Brylee 10-16-2008
My daughter was born two weeks late after a healthy uneventful pregnancy, I can't say the same about the delivery. After my NST (non stress test) on Monday my midwife scheduled for me to be induced on the two week late date which was that Thursday. On Wednesday I tidied up everything at work and prepared for the sub, went home and decided I didn't want to cook dinner the night before I was to have a baby. So, we went to Chili's and I enjoyed a delicious meal of steak fajitas, and to complete the meal my water broke. From dinner I drove to the Hospital laughing all the way! From triage I headed to the room where I would deliver. My water had broken 12 hours before I was scheduled to be induced. It took a couple of hours before contractions began, and then many more hours before they would produce any progress. However, by 6 a.m. Thursday morning I was too exhausted to go any further, so I conceded and requested an epidural. The epidural was scary, but incredible! I was finally able to get some rest. Then at 7a.m. I awoke to alarms, lights, and all the staff in my room. They had lost my daughter's heart beat, and couldn't reach my midwife or the on-call doctor in the practice. The doctor who was available prepared me for a c-section, and at the last moment my midwife and ob walked in. After assessing the situation the OB was able to find the heartbeat and decided to give her time to rebound from the tachycardia. After several hours of watching the heart-rate monitor the doctor suggested Pitocin to help both her and me. At hour 23 I got the news I had progressed far enough to begin pushing, by 26 she was born at 8:32 p.m.! She was immediately taken to the examining table in the room and the NICU staff and her pediatrician worked to clear the meconium from her airways. After what seemed like forever I heard her first cry. The nurses cleaned her up, let me hold her, and took her to the NICU for further monitoring. She had swallowed a significant amount of meconium, and needed to recieve 7 days of antibiotics to ensure she didn't contract pneumonia. This was the best and worst day of our lives! She is now a healthy three year old preschooler!
My daughter was born two weeks late after a healthy uneventful pregnancy, I can't say the same about the delivery. After my NST (non stress test) on Monday my midwife scheduled for me to be induced on the two week late date which was that Thursday. On Wednesday I tidied up everything at work and prepared for the sub, went home and decided I didn't want to cook dinner the night before I was to have a baby. So, we went to Chili's and I enjoyed a delicious meal of steak fajitas, and to complete the meal my water broke. From dinner I drove to the Hospital laughing all the way! From triage I headed to the room where I would deliver. My water had broken 12 hours before I was scheduled to be induced. It took a couple of hours before contractions began, and then many more hours before they would produce any progress. However, by 6 a.m. Thursday morning I was too exhausted to go any further, so I conceded and requested an epidural. The epidural was scary, but incredible! I was finally able to get some rest. Then at 7a.m. I awoke to alarms, lights, and all the staff in my room. They had lost my daughter's heart beat, and couldn't reach my midwife or the on-call doctor in the practice. The doctor who was available prepared me for a c-section, and at the last moment my midwife and ob walked in. After assessing the situation the OB was able to find the heartbeat and decided to give her time to rebound from the tachycardia. After several hours of watching the heart-rate monitor the doctor suggested Pitocin to help both her and me. At hour 23 I got the news I had progressed far enough to begin pushing, by 26 she was born at 8:32 p.m.! She was immediately taken to the examining table in the room and the NICU staff and her pediatrician worked to clear the meconium from her airways. After what seemed like forever I heard her first cry. The nurses cleaned her up, let me hold her, and took her to the NICU for further monitoring. She had swallowed a significant amount of meconium, and needed to recieve 7 days of antibiotics to ensure she didn't contract pneumonia. This was the best and worst day of our lives! She is now a healthy three year old preschooler!
I cannot fathom the emotions you must have felt when they lost your daughter's heartbeat! When my mother had my younger sister, they lost the heartbeat and there was no movement, so they expected a stillborn. She came out alive and well! Indeed, every birth is a miracle, some just louder miracles than others! Thank you for sharing this experience!
ReplyDeleteHow did you feel having you water brake at chills? I dont have kids and only imagine how I would feel........I would have be soooo mad at my midwife and OB doctor. I always assumed they would be on call, I wonder why they didnt answer until later. That had to be a very scary time, plus adding on my childs heart beat not picked up. I dont know what would be going through my mind. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been quite scary! I'm so glad that everything turned out well for you and you have a beautiful daughter! My sister-in-law always ended up with the doctor on call delivering her children as her doctor always seemed to be on vacation when she went into labor and by the third child it was a running joke with her and her OBGYN.
ReplyDeleteAmber,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like it was such a scary time for you.
When my mother had found out that she had placenta previa (and i was tangled in my umbillical cord) the doctors actually could not find my heartbeat. She basically was told that it was all over, and I had passed. Obvioulsy things turned around - since I am here! It was such a traumtatic time for her, and she was only so far along in a doctor's office. I cannot imagine having gone through that during labor! Clearly you have a lot of strength.
I am happy she turned out healthy and happy!