International Cesarean Awareness Network

Education, Support, & Advocacy for Birth Justice & Healing

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Education
    • Find a Chapter
    • FAQs
      • FAQs about VBAC
      • FAQs about Cesareans
    • Webinars
      • VBA3C & Finding a Provider Webinar
      • Evidence on Breech Birth Webinar
      • ICAN Interview with Indra Lusero of Birth Rights Bar Association
      • VBAC or Repeat Cesarean? What do I need to know?
      • Join ICAN for Webinar Access
  • Support
    • Find a Chapter
    • ICAN Professional Member Directory
    • Blog
    • Facebook Group
    • Birth stories
      • Share Your Birth Story
  • Advocacy
    • Donate to ICAN
    • Filing A Hospital Complaint
    • Political Action: How to Contact Your Elected Officials
    • Cesarean Awareness Toolkit
    • Anti-Racism and Black Maternal Health Resources
    • Blood Drives
    • VBAC Ban Database Initiative
  • Join the Cause
    • Join the Cause
    • Become a Member
      • Membership for Professionals
      • Membership for Pregnant & Birthing People
    • Starting a Chapter or Joining Chapter Leadership
    • Volunteer
      • Start a Chapter
      • ICAN Chapters
    • Share Your Journey
  • ICAN Professional Member Directory
    • Professional Membership
  • About
    • Impact Reports
    • History
    • Financial
    • Board of Directors
    • FAQ
    • Disclaimer
You are here: Home / Birth Story / Cathy’s Emergency Cesarean Birth Story

Cathy’s Emergency Cesarean Birth Story

May 26, 2020 by blog

Share your story with ICAN to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook! All cesarean and birth-after-cesarean stories are welcome: the difficult, the triumphant, the still-processing, and the stories which haven’t yet been shared. Sharing your birth story can be freeing, healing and profoundly powerful. It can bring others hope, comfort, and reassurance that they are not alone on their birth journey.

Submit your story HERE: https://airtable.com/shrJOtXla9O9MVBaj

Cathy shares her emergency CBAC birth story. Thank you for sharing your story for all to read!

On September 18th, my “due” date, I went into labor with our second daughter and headed to the hospital. Labor progressed throughout the night and the next day around 2ish I received an epidural and decided to take a nap.

A little while later, I suddenly woke up and said, “My heart is racing.” My wonderful husband, Eli, went to get the nurse. By the time he retuned with the nurse I was slumped over and a “Code Blue” was called. At this point my husband and doula were rushed out of the room as several nurses and doctors rushed in. My husband said it was so surreal. There were probably about 40 doctors and nurses from different specialties lined up outside my room waiting to be called in if they were needed. 

The OB/GYN hospitalist decided to do an emergency cesarean in the L&D room which probably saved my daughter from further trauma. Then they started working on me. After about 15 minutes they stabilized me and rushed me to an operating room to figure out what was going on. I coded several more times in the OR and needed surgery because my lung collapsed, I had a clot in it, and my lung was where my heart was supposed to be. I also went into disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). This where your body is bleeding from every orifice and throws bloods clots at the same time. I had blood clots in my right hand, in my brain which caused a stroke, and in the veins leading to my kidneys and legs which caused my kidneys to shut down and cut off blood supply to my legs. The doctors even talked about a double amputation and kidney transplant, but thankfully both were not needed, although I do have the perfect donor since I’m an identical twin.

Over the course of the next week I had 5 more surgeries, including a hysterectomy and was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO saved my life because my heart and lungs were not working properly. I was in a coma for a total of 9 days. Although I did not get my VBAC, I am extremely grateful for the doctors and nurses who saved my life.

Thank you, Cathy, for sharing your story with us.

Filed Under: Birth Story, CBAC, Cesarean, Emergency, Traumatic Birth

Donate

Sign Up For Email Updates!

Keep up to date on the latest from ICAN by joining our email list!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: ICAN, 4975 Wyeth Mountain Dr., Guntersville, AL, 35976, https://www.ican-online.org. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
  • RC Center
  • ICAN Leadership
  • Disclaimer
  • About ICAN
  • Blog
  • Cesarean Awareness Month Toolkit
  • Donate to ICAN
  • Education
  • FAQs
  • FAQs
  • FAQs about Cesareans
  • FAQs about ICAN
  • FAQs about VBAC
  • Filing A Hospital Complaint
  • Financial
  • Find a Chapter

Copyright ICAN © 2023 · Made with Outreach Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in