De-breif of traumatic birth at Hospital today - what should I ask?

[joey123]

I was so hoping for a VBAC, but it didn't turn out that way. Below is a brief outline of how my labour went. I am going to the hospital today, hoping to get some closure, so I can stop obsessing about my second CS, and start thinking realistically about trying for a VBA2C when I become pregnant next time, but I'm not sure exactly what I should be asking. Any suggestions??

PS - I know it's last minute, but my hospital appt is at 2pm today, any suggestions would be appreciated before 1pm

Thanks



Tuesday 2/6/09
? Hospital appointment at 1.15pm to discuss induction in 8-10 days. Have an appointment in 7 days to book in for the induction.
? Woke at about 9pm feeling very sick
? Felt first contraction at 10pm.

Wednesday 3/6/09
? Woke every 35 mins from 3am to 6am with contractions.
? Got up at 6am. Too excited to sleep any more.
? DH and DD left for work and school. Had breakfast and went for a walk.
? Sent mum a text and asked her to come up from the Gold Coast.
? Some contractions are strong and some are soft, so just keeping track of the really strong ones and they are lasting about 25-30 seconds and are about an hour apart.
? Contractions have pretty much stopped from 9am.
? Contractions started again at about 4pm

Thursday 4/6/09
? Woke every 30 mins with contractions last night, gradually getting stronger and longer each time, lasting upto 90 seconds
? Waters broke at 5.10am
? Phoned the hospital and they told me to come in for a check
? Wasn?t very dilated (they didn?t give me a measurement)
? Gave me the option of going home or staying at the hospital
? Chose to go home and was told to come back when contractions were 3 mins apart
? At 11am contractions were 4 mins apart and lasting anywhere up to 2 mins each
? The pain was unbearable and I felt I had to go back to the hospital
? At 3:45pm - 4cm dilated
? At 7:50pm - 3-4cm dilated
? As there had been no change in four hours syntocin drip was started at 10:30pm & epidural was given. I figured if I was going to have the syntocin, I may as well do it as painlessly as possible.

Friday 5/6/09
? 12:40am - 6cm dilated
? 2:50am - 8cm dilated
? 4:00am syntocin was turned off as they were worried about Lily?s heartbeat. They *****ed her head three times to try and get an oxygen reading but the machine to test the blood wasn?t working (this is why they had to do it three times!)
? 5:00am - 9cm dilated. Syntocin was re-started and I was given an hour to progress.
? 6:50am ? 9cm dilated still Lily?s head was in a transverse position and the moulding of her head suggested an obstructed labour. We then decided we had tried everything possible and opted for a caesarean
? 7:39am ? Our beautiful baby Lily made her entrance into the world with a beautiful cry (exactly one week over due). 56cm, 3.902kg.
? 7:40am ? Placenta delivered
? 8:30am ? Had very sore collar bones (due to the pressure on my diaphragm, I was told), had gone a dreadful shade of red and a terrible case of the shakes. Hearing the anaesthetist discussing it with DH and saying ?This is not normal? was not very comforting!
? 8:50am-ish ? Shakes finally stopped. Phew.

[Betcha]

Hi there,

Sorry I didn't get to answer this in time. I'm really not sure I'd have been any help either.
But just wanted to say I'm sorry you didn't get your VBAC, and that it sounds great that you are doing a de-brief. Hope it went well.

Probably what would've helped me was to have it confirmed that the c-section was actually necessary in the end. I'm not opposed to another c-section but only if it's necessary.

Good luck for your next VBAC attempt!

[Eluned]

Sorry I missed this thread earlier joey. How did your debrief at the hospital go?

Like you said, you had tried everything possible before opting for a c/s. I hope you have managed to find some answers with your debrief today.

Oh, with the shakes, I had those terribly as well after my c/s. Apparently it is a fairly normal reaction!

[joey123]

Thanks for your replies.

They were really good about it, but still tried to convince me that I would be a nutter to try VBAC next time. TOO BAD!

There was a few little things that I had forgotten about, so it was good to hear those things and they convinced me that I tried as hard as I could and she just wasn't going to come out. However, I think that if I had been allowed to be upright and in the shower, etc, we wouldn't have taken so long and been obstructed grrrrr I didn't bother discussing that with them cause them admitting that, would make them at fault, so I knew they wouldn't.

Anyway, she recons that I went a lot further than they would have liked and everyone did as much as they could to give me the best chance of delivering naturally and she was a big baby (???) for my small frame (???) . Lily was 3.9kg and I am 63cm and 58kg (when not pregnant).

So she had gotten down so far as that she was beginning to twist, but then couldn't straighten up for the last bit to come out.

I had blood in my urine which says obstructed labour and I wasn't progressing well in the times when they turned the syntosin off

My uterus was HYPERstimulated, meaning i would just finish one contraction and then start another, meaning i had no rest and because of my CS they were scared that it would rupture. This is why they turned the syntosin off, but then my contractions were not strong/regular enough by themselves, so they turned it on again, and so on and so on.

So she recons I was lucky that i went that long and i didn't rupture (just shows how much bollocks the story about rupturing really is!) And she (the head of gyno and maternity) was not happy with the dr that I was let to go that long. Helllllooooo, it's my choice, I don't know why she got in trouble!


So next time, I'll have a midwife trained doula and labour at home and stay up right and I will PUSH THAT BABY OUT!

Bring on AF.

[Green Tree Frog]

wow hunny you did an amazing job, unbelieveable job , I really think you did everything you could have done to birth your baby...

the very best of luck that next time you go all the way...

[joey123]

ohhh thanks tali

[lilmisshavachat]

Hi Joey... I'm so sorry that Lily's birth wasn't what you wanted and I am so proud of you for giving it your all.. I do agree with you RE: Standing and using the shower... Some stuff I have been reading lately about the position of the baby during labour can have a big impact on your labour.. If the head is not facing the right direction you don't get the right type of pressure on the cervix for optimal dialation times.. I have just had my first Midwives appointment at the Birth Centre and that was awsome and she recomended the book Active Birth by Janet Balaskas and also another book called Optimal positioning which helps you to turn your baby in the last few weeks into the best position which given how tiny you are Hun would be a bit of a mission but worth it for you to get your V2bac... I hope nobody takes my contribution to you Joey as a judgement of your choices, you know me... I can't wait til you're ready for your next.. It is so exciting.. Anyway.. Good luck with all of this Hun and I hope that you can sleep a little easier knowing you did the best job possible for Lily... Take care sweetie...
Dee

[Eluned]

You did do an amazing job joey! Risk of rupture is very, very small, less than 1% I think it is (someone else may be able to correct me). The risk of a rupture is equivalent to the risk a first time mother who has been induced has of rupturing!

I totally agree that if you were able to be upright and mobile and use the shower and bath etc, it would have been a lot easier for you! If you really want to know if your pelvis is "too small" (not as common as everyone thinks), request some x-rays and scans to measure just how much room you have.

Good luck with the next birth!! You'll get your vbac!

[joey123]

Thanks girls. Sleep easier?? Maybe not, I am kicking myself so hard (I have bruises LOL) that I didn't just tell them to F off and go and use the shower anyway. Grrrrrrrrr. Next time, stuff everyone else, I'll do what I want to do. ... now if only i remember that

I have a family friend who is a chiro, so next time I'm up visiting my mum in Cairns, I'm going to get him to check me out. Perhaps x-rays would be a good idea too. Where would you get them done?? I mean specific to pelvis size. Maybe just get them done anywhere, but who would interpret them for me?

Little Miss - I have a copy of Active Birth if you would like to borrow it, or you could get it from your local library. It's an excellent book. and as long as you actually do the things it says, i'm sure birth would be very easy!! There's also a website called spinning babies that helps to turn bubs if necessary.

Can't wait till I'm ready for my next? I'm ready!! Just waiting for the once hated, but now missed, AF to show her face!!!

I am sooooooooooo excited for you. Is it the birth centre at the RBWH that you're booked into? I would love to catch up with you if you have time next time you come up.