OmiOmen
Mum of two
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- Oct 28, 2009
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I had my first son by C-section primarily due to breach positioning but I also had pre-eclampsia, strep-B and a few minor concerns. For my second I was desperate for a VBAC and wanted it to be as natural as could be. I went overdue but knew I had started early labour although his head felt so low it might come out at any minute the contractions clearly were not doing much. After seeing the consultant I was booked for an induction because my waters had already gone.
When I went for my induction on the 6th of June my contractions were 7 minutes apart, the doctor broke my fore waters as only the back had gone. She said his head was right at the bottom but the cervix was at the top so explained this would make things more painful. I had to have the drip induction as the hormone one increases the risk of uterine rupture for a VBAC and you can have it with the regular contractions I had. After about 4 hours the contractions were every 2 minutes and it was starting to become very painful. I never thought I would consider an epidural but I needed it, the MW checked and I was only 3cm dilated and I was gutted I had to have it but I really couldn't take the pain any more. The pain was constant and the contractions made it worse and at first I thought the epidural was helping but then I realised it hadn't done anything and I was in agony so the MW got the doctor to check me over. I was progressing slowly and there was very slight dips in the heartbeat (normal level though). I told him something was wrong and although out of the many people in the room at this point didn't believe me he listened. But he couldn't see any thinning of my scar or anything but said the brake though pain of the epidural and the fact I was probably going to have an EMCS due to not progressing he would highly recommend one now. I told him there was something wrong and I wanted one- which once again I thought I would never say. At this point the pain was so bad my sight was blurry and the world seemed odd but it is hard to describe. DH went out of the room to tell his mum what had happened because it was classed as code amber meaning they would want to have me in theatre in 25 minutes. Just after DH left they said the baby was very much in distress and it went to code red and I was rushed in right away. Luckily since I had an induction and epidural I had the cannula and stuff in my back set up. Everything moved quickly and they topped up the aesthetic a lot while they set up the theatre around me. DH got in the theatre just as they were starting.
The next part is based on what I can remember what DH saw and heard and all the things the doctors have since told me. The surgeon cut into me and shouted “SHIT!” and suddenly everyone looked worried and started rushing around quickly. I have had a C-section before and know you can feel it and sometimes have discomfort but it was hurting a bit and his hands were not where they were supposed to be at the start of it. I knew it wasn’t supposed to feel how it did. They said he was out and I couldn’t hear a cry at first but then heard a tiny little one. He had a little oxygen but apparently didn’t really need it much. He was fine and the people I could see looked relived and started guessing his weight (he was 9lbs 10oz). What the surgeon had found when he cut into me that my uterus had ruptured and CJ was outside of the uterus grasping and my other internal organs with his hands. The chances of surviving that type of rupture are beyond slim and the few babies that do are very ill but he was as healthy as can be.
Once he was out I got calmer but DH didn’t as he was so scared I was now going to die. They tried to work out how much damage I had and although a few people thought I should be put under a general anaesthetic and DH leave the surgeon wanted to work with the local still. The staff not directly preforming surgery tried to distract us although it really didn’t work on DH at all. At first I was getting told a hysterectomy and blood transfusion would be likely but once more cleared up he was happy that it wouldn’t need to be done. They said my some organs had shifted into the wrong places and my bowel just managed not to get damaged. He explained the uterus had a tore open and tore into the vagina but that also there was extensive tearing to my bladder too. He fixed it all up but the urologist surgeon was called in too. The urologist surgeon was happy with the mending of the tare but had to explore more for further damage. He wanted me under a general but I asked if he explore under the local and only use a general for the fixing if it needed doing and he agreed to that. He found there was less damage than they all thought but said there was some so he tried to put a stent in the urethra but it was doing more harm than good so he put a catheter in but used a size 16 (bigger than the regular ones they use) and I have to have that in for 4 weeks to repair the damage. This means I have a catheter with leg bag on until my appointment on the 4th of July but he has arranged for me to stay overnight on the postnatal ward so CJ can come and we can still BF. Getting CJ out was quick but fixing me up took hours and DH and CJ were quickly sent to recovery to wait for me. I was in high dependency recovery for a few days and unlike with my C-section with DS1 I really was unable to do anything at all for a couple of days. I was hooked up to so many wires and tubes and on so much medication. I had to rely on people for everything and the MW pretty much had to put my breast in CJ’s mouth for feeds for me. I was moved to the postnatal ward which was useless so I discharged myself since everything but my pulse was fine and I knew that was the stress of being there.
The chances of this happening are really, really rare, and the chances of a positive outcome ever rarer. So many things had to be done at just the right time to get us in that theatre just in time to save us. The only reason CJ was still alive at that point is by a stroke of luck his placenta had attached at the top of the uterus and was not quite free of it at that moment. We need to have a debrief in a few weeks/months with a consultant about what happened as they do that with traumatic births because not only is there the physical trauma but the mental.
We were so lucky in our outcome of a bad situation but I can’t help but question why something so rare happened to me. I am left regretting not having a planned C-section. And because not many people go through it I feel slightly alone. It has also affected DH a lot and even my in-laws.
All that is left to say is that my son came out not only fighting but thriving and is an amazing little guy!
When I went for my induction on the 6th of June my contractions were 7 minutes apart, the doctor broke my fore waters as only the back had gone. She said his head was right at the bottom but the cervix was at the top so explained this would make things more painful. I had to have the drip induction as the hormone one increases the risk of uterine rupture for a VBAC and you can have it with the regular contractions I had. After about 4 hours the contractions were every 2 minutes and it was starting to become very painful. I never thought I would consider an epidural but I needed it, the MW checked and I was only 3cm dilated and I was gutted I had to have it but I really couldn't take the pain any more. The pain was constant and the contractions made it worse and at first I thought the epidural was helping but then I realised it hadn't done anything and I was in agony so the MW got the doctor to check me over. I was progressing slowly and there was very slight dips in the heartbeat (normal level though). I told him something was wrong and although out of the many people in the room at this point didn't believe me he listened. But he couldn't see any thinning of my scar or anything but said the brake though pain of the epidural and the fact I was probably going to have an EMCS due to not progressing he would highly recommend one now. I told him there was something wrong and I wanted one- which once again I thought I would never say. At this point the pain was so bad my sight was blurry and the world seemed odd but it is hard to describe. DH went out of the room to tell his mum what had happened because it was classed as code amber meaning they would want to have me in theatre in 25 minutes. Just after DH left they said the baby was very much in distress and it went to code red and I was rushed in right away. Luckily since I had an induction and epidural I had the cannula and stuff in my back set up. Everything moved quickly and they topped up the aesthetic a lot while they set up the theatre around me. DH got in the theatre just as they were starting.
The next part is based on what I can remember what DH saw and heard and all the things the doctors have since told me. The surgeon cut into me and shouted “SHIT!” and suddenly everyone looked worried and started rushing around quickly. I have had a C-section before and know you can feel it and sometimes have discomfort but it was hurting a bit and his hands were not where they were supposed to be at the start of it. I knew it wasn’t supposed to feel how it did. They said he was out and I couldn’t hear a cry at first but then heard a tiny little one. He had a little oxygen but apparently didn’t really need it much. He was fine and the people I could see looked relived and started guessing his weight (he was 9lbs 10oz). What the surgeon had found when he cut into me that my uterus had ruptured and CJ was outside of the uterus grasping and my other internal organs with his hands. The chances of surviving that type of rupture are beyond slim and the few babies that do are very ill but he was as healthy as can be.
Once he was out I got calmer but DH didn’t as he was so scared I was now going to die. They tried to work out how much damage I had and although a few people thought I should be put under a general anaesthetic and DH leave the surgeon wanted to work with the local still. The staff not directly preforming surgery tried to distract us although it really didn’t work on DH at all. At first I was getting told a hysterectomy and blood transfusion would be likely but once more cleared up he was happy that it wouldn’t need to be done. They said my some organs had shifted into the wrong places and my bowel just managed not to get damaged. He explained the uterus had a tore open and tore into the vagina but that also there was extensive tearing to my bladder too. He fixed it all up but the urologist surgeon was called in too. The urologist surgeon was happy with the mending of the tare but had to explore more for further damage. He wanted me under a general but I asked if he explore under the local and only use a general for the fixing if it needed doing and he agreed to that. He found there was less damage than they all thought but said there was some so he tried to put a stent in the urethra but it was doing more harm than good so he put a catheter in but used a size 16 (bigger than the regular ones they use) and I have to have that in for 4 weeks to repair the damage. This means I have a catheter with leg bag on until my appointment on the 4th of July but he has arranged for me to stay overnight on the postnatal ward so CJ can come and we can still BF. Getting CJ out was quick but fixing me up took hours and DH and CJ were quickly sent to recovery to wait for me. I was in high dependency recovery for a few days and unlike with my C-section with DS1 I really was unable to do anything at all for a couple of days. I was hooked up to so many wires and tubes and on so much medication. I had to rely on people for everything and the MW pretty much had to put my breast in CJ’s mouth for feeds for me. I was moved to the postnatal ward which was useless so I discharged myself since everything but my pulse was fine and I knew that was the stress of being there.
The chances of this happening are really, really rare, and the chances of a positive outcome ever rarer. So many things had to be done at just the right time to get us in that theatre just in time to save us. The only reason CJ was still alive at that point is by a stroke of luck his placenta had attached at the top of the uterus and was not quite free of it at that moment. We need to have a debrief in a few weeks/months with a consultant about what happened as they do that with traumatic births because not only is there the physical trauma but the mental.
We were so lucky in our outcome of a bad situation but I can’t help but question why something so rare happened to me. I am left regretting not having a planned C-section. And because not many people go through it I feel slightly alone. It has also affected DH a lot and even my in-laws.
All that is left to say is that my son came out not only fighting but thriving and is an amazing little guy!
xx
xx
and congrats on the baby 
