From: debbie@zogwarg.etl.army.mil (Debbie Anderson)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Another labor story (LONG)
Date: 31 Aug 92 20:28:05 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Engineer Topographic Labs, Ft. Belvoir, VA

With all the recent postings about labor and caesareans, I've decided to
post my labor story, even though it happened almost a year ago. 

	Stephanie Elizabeth Anderson
	born: Sept. 26, 1991
	weight: 7 lbs 12 oz
	height: 19 1/2"
	apgars: 8 & 9

Sept 26, 1991:  It was 2 weeks before my due date and I went to work as
usual.  My contractions started around 9 AM and were about 20 minutes
apart.  By 10:30 AM they were 10 minutes apart and lasting 30-45
seconds.  Around noon, I knew it was the real thing and decided to head
home.  It took almost 45 minutes for me to drive home.  I had a hard
time concentrating on the road during contractions.  I drove right by a
street that I was supposed to turn onto.  When I got home, I called my
husband, Dave, and told him to come right home.  He asked if I was sure
this time, because I had called him home the previous week on a false
alarm.  I told him it was definitely real and he should come right home.
I timed my contractions for another 15 minutes, then called my doctor's
office. It was around 1:30 and my contractions were coming every 2 to 30
minutes and lasting 40-45 seconds.  The doctor's office said to come to
the office (which was next door to the hospital) but not to drive
myself.  Dave got home around 2:00.  He insisted that we pick up our son
(Adam, 2 1/2 yrs old) at the sitters first.  So we headed off towards 
the sitter's house which is 25 minutes from our house and in the
opposite direction from the hospital.  We picked up Adam at 2:30 PM and
arrived at the dr's office at 3:30 PM.  The nurses in the office were
worried because it had been nearly 2 hours since I called.  Dr. Rosen
examined me and said I was 2 cm and my membranes were bulging.  He sent
me next door to the hospital.  I was wheeled up to the maternity ward
and Dave stayed downstairs to register.  I changed into a hospital gown
and immediately vomited.  The nurse hooked me up to the fetal monitor,
put in an IV and took blood.  She also took my temperature, which was
101.8.  This was around 4 PM.  Dave and Adam finally made it upstairs to
my room.  The nurse said she would take my temperature again in 1/2
hour.  She was also concerned that the baby's heart rate was too high
(around 190 beats).  Dave tried to call his mom and dad so they could
take care of Adam but was unable to reach either of them.  Finally at
4:30 he was able to reach his dad, who lives only 10 minutes from the
hospital.  The baby's heart rate was still high and was dipping with
every contraction.  Dr. Donald (Dr. Rosen's partner) was the doctor on
call.  She called in to check on my progress, the nurse told her about
the fever and Dr. Donald said to start pitocin to speed things up.  The
anesthesiologist came in to set up an epidural and the nurse told Dave
that now would be a good time to take Adam to Dave's dad's house.  Dave
left promising that he'd be gone no longer than 20 minutes.  The nurse
took my temperature again and it was up to 102.6 (up almost 1 degree in
just 1/2 hour).  The anesthesiologist and nurse left the room and called
Dr. Donald.  The nurse came back in and told me that I was going to have
a caesarean.  Then the anesthesiologist came  back in and said that
since I had an infection he didn't want to give me an epidural.  He was
concerned that making an opening near the spine might enable the
infection to enter my nervous system.  He said I would have to have
general anesthesia.  4:45 now and everyone was rushing around.  Several
nurses were in my room, prepping me for surgery and asking questions
(like what I had eaten that morning, any allergies, etc.)  15 minutes
later everything was ready.  Dr. Donald came in and a nurse asked "Do we
wait for the husband?" and Dr. Donald said no.  The anesthesiologist put
me under.  After what seemed like a few minutes later I could feel
tugging as they pulled the baby out and then I heard a baby crying.  I
tried to open my eyes and say something but I couldn't move.  Then I was
out completely and don't remember anything until 5:45 when the nurse
woke me in recovery.  (Later that night, I asked the anesthesiologist if
it was possible to feel the tugging and hear the baby cry or was I just
dreaming.  He said that I did feel the tugging because he only gives a
minimum amount of anesthetic until the baby is out, then he gives the
full dose.)  Dave got back right after they started surgery and watched
through a window.  Dave went with Stephanie to the nursery.  She was
admitted to the Intensive Care Nursery for respiratory distress
and infection.  At birth her heart rate was 200 beats per minute.  When
I woke up in recovery, I wanted to see Stephanie and the nurse said she
was in the IC nursery and they couldn't bring her to me.  She said that
she would bring me a picture of Stephanie later.  I kept thinking that
something must be terribly wrong or they would let me see her.  Later,
the pediatrician came in and told me the infection was caused by Group B
Strep.  Apparently I had a small tear in my amniotic sac high enough
that the water had not leaked but it allowed the infection to reach
Stephanie.  Group B Strep was found in her blood.  They were testing her
spinal fluid to see  if it had gone into her nervous system, but they
wouldn't have the results until the next morning.  They were giving her
antibiotics through an IV and she was on oxygen to help her breathe.
The next morning they told me that the tests on her spinal fluid showed
the infection had not reached her nervous system.  That was great news.
They also brought in a picture of Stephanie.  (Turns out the hospital
had ran out of film for their instant camera and couldn't get anymore
until that morning.)  They still wouldn't let me visit her in the
nursery because I was still running a fever.  They wouldn't even let me
out of bed until that afternoon.  Finally that evening, I was able to
see her through the nursery glass.  Friday night, they took her off
oxygen, but they had to put her back on it Saturday.  On Saturday, my
fever was gone and I could go into the nursery.  (She was 1 1/2 days old
before I got to touch her.)  I spent most of Sunday morning in the IC
nursery with Stephanie.  She was off oxygen so I could finally
breastfeed her.  They had a breastfeeding room in the IC nursery for
privacy.  I was discharged Sunday at noon. (My insurance only pays for 3
days for caesareans.)  Stephanie had to stay for 10 days, it was really
tough leaving the hospital without her.  We went back Sunday night to
visit her.  On Monday her IV was removed, the rest of her antibiotics
were given through injections.  For the next week, I tried to be at the
hospital for at least 2 or 3 feedings a day.  I rented a hospital breast
pump and was pumping breast milk, freezing it and dropping it off at the
nursery for when I couldn't be there.  On Friday, the staff cardiologist
checked on Stephanie and said her heart was swollen from the strain of
having to pump harder when she was having trouble breathing and that she
might have a heart murmur.  He recommended that she be seen by a
pediatric cardiologist after discharge.  Stephanie was discharged Sunday
at 1:30.  Monday, Stephanie went to the ped. cardiologist who did an
echo cardiogram on her heart and said everything was fine with her
heart.  The swelling had gone down and he could not hear any murmur.
But he still wanted to see her in 2 weeks.  At her regular 2-week check-up, her
pediatrician said she's healthy and shouldn't have any residual effects
from the infection.  Now she's 11 months old, healthy, smiles all the
time and is very active.

Debbie


 
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