International Cesarean Awareness Network

Education, Support, & Advocacy for Birth Justice & Healing

Devan’s RCS Birth Story

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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

On August 4th I went in for a planned C-section. Although I was nervous, at least I knew what to expect this time around as my first was an emergency. Everything in the operating room went smooth. I was able to do skin to skin which was something I never got to experience with my older son.

After recovery they took me into my room and that is when everything changed. I started to feel very sick I couldn’t keep anything down, including water, and I felt weak and dizzy. The nurse insisted it was probably due to the spinal block and that it would go away. It never did and I continued to feel sick throughout the day and that night. They finally ran some blood work and discovered I was losing a ton of blood.

The next day I received two units of blood. I felt better but I still did not feel right. Later that night we were able to talk with my doctor and gave him our concerns. This is when we had found out that I had a hematoma and that was why I was losing blood. He decided it would be best to do a CT scan and see if I was still losing blood.

An hour after the scan my doctor came in and told me I was going to be rushed into emergency surgery. The hematoma was the size of a basketball and if we didn’t operate I would continue to lose blood. I was so scared and I could tell my husband was as well.

I was in surgery for two hours when I woke up I was alone in recovery and began to have a panic attack. They had put my belly band on too tight and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. On top of that with COVID restrictions I had a mask on. No matter what I said the nurse would not let me remove the mask. That had to be one of the most traumatizing parts of the whole ordeal.

I had to spend a total of 6 days in the hospital. I am almost 7 weeks post-partum now and am still dealing with complications. With all of what my body went through I was not able to breastfeed. My milk didn’t come in until I was almost 3 weeks pp and when it did my supply was so low it wasn’t even worth pumping, although I tried for weeks.

Although this is the hardest thing I have ever gone through it made me really appreciate life and realize how fragile it truly is. I am glad I get to be here today for my kids.

Congratulations, Devan, and thank you for sharing your story with us!

Alex’s Emergency Cesarean Birth Story

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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

After being in labor for nearly 24 hours, I was finally admitted into the hospital. They sent me home earlier as I was only 3 cm dilated. This time, only 3 hours later, I was 7cm. Contractions were intense and less than a minute apart. I knew baby was coming soon! I was told by a nurse that there were 3 women also in labor that needed emergency c-sections so I should get an epidural for pain while I wait for the doctor. I agreed. Now that I wasn’t in pain, they left me in a room for 6 hours before letting me push.

Finally, I started pushing. 3 hours of pushing. Next thing I know, the doctor comes into the room for the first time. She said I have a fever, my baby is in distress and that I need to have an emergency c-section to save our lives. Of course I agreed! What did I know?!?

They rushed me into the OR. As they were prepping me, I felt everything. The epidural was not good enough for the surgery. The last thing I remember hearing was “someone put her the f*ck to sleep!!” I woke up alone in recovery. Not one person around. Finally I yelled loud enough to get someone’s attention. “Am I still pregnant?” I remember asking. The person that was there said “I don’t know.” It took what seemed like an hour for him to find someone that knew what happened.

My son was rushed to NICU, where he spent the first 12 hours of his life. Alone. My husband was allowed to see him briefly enough to take a picture to show me. Turns out, he was perfectly healthy! Even the NICU team wasn’t sure why he was there!! Protocols left my son alone. Ridiculous.

That medical team let me down. I did not receive the care I deserved.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Alex. Best wishes to you and your family!

Lauren’s CBAC Birth Story

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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

My labour started on the 18th of February after a week of pre- labour, I presented to MFAU that evening to get an idea of where things were at, I had a VE and speculum that confirmed amniotic fluid and that I was 1cm and fully effaced. I went home to labour.

Rough night as things picked up, when the shower and counter pressure were no longer able to soothe me I decided to head back to birth suite at 9am on the 19th.

Got gas, fitball and shower going, enjoyed this combo for close to 5 hrs. Partner was incredible applying counter pressure whenever I needed. Had a VE @ 3pm and was 4-5cm dilated with bulging waters. Waters were broken and things quickly escalated, returned to shower where meconium in waters came out. Had everyone panicked about baby but I knew she was okay. Intermittent Doppler continued.

Pain went through the roof when my body started to push too early and I could not bear the intense pressure anymore, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting too swollen so got an epidural at which point a scalpel clip was placed ensuring baby was happy too. 

I was checked at 9pm and fully dilated, I pushed for 3 hours before OB recommended forceps assisted delivery. I wasn’t keen and actually resisted any decision making for close to 2hrs.

We got to theatre after 2am on the 20th. When I was laid on the table baby moved, she had moved from halfway down the birth canal to back up and transverse. Perhaps she sensed something.

Decision was made to proceed with a c section.

Adelaide Claire was born 2:42am on the 20th.

Healthy and happy 9lbz 11oz AGPARS 10 and 10.

It was after being shown my daughter over the curtain that things turned to me, my BP dropped to 50/25. I lost 3.5 litres of blood. The senior OB who had decided to hang back just in case jumped in and let me and hubby know what was happening, he advised my scar had ruptured when they went to get her out but I’d also ruptured vertically through my cervix and most of my vagina. At this point they were bringing baby over to me I yelled out “no, take her to my mum” hubby looked at me held my hand and reassured me he wasn’t going anywhere. We had agreed to let baby go to my mum should anything happen. 

I was shaking uncontrollably the whole time from the epidural and felt calm and numb from the low blood pressure. Unknown to me at the time I was being jabbed in my arms all over they had to access an artery in my arm to get an accurate reading of BP. By this stage two units of blood arrived for me, hubby was asked to manually assist the transfusions. All senior consultants were being called in to assist. Hubby was then told I needed to go under general anesthesia ASAP. We kissed and he left. Just before going under I turned to the anaesthetist and asked her to just make sure I wake up.

After 4 hours I was out of surgery and taken to ICU, intubated and my hubby and mum kissed me and went home to sleep.

I woke in ICU at 8:30am. 

I have never been so happy to open my eyes.

While my experience after birth was traumatic, I still had an empowering, positive TOLAC. I wouldn’t have done anything differently. 

Congratulations, Lauren, and thank you for sharing your story with us!

Allie’s CBAC Birth Story

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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

My name is Allie. This is my story of a failed VBA2C.

I spent my entire pregnancy finding a hospital and doctor that would allow me to attempt a VBA2C. I had realistic expectations but I did have high hopes of a successful VBAC. I found a great doctor who has had a lot of successful VBACs. The clinic she works at had a difficult time getting me on her weekly schedule so they started scheduling me with her co-worker. He was open to VBAC but I could tell from the way he approached our visits that he wasn’t a advocate like my other doctor was.

I went all the way to 40 weeks and wasn’t dilated or effaced. On my due date my water broke at 11pm. I went to the hospital a couple of hours later. I was only 1cm dilated. They decided to induce me with a IV drip and also a catheter in my cervix. The resident doctor was not either doctor I was seeing my entire pregnancy and definitely not a big advocate on VBAC.

They asked me to go ahead and get a epidural so if I needed a c-section they would already have a catheter in me to get the medicine in me faster. Within 20 mins of getting the epidural my babies heart rate dropped and they couldn’t get it back up. They immediately brought me into the OR for an emergency c-section.

My baby was born perfectly healthy and crying. My BP bottomed out and I had to stay in recovery for a couple of hours. We were fine with in a couple of hours. I am very upset about my experience and have learned I need a more knowledgeable person such as a doula with me if I decide to do any more pregnancies to help me stand up for my right and to have the knowledge needed to help me make decisions.

Even though I spent my entire pregnancy learning about my rights and about VBAC, I still felt pressured and also overwhelmed with the whole procedure. I have also learned no matter how much your OB/GYN is an advocate that you should make sure the hospital is also advocate for VBAC and the residents who will be doing the delivery are also advocates. Overall I am very disappointed with my emergency c-section after planning my entire pregnancy for a VBA2C.

Congratulations, Allie, and thank you for sharing your story with us!

Cathy’s Emergency Cesarean Birth Story

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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.