Thursday July, 26th 2018
31 Weeks & 4 Days Pregnant
(continued)
The family started to leave little by little after the doctors left us. “She won’t be born tonight.” I said after the family stopped talking. Sam’s sister asked why I said that and I replied, “Because it’s the 26th and that’s an ugly date. It’s hard to remember that as a date of birth.”
Eventually it was just Sam and I left. I finally started to get hungry, so Sam helped me order some chicken noodle soup and grapes. The kitchen must have saw what part of the hospital it was going to because they got it to me very quickly. It was well past 8pm and I took my first bite of food all day. The soup tasted delicious and so did the grapes. I didn’t realize how hungry I was, and I ended up ordering a second bowl of soup.
It wasn’t long until I finished my food and a new nurse came in. I was introduced to my new night nurse, Kay. She told me I would have to monitor my water intake. I would only be allowed 50mL an hour. This was a precaution in case I was taken back for an emergency C-Section. I wasn’t happy about it, but I would do my best to stick to it.
I was still feeling uncomfortable with the catheter and all the machines going. I wasn’t allowed to get up and I was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. I tried to focus on the spot on the wall and I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for a little bit.
When my eyes opened again, the uncomfortable feeling came back. Only this time, it was stronger. The more I tried to focus on something else, the more uncomfortable I became. The more uncomfortable I became, the more I started to freak out.
I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt tight and I felt as though the room was closing in around me. All of a sudden, the bed felt smaller and I just wanted to get up and run away. The urge to stand was too strong, but the machines were keeping me down; keeping me tied to the bed. I couldn’t handle it and I began to panic. Sam rushed to my side and tried the best he could to comfort me, and take my mind off of it, but the discomfort got to me and I couldn’t take it anymore.
The nurse came in telling me it was time for another blood pressure.
179/90 All of a sudden the headache came back.
She called for the L& D Doctor to come in and check my Blood pressure again. They took another blood pressure.
184/90
My oxygen level dropped to 87%. I could feel my body shaking more intensely. I looked up at Sam but couldn’t see him. My vision had become blurry and I was beginning to see small white spots on the outer edge of my eye sight.
While trying to stop my body from shaking, I muttered, “Babe, I can’t see well. I see spots.”
“Ok, I’m calling it. Prep OR 1.” I heard the doctor say then she left the room.
The shaking intensified. Sam was holding my hand and I asked him what was going to happen. He began to explain that I was about to have an Emergency C-Section. I replied, “But this wasn’t in our Birth Plan.” “I know honey but you will be ok. I promise.”
Our original birth plan consisted of natural birth without an epidural. I never even thought a C-Section was a possibility.
Kay started to unhook me from all the machines and Sam began to get ahold of the family. After he got off the phone, he was told to gather our belonging because they were going to move us to Labor & Delivery Post-partum room #6.
Another nurse in all sea foam green scrubs entered the room and helped Kay roll me out of the room. As we entered the hallway, to the immediate right of my L&D room was a set of double doors. The other nurse hit the button on the wall to open them. I felt my heart start to pound as we went through them and took another immediate right in to operating room #1.
It was the whitest and brightest room I had ever been in. They rolled my bed up next to this slimmer bed that had arm rest sticking out the sides making a cross shape. Kay told me that I would have to scoot over to get onto the other bed. I swung my legs over and scooted into the other bed and stayed sitting up.
On the right side of the slimmer bed were a few large machines and up against the wall were four trays lined up side by side, loaded down with different surgical tools. The two Labor & Delivery doctors, an anesthesiologist, and a couple more nurses were already waiting in the OR room.
The two doctors then went over what was about to happen. “Ok Jennifer, we are going to perform an Emergency C-Section to extract your baby girl at 31 weeks and 4 days as of 11:--pm. We will need to get your signatures on a couple forms.” The doctors then proceeded to review the risks and complications that could arise and had me sign a couple release forms. After wards, the anesthesiologist came over to me and went over the risks of receiving an epidural and had me sign one more form for that consent. He then stated that he was going to prepare it.
I began to shake uncontrollably. Kay came over and stood in front of me. “Have you done this before?” I asked her. “Yes, a couple times actually,” she replied. She looked so young to have experienced a C-section more than once. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone but I still couldn’t stop the shaking.
“I’m nervous. If you can’t tell. I know many woman do this every day but I still can’t stop shaking.” She grabbed my hand and told me that I would be ok.
The anesthesiologist then told me he was ready with the epidural and instructed me to put my arms on Kay’s shoulders and hunch my back. It was an uncomfortable position but all I could focus on was not shaking long enough for him to administer the epidural. He told me there would be a slight pinch and he wasn’t lying. I felt this hard scratch like sensation in the middle of my back then a cold feeling take over. It was over before I knew it.
Afterwards, they had me lay down where they proceeded to strap down my arms. I was told it was for my protection so I wouldn’t want to reach down while they were completing the operation. While waiting for the epidural to take effect, the doctors spread out a clear plastic sticker across my belly. A couple nurses hung up a large blue plastic separator just below my neck. I couldn’t see anything that was going to happen past the separator.
Sam was then allowed to enter the room and I was so relieved to see him. He began to fill me in on the room change and how his family had just arrived and my mom was on her way. I told him how the epidural went and he continued to try to take my mind off everything.
After waiting 5 minutes, the doctors did a pinch test on my lower abdomen. I could feel a slight discomfort and they waited longer. After a couple more minutes went by, they did it again and I couldn’t feel anything. They asked if I felt anything about three times (I assumed they were pinching me) and each time I didn’t feel anything.
The doctor then clanked some surgical tools together and said, “Here we go.”
All of a sudden, I felt my skin being ripped open and this intense pain took over my body.
I couldn’t hold back and I screamed out in pain.
“Can you feel that?” the doctor stopped to ask.
“Yes,” I replied.
The assisting doctor stepped up, “There’s a lot of blood. We need to cauterize it.”
I felt a burning pain take over and I started to cry.
The doctors and anesthesiologist began to talk amongst themselves as Sam stood by my trying to console me. The anesthesiologist rushed over and injected my IV with some additional medication.
“I love you,” I told Sam right before my eyes closed.
To Be Continued...
*Some names have been changed to protect the involved staff*
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