I have had 3 c sections; my first was an inverted T incision all of them within 18 months of each other. I have 4.5 year old twins, 3 year old, and an 18 month old.
My twins resulted in my SS, I was in the hospital with them for 10 days on magnesium, tributaline, and brethanine pills. On the 10th day at 33 weeks and 5 days I started to have back labor through ALL the meds I was on and they asked if I wanted an epidural that every minute/ hour counted and they wanted them to stay in longer. I got the epidural and baby B’s heart rate dropped to the low 30s for which seemed like a lifetime. I have never seen so many people flood into my room throw scrubs at my husband and take me in for surgery. When baby A came out Baby b descended into the uterus and they could not get her out resulting in the vertical incision. These were my first baby’s and I was glad Riley was ok and they only spent 10 days in the NICU, did not need oxygen or feeding tubes. I was told after my surgery that I could not have a vaginal birth and my OR report said DO NOT LABOR across it. At this point I was just glad baby B was ok.
When I was pregnant with my 3rd daughter (2nd pregnancy) I was nieve and went with what the doctors said. I have an irritable uterus and was constantly in L&D getting multiple tributaline shots before sending me home to do all over again a couple days later (boy I wish I knew about false unicorn root , and mag supplement) At 36 weeks the tributaline would not stop my contractions yet they were not changing my cervix AT all… the simple phrase “DO NOT LET LABOR” on my OR report resulted in my daughter being taken at 36 weeks. Thankfully her lungs were developed and needed no NICU time.
When I was pregnant with my 4th daughter (3rd birth) my good friend asked me why I didn’t VBAC, at this point I never thought it was possible I started researching but at this point I was 34 weeks and Brielle decided to put me into labor at 35 weeks and 5 days resulting in my 3rd C-section. I actually labored A little with her. I had the same surgeon I had with my 2nd surgery and she said she couldn’t see the Inverted T and wanted to make sure I was in labor. I was dilated to a 2 for a while and really didn’t progress, until the last vaginal check which made me bleed BUCKETS. All of a sudden they said I had progressed to 3cm and would be having my c section ( to this day I think they made me bleed and would have kept her in longer if they could keep their hands to themselves.
I remember after her birth on the day we were to be discharged my incision started to come apart, I remember laying there in an unsterile room as my nurse started taking the steri strips off as my scar opened up. After half way she said this doesn’t look right. She went and got the surgeon and 5 other people who sat there standing above me with their hands on their chin. “hmm what are we going to do with this” said the surgeon. After a couple minutes they put numbing shots into the incision and stitched me up right there in my unsterile room I had been in for 3 days. I was shocked and terrified. I am so lucky I did not get an infection. I guess scar tissue does not suture well to other scar tissue.
9 months later and we were expecting our 5th child (4th birth) and the comment of VBAC stuck with me. You think after all the bad experiences with Doctors it wouldn’t have taken me so long right (smack my head). I researched and researched and found this group. Certain laws made it almost impossible to go any other route than a homebirth. Not only a homebirth but with an unlicensed midwife. We decided to go with a licensed midwife who was giving up her license to help women like me (licensed can’t attend after 2 sections).
I was 39 weeks and 6 days (the farthest I have ever been, my longest pregnancy was 36 weeks.) On Sat December 10th I woke up with very mild cramping, and thought nothing of it. I had prodrominal labor for the past couple of days and figured it was starting again. Around 11:00, I went to the movies with my friend Julie, I had contractions every 5 min since the am and have had them for days so again, and I tried to enjoy the movie. At this point they weren’t too painful just annoying.
When I got home around 2:30-3:00 pm all of a sudden I had the worst stomach pain and felt like I had a horrible gas bubble. From 3:00pm-7:00pm I sat on the toilet with constipation, vomiting, and diarrhea… in that horrible pattern over and over again. About 7pm I was on my hands and knees feeling like I still had a gas bubble that wouldn’t move. Thankfully, we put the kids to bed at 7:30 and started to play my video game, hoping it would keep my mind off the pain. At this point I wasn’t sure if I was in labor I thought I had eatin something that didn’t agree with me. As I was playing my game I realized I kept pausing the game and couldn’t focus at all. I remember my midwife telling me to call when I felt like that so I did.
At 8 pm, I called my midwife and she sat on the phone with me to hear how my contractions were and said she would be there in the next hour or so. About an hour later at 9pm, I lost my mucus plug and had bloody show. I was sitting on an exercise ball and felt like I had to use the restroom when I stood up the exercise ball stuck to my butt and I was joking around about it, one of my midwifes (I had 3) looked over at me and started laughing so I started laughing and told her she made me pee myself . I went to the bathroom and my water broke on the toilet (I guess she didn’t make me pee lol). There was meconium in the water and there was a whole bowl of greenish brown water in the toilet instead of clear, this of course freaked my husband out and he started asking me if my dad was home just in case. My midwives assured us it was fine as long as Kages heartbeat was fine and he wasn’t in distress, so I put it behind me and tried to breathe through the contractions that seemed right on top of each other.
After my water broke my midwife and husband started filing the aqua born birthing tub in my living room. I was told when I got in the water my labor might slow down (oh how I wish it did). At this point the time is all a blur to me. I was in the pool in so much pain, my back was killing me and I kept trying to get into a position that was comfy, which is impossible. I was on my knees with my body hunched over the pool grabbing my husband. There were times I almost lifted his 180lb body up over the pool.
I remember screaming on top of my lungs “Why did I do this I want drugs”; “get him out of me”, and then would try to relax for what seemed like a minute in-between. I started to feel like I needed to push, in my mind I kept thinking it isn’t time I haven’t been in labor long enough (it had only been 4 hours). My midwife did not do vaginal checks unless I wanted and I knew I didn’t want anything up there after my water broke so I went with my body and pushed a few times screaming “ahhhh the ring of fire” on the top of my lungs. When his head started to come out for some reason I jumped up out of the water. His head was born out of the water so I had to stand and deliver the rest of his body while my midwife held my leg/body up because I wanted to be on all 4s. I was hunched over the pool with my midwife holding my leg up. I was screaming get him out just grab him(my midwives are hands off and knew he would come out on his own at this point I didn’t care how he came out ) After another push he was out at 12:00 am on his due date Dec 11, 2011.
I had a 4 hour labor… maybe longer if you count my “horrid gas bubble”. I had 2 superficial tears but it was all worth it. Looking back almost 7 weeks later the pain of it all is already fading, I look back and realize I didn’t even think about my Special Scar or my 3 previous C-sections during the labor, I trusted my body and my midwives and had the perfect birth Thanks Lennon, Angie, Karinda, and my Special Scars ladies for empowering me!!
specialscars.org 