A cesarean section could save your life
Apr 10 '00
Although a Cesarean section (c-section) isn't really considered a birthing method, it is a way of giving birth that could just save your life. I want to give you the story of both my deliveries. My first was an emergency C-section and my second was an elective. However, both of them saved my babies and my life.
I was a week overdue with my daughter, who was my first child. I was scheduled to go in to be induced one Saturday morning. I got to the hospital at 6:00am and was hooked up to an IV and was given pitocin (a synthetic drug used to cause contractions). By 7:00am, I was in full force labor. I had my water broken around 9:00am and from there the contractions increased. By 1:00pm, I was in so much pain from the piggy backing contractions that I couldn't breath, so I asked for an epidural. Such relief! I was dilated to a 4 by that time so there was no problems getting the Epi.
The rest of the afternoon when fine. I wasn't in any pain, but was confined to my bed for continued monitoring. Around 6:30, my temperature skyrocketed to over 102 and my daughter's heart rate soared to over 200. She was averaging 160. My doctor rushed in and told me that if I was at a 10, I needed to start pushing right away. I was only dilated to a 5. He told me that my baby HAD to come out of me now and the only way for that to happen was by Cesarean Section. By this time, I didn't care how my child was brought into the world, I just wanted her here safe and sound. By 7:00, I was being prepped for surgery and by 7:30, my precious bundle of joy was here.
It turns out that I had contracted an infection from my water being broken and the nurses checking for dilation all day. This infection was passed on to my daughter. The reason I wasn't dilating was because my pelvis was too small for her to fit through. Even if I hadn't had the infection, a C-section was going to be the way she entered the world.
I got pregnant with my son fairly quickly after my daughter was born. I was completely nervous about the delivery of my son. I was given the option to try for a Vaginal Birth after Cesarean section (VBAC) or I could elect to have a schedule C-section. My doctor told me that my pelvis was very small and chances of another emergency c-section with an attempt at a VBAC would probably be the outcome again. My husband and I thought long and hard about our decision. I asked about a uterine rupture. I was told that the chances of that happening were very slim, a 1% chance I believe, were the odds. Even though that number is extremely small, I wasn't going to take a chance if it could happen at all. I elected for a scheduled c-section. THIS DECISION SAVED MY SON AND MY LIFE!
When the time came for me to give birth to my son, I was already contraction on my own. I went to the hospital, was prepped for surgery and entered the operating room. When the doctor cut me open to get my son out, his comments scared me. He told me that he had never seen anything like this. There was no uterine wall to cut through. When he cut through my muscle, there should have been a thick uterine wall to cut through as well. However, what he saw was my son still in the amniotic sack. My son was delivered healthy and alive. I was told as my doctor was sewing me up that had I elected to try a VBAC, I would have lost my son as well as my own life. If my water had broken, my son would have slipped into my abdomen killing us both. I almost had to have a blood transfusion after giving birth because I ended up losing a lot of blood. I don't know if this is related or not, but I have to feel that it is.
Now, I have not told my birth stories to scare anyone. I just want to point out that a uterine rupture is a very real and scary thing to have happen. Chances of survival are probably not good. Weigh your options carefully. Read up on uterine ruptures thoroughly. It says that there is only a 1-% chance of it happening, but I have had 2 other friends have the same thing happen to them. I have to believe that the 1% chance is no longer an accurate figure. This would be for those who have already had 1 c-section. Think about it long and hard and make the best decision for you and your baby. Cesareans aren't a scary thing to have done to you! I have had 2 and am doing just fine. However, I am no longer allowed to have babies the vaginal way nor am I allowed to go past 38 weeks before having a c-section done. That doesn't matter to me. The only thing that matters is that my baby is born to this world alive and happy, and healthy!
Good luck on your decision for childbirth! And enjoy your bundle of joy!
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Member: Anna H
Location: USA
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