Bailey's Birth Story
Plus Size Cesarean Birth
We welcomed our first child, Amelia Charlotte Kim, to the world on Friday June 12th, 2020 at 3:20 a.m. Literally nothing went according to plan except that our perfect little girl is here with us!
Our "plan" was to labor and deliver at our midwife's birth house in the pool, drug free with as little medical intervention as possible. I also wanted to have my mom and dad at the birth to meet baby following delivery.
Our actual experience was extremely different. I was due June 5th and feeling all of the "get out now" feelings. My water broke at 6 a.m. on Wednesday June 10th. Contractions were there but not very frequent and with no pattern. After talking with my midwife, we agreed to go in for a NonStressTest that evening.
The NonStressTest went fantastically, although baby wiggled around and wouldn't let us keep the monitor on for long. We all agreed that I would labor overnight at home but check in again at the 24 hour mark. At that point an induction could become necessary, as the chances of developing an infection start to increase. Throughout the night and morning, my contractions were getting stronger, more frequent and more consistent. My midwife was at another birth so she said we could check in with her in the afternoon. Then my contractions stalled out. They went from being 10 minutes apart to over an hour sometimes.
We got the call to go in for induction for 6 p.m. I signed into my hospital and began the IV drip with Pitocin at 7-7:30 p.m.-ish. I requested a labor tub room and got one! I was checked for the first time— I was 3 to 4 cm dilated and they were able to attach the internal fetal monitor to make it easier to keep an eye on baby's stats and allow me to be mobile. The contractions started to really come and they were manageable but getting stronger. I asked to labor in the tub and they started testing the mobile monitoring device and it failed. To the nurses credit, they really tried for me but I was unable to be away from the monitoring station for more than going pee.
As things progressed, the contractions were becoming more unbearable and the pressure was unreal. I asked to be checked at 11 p.m., as I felt the need to push, but wasn't confident that it would be this quick. They checked and I was 4 - 5 cm dialated and very posterior.
The contractions were so strong and painful, I asked to try the laughing gas. I used it through three contractions and decided it wasn't for me. I then went to the washroom and asked to shower. The nurses said that I could go 30 minutes not hooked to the monitor if I needed to, as long as I let them check me with the doppler often.
The shower was amazing (if you can uee water during labor, do!). Thirty minutes went too quickly and I was hooked back up to the monitor. Baby's heart rate went a bit haywire not too long afterwards and my cervix was checked again at 1 a.m.— I was still at 4 to 5 cms dialated. That's when they called the OB/GYN. He came and talked to the nurses and my midwife, watched me contract for three minutes long with one minute between them for about 20 minutes before giving us our options.
1. Get an epidural, relax, continue to see how my labor progressed itself. As we were already nearing the 48 hour mark of my water breaking, infection was a bigger risk, risk to baby and myself and IF nothing went anywhere, be taken for a cesarean birth.
2. Get an spinal and have a cesarean now.
My husband and I agreed that baby and my safety was #1 and that I just couldn't do this labor anymore, so we opted for the immediate cesarean.
We signed the consent at 2:15 a.m. and I was rolled into the operating room at 2:40 a.m. I got my epidural/spinal ten minutes later, which was immediately relieving).
At 3:20am, our baby girl made her extremely loud entrance into this world and has changed our lives forever.
I got cheek to cheek with Amelia after she was checked with my husband nearvy, who watched and cut the umbilical cord. We were wheeled to the "in-between" recovery area to wait for the numbing to wear off, where I was able to breastfeed right away.
My catheter came out at 12 p.m. and I was able to pee at 5:40 p.m. Urinating following a cesarean is a big milestone and my provider would have to do another catheter if I don't go. After Amelia's 24-hours-old tests, we were told we could leave if the midwife signed off on baby's release. We were released and at home at 35 hours post-birth!
Although nothing was what we planned, we got the best outcome we could— a happy and healthy family of three.
Read more plus size birth stories in the Fat Birth book!