JACOB's BIRTH STORY
Jacob's Story: A Uterine Rupture Survivor!!!
I was pregnant with my second child three years after I had a c-section with my first son. After 18 hours of labor I had failed to progress past 6 CMS. Travis was born a healthy 7lbs 11ozs and 20 inches long. My husband told me the day after Travis was born, that if we did not have any more children, that was fine with him. I told him I would have at least one more child. And I did........This is Jacob's Story!
My pregnancy was an uneventful one. Everything went pretty much routinely. When I went in for my 6 week prenatal visit with my Doctor we did discuss my delivery plans. My dr. told me that there was no medical reason why I could not try for a VBAC and they all supported me in this decision. I was told that I had an 80% chance of being successful at my VBAC attempt. There was a 20% chance that I would have to have another C-section. Uterine rupture was mentioned also at this visit. I was told that it was rare and would not be much of a factor. If anything did occur, I would more than likely already be at the hospital. Nothing more was ever mentioned about it.
My due date came and went and I was scheduled to be induced Monday or Tuesday. I did not sleep well Saturday night and began having contractions around 6 a.m. Sunday morning. They were much like the ones I had been having so I did not think much of it. They continued all morning and I realized that I was in labor. We went to the hospital around 5 p.m. Sunday night. I was only 2cm dilated and 80% effaced. I labored on my own until midnight. ( If only I knew then what I know now!). It was at this time that I re-evaluated my VBAC decision. I decided to go ahead with the pitocin if I then could have an epidural. My Dr. agreed. They started the pitocin and I was given and epidural. I then slept until 7 a.m. Monday morning. I was laying on my right side and felt a slight pain on my left. I brought this to the nurses attention and it was dismissed as a spotty epidural. Throughout the morning the pain got worse and was constant. It did not come and go like a contraction does. By 9 a.m. I was in alot of pain and asking for the dr. It was not long after that, I was told I had to roll to my side. My babies heart rate was dropping. With my mom on one side and my husband on the other with each contraction they were rolling me from side to side. After the second time that the babies heart rate dropped my Dr was in the room. I pretty much told him we were going for a c-section. I was in too much pain and could not take it anymore. He checked me and I was only 5 cm. He said that if I was 8 or 9 cm he would let me push. Thank God that I did not push!! He said that for whatever reason the baby is all of the sudden not tolerating labor and we are going to do a c-section. He placed an internal monitor on the baby and watched my next contraction along with the babies heart rate. I could hear the monitor and I thought His heart was going to stop. The Dr was on his way out the door when I screamed with my next contraction. My mom told me that all he said was STAT and a very small town hospital was on the go. he could not get me into OR fast enough. He was yelling at everyone HURRY!!! The anesthesiologist was very concerned. In all I had 3 epidurals. I could not feel or move my legs yet I was in terrible pain. In the OR he gave my a spinal. I still had pain. By this time my dr. was ready to begin and I was still complaining of pain. He asked me "Shari, can you feel this?" I said "NO!" that is when he cut me. The next thing I hear was "OH SHIT!!" I then feel them taking my baby out and I was waiting for him to cry. He finally did cry but it was not a very loud or enthusiastic one. I don't remember anything else until I wake up in the recovery room. My husband and my mom and a nurse were at my side. I ask for my husband, and he says that they want to life Flight the baby to West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh. Do you want me to go or do you want your mom to go? I told him to go.
As I was in and out of consciousness for the rest of the afternoon. At one point I remember my dr. coming in and telling me that my uterus had ruptured and they wanted the baby to go to west Penn as a precautionary. That he had ingested blood and they needed to keep an eye on him. The hospital where I delivered was not equipped to give my baby the care he needed.
I got to see my baby for 5 minutes before he was life flight to a hospital an hour away. He was hooked up to tubes and wires everywhere. I got to touch his arm and then they wheeled him away. I did not get to see him for 3 more days.
There was a pediatrician in the OR when he was delivered. We had requested this pediatrician when I was admitted to the hospital. He worked on my son for 2 hours straight before the life flight team got there. Then they got him stabilized for transport.
My son spent 6 days in NICU. He was monitored for seizures because he had ingested blood. He was put on oxygen then just needed and oxygenated incubator and then finally he was on normal room air. They did a few test to see if he suffered any brain damage. They said that they could not find anything wrong with him. Once he was out of the woods from risk of seizures. He was fine.
We finally got to bring him home after a week of pure HELL!!
My son to this day does not show any signs of brain damage. he has reached each mile stone at the age that he was supposed to. This does not keep me however, from worrying. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about how close we came to losing our second son. My husband nor I could ever go through this again. We will not be having any more children!! My Dr. has also advised me not to have any more children. However, he does not even want to operated on me to tie my tubes and has recommended that my husband have a vasectomy.
Jacob is now 9 months old and a very happy healthy little boy!
UPDATE: 2/12/2001
Jacob just celebrated his first birthday. He is almost walking. He is still a very happy little boy! We count our blessings everyday!!
Jacob 8 mos.
Jacob at 9 mos.
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