A Most Unusual Day, And An Unusual Birth
Posted: Monday, January 09, 2012
by elle kynzer
At nine months pregnant I went slow dancing the night before my water broke, which was a Sunday morning. By Sunday night I was in labor, and stuck with natural childbirth, a selection made so my husband could view the birth. For some reason the next two days are a long blurr, because I was hung up on 8 minutes apart for the pains, and my obstetrician was on vacation. I awoke to a very unusual day that kept going, and going and going!
I awoke to a very angry doctor yelling at the younger man, who must have been caring for the Obstetrician's patients. Possibly, he was an intern at the Catholic Hospital where I had gone for delivery, although I am not Catholic - it was convenient, only one block from my house. The day would go from bad to worse once the doctor arrived, but birth resolution would come
The jest of the conversation was the Obstetrican asking "why didn't you bring on the labor?" and something was said that if I did not go forward with natural birth in two hours I would be having a Ceaserian Section.
“Rh disease is generally preventable by treating the mother during pregnancy or soon after delivery with an intramuscular injection of anti-RhD immunoglobulin ( Rho(D) immune globulin ). The RhD protein is coded for by the RHD gene. I should have used term "Asynclitic" instead of breach...my error.”
When I woke up there was a student nurse, who explained to me that I was so exhausted that I had passed out after the birth, it was by then nightime. My son had been born at 9 minutes passed 11 AM. My husband had taken time for a shower when they called, and missed the birth, showing up as the baby was rolled across the hall; my doctor called in the student nurses to watch, so my labor wasn't in vain. Thank God those days are over, and we do it differently now...and men can be in the delivery room without natural childbirth.
The nurse said at the time of the birth I kept yelling 'Is it a boy, and does he have hair?" Now that sounds crazy to you, but it was a breach birth, hand first, and I had been in natural childbirth labor with no pain killers for three days! I was crazy! Now, the reason I asked those questions was everyone told me an old wives tale, that I would have a bald headed baby, because I never had heartburn. Also that I carried high and would have a boy, which I did. He had the most beautiful head of black hair standing up almost two inches.
The doctor apologized for the delay of the substitute not getting me to delivery for over two days, however, no one knew that the biggest mistake the Intern or doctor made was not seeing to it, that I would get my shot for an RH Negative mother, with an RH Positive child within 72 hours of the birth. Something that almost killed me two years later with the antibodies in my blood, and that mistake cost me the next child early in the pregnancy. When doctors or nurses mess up, it can mean life, death, or other future complications.
That was the longest day of my life, it started on a Sunday and ended on Mayday, Tuesday....but I birthed a handsome son, who tells me often how much he loves me, so it was all worth the long, long, long, unusual day filled with pain, pain, and more pain. The miracle of a mother's love is that none of that matters anymore, once she sees the baby.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Hi ella,
What a nightmare that experience must have been. Yes, I too am glad that women do not have to go through that today.
You have commented elsewhere about our similarities now I see we are both RH Negative mothers.
Blessings, dawn
Please log in to respond to this comment.http://www.baata.org/polezni/Rh%20sistem.pdf
The above link has some newer info on Rh negatives, and some of the research I found was bizarre....do a search on it. I refuse to believe we are part Alien, and and did you know we cannot be cloned? Some crazy claims out there on the internet.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Loved the article Ellie. You went through hell by the sounds of it, but like you said you gave birth to handsome son, so made it all worthwhile in the end.
Keep well
KacyPlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you Kacycarr...yes, it did.Please log in to respond to this comment.
I can bet this was an unusual day, full of pain, pain and more pain. Ouch. You said Mayday - a May baby. Beginning of May? Like maybe May 3? Great and loving people are born on that day. I know this personally. (grin!)
We have many similarities here. For me - long labor, fanny first breach, thunder and lightning storm after 100 degree temperature and no air in delivery room, RH factor too, life threatening with second child but no problem with first.
Your telling made me feel right along with you. Yikes. Great telling!Please log in to respond to this comment.
This story just solidifies to me that women are tougher than men. After all that I'm glad you have a great kid!Please log in to respond to this comment.
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