Take it from someone who has been through this, 4 times now.... UHG
So when I had my first daughter I was 19, and scared. I didn't know nearly as much as I do now about things. But anyways I opted for an epidural when I first went into labor. Everything was fine, and went normal. Sounds great right??? NOT. The many things that can happen, and all the risks including signing a form stating that you may die! Yup I signed that.
4 years later here I am in labor with my second daughter, I labored all but 1 1/2 hours of it without any medication, completley natural. First off when your in so much pain and it's readily available, your more likely to use it, so here I was in transisition begging for something. Unfortunately I caved and they gave me another epidural, what I didn't know was that the anestesioligist had to do it twice beacause he messed up the first try. I labored and gave birth to my daughter and was fine, until the next day.
The headache began, it wasn't so bad until they released me the next day, I cried for almost 24 hours. The pain was unlike anything I had experinced. I found myself in the emergency room, to see what the heck was happening to me. After being stuck up and down my arms because they couldn't hit a vein for an IV, they gave me morphine and then continued on to tell me that they needed to do a blood patch. No big deal right, wrong again. They basically have to do another epidural and inject your own blood into the hole. So thats what they did. They told me that because of the first two epidurals in the previous days that I was leaking spinal fluid causing my brain to have less, which pulls on your tissues and makes your brain hurt literally.
I had one day pain free, to enjoy my new family.... Thankfully I got to be pain free on mothers day.
The next day I was back in the ER. Same amount of pain. They cannot do another blood patch although in some cases they will. Another IV and shot of morphine, they sent me home with a bed rest protocall and said if it doesn't go away in a week, to see my doctor.
Finally after three days sobbing and taking perkaset, it went away.
This whole experience was totally unnatural, and I regret not being able to wait out the last 1 1/2 hours. I never want to experence anything like this again, and if I so happen to have another child, I pray that I can birth at home, the way birth should be.
I hope you can all take something from this.
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That sucks, I hope all is better now!
ReplyDeleteThank you, everything is all better now, I just wish I was strong enough to be all natural like I planned.
ReplyDeleteWhen you experience a traumatic birth experience it is extremely important that you go through the grieving process with all of it. It has NOTHING to do with you not being strong enough. Our countries medical practices push, push, and push some more for us to use as much medical intervention as humanly possible. This is why people need to be educated and your experience can truly help you to educate people. Please please please give yourself the time to work thru this experience, cry, yell, whatever you need. It is a big deal and you are an amazing woman! If you do have more babies we will have to have lots of chats about ways to make them leave you the heck alone so you can do what your body is made to do. I love you lady and you are soooo STRONG don't ever forget that. xoxo
ReplyDeleteAwwww Brenna, your making me tear up! I am taking this experience and using it as a way to inform people. But yes I felt like yelling and screaming at the doctors who just act like it's nothing. I am trying not to be dissappointed with myself, and hoping this has a greater outcome :) I love you to death and thank you for encouraging words! XOXO
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