Doctor and midwife couldn't agree. (Caesarean Section)

Member Name: lexijoe

Product:	Caesarean Section
Date:	27/01/03 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick, reasonably pain free

Disadvantages: scar, recovery time

I was due to have my daughter on 26th October 2002. That day came and went and six days later I had to go to hospital to be checked over to make sure there were no problems. I was strapped to one of the monitoring machines and the midwife said she would be back in about 20 mins and that I was to press down on a handheld button every time I felt the baby move.

Fifty-five mins later she came back and said that the baby wasn't very responsive and that I should go and have a walk around and then come back for more monitoring to see if the baby had just been asleep. I went and ate some chocolate and phoned my mum to order me a chinese takeaway and that I would be back in a couple of hours. My daughter must have decided that she liked the sound of chinese food too because she kicked like a horse the next time I was monitored and the doctor said I was fine to go home but to watch my baby's movements.

I was due to be induced on 6th November and on 5th November I was shopping for fireworks for a party I was going to have later that night. My daughter had other ideas though. My contractions started at around 5 o'clock but I didn't go to the hospital until 8 o'clock as the baby was still kicking away. Once again I was monitored and once again the baby's heartbeat wasn't very responsive and the midwife told me that i should prepare myself for a cs as the baby was quiet. I started using the gas and air (written up in another review) and another hour past. My waters were broken and the baby's bowels had opened and therefore was in distress. I was only three cms dilated though but my contractions were consideable. The doctor came to see me and kept telling me that he was happy with my condition and that labour should progress soon.

The midwife on the other hand was convinced I would be having a cs and inserted a catheter, drip and I was given an epidural (marvelous things). When the doctor came back to see me another ho
ur later I was still only 3cms dilated and the baby's heartbeat was still unresponsive. He questioned the midwife as to why I was ready for theatre and she just said 'just in case'. He examined me again and check the baby's stats from the monitor that was attached to her head. Finally after much deliberation he agreed that a cs would be the best route to take and I signed the consent form.

I was whisked down to the operating theatre where I was dragged across to the table and had two strange balloon type things placed round each leg to keep the blood flowing. I had a blood pressure monitor strapped around my arm and then my arm folded up across my chest (I had bruises for weeks from the pressure). Finally my cs was under way and I could feel them rumaging around in my stomach and even stopped them once when I felt myself being physically moved on the table.

When my daughter was brought out of my stomach they discovered that the cord was wrapped around her neck and one ankle and that was why she was unresponsive as it had been getting tighter. As they took her across the theatre I could see the colour flowing into her. She let out a piercing shreik which lasted for about 30 mins before she was content to just kick her legs about and stare about. Her apgar score was 8,9 and she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

I was stiched up and then given pain relief. My main problem at that time was that I had uncontrolable shakes and these lasted for about six hours after the operation and i was told that it was a side-effect of the epidural.

When we finally got onto the ward and my daughter had been fed and taken to the nursery I was told to get some sleep while I could. But everytime I closed my eyes I felt like I was stopping breathing and therefore was wideawake all night watching the clock.

It is amazing how much you learn after the operation has taken place. I was told by my hv that I had lost a l
ot of blood during the op but my doctor told me that I didn't loose much at all. I was also told a couple of days after that I was tachycardic (hope thats how you spell it) during the op and that my blood pressure dropped as well.

My scar was only slightly sore after the op and the main reason I took the painkillers was for the back ache I was getting. It was horrible every time I want to cough or laugh as I knew it would hurt and I was afraid my scar would split.

I wouldn't say that it was a terrible experience as I got through it and am still here to tellthe tale and have a gorgous girl to look after, but I don't think I want to go through it again. It could have been a tradegy if the doctor hadn't of agreed.

Good luck to any mums to be reading this and my advice is to keep telling yourself that 'tomorrow always comes.' It certainly helped me.

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