|
|
Failed External Version Followed by C-Section
About two weeks before my due date, an ultrasound revealed that my once "heads-down and ready-to-go" baby had turned breech. The doctor told me my untested birth canal combined with the particular breech position of my baby made it especially dangerous to attempt vaginal delivery. However he was also leery of performing a c/s because of my age and physical condition, and he felt a vaginal birth would be easier for me. He strongly urged me to have an External Version. This is a procedure where they try to manually turn the baby. He reminded me that a c/s was major surgery and he felt I should do everything possible to have the baby vaginally. So a week before my due date, my DH and I headed off to the hospital to try and turn our little dear. Once at the hospital, they hooked me up to monitor the baby's heartrate and my contractions, if any. A steady stream of nurses and residents came in to ask me questions, start an IV, explain the procedure to me, detail the risks associated with a version, and ask if I had any questions. They told me in the slim chance something went wrong, they could have me in the O.R. and the baby delivered within two minutes. When the doctor performing the procedure arrived, he did an extensive ultrasound and then he announced that he didn't think the version would work. He said there were several factors working against success:
He said it was unusual to try a version so late in pregnancy, but even with all these things working against us, we decided to give it a try. The doctor and two residents proceeded to push, pull, and push some more. But the baby just wasn't going to turn. After 3 tries, they gave up and sent me home with instructions to call my doctor as soon as possible if I should happen to go into labor over the weekend. The c/s would be scheduled for the next week. It was a very long weekend---waiting for the surgery to be scheduled. I was scared of having surgery. I was scared of not having surgery. I was scared something would go wrong. I was scared of becoming a mommy. I was just downright scared! Monday afternoon my OB called and told me I should go to the hospital that night for blood work and my c/s would be in the morning. A sudden rush of adrenaline, excitement, and fear coursed through my veins. In 24 hours, I would be a mommy! Tuesday morning, I got up, showered, packed my last couple of things, and we headed off to the hospital. DH and I were pretty quiet in the car. It felt like the air was very heavy and I didn't know what to say. Once at the hospital, I had a mini-panic. I had some bills that needed to be paid and I had forgotten to mail them. Overcome with a mixture of the fear, adrenalin, and excitement, I wouldn't let myself be checked into the hospital until I found a mailbox. I was a mad woman---running around the hospital looking for a mailbox. Once checked in, they hooked me up to the monitors. The baby's heartbeat was strong and steady but there were no contractions. I was asked all the same questions they asked me on Friday. Another IV was hooked up. One last ultrasound was done to confirm the baby was still breech. Finally my OB and the anesthesiologist came in. They asked if I had any final questions, gave my chart the once-over and told DH to put on his scrubs. It was show time! They had me walk from the intake/observation unit to the OB surgical suite. This was one of the longest walks of my life. The closer we got to the door that said "Authorized Personnel Only", the more my heart raced in my chest. There was no turning back. This was it! DH was told to wait outside the operating room while they started my spinal. I was taken into the cold operating room and told to hop up on the operating table. I needed some help for this maneuver because a short heavy pregnant lady doesn't hop anywhere. The spinal was the worst part of the whole thing. The anesthesiologist said I didn't have good landmarks (not something I wanted to hear), so it took him a few minutes to do the job. But once that was done, everything started to move really fast. I was shaved and given a catheter and the incision was made. I asked when they would allow my husband to come in. With that, the doctor summoned him. I felt a little woozy from the tranquilizer they put in my IV but I was still present for the whole thing. The surgical lights were set up in such a way that I could watch the whole operation, if I wanted. It was a trip! There I was, lying there watching this surgery like I was watching the Discovery Channel and all of a sudden it hit me---"Hey, that's me up there!" So I stopped watching. DH was a little overwhelmed by the blood. He said it was a good thing I stopped watching. He was making jokes and taking pictures to keep busy. The next thing I know the doctor says, "Here she comes. Here's your baby!" I look up to see him holding the most beautiful blonde baby girl. My OB gave her to the neonatologist to clean her up. He suctioned her out and the nurse took her footprint. They put ID tags on DH, the baby, and me. We all had bands with identical numbers and you had to show your band in order to get the baby once you left surgery. While they were stitching me up, I couldn't take my eyes off of my little girl. The nurse wrapped her up in a blanket and brought her over to me. They put her across my chest and I just kept staring at her and crying. I had a little girl. My baby was here and I loved her more than I dreamed possible. All the fear, pain, and 9 months of petty annoyances were well worth it. I would have walked across hot coals for that moment with my beautiful baby. If you would like to share your birth story, please email me at brightideagirl@hotmail.com
|
