International Cesarean Awareness Network

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Shellie’s VBAC Birth Story

August 25, 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

Backstory: My first birth was a c-section due to a failed induction. 46 hours of induced labor and my body failed to progress past 1cm.

For this pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. That, and my age (40 years old) made me considered “high risk”. I was still super excited that both my provider and my high risk doctor, all felt that I could certainly try for TOLAC, and go full term, as long as I was closely monitored and there weren’t other more serious complications. They were all super positive about supporting me for a VBAC. 

I kept my GD well controlled with very little insulin and the pregnancy went surprisingly well. At 36 weeks, the doctor was concerned that Baby Z was measuring small on her growth scans and he let me know that if she didn’t start growing they would need to deliver her early- greatly impacting my birth options. At 37 weeks he let me know that he would watch her for one more week and if she stayed below 10th percentile we would deliver early. This means a scheduled c section or induction, but due to my past failed induction and c section I would have to be somewhat dilated to induce. No dilation at all meant c section. I was devastated. I was worried something might be wrong causing her to be so small and was also worried about needing a repeat c section. 

One day after that appointment, Saturday May 22nd, I lost my mucus plug and a few hours later contractions started. These were not Braxton Hicks but I wasn’t certain if this was real labor or prodomol labor. I labored through contractions all night only for them to stop completely the next day. For the rest of the week I had false labor signs almost daily. 

On Friday May 29th we had our final growth scan. Baby Z was measuring in the 4th percentile. She had not grown and was estimated to be about 5 pounds 7 ounces. Dr. Newman said we needed to deliver within 4-5 days. At this time I had hoped I would be dilated somewhat since I had been having contractions all week. To my disappointment my cervix was a steel trap- closed and no sign of opening. So my only option would be a c section at this point. However, Dr. Newman said if I come in, in labor beforehand, they will let me TOLAC and won’t stop me unless there is a further complication. I went home to prepare myself mentally for a c section early the following week. I was sad, disappointed and nervous about surgery. 

On Monday June 1, I was notified that my c section would be Wednesday June 3rd at noon. However that evening contractions started up. I assumed it was false labor again and went to bed. But this was different- they were coming every 20 minutes and getting stronger. By morning they had not gone away. It was my last day working so I labored while I worked on my birthing ball. I walked around the house laboring through conference calls. By 5 pm they were very intense and almost every 7 minutes. At this point hubs and I were debating if I need to plan a hospital trip or if I would make it to my scheduled c section the next morning. When contractions got to every 4-5 minutes and so strong they took my breath away, we left for the hospital. Arriving at 8pm Tuesday June 2nd, I was checked into triage and monitored. Of course because I finally was resting, the contractions slowed some and to my disappointment I was not dilated at all. My doctor was still at the hospital so he moved up my c section to 8 am since I was in pain and I was sent home to labor at home. Told only to come back if the pain was too severe to tolerate, if my water broke or if I started bleeding. 

We came home. I felt defeated. I thought I was truly in active labor. It seemed like it, but again I thought my body was failing to progress. I went to bed but couldn’t sleep as the contractions were every 7-10 minutes and getting worse. At 12:30 I had a big contraction and then GUSH- my water broke- in bed- flood everywhere. I surprisingly jumped up, woke up my husband and waddled to the bathroom. At this point we knew we had to return to the hospital. 

When I arrived the nurses were not surprised to see me. They had a feeling I would be back. I was admitted and was so fortunate that the midwife I saw the most was on duty. She came on practically cheering me on, and had a plan for how I can TOLAC. She just knew I would be able to skip the c section. I still wasn’t sure my body would do this because I was only dilated to 1 cm. 

I labored until almost 4am and then asked for an epidural as the back labor was so bad I couldn’t take it any further. Plus they wanted to start Pitocin to help me progress so they recommended the epidural. This took the edge off but I was still having contractions every few minutes. My entire team was awesome. They came in every 15-20 minutes and changed my positioning to help move things along and get baby positioned well. 

Finally at 8:30am (now past my scheduled c section time) when my nurse came in I let her know I felt I needed to have a bowel movement. They were going to wait to check me until my OB arrived and if I wasn’t progressing we would talk options but my nurse heard how i was breathing and paired with the feeling of needing to use the bathroom, she decided to check dilation again. I was at a 9 1/2. She said- it’s time to have this baby. I was in total shock. I went from a 1-9.5 in about 4.5 hours and was about to have my VBAC. I didn’t believe it. 

I started pushing at 8:45. The doctor arrived right on time. A few pushes later and baby Z came right out at 9:18 am. The cord was wrapped around her ankle which was what was causing the decelerations in labor for her. 

She weighed 5 lbs and 7 ounces and was 16 3/4 inches long. 

I truly believe she was determined to help me avoid that c section. She knew she needed to come out. So on the day of her scheduled c section she was born vaginally on her own terms. Labor was long and hard but overall much easier than the c section I endured previously. 

I am so incredibly grateful to the Premier Care for Women team for their support and encouragement. I am also grateful for the Banner Del Webb L&D nurses for helping me labor and encouraging this VBAC. They all respected my birth wishes while keeping us both safe and constantly providing me with information and choices. Without this amazing team, this VBAC may not have happened.

I feel redeemed – empowered – proud – and am finally recovering from the trauma of my first birth. This birth was so healing and powerful.

Congratulations, Shellie, and thank you for sharing your story!

Filed Under: Empowered Birth, ICAN, Midwife, VBAC

Resolution Disclosure

August 19, 2020 by blog

08/19/2020

We, the Board, write to you today regarding the resolution of the misappropriation prosecution case against Ms. Mychel Hefner. Please email BoardQuestions@ican-online.org with any concerns.

Sincerely,
ICAN Board of Directors

Filed Under: ICAN

Naomie’s Planned Cesarean Birth Story

August 4, 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

My name is Naomie. I am a native Kenyan living in the Netherlands. Together with my husband Tom we are raising 3 love babies.

My recent birth had to be planned for medical reasons. At 20 weeks scan we found out our little boy had transposition of the great artery, a heart condition that needed to be rectified immediately after birth for him to survive.

I held on to the hope that he could be fixed and that helped me enjoy his existence from then onwards. We decided to book a Doula for this birthday following a previous traumatic birth which left us with a disabled child to raise.

So I sourced out a dear colleague of mine, Laurina Cerredo in Amsterdam. There is a reason why it had to be Laurina. We clicked and connected on a special level from the moment we started making contact with each other on social media. Well, Laurina and I share the same story! Her own son was born with the same condition as my child, so she had walked this journey and it was comforting to know my husband would be supported fully on that day whilst I focused on myself and our little boy.

The whole 9 months I was attended to by one OBGYN at my local hospital and again, there was a beautiful click with this doctor, it was incredible. She gave without measure, she listened without judgement, she walked beside us never taking charge of authority. We felt VERY supported in every aspect of our pregnancy. We had the most difficult questions but she answered our questions very clearly and with lengthy elaborations too

To help make the birth as special as could be that day, Dr Haak offered me a clear curtain and therefore I was part of my son’s birth. I watched her help him birth himself because she was very gentle also in the way she assisted in getting him earth-side. She held our son in steps as he emerged through the incision, first the head, then the shoulders.. etc.

She instructed her team what to do according to our birth plan, she dimmed the lights immediately after my son was born, and reminded them that we had requested for calm, quiet room too. It was magical how we first locked eyes with each other, seeing him still attached to me on my belly separated by curtain.

My husband was even able to cut the umbilical cord of our son, and what was special was that this birth was featured on the TopDokters TV programme in the Netherlands (I am waiting for the subtitles version to share) because it is a story worth sharing!

I have been stopped in the streets from people who remember my face following the broadcasting of the program, well wishers, people wanting to know how we are doing now, and other mothers going through the same journey looking to speak to another experienced mama whose child had a tough start of NIC, ICU, open heart surgery etc.

Our son went on to have an open heart surgery at 6 days of life, that took 8.5 hours long, his chest was left open for 2 days before he could be closed back. The surgery was a success and today at 7 months old he is thriving and is a happy baby. I look at him in disbelief.

For me it is empowering and the knowledge that with the right team beside you, even the most daunting journeys can have a positive outcome and leaves an impact on how you travel that journey. For us, trust was a huge thing that helped us a lot. We trusted what Dr Haak would advise and she spoke to us not like a doctor but as a fellow mother, a fellow woman, and a professional.

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

Filed Under: Birth Story, Cesarean, Empowered Birth, ICAN

Jennie’s VBAC Birth Story

July 28, 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

With a partial placenta abruption at 33 weeks, I knew my chances of VBAC were significantly lowered. I had worked hard to form a birth team who would be truly supportive, and with that peace of mind I went into my induction on Mother’s Day 2019. 

Once things picked up I was so triggered by reminders of past trauma that I requested an epidural. Or maybe I yelled for it. I definitely yelled for it. Once it was in I fell asleep. I woke to my water breaking and instant shaking not long after and I remember thinking, this is it. This is TRANSITION. I never made it this far before. We were over the hump and into unknown territory. About 2 hours later my provider checked me and I’ll never forget the look on his face or the little dance he did as he announced, “You are FULLY dilated!”  

Pushing was hard. So hard. 4 hours, a chorio infection, and amazing cheering on by my birth team, my girl was born. My face was the first she saw. My hands the first to hold her. My body the first place she laid her head. So much of me was healed in that moment. 

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

Filed Under: Birth Story, Empowered Birth, ICAN, VBAC

Hannah’s Cesarean Birth Story

July 21, 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

I had my heart set on a VBAC for baby two and was so confident but as due date approached, baby was found to be breech. I tried all I could to get bub’s head down, even a successful ECV.

At 40+4, my midwife checked and bub was breech again. The hospital wouldn’t take me if bub presented breech in labour. I was distraught and absolutely, soul crushingly devastated. Was it my fault? Did I not believe hard enough?

I couldn’t bare any more heart ache so my husband and I chose a date to have a repeat caesarean. My heart still aches from time to time as I feel like have been robbed but I am happy knowing that I have a beautiful baby girl and little sister to my daughter.

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

Filed Under: Birth Story, CBAC, Cesarean, ICAN

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