I posted this in the October board, but thought I should post a slightly expanded version here too!
I gave birth on the 36 week mark exactly. Which is almost funny, I was one of the people who kept saying "Sure I'm uncomfortable,but I'd rather be uncomfortable and make sure she's fully cooked than her come early." Well, she apparently had other plans and she came early.
My labor
itself only lasted about an hour. Which was vastly different than what my birth classes warned me of. I only made it to two of those birth classes though, so maybe I just missed the class where first time labor could in fact be super quick and not last eons like they were telling us lol.
I woke up to take a early morning potty break and realized my mucus plug
was coming out. I wasn?t that concerned about that, as I had read that it could come out 2 weeks before actual labor. Then the bloody show
happened, and I started throwing things haphazardly into a bag to at
least have something put together. I try to call DH the first time
around now, and can?t get a hold of him. The mantra of "Oh Sh!t" is running through my head now. I'm trying to remain calm and get at least some of the things I think I might need put together.
While trying to pack, my water gave its first initial
burst and I realized I was in trouble. The contractions which felt more
like I had to poo, got bad enough that I couldn?t stand up so I give up trying to call DH and called
911. Apparently, when you tell them I?m 36 weeks pregnant and in labor,
they will send everyone. I'm surprised the coast guard didn't make an appearance. It got a little tricky though, I was upstairs, I couldn't get downstairs and the front door was locked. I could hear the police knocking on the door and finally the 911 operator asked if I gave them permission to kick int he door.
They kicked in my front door and trudged up my stairs (Which kinda looks like a battlefield), and I
knew it was bad when the EMT grimaced and motioned for the other EMT
and fire rescue. They rolled me up in my comforter and carried me down
the stairs and onto the stretcher. Then I made sure to ask for them to
at least shut the door. The 911 operator and the EMT had both been
trying to reach my DH, and when he finally calls back, (He had 11 missed
calls and went down the list) he claims I said ?Don?t get mad, but they
had to kick in the front door? I don?t recall saying this, but it does
sound like something I might say.
I get to the hospital, DH gets there about 5 minutes later and then maybe 10 minute after that my LO is born, it was all very dramatic, and I guess it was good I had wanted to try and do it naturally, because I certainly had no time for any kind of drugs!
At
first everything seemed fine, she appeared to be eating, but they kept
running the BilliRubin test (For Jaundice) on her and when we asked why
they were doing it so often, we were told it was routine. We had no
reason to doubt them. We didn?t find out until later that her first
initial test was high, and her second test was dangerously high. They
discharged us anyway. All they told us was to have the test done again
the next day at the lab. So we did, and that lab sent the results to our
pediatrician who phoned us and asked us to come in immediately. From
there, the test was done yet again, and we were sent to another
hospital. At that hospital, they hooked her up to Billilights and began
to treat her for the Jaundice. That went on for just a little while when we were told the levels were so high
we were going to be flown to the big hospital in Atlanta, and they were
talking about blood transfusions and brain damage?needless to say, I was
a mess. Thankfully they at least let me fly with her.
So the baby and I were flown to the hospital and DH had
to drive. Once I got there, I was put in the waiting room, were I met a
very nice woman who assured me we were at the very best place for her
and that things would be ok. Once they had her situated they let me back
to see her, and it was just terrible to see her like that. We spent 3
days in the PICU before being charted down to the floor. We spent nearly a
week in the hospital. She was on a feeding tube for a while, and
thankfully she did an abrupt turn about and started eating on her own
and waking herself up to eat instead of us having to do it for her.
Needless
to say, we are not pleased with the hospital I delivered at, and our
Pediatrician is absolutely furious, going as far as posing a formal
inquiry as to why if the levels were so high, we were discharged. This
could have all been avoided if they had put her under the lights when
her tests came back so high. They didn't even give us any information about it or anything. Just handed us the baby with a good luck to you. We could have lost our daughter because they did not do their jobs.
Thankfully, things are better now though, and we?re trying to concentrate on moving forwards.
Here she is!
Re: Isabelle's dramatic entrance into the world (Long and PIP)
Eleanor Noelle - 18/05/12 Claire Elisabeth - 16/-5/10
Sounds like your daughter was seriously at risk for Kernicterus due to a medical error. I would get your medical record from the first hospital and get an attorney, at least to cover your daughters medical expenses in the PICU. Jaundice is pretty straightforward, this sounds like serious medical error. Glad you had a good delivery.
Thanks everyone!
Yes, we are looking into legal advice on how to handle the hospital we delivered at. It's just so insane that they discharged us when her levels were already at a really dangerous level. And when we repeatedly asked about it, they just told us it was routine. If the pediatrician hadn't seen the results, I don't even want to think about what could have happened.
Yes, and if it's as high as I think, the hospital should pay for all her medical care after discharge.
Trevor Calvin 12.10.07 7:26pm 7lbs2.5oz 19.75in
Emerson Claire 07.07.11 11:34am 7lbs7oz 20.5 in