"Child birth experience & emergency c section"

I got transferred to Craigavon from altnagalven as the NICU unit was temporarily closed and I was 36wks 5days when my water broke. 

This was an IVF pregnancy after 4 losses. 

I was planned for a section the whole way through. When I got transferred to Craigavon after an assessment from the Dr I was told why don’t I go vbac birth as there was no reason I couldn’t. As I wasn’t “an emergency” I was taken to the ward, put into a room and told to sleep a few hours. The Dr was to check on me later. 

I couldn’t sleep or settle as I was in so much pain. After repeated calls to the mid wife’s the Dr came back and I was dilated. Again I asked for my section and was told to wait and use gas and air while Dr done another surgery. After this I was taken to the delivery suite and given morphine injection to help with pain. I was 5.5cm dilated at this point and told a section was no longer an option due to it being higher risk. 

I got an epidural after this and proceeded to 8cm dilated by late evening. I stopped passing urine and was swelling up and my blood pressure went high. At this point I was told I was pre-eclamptic stage 1 and my kidneys were failing. 

At 8.30pm I was taken for an emergency section as the baby was stuck at 8cm for almost 6hours. 

During surgery my uterus ruptured causing more blood loss on top of everything. Thankfully the Dr was able to repair this and there was no need for a blood transfusion. Also with thanks to the anaesthetists I had a spinal block and epidural with no issues afterwards their care was 2nd to none. 

I was on magnesium after surgery to support my kidney recovery and courses of antibiotics for 2-3 days. The staff on the ward were brilliant. Some of the head nurses on the ward were not so great. I found it very difficult to get pain relief and was left waiting for hours at times. 

The baby was in an incubator for two days and on 36 hours of antibiotics as a precaution as my inflammation levels were high and she was premature. 

This all happened due to the Dr not being willing to do a section I did feel they did not want me to have a section as it was elective. With this being an IVF pregnancy, and my history it was very stressful throughout and this experience was to be avoided during childbirth. 

I’m very saddened to have had this experience but also very grateful my daughter is safe. She also had an abrasion on her forehead as she was stuck for so long against a bone in my pelvis. 

I do believe this all could’ve been avoided. Had the doctor done my section once they had completed the emergency surgeries for that night. My experience could’ve been much worse, but it could also been much better.

The staff on the ward and in the delivery suite were brilliant and very supportive as for management level staff this was not the case as decisions were made without taking my or my husbands choices into consideration in our option and from our experience. My husband felt very excluded and as if he was a nuisance being there.