Induction at 34 weeks: Blythe’s birth story
The one thing that can be said about birth is that it’s unpredictable. Greta's due date was July 10th, but at her regular 34 week prenatal appointment in late May, her routine tests came back abnormal - her blood pressure was sky high, and along with the protein in her urine, all signs pointed to preeclampsia - just like that, plans changed.
“I went in for a normal prenatal appointment at 34 weeks, but my urine had high protein and my blood pressure was high. I wasn’t feeling very connected to my care team, so I had already hired a homebirth midwife after talking with Megan. My homebirth midwife and I agreed to do co-care; continue with seeing the hospital midwives while planning a VBAC homebirth and having the hospital team as a backup. Megan and my homebirth midwife were encouraging me via text to get specifics and were backing up what the medical team were saying. My HB midwife confirmed I would be having a hospital birth at this point.
They wheeled me to delivery and told me to get my husband there pronto. The OB on the ward told me they would be transferring me via ambulance to Danville and that she was going to recommend a c-section that day. Because Evan doesn’t have a NICU, if I had the baby there, the baby would be airlifted to Danville, and I would stay at Evan separated from her. I was terrified something would go wrong with the transfer, but after several hours everything was ready and Megan met me at Geisinger.”
“...my muscles were lead, I was wading through molasses, and I was on fire”
“Once I was transferred, Geisinger offered to let me try a VBAC. For two days I was on Pitocin and magnesium. I worried how I would tolerate true labor and pushing while on magnesium: feeling like my muscles were lead, that I was wading through molasses, and I was on fire. Meanwhile, I had a catheter in my urethra that hurt and a catheter in my vagina and through my cervix to manually ripen the cervix. The urethra catheter had shifted during transfer and hurt and having both catheters at the same time made me want run away. I felt so empowered when I asked for the urine catheter to be removed, remembering that Megan had told me I could withdraw my consent to anything at any time.”
“I felt so empowered...remembering that Megan had told me I could withdraw my consent to anything at any time.”
“After two days, my kidneys were in danger of shutting down and the magnesium was building up in my body so much that they had to shut it off but then I was in danger of a seizure harming the baby. I was so amazed and impressed that the doctor sat with me and explained his reasons for recommending the c-section but also asked what my thoughts were and what my wishes during the c-section were. My four requests: delayed cord clamping as long as possible, me awake during the c-section (my previous birth had been an emergency c-section and I had been put under), see Blythe in the OR, and save my uterus. He honored all of those.”
“He had to work for a while to control bleeding in my uterus. I was scared something would happen and I’d be put to sleep for the c-section again; but I got to hear Blythe cry! I got to hear the newborn cry. I cried so hard hearing that; it was healing. They held her near my head for longer than I expected so I could talk to her and she smiled.”
She stayed in the NICU for 6 days with the most fantastic team of nurses. They were so encouraging and advocated for us. Because of complications I had from the surgery (it was a fluke and nothing that the doctor could have prevented), I ended up staying a day longer than my baby. But if I had been discharged first, the nurses had several options for me to stay in or near the hospital.
Because of hospital policies I wasn't able to go back into the operating room with Greta and her partner Daniel, BUT I did arrive in time to hand off my camera to him, and was so impressed and grateful he was able to get images from inside the OR as well as in the NICU after babe's arrival.
Baby Blythe had safety arrived! The recovery after a cesarean is no joke, so after being wheeled back to her room to recover, Greta had a chance to recount the experience to me before she got some rest. It filled my heart (and my eyes, not gonna lie, I was crying) when she told me how the greatest moment was hearing that sweet brand new baby cry during the surgery, and getting to snuggle her and talk to her before she was transferred to the NICU. These things that seem so "simple" (getting to hear and see your baby after birth, getting to touch them, having choices and options during a cesarean section when often it feels like you don't have much power) are absolutely everything to the families experiencing them. Providers, hospitals, home birth midwives, doulas, photographers and birth workers in general, have a power to reframe, transform, and truly support families in these moments. It's a powerful thing.
Thank you so much for reading! Did you have an unexpected change of plans during your birth? Leave a comment below and tell me about it!