbing and delay cleaning

- Baby should remain with me and my husband

- We do NOT consent to erythromycin or other medication in baby’s eyes

- We do NOT consent to CIRCUMCISION

- We do NOT consent to the HEP B vaccine

- We will decide after birth whether to administer vitamin K

- Immediate and exclusive breastfeeding- no bottles, formula, pacifiers, etc unless medically indicated and after discussion with us

- In the event that I need to pump, I would like the baby to be fed with a medicine cup or dropper.

 

IN THE EVENT OF A STILLBIRTH OR NEONATAL DEATH

We request:

- time alone with our baby

- to have pictures taken

- to have footprints taken

Knowing that hospitals and their staff are quite busy, I wrote up a 1-page "abridged" version of my birth plan to the hospital:

 

BIRTH PREFERENCES

 

PREADMISSION/ADMISSION

We request:

- to return home if I am not dilated at least 4cm

- Heplock instead of IV

- No telephone calls in my room

 

DURING LABOR AND BIRTH

We request

- To experience the most natural, intervention-free birth experience possible

- To use wireless telemetry monitors

- Only necessary staff or observers in room. We ask the staff to honor our need for quiet

- To have our doula, Sarah, present

- No references to “pain,” “hurt,” or “hard labor”; instead inquiring about “comfort level” as needed

- No offer or suggestion of anesthetics or analgesics or labor enhancing procedures unless requested

- No blood pressure cuff between readings

- Minimal number of vaginal exams

- To use natural oxytocin (nipple) stimulation in the even of a stalled or slowed labor

- No AROM

- To use tub, shower and birthing ball as desired

- To use Hypnobirthing breathing down techniques for birthing

- No loud coaching during birth. Please use calm, gentle tones

- Use mirror to see crowning and birth

- To delay cord clamping until it stops pulsing

- To have baby placed on my chest following birth

- To have baby assessed while on my chest

- To have father cut the cord

- To allow natural delivery of placenta without pitocin

 

CESAREAN DELIVERY

We request

- to avoid a cesarean delivery unless the baby’s life is in imminent danger

- to have at least 1 arm free/not strapped down to table

- To be placed at a slightly raised angle

- for anesthesia to be monitored/adjusted to prevent feelings of suffocation

- To have screen lowered during baby’s birth

- to see the baby immediately following delivery in order for us to announce the sex

- to have baby placed on my chest immediately following birth

- To have baby in recovery with us

 

FOLLOWING BIRTH

- allow vernix to be absorbed into baby’s skin; avoid vigorous rubbing and delay cleaning

- We do NOT consent to erythromycin or other medication in baby’s eyes

- We do NOT consent to CIRCUMCISION

- We do NOT consent to the HEP B vaccine

- We will decide after birth whether to administer vitamin K

- Immediate and exclusive breastfeeding

The importance of vaginal birth... and getting through 41 hours of labor

I usually post informative articles but today I am going to give some opinions.  Hold on tight!  Here are my thoughts on supporting vaginal birth, especially VBAC!

How many times have I heard

"It doesn't matter how the baby got here."
"A healthy baby is all that matters."
"I don't care if I ever experience a vaginal birth."

Gianna was my 3rd pregnancy.  My first 2 pregnancies resulted in a surgical ending.  When I was 12 weeks pregnant I found out that my first baby was going to miscarry.  I was quickly send to the hospital for a d&c.  What a devastating experience that was.  My second pregnancy ended in a c-section for failture to progress.  I really wanted one pregnancy to come to a natural end.  I never realized just how important that would be emotionally!

After the birth of my first daughter I often joked that I would do it all again just to experience that Stadol (the narcotic they gave me to "take the edge off.")  Really, all it did was make me high.  I was so loopy and out of it after the stadol.  It was an interesting feeling but my memory of my first birth became pretty foggy after that.

I don't remember leaving the operating room after my c-section.  I just remember being in recovery all alone and staring at the ceiling.  I felt so strange.  I expected to feel so elated after the arrival of my dd but I felt so jittery and abandoned. 

During the birth of my second daughter, I declined all drugs.  Well, they weren't actually offered to me so  it was a moot point.  Thanks Pam and Heather!   Anyway, labor was long and intense but I will never in a million years forget the rush of hormones and endorphins right after Gianna was born.  I remember feeling like I could fly right out the door!  Seriously - it was better than any high that stadol could have brought.  Somehow, I had all the energy I needed after that even without sleeping for 2 days!

I was talking to a female Staff Sergeant at my husband's armory.  She mentioned that the idea of labor scared her. I was floored.  I told her that I would go through it 10 more times before I would consider going through basic training.  She said basic training was fun and she'd much rather go throught that.  So I guess it's a matter of perspective.

So what helped me?

First of all, I am no superwoman!  My husband once told me that I could never get a tatoo because I wouldn't be able to take the pain.   That's not the reason but whatever (but I could never get a tongue ring because I'd be too scared of that pain).

1. I never considered the epidural an option.  Luckily, the wonderful nurses at Capital Health - Mercer never bugged me about getting one (and obviously my midwives didn't either!!).  I just knew that I had to get through labor without drugs for pain relief.

2.  I hired a doula.  She came with her bag of trick to help ease the contractions

3. I did hypnosis.  I took a Hypnobirthing class (the Mongan Method ) at Hunterdon Medical Center .  This class was awesome!  Not only did I get great hypnosis techniques but it was truly an inspirational birthing class.  I learned so much more than I learned at the Lamaze class I had taken years before (at a different hospital).  I was fascinated with Hypnosis.  The biggest limitation (for me) with Hynobirthing was that is very encouraging of partner involvement.  My husband was taking classes at night in addition to working full time with the National Guard).  So I researched more hypnosis and found Hypnobabies
I ordered the Hypnobabies home study course   which came with 6 CDs of hypnosis scripts.  This gave me ample opportunity to practice more on my own.  The Hynobirthing and Hypnobabies courses work to "reprogram" your thoughts and expectations of birth.  Rather than fearing childbirth or believing that it's going to be a terrible ordeal, the Hypno-courses teach you that labor and childbirth doesn't have to be painful.  Using the various relaxation techniques allows you more easily surrender and allow your body to do what it needs to.  The crazy thing was that during my labor, my contractions would space out if I got too relaxed so I couldn't stay in a hypnotic state for too long (or I would probably still be in labor) but I never got overwhelmed to the point where I couldn't cope.  I knew it would and I just needed to take each contraction at is came.  I think that was so important!  Hypnosis also got me through 6 days of prodromal labor and allowed me to rest and conserve energy as much as possible.

***********************************************************************

Vaginal birth is so important for the natural release of hormones.  Is there a connection between cesareans and post partum depression?  It wouldn't surprise me.  I know not all women are concerned about the chance to experience vaginal birth or a drug free birth but all woman deserve the chance to!

"We have a secret in our culture...

 

and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong."   - Laura Stavoe Harm

Don't I look lovely???  But I am smiling!  :- )

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Pelvis: My VBAC birth!

The Birth Story of My VBAC Baby: Gianna Lucia 11/20/2007
Subtitled: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Pelvis


My second daughter, Gianna Lucia was born on Tuesday November, 20, 2007 by VBAC.  She was 7 lbs 9oz and 20.5 inches long with a 13 inch head.  I had 6 days of prodromal labor, including 41 hours of continuous contractions (10 minutes apart or less) before she arrived.   With the help of my awesome support team (Midwife Pam from Midwifery Care Associates , Student Midwife Heather, Doula Sarah, and DH Anthony), I did the whole thing without drugs, in a hospital.  For the record, I have a single layer vicryl suture.

Before I tell her story, let me back up and just briefly explain the birth of my first daughter, Elizabeth on September 9, 2004.   Elizabeth came 10 days late and the midwives I was using at the time kept threatening an induction by 14 days past edd. I showed up at the hospital with contractions 3 minutes apart but only 2.5cm dilated at 4am.  Over the next 10 hours, I had every intervention in the book to help things along – manual dilation of my cervix (ouch!), AROM, stadol, an epidural, and, finally, a c-section at 2pm.   The ob who did my c-section told me I had a "5% chance of a vaginal delivery."  The next day, my midwife explained that my pelvis was an oval shape and I had a thick sacrum so there was no way I'd ever vaginally birth a baby over 6 or 6.5lbs (my dd was nearly 8.5 lbs). 

For Gianna's birth, I found a new practice of 2 midwives that primarily do homebirths but also have hospital privileges.   There is a law in NJ which prohibits licensed individuals from attending HBACs.  I knew I needed my energy to focus on a successful vbac rather than fighting the system and going underground for a midwife.   They were completely on board with vbac and very supportive the whole time.  I had to make 2 concessions though to keep their back up doctor happy: CFM through the use of wireless telemetry and a hep-lock.   

The birth of Gianna really starts on Tuesday November 13th.  I began losing my mucous plug and then having pink show.   I went to bed only to wake up feeling contractions about 10 minutes apart around 2am. I was so surprised since my due date wasn't until November 25th.   Could this baby possible be coming early?  After about 5 hours, the contractions petered out.  They started up again during the day and eventually petered out again.   This pattern kept up for the next 6 days.  Several weeks earlier, I had taken a Hypnobirthing Class  and then ordered the Hypnobabies Home Study Course  so I did a lot of hypnosis to keep me calm and get me through the on and off again labor.

On Monday morning November 19, I began having contractions again at 2am.  They were getting more frequent and painful, coupled with the fact that I hadn't been sleeping well for days.   Around 7am that morning, I finally lost it sobbing hysterically that this baby was not coming.  I was also worried about how much my uterus could handle, especially being a vbac.   Even though I was downstairs on the sofa, my sobbing woke up my husband who came down to comfort me. 
 
Contractions kept up all day.  I took a benedryl at one point to sleep which helped although I don't think I really fell asleep.   Around 6pm the contractions seemed to be coming at a more steady pattern of every 4-6 minutes.  My mom called at 9pm and I told her what was going on.   She decided she better come up to watch my dd and suggested that I call my doula.  Since I had been in this on and off again pattern for days, I really hesitated to call Sarah in case it was a false alarm but I did.   I guess I sounded like I was really in labor because she came over within an hour.  At that point, the contractions were stopping me in my tracks and I would have to hold on to something or drop to the floor to deal with them.

I called the midwife to give her a heads up but I wasn't ready to leave for the hospital yet.  I labored at home for a couple more hours until midnight when Sarah suggested that I might want to think about getting to the hospital.  I called Pam back and we headed down.   The hospital was an hour away so I put on hypnosis CDs so that I would live through the ride.  Luckily, at that time of night, it was a smooth ride. We got there, parked and went into the emergency room entrance.   I walked up to the L&D floor where it was pretty quiet. Surprisingly, no one tried to force me into a wheel chair which pleased me. Our nurse, Tasha, showed us to the L&D room.   I got settled in and Pam showed up.  Tasha gave me a little tube top thingy to put around my waist so that they could insert the telemetry monitors in there.   They bugged me a little bit since it poked on my abdomen a little but overall, not a big deal.  Then she inserted a hep-lock into my wrist which bugged the crap out of me.   The place where she put it (just below my thumb) made it darn near impossible to move my hand much so holding onto anything caused me pain.  Pam did an internal and declared me 4cm but she could easily stretch me to about 5-6cm.  I felt pretty good about that since my last labor had stopped around 4-5cm.   This time, I was starting out there.  I figured it couldn't be too long!

I decided to do a bunch of laps around  the L&D floor to get things moving.   Anthony and I walked and walked and walked.  I was a little disturbed to see 2 cytotec inductions along with a cervadil induction and 1 other natural labor (but I digress….).   Contractions were intense for hours but it didn't seem like it was going anywhere.  Pam told me that I was being too nice and too calm.   When I got near the end, she assured me things would change.  She didn't want me getting into the laboring tub until things had picked up a little more.   So it was back to doing laps, yoga, OFP and anything else I could think of to make labor progress.

Around 7am, Pam asked to check me again.  I was only 5-6cm at that point.   Pam also finally called in her student midwife, Heather, who had been at a birth the night before with her.  Pam wanted to allow her some time to sleep before getting her in.   

We decided to try some nipple stimulation in the shower at that point. Anthony was given that task.  It worked and my contractions got closer together making it tougher to get through them.  After the shower, I began laboring in the room again.    Anthony put on the Bare Naked Ladies Holiday Album to lighten the mood as a I labored. Sarah entertained me during the Hanukkah Song by dancing the Horah (as the lyrics went).  For some reason, I found that hilarious and couldn't stop laughing.  I began dealing with the contractions by collapsing in Anthony's arms and allowing him to hold me.   After each contraction, he would sing to me in his best Barry White voice.  I honestly thought I could have laughed the baby right out at that point.   

I tried doing a hypnobabies script which got me deeply relaxed on the bed.  Unfortunately, it made my contractions spread out again.    A couple hours later, I got into the tub.  Although I liked being the tub, the room was a bit cold and the tub was a little big to allow me to get into a comfortable position for more than about an hour.   My contractions again spread apart to 5-6 minutes by just being the tub so I knew I wouldn't be doing that again.
 
We did nipple stimulation again and my contractions got closer together.  However, around 2pm, my cervix still hadn't made much change.   We had to talk about what else to do.  Pam was worried about how tired I was getting at that point.  I couldn't find a comfortable position to deal with contractions in.   Every time one would come on, I would kneel on pillows and lean on the bed or on the birthing ball.  I tried eating and sipping Powerade to keep me energized but it was really getting tough at that point.   I'd been up all night and most of the night before. 

Pam decided that we needed to talk about our options.  At that point, she felt that breaking my water was the best and least invasive thing to do to make my contractions stronger and closer. As much as I didn't want an AROM, I knew we needed to do something because I wasn't going to be able to go on forever.

Breaking my water definitely made the contractions harder and closer.  I started going more inward trying to deal with the contractions.   I tried listening to hypnosis again just to rest.  I started off well but things were getting more and more intense. Sarah would stand behind me rubbing my back reminding me to go to my special place (a hypnosis technique) and to remember that each contraction was "just a wave….   just a wave."  Heather massaged my back while I rock on the birthing ball and leaned against the bed. I kept telling myself "Relax.....  peace...." which are also hypnosis cues.  Several times I asked Sarah if I was in transition.  She always told me that she didn't know and maybe I was.  I had always heard that transition was the worst time and I just needed to get through that.   The not-knowing was killing me but I went on.

Around 3, Pam suggested putting the squatting bar on the bed so that I could get into a squat during each contraction and allow the baby to move down further. When I got tired out from the squat bar (which got uncomfortable after a while since I needed to use my arms to support my whole body), I got on all fours and used the back of the bed.   In between contractions, I leaned with my head on the top of the bed (which was moved into a chair conformation).  When the wave of contractions came on, I held on to the top of the bed and allowed by body to grow heavy.     I did this for a good hour or hour and a half. I did feel some muscles in my abdomen began pushing somewhat but I didn't have a strong urge to push.   Finally, Pam checked me again.  I was only 8cm and about 75% effaced.  I still had quite a cervical lip that I needed to get rid of.   So I kept trying to push with the squats (Heather and Anthony braced me in squats by holding onto my hands and pulling me up) and then by holding on to rings on either side of the bed.   While I did this, Pam and Heather began pushing my cervix out of the way and around my baby's head.  I was getting really loud at that point to deal with everything but no one seemed to mind.   I remember Pam's back up doctor wandering into the room smiling broadly as if he didn't notice the moaning woman on the bed. 

Finally, at 5:30, Pam told me that I was going to be pushing for real.  It took a couple tries for me to get the hang of what to do but my body really took over.   It was funny because as soon as I engaged certain muscles in my abdomen, they would all cheer and tell me to push like that.  I started imaging that those muscles were on tracks and I just needed to engage them and get them going.   I also remembering getting a little scared because I felt like I was pushing so hard and after all this time, I was worried about how much my uterus could handle.   I know that I was getting really loud but Anthony coached my "vocals."  Instead of getting loud and shrill, they wanted me to keep it low and guttural.   I've never felt so primal in my entire life.  My body honestly did know how to push.  I pushed through each contraction as many times as I needed too.   Pam and Heather and Debbie followed my birth plan by allowing me to push as my body told me to rather than trying to coach me with the "Push, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…"

I wound up doing most of my pushing in the reclined position.  This allowed me to hold on to the rings on the side of the bed while pushing and allowing Pam and Heather to get in there and stretch my cervix and perineum.   They propped a mirror up so that I could see. They kept telling me that the baby had a lot of hair.  I still had that little fear in the back of my mind that maybe I got this far but wouldn't be able to push her out.   However, Heather smiled at one point and told me that I had a pelvis made for birthing.  I was so surprised.  She and Pam went on about how roomy my pelvis was and how they could move their hands all the way around.  For a split second, I wasn't in labor anymore.   I was digesting this new information that was in direct conflict with what my old midwife told me.  Unfortunately, my contractions started spacing out again.   Pam finally told me that it might be time to discuss some options. I momentarily feared the dreaded "c" word but she quickly said she might have to suggest the "p" word.  With everything going on, I couldn't figure out what the "p" word was.   Pitocin.  If my contractions didn't get closer together, she wanted to try a little pitocin to get the baby out.   Sarah and Heather knew how much I didn't want pitocin so Anthony went back to doing nipple stimulation.  I'm surprised he didn't have a hand cramp at that point!

Gianna's head finally began appearing in the mirror. I finally realized that this was for real and it was going to happen.    They told me to reach down and feel how she was right there.  I would keep pushing though and she'd start to move out but then she would sink back in after each contraction.   Finally, her head began popping out.  I remember thinking, "Okay, this is that ring of fire.  If I can just push past this, it will be all over."   A couple intense pushes later and I felt her head coming out.  It stayed there and I began to get her whole head pushed out.   Heather and Pam guided my pushing to prevent me from pushing too hard against my perineum.  My body seemed to follow right along with their guidance and then her whole body come out.   Then they started yelling, "Reach down!  Grab your baby!  Grab your baby!" So I did.   I pulled her up to my chest and they immediately covered her with a blanket. 

I was in such shock after that.  I practically shouted, "I did it!!!   I did it!  I'm not broken."  I finally realized that I needed to announce the sex.  I reached down, lifted up the blanket and screamed, "We have a girl!"   I had to check 2 more times since it was such a thrill to actually be able to check (and because the entire world thought I was having a boy!)  After that, I professed my undying love to Pam, Heather, Sarah, my nurse Debbie (who was still there beyond her shift) and, of course, my husband.  At that point, the whole room was on a huge high.   Later, we laughed about my love fest and how great it was that we didn't resort to pit so that my natural hormones soared right after the birth.

Gianna cried on her own just enough to let us know that she was perfect and healthy.  They never took her away from me. I gently scooted her over to my breast and she latched right on in a perfect latch.   Sarah, a LLL leader, was completely amazed.  You hear about babies moving toward the breast and latching right on without help but it was really something to see.   Heather and Pam told me to give a little push to get the placenta out.  "It feels like pushing a marshmallow out. " said Pam.  She was right - it was an odd feeling though!  A little later on, Heather brought the placenta over so that we could do a placenta appreciation.  Since I never saw my first daughter's placenta, I thought this was really cool.  Heather actually lifted up the placenta by the bag and showed me how tough it was (which probably explains why it didn't want to break easily). 

The post partum wing was filled that night so we stayed in the LDR room.  They moved us the next morning and one of the best sights to see was that bag of pitocin, still hanging from an IV pole… untouched.

I spent 3 years being angry that my first ob told me I had a 5% chance of a vaginal delivery and making me feel broken.   I realize, though, that he was right.  I probably had a 5% chance of a vaginal delivery with this baby also.  But that 5% didn't have anything to do with my body's ability to birth.   Rather, it was a 5% chance of having birth attendants that were patient enough, skilled enough and experienced enough to work through my labor and allow my baby to be born in a beautiful and gentle manner.                   

My daughter's birth story

So what has led me to ICAN?  First I will share the birth story of my daughter Elizabeth. 

I come from a long line of women who have quick, easy births. My mother barely made it to the hospital with me and labored all of 30 minutes. My mother was born on the hospital stairs because her mother couldn’t get inside fast enough. My grandmother was born in an outhouse. Needless to say, I was somewhat worried about getting to the hospital in time since it was 30 minutes away. I figured if I ever needed a c-section, it would be a true emergency like my mother’s last child (my little sister) who was born by c-section due to placenta previa. “Failure to progress” couldn’t possibly happen to me.

About half way through my pregnancy, I switched to using the midwife group at my ob practice thinking that would ensure the ideal birth. My pregnancy was completely uneventful up until the end when I passed my due date. I began hear the word “induction” mentioned over and over. Two weeks was the most they would give me. I scheduled a prenatal massage and reflexology to get things going about 9 days passed my due date. It worked! By 11pmthat night, my contractions were 5-7 minutes apart. We called the midwife. Figures it was our least favorite midwife, Mary, on call. My husband is active duty military and she had a hard time concealing her disdain for his profession. She asked me what I wanted to do and finally suggested that I hang out a little longer. By 3am, I decided we needed to head to the hospital and we called her back. She sighed and said, “You want to go to St. Peter’s don’t you?” We had talked about this endlessly during our appointments. While the other 2 midwives left the hospital choice up to us (the midwives deliver at 2 different hospitals while the doctors only go to one) Mary tried hard to get us to deliver at the other hospital. We explained over and over that we were more comfortable at St Peter’s since I had surgery there a year ago and things went quite well. Admittedly, we also felt comfortable knowing one of the doctors would be there in case of an emergency since that’s where they did all their deliveries.

 

We met Mary at the hospital at 4am. I was hooked up to monitors and my contractions were every 3 minutes. Whew!!! We made it just in time or so I thought. She told us we’d have a baby by lunch time. At 6am, she did an internal which revealed that I was only 2.5cm dilated. I had been 2cm in the office a week before. All that labor for half a centimeter! We walked around and I sat on the birthing ball hoping to get things going. At 8am, I still hadn’t progressed so she manually tried to dilate me which made me scream and wince in pain. She then suggested a “whiff” pitocin to get things going. By 9am, I thought I was dying from the pain and the nausea. She told me she could take all that away with a shot of stadol. Things got pretty fuzzy after that. She was annoyed that I still screamed when she did internals trying to dilate me so she ordered an epidural at 10am so that she could “bump the pitocin all the way up.” By12pm, she began getting very concerned that the baby wasn’t descending properly into the birth canal and that her head was beginning to swell. At 1pm, she brought a doctor in who promptly did an internal and announced, “You have about a 5% chance of a vaginal delivery. We can do a c-section now if you want. Or we can wait until later this afternoon. I have 2 other c-sections scheduled and 3 d&cs.” I didn’t even thing to ask how he came up with the “5%.” All I could think about was this doctor’s routine day of cutting women open and inducing miscarriages. While I know d&cs can be done for a variety of reasons, missed miscarriage is a common one. All this was just another day for him yet it was going to be the worst day of several of his patient’s lives.

 I was sick and shaking so hard I looked like I was having a seizure. I had no strength to deliver vaginally and agreed to the c-section thinking it would all be over soon. They wheeled me right into the OR and I was crying that I was going to throw up. I was ignored until I actually began dry heeving on the operating table. When they were satisfied that the anesthesiologist pumped me with enough drugs to take care of the nausea, they started and Elizabeth was extracted at 2:05pm (incidentally, the same time I was delivered). She came out screaming and in my woozy state I actually asked if that was the baby. Her 1 and 5 minute apgars were 9 (the hospital doesn’t give out 10s). So much for her swollen head. I began panicking and trying to get my arms out of the straps when I realized I couldn’t breathe. I felt for sure I was going to die right on that table from suffocation. Luckily, the midwife was there and told me that I was okay but I was completely traumatized by the experience.

 I was wheeled off to recovery and abandoned as if nothing happened. My father finally walked in about an hour later to see how I was doing (my parents showed up at some point while I was laboring). At 5pm, they wheeled me into my post partum room and brought Elizabeth in. I noticed that she had 2 small cuts across the back of her head. The later told me that it must have been due to hitting her head on my pelvis. Funny, how she got 2 perfect one inch long cuts on her head from hitting my pelvis but no bruise.

 Mary came to visit me the following day and explained that my pelvis is oval shaped and I’d never deliver vaginally. I pressed her about a vbac and she said the only way I’d be successful is if my next baby was under 6.5 lbs which wasn’t likely since Elizabeth was 8.5 lbs. She told me that next time I would just schedule a “birthday party” and have the doctor and midwife of my choice there. Like hell I will do that.