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VBAC
Uterine tear. It happened to me.
I just posted below about my successful VBAC without an epidural. I had an amazing birth, and my baby was born healthy. What happened after was the most painful thing I have had to endure which trumps child birth by 1000%. During the birth, and my stay at the hospital, there were no signs of uterine tear or infections. So the fact that my symptoms didn't show up for a few days was mind boggling to the doctors.
I was released from the hospital on Friday with Jacob, and all was well. I went home, felt great, and actually got on the floor to play with DD. I remember thinking how great I felt as opposed to what I went through with my c-section, and not being able to move around as freely.
On Saturday, our families came over to visit. I had taken a shower, and my hair was still wet. A couple of hours later, I started to experience some really strong chills. They were so bad that I had to cover myself with a few blankets, wear a couple of sweaters, and have DH blowdry me with hot air under the blankets to make them stop. Finally, I found relief, and they went away. Then, I noticed that throughout the day, I started to feel more and more bloated. It got so bad that it hurt to wear my huge granny panties, and I actually had to change back into the hospital underwear. Luckily, I snagged a few before I left.
Throughout the night, I felt more and more pain in my belly. I couldn't even get out of bed to nurse my baby, and DH had to actually help get me out of bed because I could not move. The next day, I still felt the same. Motrin didn't give me any relief, and I actually noticed my feet and ankles were really swollen. I felt like I was coming down with something because I had a bad headache, I had a fever, and my throat hurt. I called my OB to see what I could do, and one of her partners advised me to got an Urgent Care clinic to get my vitals checked.
The drive was horrible. Anytime DH would hit a pothole or a bump, I would scream in pain. It hurt to move my belly, and I had to hold my breath most of the way. When I got out of the car, I could barely walk. I was walking like a 90 year old woman. Once we walked in, DH told the lady at the counter that I just had a baby a couple of days ago, and before he could finish, she said "you need to take her to the Emergency Room. We can't help her here". So we got back into the car. I begged DH to take me to the hospital where I delivered, but it is about 45 minutes away from where we live, and he knew the drive would be way too hard on me. So we went to a hospital that was only 10 minutes away.
The E.R. was really busy, but they were able to get me into a room right away because they could see I was in really bad pain. Once I was in, I had to have a pelvic exam. Let me tell you...that was not fun, especially since it felt like the doctor popped my stitches. I screamed. They had to do a round of tests. I got a catscan and an ultrasound. Just being wheeled around the hospital was painful. Whenever we hit a bump in the hallway, I would scream. Everyone in the hospital was looking at me. I couldn't help it. It felt like I was being stabbed a million times over, and that isn't an exageration.
After being there for 12 hours, they told me I had a uterine infection. The E.R. doctor was amazing, and was relaying everything to my OB's office. At 12 a.m. we decided it was best to get transferred to my hospital since they had all of my information on hand, and I wanted my OB to treat me. I was transferred by ambulance, and let me tell you, it was not a fun ride. I was lucky that my doctor was able to pull some strings, and I had a room waiting for me when we got there. That night, the E.R. was so busy, and DH ran into some friends of his in the waiting room. They ended up leaving after being there for so many hours. I was lucky I didn't have to wait, and was glad to have gone to the other hospital first.
After a few days, and a series of tests, my OBs concluded that I had a uterine tear. It caused me to lose a lot of blood, and I was actually given a blood transfusion when I was there. I was on so many antibiotics for the infection, and saw so many doctors. I was finally released 7 days later. Being away from my babies was the hardest part. I felt horrible for leaving my son so soon. But I knew I needed to be at the hospital and I needed to get better for my kids. It was so lonely, and I cried many many tears. But the thing that made it easier was the care that I received when I was there. The nurses and doctors were so amazing. They took such good care of me, and explained everything in detail. I was very fortunate to have the care I was given.
I'm so glad everything is finally starting to feel normal again. The doctors appointments are slowing down, and I'm finally starting to recover. The infection came back a couple of weeks later, and I was on more antibiotics. I have had so many pelvic exams, and blood drawn to last me a lifetime. I was told that if I have another baby, it would be a definite c-section, and I would have to wait at least 18 months to conceive. We haven't decided on another one yet, but the possibilty is there.
I am so blessed to have an amazing family. My mom stayed at our place and took care of my kids while I was gone. I really don't know what I would have done without her. The funny thing is, she had stayed over for a couple of days when I was released from the hospital. On the Saturday when our families came to visit, I actually told her to go home, and that I would be fine by myself. She didn't listen, and insisted she was staying. Thank God she did, because I didn't have to worry about my kids when I was in the E.R.
I'm sorry this was so long, and I admire anyone that was able to read that. I wanted to post this to show that uterine tears and ruptures do happen. For me, it was an odd case because the symptoms didn't show up until 4 days after giving birth. If I could do it all over, and opt for the c-section instead, I don't know what I would choose. I had an amazing birth experience, and I don't necessarily think I would choose the c-section, as crazy as that sounds. This post wasn't meant to scare anyone, just to simply tell my story. Thanks for reading.
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Re: Uterine tear. It happened to me.
Thanks for posting your story. I'm sorry you went through all that.
Enjoy the LO!