Anyone else have a scary birth experience?

danalawrence

Mine was a mess, the covering physician for my OB's practice failed to show up and the residents basically operated on me, and they had waited way too long and my Baby A wound up coming out reverse breech because her head was in the birth canal, below the c-section incision.  I think the scariness of the delivery has exacerbated the preemie/NICU situation stress.  Did anyone else have a crappy birth experience?  This is fresh and raw to me today because I just had my incision check and I ripped my main OB a new one about this, he just kept saying how sorry he was.

urbanflowerpot

That sounds awful! I would guess most of them are less than ideal - things were a mess with mine but it was happening so fast. One nurse jabbed my arm wrong for the IV and blood literally went spraying everywhere. Have you looked into counseling to help you cope with the aftermath? It's helped a lot of us.

SushiNoMore

That sounds scary!  I'm sorry you had to go through that.

My son was born when I was 300 miles away from home on a business trip.  He was born at 26 weeks after just a couple of hours of labor.  My husband wasn't there.  I was put on oxygen because his heart rate kept dropping, and they told me I needed to get him out quickly because it was better for him to be born fast.  After my son was born, they let me hold him, and I thought to myself, "They're letting me hold him in case he dies."

Traumatic for sure.  And, I ended up with PTSD that I'm getting counseling for.

AlwaysSunny925

All things considered (delivering so early and DH having left the hospital that night to get some sleep in a real bed) my birth experience wasn't scary.  Though, I don't know if it counts since it was an emergency C-section so I was knocked out.  I do remember trying to slow down and take it all in because I wasnted to remember everything.  I remember how protective everyone in the operating room was.  The anesthesiologist specifically.  He said something like, "Don't worry, we got you.  We will take care of you."  It seemed so caring of a person whom I never met before.  I remember them informing me that my OB arrived on time to do the procedure. (He later told my sister he got to the hospital in 12 minutes).  And most importantly I remember them telling me that DH made it to the hospital right before they put me under.  I was calm.  And I was not scared at all.  I knew they would take care of me.  I was scared for my babies of course, but at that point I saw I how much blood I had lost (I had a placental abruption) so I knew they had to take them. 

ETA:  I'm sorry yours was scary.  And I hope that one day you will make peace with it.  I can't imagine being upset over the delivery on top of having my kids in NICU.

gysberger04

Mine wasn't so much scary for me as it has been traumatic.  After being diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia on a Tuesday morning (our 3rd wedding anniversasry) and being told I would be lucky to make it 48 hours before my LO was born (I was 30w6d at that time), I made it 72 hours before the doctors decided a c-section was necessary for my health (LO was doing just fine inside of me).  In a matter of hours, morphine was no longer working to keep the burning sensation and the feeling of my shoulder blades ripping out of my back at bay, and I was told I needed a c-section.  I remember, very vividly, sitting in the L&D room, and then in the operating room, watching the hospital staff walk around and get ready for the surgery very casually (in my drugged-up eyes (from magnesium and morphine)) while I felt like I couldn't breathe, my back was being ripped out of my body and I seriously thought I was going to have a stroke or seizure and die right in front of them.  At least a few times a week I still get images of sitting on the operating table watching the staff get out the tools they were going to use to cut me open as I sat there holding back tears because I was in so much pain.  Luckily the spinal made my pain magically go away so the actual birth wasn't as traumatic, but it was definitely a scary feeling when my LO wasn't breathing when she was born and the only way I knew she was out of me was by others telling me she was out, since there were no initial cries.

mt1927

yup very scary. emergency c-section, 28wks. they took him out and took him away. never saw him nor heard him cry. now for whatever reason hearing newborn cries other then DS get me really upset. 

cassie.neace@gmail.com

Yes! I was on magnesium for 24 hours prior to my sons birth, and the moment they stopped the magnesium I began contracting. My husband and I kept trying to tell the nurses how intense my contractions were, but they were so busy that they kept telling us they'd be in as soon as they could. 

An hour later, they finally checked me (I hadn't been checked at all) and I could have sneezed him out at that point. The nurse gave me Procardia at this point- I'm not sure why. 

The doctor asked if the baby was head down - shouldn't she know this? 

They tried to give me an epidural, but I couldn't sit up because he was so incredibly low. Then they tried to give me a saddle block, which didn't work. I'm not sure why they insisted on giving me pain medication, as I didn't request it. The doctor was adamant about me having something though.

I pushed maybe 5 or 10 times and out he came. 

I can't help but think we could have further delayed my son's birth if the nurses had listened to me when I told them I was contracting. They solely relied on the monitors, which were not placed correctly, and insisted that I didn't seem like I was in enough pain to be fully dilated. 

The whole hospital experience was terrifying, but having my sweet boy home makes it all seem like no big deal.  

njdcgirl

Mine was also a scary experience - not for me, but b/c I thought for sure we were losing our son.  I had a cerclage 4 days prior (23 weeks) and was just settling into the idea of months of bed rest when I got an infection and started contracting.  I was in denial, but finally DH made me go to the hospital.  The hospital I was supposed to deliver at only had a Level 2 NICU, but that's where I went anyway (didn't know really what that meant).  When they checked me at the hospital, my water broke.  I knew it was all over then.  The neo there told me DS had a 30% chance of survial, and we decided to fight for him.  After my first ambulance ride to a nearby hospital with a level 3 NICU, I was rushed into a c-section, and DS was born less than 30 mintues later. 

He cried when he came out, which shocked us.  I remember not wanting to look at him, but the NICU team made me, and even took a few pictures with DH's cell phone. I think the only question I asked for the first 48 hours or so was "Is he still alive?"  His delivery was the scariest moments - and most surreal - of my life.

Luckily, with time (and some therapy) it has gotten easier to think about, but I still haven't forgotten the dispair I felt that night.  I may have had a crappy birth experience, but I still have an amazing son.  I'm grateful every day.

((HUGS)) to you. 

jenifairies

I'm so sorry you went through that.

I went in at 8am with intense pain - turned out my liver was swelling (HELLP) and my ob told me they would have to get me in the OR immediately. I had DD just after 11 that morning at 24w2d. I was TERRIFIED. I didn't think she would make it through delivery. The nurse prepping me for surgery dug around in my hand looking for a vein while I was already crying for my DD, and the nurse practitioner for NICU was trying to talk to me at the same time. It was awful. I was rushed in the OR, I never heard her cry. I didn't get to see her in the OR. I was on mag for 48 hours so couldn't get out of bed and to the NICU until after. Despite the anesthesiologist giving me a sedative I couldn't sleep with any level of encouragement - I was so consumed with worry. It was traumatic.

I LOVE my ob. I trusted him completely to do the best he could. I'm so sorry you didn't get the same treatment.

adrielegorburu

Im not sure that any Preemie mom didnt have a scary birth experience. I know I'll never forget mine. My water broke during the night when I was 22 weeks. I remember waking up soaking wet thinking I peed my bed. I was calm when I called my doc - even when we drove to the hospital - even though I knew once my water broke it was bad. everything after that was a haze, I was contracting even though I didnt know it, it wasnt long before i was hanging upside down with a magnezium drip and 9 doctors standing around giving me some of the worst news ever. and the options where fantastic - vaginal still born birth, D&E, or vertical C-section with the only chance of survival for the baby. I had never undergone surgery before and next thing I know I'm in the OR. Luckily DD decided to let one big cry out when she was pulled from me - just to say "it will be ok mom" and then I saw her for the first time, this tiny little purple head wrapped in a towel - she was already intubated and off she went. I started sobbing and the anesthesiologist knocked me out (bless him) - I really benefitted from counseling for the PTSD - the trauma is still very vivid for me.

jacque_z

My birth experience totally sucked.  It was one of the worst days of my life.  I lost some mucus the night before so I decided to go to L&D just to get checked out.  I really thought I was just being paranoid and they would send me home.  My daughter was born three hours later due to IC at 26w5d.  I was dilated to a 4 and had a bulging bag.  I was almost immediately taken into an emergency c-section.  It's been over a year and I still get emotional thinking about it. 

 I'm sorry yours sucked too.   

sdtchica13

Mine was terrifying as well. I was in the hospital on enforced bed rest since the day before when I came in hemorrhaging. My parents were keeping my company so DH could pop into the office for a few hours (his office is down the block from the hospital). At 4:00 that afternoon all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain and then the contraction monitors went nuts.

A nurse and resident came in, kicked my parents out of the room and then checked me, at which point my water broke. I called DH and he rushed over from the office, at which point a neo came in to let us know that Corri would be born tonight and what we could expect from a 29w, 6d baby in terms of complications and development. Shortly after that, my hemorrhaging returned and I started losing blood so fast that everything gets a little fuzzy for me at that point. I vaguely recall being wheeled down to the OR and getting a spinal, and then I remember nothing except my doc saying "A lot of hair on this one" and then hearing Corri scream (thank goodness), and then being extremely nauseous and throwing up. I don't remember anything else until I was in recovery. 

It was scary and it sucked, as did the 9 weeks in the NICU that followed. I am sorry that your birth experience sucked too.