My (In)fertile Confessions: Traumatic Birth Story

For over three years we tried to have one more baby after our twins. We had four miscarriage and tons of heartbreak. Finally, God blesses us. We thought the trial was over, he was finally almost here. After all we went through I wanted the least amount of interventions possible, a natural VBAC (we had breech twins at 35 weeks 6 years prior). I knew I could do it! I love the class here. I learned so much! I ate my dates, started drinking RRL tea second trimester, and increasing to 3 cups a day around 35 weeks. I felt good baby was good.

At 37 weeks baby boy flipped breech! I immediately came home did spinning babies and he flipped right back head down! I had kept praying “please give me the birth that is safest for us both” so I figured head down was a go for my vbac.

At 38 +5 weeks, I got bronchitis and had to get on Antibiotics. I noticed I had started losing my mucus plug the couple days earlier. That night I wiped and there was blood mixed in! I thought for sure it was going to happen soon. The next day I felt so much better from the medication, so we were okay if labor started.

38+6. It was about 10 pm a heard a pop and then a HUGE gush. My water broke. It was not a trickle. A gush like you see in the movies. I couldn’t believe it! I went to the bathroom and within 10 min I had to go poop twice! It was go time! I was starting to have contractions. I made myself another RRL tea with three bags, got my labor oils. I was contracting regularly with that tea. We went to the hospital.

Once all checked in, of course my contractions died down and were sporadic. They had me walk the halls. Nothing. I wanted to avoid interventions, especially pit. By 6am I was only 1 centimeter dilated and bc of the time, and vbac they started me on pitocin. I knew at that point my birth preferences were out the window. I walked the halls for two hours then I found the birth ball. I LOVED that ball. It felt so good rocking through the contractions.

I had to use the bathroom, I came out and the nurse was there concerned. Baby had a major decel and wasn’t recovering. She had me go on all fours, O2, lay on side etc. finally he started doing better. But then that continued every so often. He was not loving the contractions at all. She recommended the epidural bc I was high risk and he wasn’t doing well, so I got it.

We also had to keep shutting off Pit and restarting so it just dragged every thing out. We basically stopped and had to restart labor many times.

Baby continued to have decels. As a last resort, they inserted a catheter into my uterus and filled it with saline to relieve him since they figured it was a cord issue... it worked. Finally I was progressing and baby was doing great!

Once I got to five centimeters I started progressing quickly. But we were coming on the 24 hour mark. I started getting a fever. My doctor pressed on knowing I really wanted a vaginal birth.

I finally got to ten centimeters. I pushed for 30 minutes really well. They had me wait for the doctor to get there because baby was right there. All of a sudden I started having major pain. Like a burning pain. They said it was because baby was right there. But it was horrible and did not feel right. Doctor came in and two pushes later Maverick Lucca was born blue with the cord wrapped two times around his neck at 4:03AM January 7, 2018. Daddy cut the cord and They put him on me and he was hot! He also got a fever and was 103! Thankfully he recovered quickly.

Right after delivery the pain continued! I said “why am I still in pain? It’s supposed to go away after I deliver!” They checked my uterus it was firm, checked for bleeding, I wasn’t. But I laid there in agony, I started saying “help me, help me, the pain is so bad, help me.” They decided to give me more epidural! I asked if it was my uterus rupturing. I asked why more drugs after delivery. This didn’t make sense.

I obviously felt better with more drugs. I nursed my baby and got the skin on skin. Almost two hours later, I was being closely monitored, I was bleeding out, with blood pressure of 50/30. I was dying! A team of people rushed in and they did an ultrasound to see I was bleeding internally. I was wheeled out immediately. Before being knocked out I said “please just don’t let me die, please don’t let me die!”

I woke up at 9am in ICU. I found out I had a partial hysterectomy (they saved my ovaries and cervix) to save my life. Luckily it was our last baby anyway. I was doing well, recovering.

The following day began the downhill spiral.
When I had my hysterectomy, my doctor (who was the on call OB), left my two main arteries open and I started bleeding internally again! I developed a football size hematoma and looked nine months and pregnant. I had to have another surgery to save my life, again! A radiologist went in through my groin to close off my arteries. They did successfully!

I was sent home with a belly full of blood.
This started the domino effect of problems. A few days since being sent home, I started bleeding which turned into hemorrhaging. I went back to the hospital and was admitted. Radiology came and inserted a drain into my abdomen and they drained 2 liters of blood. Five days later I was sent home again.

A few days later I developed a fever and returned to the hospital, this time septic. I developed an infection by a hole left at the top of my vagina (again by the on call doctor who did my first surgery). I was admitted immediately and was put on a septic protocol and started IV antibiotics. Five days later I was sent home for the third time. This time we thought for sure for the last time.

With a pic line in place, major antibiotics, I thought for sure I would be healed. But no. A few days later, at home, my csection scar began to open up and started oozing. It was gross. I went in again and was admitted and I had another fever. I had surgery the following day. This time with my OB and and general surgeon/plastic surgeon. When they went in, they were shocked what they found. All my major organs were covered in pus. They had to open me up completely to clean it out.

In the past I would have been very upset to have such a gnarly scar. But you get to the point you are just thankful to be alive!

But we did finally get our baby I’ve prayed so long for! We are so thankful for him, our beautiful boy sent from above, Maverick Lucca. I’ve been home now for two and a half weeks.

The last picture is the one that saved my life. It was not planned to be cut open completely, but the infection spread and I needed to get completely cleaned out. It has become my testimony of the goodness of God...

And THIS is my testimony of the goodness of God. Even through this, my battle wounds... God is SO faithful! I literally was on my deathbed four different times. My at home nurse told me yesterday, “I honestly don’t know how you made it.” It was because of so many of you! I had SO SO many people praying for me, people I don’t know, people in other states, coming together IN PRAYER, as I fought for my life. NO, I am NOT going to be ashamed of this scar. This scar is a testimony of the goodness of my for real God, who NEVER left my side. This scar will be a constant reminder of what I battled, how I fought to be alive for my children. This scar, my battle wound, will be a reminder of answered prayers. I am finally on the path to healing and I praise Jesus, for he is so good to me... even through this. I will NOT be ashamed. I am a walking testimony.