International Cesarean Awareness Network

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Devan’s RCS Birth Story

December 1, 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

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!

Filed Under: Birth Story, Emergency, ICAN, Traumatic Birth

Malina’s CBAC Birth Story

November 18, 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 doctor signed off for me having a VBA2C, but at the last minute pressured me into a cesarean because of my baby’s size. He convinced me I wouldn’t be able to do it, but didn’t warn me about the dangers of having a 3rd surgery.

I ended up hospitalized & hooked up to a wound vac machine due to complications. I feel having a vaginal birth would have been less riskier & my doctor failed me.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Malina. Congratulations on your new addition!

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

Alex’s Emergency Cesarean Birth Story

October 6, 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

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!

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

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

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