Giving Birth to Alice
I was planning on doing at water birth at OHSU in Portland. I wasn't considered "at risk."
I went in the two days before my due date to get a check up. Because it's also a university, my baby's heart beat was checked by a student without a supervising doctor in the room. She said it was fine. But, after having heard my baby's heart beat numerous times, I said "no, that sounds a little slow." They agreed that it might and hooked me up to a monitor for about 4 hours that evening. I left, and they called me (at about 9pm) and said that they wanted me to come in again the next morning to be monitored again.
I went to work and then left after an hour and a half to be monitored at OHSU. After a couple hours, they said that I might as well be induced. They thought that maybe she had her cord was being held under her arm every once in a while.
I was induced at about 3pm (the day before my due date). I wasn't able to have a water birth anymore of course. I was given an epidural by a student. She messed up three times, but the fourth time worked.
At 6:30am (on my due date), I started pushing. I was so exhausted that I was pushing, throwing up and then passing out... then waking up when my next contraction came, pushing, throwing up and then passing out. Over and over. The midwives and occasionally a doctor tried to put my in different positions to have gravity or something help.
She was finally born at 10:01am- three and a half hours of pushing. Her cord was wrapped around her neck three times. She was "blue," "floppy," and not breathing. The doctor carefully cut the cord and blood spurted higher than the pillows behind my head. Blood was everywhere. It seemed like forever, but after the cord was cut, a team of doctors came in to revive my daughter.
Meanwhile, I hemorrhaged and had a blood transfusion. But, I lost a kiddy pool of blood and ended up looking like a TV show vampire- extremely pale, grey lips. I became anemic.
Luckily, Alice started breathing. I still don't know how she made it. I've had a friend who lost her baby by the same ordeal.
Thank God I've got my little Alice! But, needless to say, I'm a little nervous about giving birth again.
Re: Giving Birth to Alice
thank the universe for your baby's survival! Baby Alice must have been born under a lucky star to have survived such an ordeal.
I would give birth somewhere else next time! Heal!!!
I went to school and work and a teaching hospital. I will probably also give birth there (eventually). I appreciate the individuals who allow students, however knowing the instructors and everything I did with very little knowledge/background, I will refuse students.
I'm sorry for your experience.
I would go to St. Vincent's or Good Sam. I delivered at St. V's and felt like I was the only woman in the L&D even though they deliver like 6000 babies a year and L&D was packed due to a weather change and a full moon. My nurse checked in on me constantly and even stayed past her shift while I was pushing (shift ended at 7pm and I delivered at 7:19pm). I have never been to Good Sam however have heard things.