Amy’s Category 2 Caesarean Section Birth Story
Amy had a Category 2 Caesarean Section. Caesarean Sections are categorised into four categories ranging from 1-4. A category 2 caesarean section is defined by the NICE Guidelines as:
-Maternal or fetal compromise which is not immediately life-threatening.
Amy shares her empowering birth story, and how even though her birth deviated from the plan she still felt prepared and calm thanks to The Birth Chapter.
I wanted to share my birth story, and how The Bump to Baby Chapter really helped when I needed it most. I can’t thank you enough Beth for putting together these courses and the time and effort gone into them, as well as doing your day job still.
In pregnancy I was very lucky; I had a very easy pregnancy. One midwife told me my notes were boring. Oh how things were about to change.
Waters Breaking
It was midnight bang on week 39, and my waters broke. Now this was a slow trickle but I knew instantly I hadn’t wet myself. I was surprisingly calm but also thinking “oh my goodness this is it, its happening!“. I popped on a maternity pad as I knew they would want to check this and to keep me dry. However I still went back to bed in slight disbelief and woke again at 3am to the same sensation.
I then called my maternity unit and they asked me to go in to be checked over. The midwife confirmed my waters had indeed broken and there were 2 options at this stage.
- To be induced right there and then to get things going, or
- I could go home and see if I went into early labour myself.
I was initially shocked and taken aback when an induction was offered just like that. Considering I wasn’t feeling any different. But I decided to go home and try naturally. (Plus I had a few things I wanted to do!).
Heading Home
So off we went home. Pottered about, went for a long walk but nothing was really happening. I knew I wanted to stay upright and mobile as possible. We had been told if Thursday morning arrived and nothing was progressing I would have to go in for an induction as the risk of infection would increase over time where my waters had started to go.
Back to Hospital; Induction Time
On Thursday morning we headed to the hospital and the procedure was started around 10:30am. I was 1cm, so all sounded good and I was feeling ready. When I was hooked up for little man and I to be monitored they could see I was actually contracting! By now I was just feeling light cramps randomly, and thought not much of it. We were both monitored every few hours to check all was ok. In between I was up and about and free to roam. I was put on a course of antibiotics that were repeated throughout my stay because of risk of infection.
By 5pm we moved rooms. I was re-assessed by the doctors and midwife, still only 1cm. But I wasn’t expecting more to be honest. I was then offered the hormone drip to try and ramp things up, this was fine with me. It was explained clearly and I already felt familiar due to the courses.
They started me low, and explained it all depends on how baby reacts, weather or not I stay on the drip. He was absolutely fine and this got turned up twice throughout the night. I was now constantly attached to monitors for little man now and this made it difficult to sleep as he wasn’t keen on me being to slouched so I was quite upright in bed, but the midwife kept urging me to rest.
Finding Coping Mechanisms
Now I found it harder to move around and was shattered. I had short sharp naps, as they were in every hour checking on us both. It was a long night for sure. I had a moment of “I can’t do this anymore, I don’t want to do this” when I heard another lady next door screaming the ward down! By now I felt like id been there for days! I felt like I was just waiting for my contractions to get worse and then I’d be the one screaming!
My midwife asked my pain relief plans so that she knew what I wanted when things really did get going. I wanted to try gas and air, and then an epidural if i felt I really couldn’t cope. I had my TENs machine already to go as well.
Fast forward to 6:30am and the midwife examined me again. My cervix was still so far back and only 1cm still.
I then felt like everything left my body, felt disheartened, all this time and no progress.”
So my waters had gone Wednesday and it was now Friday morning. The doctor said because of my progress the next option was a caesarean section. I was told its an emergency caesarean section but a calm one as baby and I were both doing ok. He was quite happy in there. My midwife said lots of the team would appear after their brief but nothing to worry about. I wont lie I was feeling nervous as I wasn’t too keen on a c section due to recovery times, but everything was then all systems go so i had to tell myself it was all ok.
Category 2 Caesarean Section
I cant believe how quickly a caesarean section happens. Fast forward to 07:47am and our baby boy was brought into our world. The team were amazing, calming, friendly and everyone had their own part to play. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the number of staff present in theatre thanks to the knowledge I gained from Beth.
Just like that it was all over. He was here! Into recovery I went with my partner and our little addition. He was finally here.
All felt very surreal and like a dream. I wanted to bond and have skin to skin which I got in theatre then more in recovery. I was so sleepy and struggling to keep my eyes open I handed him back to my partner shortly after as I was scared of falling asleep with him on me. Once on my ward I was a little more alert and able to do my first feed whilst maintaining skin to skin. It was bliss.
Thanks to Beth’s course I felt so knowledgeable, and knowledge really is power.
Its not just for mum’s-to-be, Dad also felt it really helpful to watch a few parts. He said he was then ready to help me deliver our baby boy together.
I cannot recommend the course enough. Its also a steal, so affordable, so thank you Beth.”
