My NIGHTMARE Pregnancy & a BIG Mothers Day Surprise!
It was now 3am on August 1st, 2005. I still had not slept but I was laying in bed feeling terrible. My snoring husband suddenly ripped off my blanket and threw it on the floor. (He does stuff like this all the time when he is sleeping.) I sat up and could not reach the blanket. I pulled myself to a squatting position so I could lean over Kurt without waking him. As soon as I leaned forward to grab the blanket I felt my water break. I immediately waddeled to the bathroom, wondering what had happened. I waited a few minutes then began to worry. I went back into the bedroom and turned on the light, "Baby", "I said, "I think I am going into labor." My sleeping husbands' response was, "Ok, can you turn off that light."
I then turned off the light and hurried to the basement and woke up my sister who had been staying with me for extra help. She jumped from bed and we began timing contractions. Immediately the contractions were three minutes apart! I was trying to help pack the hospital bag but the pain was so frequent that I would drop to my knees and try not to cry. I made it back into the bedroom to wake hubby. He woke up right away this time and he was ready to leave like three minutes later. I decided I had to go upstairs to get my slippers - BAD MOVE! Once I got to the top of the stairs I was hit with a super hard contraction. I realized that I would be unable to walk back down. Slowly I crawled down each stair. One by one all while experiencing severe pain. In the meantime my husband is yelling that we need to go.
***** ***** *****
This is where the nightmare begins:
We arrived at Oakwood hospital around 3:30am. The medical staff assumed that I was having minor labor pains and just making a big deal out of it beacuse it was my first kid so they really didn’t make an effort to help me. I sat in a wheelchair in a hallway screaming.
When I finally was able to get assistance they discovered that I was 2.80 cm dilated. I was told that I had to wait until I was 3cm to get any pain medication. They then administered this terrible drug that made me drowsy in between contractions. I hated it. It made it so much harder. I kept looking at my husband and telling him I wanted it to end. It turned out that they accidentally gave me the WRONG DRUG! But I'll get to that later.
I was finally thrown in a room and given an iv.
Around 5:30 I told Kurt (hubby) that I was going to have the baby right then. There was no doctor or nurse in sight. My i.v. bag had run out and my veins were burning horribly. I screamed at the top of my lungs for help.
Finally when the nurse arrived she casually checked me out. She told me that I was just not accustomed to having children and that this was all "part of the experience". Then, a look of pure shock mixed with horror came over her face. She got up and ran out of the room, yelling that she needed a doctor. So about 20 minutes later, some intern-doctor-lady comes back in with the nurse. They look at me. They whispered things that I could not understand. Then the one lady said, “You are over 7cm dilated. We don’t have time to get *your* doctor here, but we will call him.
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YAY!!!! I am so excited for
YAY!!!! I am so excited for you!!!
A LOT of hospitals offer tours beforehand, and I encourage you to go on as many as you can. That sounds like an awful experience, and nobody, let alone a first time mom, should have to go through that. IMO, the number one worst thing they could have told you was that it was "all part of the experience." If they do that again, I want you to ask them "Whose experience?!?" and ask for a new nurse. And the "way past that point" thing makes me mad for you. I had only a 2 hour labor with my daughter, so after waiting for the anaesthesiologist, they were scrambling to get the epidural done in time. "Way past." Hmph!
Couldn't agree more!
I couldn't agree w/you more! It is terrible for anybody to tell you that terrible pain is "normal", especially a doctor. Obviously delivering a child is no walk in the park, but even as a first time mom you have that instinct telling you that something is waaayyyy wrong.
I heard there is a site where you can file complaints against doctors and medical centers, it's not the BBB, it's something else. Does anyone know what it's called? I was told about 6 months ago but for the life of me, I can't remember! I even tried to do a search and couldn't find it.
I think people like me and model mom should file complaints about our incidents.
Intricate - You still got an epidural? With a two hour delivery? See, they told me so many lies!
I will without a doubt take your advice about touring hospitals. The problem is that there isn't too many options here. Oakwood is the largest chain and three of the closest hospitals are owned by them. And I also wonder, can you really tell what will happen by a tour? Oakwood is very clean and the staff appeared so nice, until I needed them. Hmmm...
BTW - thanks for the congrats! We are excited! It's going to be crazy, having Luke be 15 months older than the new baby!
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I had a bad experience with
I had a bad experience with my first one as well. I even spoke to a lawyer about it. But in the end, I got better. So, the lawyer told me that there wasn't really any injury, and it would be best not to file. So, the doctor basically got to put my life in jeopardy without so much as anyone telling her it was naughty. If you find that website, let me know.
I think a lot of that kind of stuff might depend on the nurses, even though it shouldn't. I was induced with both, and with my first, they let me in the whirlpool, which was the only thing that helped with the pain. But with my second, they told me that I couldn't since I had been induced. Okay......
I wish for Luke
that his hands be blessed to do mostly good, that his mind be blessed to think happy thoughts, that his body be blessed all of his life to have great health and that your heart may be blessed with lots of love to give him so that he TOO may learn to love with all his soul !
Oh my goodness!!
What an experience! I certainly think that was atypical. How did you ever find out that they gave you the wrong drug?
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm due in November - you'll be due in what, January or February? Cool! I hope your pregnancy goes smoothly.
How old is Luke?
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Brenna
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Bugsey & Brenna
Thanks for such kind words Bugsey! That's so sweet!
Brenna - Luke is NINE MONTHS!!!! Ugh! My mother made a joke and said, "You're worse than Britney Spears!"
Congratulations to you too. I think I will be due in December or January. Did you find out if you are having a girl or boy? I really hope I have another boy. It's crazy, I was told my entire last preganacy that Luke was going to be a girl. We went out and bought girl stuff and I was so excited for a girl. Then , two weeks before delivery the doctor made the discovery that our little "gilr" had "a little extra"!!! I actually cried because I wanted a girl so bad! Well, now I love Luke so much that I don't even want a girl because boys are so cool. Hubby wants a girl though, we'll see. He usually gets his way when it comes to big things!
Yeah, I truly am hoping my experience was atypical. Everybody tells me we should have sued the hospital. But truthfully, I have never sued anybody and I didn't really have a reason too. Luke was fine, I was fine. Like Intricate Girl, I thought about it though but couldn't do it.
No, I never found out what the drug was, but I often wonder. It was really shady. Every time we would ask a nurse, they would point the blame at another nurse. We could never even talk to the person that administered the drug. But one liar-nurse tried to tell us it was ADVIL!!! Who get Advil through a needle!
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Nah, not worse than Brittany
She's going to have two kids under the age of one, I believe. Plus I bet you wear shoes when you go out:)
We don't know the sex yet. Because I'm 34 and an "older" mom, I'm having a special ultrasound probably within the next month to determine whether the baby has genetic defects. We will hopefully discover the sex then.
How awful to think you are having one sex and then to discover you're having the other! Our nurses who taught our baby classes said you go through a period of grieving when that happens.
We wanted a girl too but have been thrilled with a boy (except for the fact that my son is pretty active and, well, crazy). We would like a girl this time but at this point if it doesn't have three heads, we will be OK :)
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U too Brenna!
Congrats to you too Brenna!!! :-))))))
Our sons sound very much alike which is why I tell my husband that if we get pregnant again it better be a girl cuz I cant imagine haveing two boys if the second one turns out like my little tasmanian devil! lol!
Thank you!
All I have to say is if I have another boy, this one better like to sit quietly and read or I might go insane :)
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RealityCheck!!!!
First of all CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!! how exciting! And I bet you have a little girl and that'll be perfect cuz then Luke can watchout for his little sis at school. ;-)
And about your nightmare labor.....OMG, how HORRIBLE. Yet another example of crappy doctors, hospitals, etc. You could have sued them bug time and thankfully whatever drug they gave you didnt affect the baby. My best friend gave birth in one of the top hospitals in the nation (its in LA and I gave birth there too, so I almost died when she told me this) and they swtiched her baby...they brought in the WRONG baby for a feeding in the middle of the night and she ended up almost breastfeeding the other little guy. What is wrong with our healthy system! I swear it is run by a bunch of chimps in lab coats...oh no, actaully maybe the chimps would get things done better.
That couldn't happen at the hospital I gave birth at.
Your baby stays with you the entire time in your room, so there's no switching. If they have to remove your baby for something, like circumcision, they have a "check out" card they leave and your kid has a band with his info on it on both wrists and both ankles. It's a good thing :)
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Baby Swapping!
I can't believe they swapped the baby! That is so terrible, but I have to admit I laughed...sorry. It's kinda funny cuz it wasn't me. I am just picturing me laying in the bad at Oakwood Hospital and a nurse rolls in a little African American baby - "Wow, your kid has a great tan!"
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tan baby! lol!
I swear, after all that you went through at Oakwood, I am surprised they didn't bring you a set of Asian twins by mistake. LOLOL! That place sounds like a nightmare. The hospital my friend and I gave birth in was fine for me....I felt a little rushed though and never got to see a lactation consultant, my son had some jaundice and they didnt "notice" even though I noticed right away that his nose was a bit yellow. Thankfully the pediatrician caught that one when we took him in to see her a week later.