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still_me
01-04-2008, 08:16 PM
I want to say thank you to alrighty roo. I am a stranger to her, but she took time in her life to write me. She helped me find the strength and courage to write this.

My first pregnancy was a bit of a trip. The doctors told me that I had contacted CMV which is a virus that can attack the baby's nervous system if the mother gets it while she is pregnant. I had worked at a day care and a little girl had it there. Come to find out I had it before I got pregnant. All was well with the baby and his delivery was fast and we both were fine.
My second pregnancy was smooth sailing. We had a great doctor who pulled no punches and got along great with our family. I told him my first son came fast (4hrs from beginning to end) and I was a little concerned with my second being as fast or faster. He told me I'd be fine and after my due date scheduled for me to be induced on Oct 31st.

At 10:00pm Oct 30th I took a cold shower because I started to feel a little woozy. I thought it was nerves and laid down. 11:00 I stood up to pee and fluid was coming down my leg. I had this before but when I rushed to the doctor he told me I had just lost control of my bladder and peed. It became a family joke and so I went to use the bathroom. I laid back down and called for my husband. He came and laid down with me and then got up to get a heating pad. 11:08 He came back to me in pain. I had him check the time and again when it came back 11:13. No way! five minutes? He called for my mom downstairs she came up, took one look and me and told him to start the car (the women came in for two weeks to help us. smooches momma) I stood and immediately started shaking uncontrollably. 11:20 on our way to the hospital. We were excited but scared. My contractions were crazy and I was in a lot of pain. We got to the ER the nurse told me it was probably nothing and that this happens all the time. I have never wanted to punch someone in my life so badly. As I have wrote before I look young and looking young for some reason means you are an idiot. They checked me and admitted me right away. I was 8cm.

12:00 they gave me an IV drug. I didn't want an epidural and it was too late anyways. At this point no doctor by the way. (mine wasn't on. They were calling a doctor that I hadn't had before) The nurses said that they keep calling him but couldn't reach him. At this point I don't remember much except for having no control of my body. I always thought with labor "okay just keep it together " or "Women have been doing this for centuries. I'm not the first and not the last." I will admit I always thought women who screamed or were aggressive in labor were being a little dramatic. I know I'm a bitch..lalala I was wrong. I'll admit it. No doctor still and I started to get a little freaked out. My husband was asking what was going on and I could see the fear start to creep into my mom's eyes. My mom NEVER shows fear. I began to pray in between bouts of pain.

FINALLY! A doctor. What time? 1:20. Yes 1:20. He popped his head in the door with his hat still on and coat. He scrubbed up and as he put on his cover, gloves and told me to roll onto my back. I couldn't. I could control my body. I kept thinking "just roll over. Why can't you roll over?" My sweet husband rolled me over and I said "I have to push" He told me don't and I said, "SIR, I AM PUSHING" At least now, I find humor in that. For some reason I kept saying mam' and sir. I felt something pushing hard down there and I thought "wait a minute, no way, that isn't normal." You see, still to this day I don't know if I really was given any drugs. As I look back I don't think I was. I had IV drugs the first time and let me tell you I didn't feel anything like this. What I felt was my baby's head coming out. I still hadn't even pushed. Just rolling me over let him start to come out.

I pushed 4 or 5 times and Garrett Phillip was born @ 1:31. The doctor cut his cord. Yes, the asshole didn't even offer that to my husband and the nurses took him. He told a nurse to give me pictocin (SP?). I asked why and he told me "so you don't bleed to death". When I asked again why he said I had "some big blood clots that needed to come out and stop shaking." He then started stitching me up. It took him 20 minutes. At some point a nurse had given me more or the first dose of the IV drug again and it started to take. Along with that I started shaking again. This time the shock shakes were so bad I could control myself. He then yelled at me to "stop moving and to "stay on the table were I put you." Since the drug took effect by now I could think a little more clearly and thought "I can't you prick" and I started to get pissed. Immediately I felt guilty. Here I had just had my baby. I couldn't be angry. I couldn't ruin this time. So I pushed it away and tried to "control" myself. He finally finished and a nurse came with warm blankets for me. When I could stop shaking I finally got to hold my baby. He was 21 1/2 inches and 8lbs 1oz. My sweet baby was here. I was able to nurse when he wanted and all went well. I never was checked out by any doctor again until the day I left. My doctor stopped by to see the baby and to say sorry that he wasn't the one to deliver. I told him all went well and thank you. He asked if I had been seen yet and I told him no. He left the room, came back, and told me the doctor that delivered the baby would come check me. He never did. My doctor came back the day I was leaving and checked me.

As I write this still part of me feels like I'm just blowing this up to be much more than it really was. I understand now that letting myself feel this way was what stopped me from being able to focus on my baby and bond with him. Some may never understand, some may try but not be able to ,and some may. All I hope is no one ever has to feel guilty for doing nothing. Guilty for having their baby and having someone treat them crap. Guilty for not feeling like they love their son enough. Guilty for not standing up for themselves and the child they are supposed to protect. Thank God he is fine because if something had happened to him I don't think I could of taken it.

AlrightyRoo
01-04-2008, 08:30 PM
The way that doctor spoke to you is appalling. I am really sorry that you had to endure that. :(

In the book that I recommended to you, it says that it doesn't matter whether anybody else thinks that your birth was traumatic. If you felt traumatized, it was traumatic.

Much peace and healing to you. :hug:

tracylee
01-07-2008, 09:48 PM
I too am appalled at that asshole! the only "guilt" you should feel is not kicking him in the face. If I was there I would have done if for you! congrats on a healthy baby! Someone in the hospital should have advocated for you! Did your nurses check you? Your doc should have checked you right then and there. Oh Well... Again, your boy is healthy and that is all that matters. Good job keeping the mood as positive as you could for your little one's first moments!

ima062002
01-07-2008, 11:38 PM
This guy should not be delivering babies and the hospital should know how he treated you. If I were in your shoes, I would have written a letter of complaint to the head of the labor & delivery dept.

still_me
01-09-2008, 02:48 PM
This guy should not be delivering babies and the hospital should know how he treated you. If I were in your shoes, I would have written a letter of complaint to the head of the labor & delivery dept.


Honestly, by the time I confronted myself it was almost a year after I gave birth. I would be up in arms if this happened to someone else but I am learning to stand for myself a little more. Do you think it is too late to still write a letter?

Thanks for the support!

lillybugandmasontoo
01-14-2008, 05:45 PM
I would still write the letter I think it would have even more impact coming this far out.... Steph

Sassafras
01-18-2008, 02:18 PM
bump

DecemberBaby
04-11-2008, 11:59 AM
Write the letter. CC to the unit manager, the attending of the unit (Head doc of the MDs), and the president of the hospital. Trust me if they ever need/ want to get rid of this guy every little bit helps.

SayaD
04-22-2008, 12:29 PM
HI Still_me, First of all, congrats on your baby! He was such a big baby and you had him out so quickly! Anyhow, I can totally understand where you're coming from. My OB was a witch too. She must have resented the fact that my baby wanted to come out on an early Sunday morning or something because not only did she augment my labor with pitocin (even though I was 9 cm dilated when I arrived at the hospital) without informing me, she also gave me an episiotomy without any local anesthesia (even though I asked her for it several times). And when I screamed out in pain as she was cutting me, she even yelled at me for "making a racket" and "not staying still." To top it off, she blamed me several times for not wanting an epidural. Did I also mention that they cut my baby's umbilical cord without even asking the father and made me lie on my back the entire time I was in labor (which thankfully I was only at the hospital for three hours)?

Not having a supportive or empathetic health provider during your labor is indeed VERY traumatizing because birthing is supposed to be a beautiful experience. I wish I had went with a midwife because then I would have a more natural experience. But instead, I spent the next few days overwhelmed by the feeling that I have been betrayed by the one person I entrusted my labor experience to.

To my surprise though, most doctors are like that. Often, it's because they're overbooked and deal with so many patients that, ironically, they forget that we are human.

irisheyes81
04-24-2008, 04:07 PM
That doctors behavior was completely uncalled for and out of line. You really should write that letter. You've had plenty of time to think about it, realize that how he treated you was definitely wrong, and therefore are probably in a better mental frame to write a letter that will not be looked at as a new mother being "emotional"....which with him appearing to be a complete ass, he might have tried to say if you wrote it earlier. I'm really sorry you had to go through that, especially since you had no idea what was going on with your body during that delivery. He should have been more understanding and explained what was causing your loss of control and, later, extreme chills. He definitely deserves to be reported for his unprofessional behavior.

BeachMama
04-26-2008, 10:29 PM
I would consider that a traumatic birth experience. What a jerk!

mom_of_twins
08-15-2008, 09:12 AM
i'm so sorry you had to go through that. i'm happy your son is ok

The_Market
12-10-2008, 03:10 PM
Oh Well... Again, your boy is healthy and that is all that matters.
Please do not ever say this to someone feeling traumatized by their birth experience. Nothing belittles the strong feelings of grief and violation that a woman can have after a traumatic birth experience like being told that all that matters is that she and her baby are healthy.

ETA: I don't mean to attack you, Tracylee. I know you were just trying to offer comfort. It's just that this is a sensitive issue. The most common response a woman will have when sharing feelings of greif and/or anger about her birth experience is to be told, "but you and the baby are healthy and that's all that matters." In fact, it comes up so much that a woman will begin to feel unjustified for feeling anything less than grateful to have a birth that ended with all individuals physically intact. Obviously, there is more to it than that. Every human has a right to dignity and respect, and no one needs those rights respected like a person in the thralls of the intimate, emotional, vulnerable time of birth.

catoon
09-08-2010, 01:54 AM
There are things we mothers know in our hearts that can never be tracked on medical charts but that doesn't mean they are not real. Psychological health counts too, for mother and baby. So, again... thanks for dispelling the pseudo-confort of "well at least you & baby are healthy and that's what really matters"

If the birth was traumatic, then I'd say both mother and baby are not as healthy as they could have been. I'm sick of being told by a doctor weather I am healthy or not. If it doesn't fit into their model of health/disease then it's all in your head.

Well, Life is mostly in our heads, and it is what we make of it. Trust your intuition ladies and I wish healing for those of us who've been traumatized.