Was my c-section necessary?

[merlinsbeard]

I'll preface by saying that I'm a pre-nursing student and I'm pretty certain I want to work in L&D after graduation. However, I have a personal question relating to the care I received when my son was born three years ago. Here's my story:

I had been put on bedrest at 28 weeks due to pregnancy induced HTN. I was sent to L&D by my OB a few times for monitoring during that time and was even hospitalized once for three days around 32 weeks. I went to the hospital the night before I turned 37 weeks due to painful heart palpitations...BP was dangerously high, 182/112 so they kept me overnight to monitor me. They tried magnesium sulfate and Stadol to relax me and lower the pressure but that didn't work so my doctor elected to start Pitocin to induce labor. At 11 a.m. the next morning the Pitocin was started and I was dilated 2 cm 25% effaced so I was very hopeful for a lady partsl delivery. At about 3:15 my BP spiked to 232/?..I forgot the bottom number because the top one was so high. My doctor arrived at 3:45 and informed me that she was going to prepare me for surgery. I wasn't really sure what to think at the time. I was in shock by how high my BP got so I didn't really say anything. I'll spare you all the section details except to say it was a terrible experience.

My son was in the NICU for two weeks because of the c-section. He was delivered feet first and his head got stuck inside and they had to vacuum extract it and he aspirated amniotic fluid and developed pneumonia and an infection. I was on magnesium (I think) for 24 hours to prevent a stroke, I was told. It was an awful experience. I didn't get to go see my baby for 27 hours and I had the worst recovery, including an incision infection. I just cannot get over feeling like maybe I didn't really need the c-section and I should have fought to labor longer. The problem is that I have always dreamed of having a lady partsl birth. When I found out I was pregnant I couldn't believe it and I was so excited that I would FINALLY experience childbirth, only to have it taken away. I've seen a therapist about this but I just can't get over it. Everything was so traumatic, before I was even discharged my husband decided that we were not going through this again and he was (is) unwilling to have another baby.

So in your professional opinions...was my c-section truly necessary?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

These are questions you need to be asking your OB/GYN or CNM. We do not know your situation other than what you are telling us, and you cannot guarantee that the people responding to you on an anonymous message board really are healthcare professionals. Additionally, it is against the terms of service to ask for or provide medical advice.

[DidiRN]

Per Terms of Service, unable to give medical advice. Thread closed.