Why the hell not? My birth story

Geekchick921 · April 2009

Entitled - Failed induction after a misdiagnosis.

On Monday the 22^nd of December I hadn't felt the baby move much at all since the morning. That afternoon I had a big glass of OJ and a PB&J and laid on my left side for awhile and still had only felt a few of the tiniest little nudges. I got concerned and called my OB's office, and they told me to come right in. The doctor said her pulse sounded okay on the doppler, but they still had to send me to L&D for monitoring.

I got upstairs and checked into triage. Of course, she starts to punch the fetal monitor pretty much as soon as they hook her up to it. Still, the OB on call for my office wanted me to have an amniotic fluid index (an ultrasound to check my fluid level), as that might have been the reason for the decreased movement. It took me HOURS to get down there because it was late and the radiology department runs on a skeleton crew at night. The tech checked some chart and told me it actually didn't look like my fluid was low, but the radiologist said my fluid was indeed low, 5th percentile, and the OB decided to induce me.

I got into a real L&D room around 11PM and we had to wait for one of the OBs to come and examine me, which they did, between C-sections. That OB measured me at more like 2cm and 60% effaced (baby still at -2... or -3) instead of the 2-3cm, 70-80% effaced and -2 my office docs said I was, but whatever. They hung the pitocin at 1AM. I didn't sleep too well that night, and it wasn't really the contractions. The BP cuff attached to the fetal monitor that got WAY too tight went off in 15 minute intervals, waking me up every time.

At 8AM they examined me and I was 3cm. They broke my water. It was EVERYWHERE! The doctor said I was a gusher and that my fluid wasn't low at all. Lovely. After that, the contractions were awful. I don't know how often they were before that, but they quickly became 1 minute long, every 2 minutes. Oh my GOD, I couldn't take it. At 9AM I asked for the epidural and had it by about 9:30. It was heavenly. I would just look at the monitor and rave each time a contraction popped up on the screen because I couldn't feel it.

The only thing that sucked about that was being bedridden. I was stuck on the monitor because I was being induced but I could go to the bathroom before that. I tried the bedpan once, and I was able to use it, but they sat me upright to use it and the pressure of my uterus on my aorta nearly made me faint. I came REALLY close. Then they had to cath me.

At 2PM, I was 5-6cm dilated and 90% effaced and she had finally moved to -1 station. Unfortunately,they checked me again at 4PM and I was 6cm, pretty much 100% effaced, but she was still at -1. To top it all off, her heartrate was starting to drop with each contraction. The doctor gave me the C-section shpiel, which I knew was coming. I REALLY didn't want one. If her heartrate hadn't started to drop on contractions, I would have kept going, as I was progressing, albeit slowly, but that really made the C-section less of a choice and more of a necessity. I started crying and signed the consent form after about 15 ? hours into my induction.

Sometime between 5 and 5:30 I was in the OR, and DH stayed with me the whole time. I didn't even know they'd started (I asked and they were like "Oh yeah!"). She was born at 5:48PM. She is 20 ? inches long and was 8 lbs. 4oz. at birth. They told DH to look over the curtain to see her and he started crying. I started crying as soon as I heard her crying. I didn't get to see her for a few minutes while they wiped her down and everything, though they put her in my arms to be wheeled back to my room after they closed me up. I got to nurse her almost right away (one of the nurses was great with helping me my first time) and they didn't take her to the nursery for about an hour.

Over the course of the day, DH agreed her name would be Sarah, but if he hadn't yet, I would have told him that was going to be her name after I needed the C-section. Wink

I love my little girl to pieces, but I am very upset about my failed induction/C-section. I am very burned at the fact that I was misdiagnosed and never should have been induced. Even after that fact, in retrospect I realize so many different aspects of my labor that should have been handled differently. She wasn't ready to check out of my apparently 5-star uterus and I'm sure her distress was from the 15 1/2 hours of pitocin. II feel so certain that if I had gone into labor naturally I would have delivered vaginally, and that I wasn't really given a fair shot.

Fortunately, my recovery was easy. And more importantly, my doctor said I am a very good VBAC candidate for several reasons. I plan on seeing a midwife and hiring a doula and am determined to VBAC DC #2 in 2011 (barring emergencies, of course).

userdeleted · April 2009

How incredibly frustrating!!! I'm angry for you.

I also plan on a VBAC. Hopefully I'll have a good story for you come November

jess1984 · April 2009

YOu'll kick A$$ with a VBAC! And you already know that I think she's one of the most adorable little girls ever!

Brittany Goldman · April 2009

I'm so sorry to hear about the circumstances that surrounded your delivery, and I read your comments on the "why would you be mad if you can't deliver naturally" post. Unfortunately you are a victim of the "cascade effect". One intervention leads to another and another until finally you end up at the bottom of the c/s hill. You are not alone in feeling cheated out of the experience. I would definitely suggest looking into a home or birth center birth if you have another baby. There are midwives out there who know your pain and disappointment and will work with your VBAC so that you can have the birth you wanted and deserve. Congrats, and your daughter is beautiful

Geekchick921 · April 2009

GoldmanBaby09:
I'm so sorry to hear about the circumstances that surrounded your delivery, and I read your comments on the "why would you be mad if you can't deliver naturally" post. Unfortunately you are a victim of the "cascade effect". One intervention leads to another and another until finally you end up at the bottom of the c/s hill. You are not alone in feeling cheated out of the experience. I would definitely suggest looking into a home or birth center birth if you have another baby. There are midwives out there who know your pain and disappointment and will work with your VBAC so that you can have the birth you wanted and deserve. Congrats, and your daughter is beautiful

Oh, I know. I really don't blame my OB's, though. I really think they did what they thought was best for me, just that it was based on a poorly read ultrasound. I blame the radiologist.

I fully intend to see a midwife and hire a doula when we're expecting our second child. If I can give birth at a birth center, I definitely want to. Thank for the encourage and compliments! Smile

Amy H · April 2009

First, Congratulations on a healthy baby girl. Second, I'm sorry to hear of the steps that lead up to your c-section... How frustrating (and I realize here that frustrating doesn't even begin to touch it). In situations with a difficult/frustrating/scary initial c-section, I think part of it is emotionally getting over what happened in the first delivery too, as much of the physical part of trusting your body. That was def the case for me anyway. I thought I totally was until the first trip to the hospital for a "false alarm" and I cried almost the whole way there... I think at that point she knew Mommy wasn't quite ready for this so she stayed a few more weeks, LOL!

GL in all you hope to accomplish next time! I definitely think that you have an awesome shot at a successful VBAC next time around.