Witness to an UNNECESAREAN

Discussion in 'Post Pregnancy Care' started by dubbi, Sep 18, 2009.

  1. dubbi

    dubbi Bronze IL'ite

    Messages:
    267
    Likes Received:
    16
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi Everybody

    I want to share my agony with you as I was a witness to an unnecesarean (unnecessary C-section) yesterday.I am sharing this so you can be aware and make a choice.

    I supported a couple from yesterday 6 am to 11 in the night. They wanted a home birth kind of experience, read up everything on pregancy & natural childbirth, chose a doc recommended to them as a non intervention doc, attended my classes and wanted me as their labor coach.

    As they discussed their Birth Plan with their doc , She promised

    will wait 3 - 4 days after due date and then monitor and decide
    no routine interventions, definitely no Pit , AROM

    Due date Sept 15th, the couple went to their doc and before that discussed with on negotiating time. I told them that they could easily wait 4 - 5 days as she had nothing wrong with the pregnancy and the baby was doing excellent. I asked them to assure their doc that they would do maybe 2 fetal doppler / day and monitor movements etc. But ultimately she insisted they get induced the next day itself, however the couple pushed and got ONE day more. She was scheduled for an induction on 17th Sept.

    The Procedure: Woken up at 4 am , administered enema and moved her to a dingy waiting room near the labor room. Inserted Cervix Gel at 6.30 am and refused to let her go back to her room (10 steps away) saying that anything could happen at anytime!!!! She had not even begun dilating. She was upset and could even take a nap there as the nurses were
    gossiping so loudly outside with duty docs and cleaning staff. Finally I asked her husband to request the doc to let her move to her room for a short for her to have some sleep. She said " you are putting me in a tight spot" and then agreed. Thankfully when she moved to her room , she was more relaxed and slept for an hour and half.

    AT 12 pm , she was moved to the labor waiting room and given one more gel. Finally around 1 pm she started feeling contractions. We started working on positions and also massages and the contractions were coming at 3-4 min interval lasting 1 min. At the internal exam at 2.30 pm , she was 3 cm dilated and the doc said she would be assessed again in 2 hrs
    and then given one more dose or start Pitocin.

    The day before , the Doc had told the couple that she would give her Cx gels 2 or 3 times and wait even Overnight if the situation demanded and would not use Pitocin and the couple trusted her completely. But from nowhere came the Pit in 2 hours diagnosis.

    We decided that we will work with positions during the next 2 hrs and used squatting, lunging, birth ball and rest in between . Mean while as they had restricted food intake after 9 am , we kept her well hydrated with glucose drinks, juices.

    She kept getting good contractions and required a lot of support and got it from me , her husband and her mother. At around 5 pm her contractions were getting reduced in intensity and were slowing down. She was re-assessed at 5.30 pm and she had dilated 5 cm but her Cx was still think and was not effacing. She was moved to the delivery room and a
    drip of saline started. At this point they administered epidocin, a drug that will help in softening Cx and also bring in contractions.

    They also started continous electronic monitoring as they were using induction agents. She did not quit elike ENtonox and was handling her ctx with support from us and just holding the entonox mask in her hand for moral support.

    Vag exams happening every 1 hour and 3 doses (6.30 pm , 7.30pm) of epidocin , 2 more cervix gel, 1 rectum gel and Pitocin. She was writhing in pain, threw up, legs shaking , feeling cold and unwilling to go further. So we were hopeful that she moved to 7 cm dilation but could work any more positions as she was strapped and hooked. Did not even allow her to use the toilet, used a catheter that was painful and when she was hurting , Doc tells her the nurse is not doign it on purpose but bcox it was difficult to put it in with the baby's head there. They could have just let use the toilet by disconnecting things for 5 min.

    A drama happened when the fetal monitoring sensor moved from position bcoz she turn sideways. The alarm rang on the machine, doc ran in and stopped pit. Then realised sensor was misplaced and immediatelt heart beat got corrected , jumped back right on. But the impression created was lets watch closely and be careful.

    Pit started again and at 8.30 pm she was still at 5cm. Performed AROM and then walks a nurse who says starting pushing and also refused to lether have semi incline which was asked for in the first place. Made the mother push and push , telling her she was not putting effort and doing things the right way. Finally I told her that she is awake from 4 am ,
    show some consideration. I told the mother to switch her off and observed her contractions. They were only happening for 30 secs and not at all intense and were almost 5 - 7 min paced out. I told her not to push and waste her energy bcoz these contracttions were not strong enough. Duty doc examined , she was still at 5 cm and she broke down completely. It was so traumatic fro her and us also and told her vent her feelings. Let it all out and then muster courage from inside you and
    support her baby to come out as we were supporting her. But by then I knew where all this was heading.

    At 9.45 pm, her Doc called her husband out and said she has been struggling for too long and the cervix was not thining out and did not want to lose the opportunity of baby's heart beat being strong and perform a C-section when things were good. We were worried how the mother would react but she was up from 4 am and it was almost 16 to 18 hrs.

    After being probed and poked from every direction She just said "do whatever and deliver me" and then started he procedure for epidural(thankfully) and she delivered by 10.30 ish, her daughter was fine and I had to leave as it was 11 pm and I was going to drop from exhaustion. I think we also need strength training to handle long labors!!!

    SO many questions in my head:

    Why could the doc not wait even a day from due date ? Does a switch turn on inside on due date. I am begining to feel that only if a woman goes on a spontaneous labor before her due date will she have a normal delivery, with the hype around EDD as a deadline, docs will perform inductions on all women who go even a day beyond due date and there is atleast a 50% chance of failure.

    What about Bishop's score for induction? In this case, the mother would have got 3 points or less thereby indicating failure

    She said she will only use gels and WAIT overnight but then decides in Pit and nobody has a chance to re-negotiate.

    Interventions one on top of the other , gels, epidocin, pit, AROM - What else was she going to "avoid"

    How did a doc who won the trust of the couple of being non interventionistic suddendly do a flip flop ON the due date and still assured them she will wait and wait.

    Please educate yourselves and ask questions and also be aware and make a choice.

    Deepa
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2009
    Loading...

  2. loonypooh

    loonypooh Silver IL'ite

    Messages:
    2,436
    Likes Received:
    29
    Trophy Points:
    90
    Gender:
    Female
    deepa, i feel angered and sorry for the mother. this is ridiculous. i can only imagine what she had to go through, enema, pit, no food, no rest, gels and what not?
    sometimes i wonder, for something tha god has made every woman to perform naturally, why are we even forced to undergo medical intervention.
    pregnancy is probably treated as a disease by a bunchful of docs out there, when its supposed to be a cherishable memorable experience
    i think deepa this is going to be an eye opener for a lot of moms to be out here...
    thanks for sharing
     
  3. Traveller

    Traveller Gold IL'ite

    Messages:
    4,776
    Likes Received:
    82
    Trophy Points:
    135
    Gender:
    Female
    Deepa,

    Though i don't understand the medical terms i can imagine what the poor woman must have gone through. One thing i don't understand in India (i hate to generalise)... i delivered my first child in India. it was a c-section and i don't regret anything but yet i now think the doc could have waited. anyways i went to the hospital after pain and mucuous plug got unplugged and the first thing they give is enema and after that no food. i find that ridiculous.. where do we then get the energy to endure the whole process? anyways in the end it was a c-section with an epidural.

    i delivered my second one in germany. and opted to try for vaginal delivery. i was 3 days past due date and the amniotic fluid levels were low so the doc reluctantly asked me to come in for inducing. they first gave me a vaginal suppositary and another one and since i wasn't contracting gave me something intravenous. the pain was sudden and unbearable so upon my request put me on epidural and strapped in my bed:) but yet i was fed periodically, they got me pan when i needed to pee, encouraged me to turn, massaged me, opened the windows and blanketed me as needed and kept on informing my husband on the progress (he wasn't with me during labor). at one point i even asked me for a c-section but the doc called in the anaestician for epidural immediately. i'm sure if i had been in india i would have been sent away directly for a c-section. it was a divine experience... i wish such nice attitudes step in our country too in the near future...

    Latha
     
  4. paddubala

    paddubala Silver IL'ite

    Messages:
    465
    Likes Received:
    91
    Trophy Points:
    68
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi Deepa,
    I can completely relate to this incident..My first one was born in India...My cervix had ripened and the doc first said Iam ready to go to labor anytime...and asked me to admit a day before due date...we dint know why but simply followed..when I asked, they said safety confinement n so on....so i went and got admitted at 10am...had a nurse checking my internal every now and then..they said am contracting but i was hardly feeling anything...around 5pm, i was dilated jus 2cms...the doc said she'll induce me the next day..but i hardly understood why every one hour they were checking me internally..around 8.30pm, i started having green discharge...the doc came in , said fetal distress and did an c-sec..though at that time, i was glad to have seen my son and happy abt no pain, now I wonder y did they have to admit me earlier..moreover thanks to my mom, i recovered pretty fast with no complications...

    Now am pregnant the second time and in US...worst part is, i went for a gyn in famous hospital..she said they dont do VBACs and was stressing on the 1-2% risk..But Iam keen to have a normal delivery (after reading ur posts Deepa) and switching to doc who is willing to try VBAC...

    I dont understand but most cases in India end up in c-sect only..My co-sis was 31 and lil on higher weight category too...But she went for EVKM and they put her in strict diet...waited for 2 days beyond due date and she had a perfect normal delivery after induction...

    Deepa, I wish I had known u two years earlier...I used to stay in mylapore..thanks to ppl like you we are atleast being aware..
     
  5. dubbi

    dubbi Bronze IL'ite

    Messages:
    267
    Likes Received:
    16
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Gender:
    Female
    Hi Thanks for sharing those stories as it helps in awareness.

    Poonam That day in the time I was there 5 deliveries happened , 4 were C-sections and 1 normal.

    The medical report for this would have said - Reason for C-section : FAILURE to PROGRESS. Whose is anybody's guess.

    Deepa
     
  6. loonypooh

    loonypooh Silver IL'ite

    Messages:
    2,436
    Likes Received:
    29
    Trophy Points:
    90
    Gender:
    Female
    i am just so wow-ed by this!
    well, my gyn sounds sane and nice, and can only hope a just decision from her.
     
  7. tikka

    tikka Gold IL'ite

    Messages:
    2,902
    Likes Received:
    46
    Trophy Points:
    115
    Gender:
    Female
    This is a quotable quote, Deepa! Hugs and quick healing to the mommy. Hugs to you too. I know how committed you are to your work. Hang in there, the tide will turn.
     
  8. maggi99

    maggi99 Senior IL'ite

    Messages:
    348
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    23
    Gender:
    Female
    I am in tears reading your post deepa. I am expecting my baby in March 2010 and this is my first one and delivery would be in Germany. Fear fills my heart thinking of how it wd be fore me.
     
  9. Traveller

    Traveller Gold IL'ite

    Messages:
    4,776
    Likes Received:
    82
    Trophy Points:
    135
    Gender:
    Female
    Maggi,

    congrats and don't scare yourself over this:) i had my second delivery in munich and the best experience. the mid-wives (hebamme) did a great job. do find about geburtsvorbereitung (birth preparatory classes) and attend it. they teach a lot about breathing techniques during labor and that was immensely helpful for me. all the best..

    Latha
     
  10. maggi99

    maggi99 Senior IL'ite

    Messages:
    348
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    23
    Gender:
    Female
    Thanks latha, for those soothing words. I have met a few Indians in my city and all of them had cesarean. Its quite a tension when I think of it. Sure I would attend the classes, its something from 6th month I got to know.

    Regards,
    Maggie
     

Share This Page