Facing a caesarean section
This is a legacy edition story. True stories of past pregnancies in yester days (or years), as published in Pregnant Magazine.
Pauline Chola is now in her fourth pregnancy. She says her husband is prepared for this C-section, unlike the previous one, which was necessary after her baby was found to have failed to turn around and was in breech position. I guess at that time his mind was preoccupied with the bill; where will that money come from?’
Whoever said that every pregnancy and every delivery is different must have been referring to me. I have been pregnant and delivered thrice and now I am pregnant again. In all those pregnancies and deliveries there is nothing I can say prepared me for the next. Take for example, my first and second pregnancies: they didn’t have any complications and the deliveries were normal. But, that’s as far as the similarities go.
During my first baby’s delivery I was in labour for long but the pain was not that intense. For the second one the labour was so intense that by the time I reached hospital I had dilated 8 cm. The doctors took me straight to the delivery room! I think if I had delayed a bit, I would have delivered on the way to the hospital. When it came to baby number three, an ultrasound revealed that the baby was in breech position. I was advised to do a certain type of exercise that would make the baby turn to its normal position—that is, head down. The exercises were uncomfortable. I was to put my legs apart and then shake my belly while bending. This I was told would make the baby feel uncomfortable and turn to its normal position. I did it for several days and when I went to hospital the doctors confirmed to me that the baby had indeed turned to the engaging position.
Everything seemed fine even as I went to the hospital to deliver. I remember calling the midwife and telling her that I was ready to deliver. But to my surprise after checking me, she called in another midwife who also examined me. I wondered what was going on as I was sure things were okay. After a few minutes they called a doctor who observed me and told me that my baby was in breech position! By then I was already in labour.
The situation turned into an emergency and I was rushed into theatre. I would end up having the baby by C-section. By then all I wanted was for the baby to come out as I was in so much pain. I asked my husband to quickly sign the consent papers so that the baby could be delivered. I guess at that time his mind was preoccupied with the bill; where will that money come from? When they were preparing me for the C-section they cleaned me up with hot water and then placed a warm blanket on my tummy. After that I was knocked down with some anaesthesia.
When I woke up the first thing I asked for was my baby. After being told that I had a healthy baby girl I relaxed.
The funny thing about the C-section experience was that when I woke up I had an intensely cold feeling, one that I had never experienced before. The nurse provided me with an extra blanket and also put on a heater in my room.
I was told that I had to have an emergency operation because my baby’s cord had wound around her neck three times and would have been at risk if i gave birth to her normally. I was relieved and grateful to God because I knew He had a purpose for it. After the C-section the pain was so much that I couldn’t turn or talk; it was too painful. I was feeling wet and I needed to bathe but it was not possible; instead a nurse came and wiped me on my hospital bed. It was a sad feeling being that I’m usually a very active woman. After delivering a baby—as was the case with my first two kids who were born normally—I would take a shower just an hour later! The nurse would return to my room regularly and gently turn me. I felt as if I was a bother to her but she did not seem to mind it. I was put on a drip for about two days because at that time I was a ‘nil by mouth’ patient; meaning I was not to feed by mouth. The recovery also took some time. I think it was only after one year that I felt I had completely healed.
The C-section is the only delivery I have had in the absence of my husband. We were told that since it was an emergency he was not prepared to be with me in theatre.
I am now in my fourth pregnancy.. My husband and I have decided that I should deliver through Caesarean section because of the risks involved if I deliver naturally. Having had a C-section, my doctor has advised that I run the risk of a uterine rupture. He explained to us the advantages and disadvantages of both the C-section and natural birth and after we weighed the options we decided that I should deliver through a C- section. The good thing is that my husband will be with me in the theatre. He is prepared unlike on the previous occasion; all we need to do is write a letter informing the hospital that my husband will be with me in theatre.
DOCTOR’S NOTES ON PAULINE’S EXPERIENCE:
‘…they cleaned me up with hot water’ This is an antiseptic, not hot water. It is used to clean the area to be operated on. ‘…when I woke up I had an intensely cold feeling’ This could be caused by excessive release of adrenaline (a hormone) which happens even in natural delivery. ‘placed a worm blanket on my tummy’ These are theatre drapes (clothes for covering a patient’s body during an operation).
END: PG4/43