So Caleb's birth was a breeze! I would have babies everyday if the birth was as easy as his every time. I had ripped internally during delivery, but it was minor and only a first degree tear. The point at which I don't want to have multiple children came from the afterbirth!
Once Caleb was born we waited for the after birth to occur. I laid there waiting while the doctor did her thing. Caleb was getting his measurements done and checked out so I wasn't worried about not getting to hold him at that point. Ryan was with him and I laid there waiting. No one was instructing me to do anything. I thought I would be instructed to push the placenta out? I thought that was what had to happen next?
Well it was. And it wasn't happening. Like at all - for far longer than it should normally take.
After laying there for 50 minutes and still no placenta they decided that they would have to try to manually extract it. If the couldn't get it out that way, I would have to go into the OR for a DNC. I laid there, unable to hold my son still, and the doctor started to go in. I could feel everything. My epidural had been turned off after delivery to help me get sensation back. Normally this is fine because the afterbirth only takes an average of 30 minutes. Mine, obviously, took longer.
They had to call anesthesiology back in to give me more medication. After 30 minutes of waiting for that to kick in the doctor went in once again. Still unable to hold Caleb I started getting super frustrated. I started crying, not out of pain, but out of frustration.
Why was this happening to me? I had a great labor and delivery and now I was having problems?? I couldn't even hold my son yet. This was some bullshit!
I asked why this was happening to me. My doctor informed me that it was just part of my birthing story. My placenta did not detach from the uterine wall like it was supposed to. Of course this would happen to me. I had a great pregnancy, labor and delivery, but all the rare, random things that happen to pregnant women, happened to me.
Once the placenta was stripped from my body I finally got to hold Caleb. I was overjoyed but pissed at the same time. Have you seen the placenta? It is so tiny! I was expecting something the size of another baby to come out. I remember telling everyone, "That's it? It looks like a flank steak!" LOL
While holding Caleb they started stitching me up. This is the additional frustrating part of afterbirth. I had already been stitched up once. They stitched me up right after delivery while they waited for the placenta. Apparently this is normal procedure but when you have to have a manual extraction it is kind of pointless. When the doctor went inside she ripped out all of the stitches that she had already placed.
I lay there getting stitched up once again. After about 30 minutes of them trying to stitch me back up they decided that it wasn't going to stick how they wanted it to. They asked me if they could put a catheter back in and also packing to absorb the bleeding that was occurring. I said sure and looking back I wouldn't change it, but it was super painful.
I was relying on a squirt bottle every time I go to the bathroom and lots of pads for the past 3 weeks. I have stopped bleeding but wiping still terrified me. My pain has gotten a lot better but I am still complaining about pain daily. I am hoping to get back into walking next week. We shall see. Wish me luck.
I had a great medical team and am truly grateful for all they did for me and my baby. I pray that if we have more littles that their births go as well as Caleb's did and that their afterbirths go 10 times better than his did.
Eeek!! That is so so scary!
ReplyDeleteBut, thanks for sharing. These are the details that you don't hear the nitty gritty about but they are good to know. I'm glad you made it through!
I bled our after having Lucia and almost had to have a blood transfusion and surgery. They couldn't get the bleeding to stop. Apparently this isn't that rare but they don't tell you any of this in the pregnancy books.
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