CK's Story - Stratford General Hospital, Stratford

February 2011 - My waters broke, I went into maternity and labor hadn't started. I was sent home to see if he would come and nothing happened other than painful contractions, my cervix did not dilate. Morning came I went in and she induced me. 

The unit got busier and the nurse couldn't do it till afternoon. I was finally induced. Over the next hour contractions were slowly speeding up, but still not enough so Dr. Christine Bloch increased it, within an hour I was what I thought was pain. What it was, the oxytocin increasing my contractions and quickly dilating my cervix out. At 5:30pm I was fully effaced and 10cm. I had gas mask and wow I felt so smothered and had no clue how to breath and I did feel like I was in heaven. So I went for the morphine, wow I felt dazey, then finally I was given the epidural, I took it. It didn't hurt at all, within 20min I was able to relax.

It was 8:30pm and my son wasn't moving down as he was in the occipital anterior position. Dr called in the anesthesiologist and refilled my epidural as she would have to turn him over with forceps and wanted me frozen.

I did have the episiotomy as he was assisted.
She had him, my husband didn't get the chance to cut the cord as my son was in there for a longtime and handed him off to the nurse. I was so exhausted and shaking too much to hold him. I had a hemorrhage and luckily she did massage my uterus and gave me the shot to slow it down. Finally it evacuated clots. I felt so cold.

Once the epidural wore off I was so sore and could barely move from the pain. I was a wreck and he went jaundiced and was admitted to the nursery, I felt alone and my husband worked shift work. It was scary watching him be poked with needles. I just wanted to hold my baby.

I felt terrified and had no clue what was going on.

I talked to Dr. Bloch, she told me I did well and there were no complications. Yes there were. I had a fever, my son had racing heartbeat. It was forcep delivery. I hemorrhaged.

 

Submitted by CK