This birth story, in honor of Cesarean Awareness Month (CAM), comes from Jessica Angell. To have your birth story posted on this blog, email it to: blog@ican-online.org
Once I got to the point of being “checked” at my OB appt, my OB commented that my pelvis was tight so a c-section was always in the back of my head.
I was induced at 39 weeks 1 day due to insulin-dependent gestational diabetes. Things proceeded quickly at first but then slowed down. My OB broke my water at 11:30 am. I really wanted a natural birth but I did take a half dose of nubaine at 4:30 pm because they were hoping it would relax my pelvis. Unfortunately it didn’t and tried the other half dose around 7 pm and again no change.
Around 8 pm I was asked if I wanted an epidural. My sister-in-law who is a L&D nurse was with me. I asked her if she thought it would be a c-section at that point and she was thinking it would be so I went with the epi. That did speed things up and I got to 10 cm, 100% effaced. Then my baby’s HB dropped to 60 and my BP went up to 200/100 with no sign of her making an entrace so I wash rushed to the OR for a c-section.
My anesthesiologist was great – held up two syringes saying one would up my epi and the other would put me out if the epi wasn’t enough. I told him no matter how much I screamed to put the one that would put me out away. Fortunately, I didn’t feel a thing, no tugging or pulling that you sometimes hear of. My daughter, Abigail, was born healthy in minutes at 12:58 am. My OB said my pelvis was completely tight and her head wasn’t even in the birth canal – no way she was coming out that way – and she was only 5 lb 14 oz!
By the time I was back in my room after being stiched shut, they had her in there too. Yes, there was pain, but I don’t think it affected my bonding experience at all. I began nursing right away and she nursed until 17 months even though I had to work full-time. I did get an infection in my incision a week later which was the worst part of the healing. It wasn’t the birth I planned but all that mattered was my daughter and I both came out of it healthy with no long-term side effects.
