When sally met elkie
For Sally’s second birth, she had hoped for a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean).
She was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes again, for which she says sparked an automatic conversation of induction at 38/39 weeks. After reduced movements at 37 weeks saw her in hospital, she got three stretch and sweeps over the days following, with the third one doing the trick. Her waters broke at home but, they were brown - which Sally knew wasn’t good.
Once in hospital, and after weighing up all their options with the meconium, reduced movements and no progression of labour for two hours, they opted for another cesarean and brought the beautiful Elkie into the world.
Sally tells her birth story in her own words…
I always wanted my kids close in age, there’s only 19 months between myself and my brother so I kind of always imagined having the same. I was really fortunate to fall pregnant with Elkie easily. I found out I was pregnant just before Fletchers 1st birthday.
First trimester was the typical nausea and for me vomiting, unfortunately it often lasted all day or would be worse in the afternoon/evenings. I quite often had to run to the bathroom halfway through dinner to vomit. I had my 12 week scan and because of COVID my husband wasn’t allowed to attend but everything looked good.
I was lucky enough to be in the MPG program with Fletchers pregnancy so when I found out about this pregnancy I contacted them again but my original midwife had gone back to be a ward midwife so I was put on the waiting list. I think I was around 22 weeks when she rang me one day to say she was back and she’d love to take me on again which was such wonderful news as I was going for a VBAC so I knew continuity was so important.
2nd trimester the nausea subsided mostly but still had to run to the bathroom mid dinner a lot. I also started suffering from migraines which were extremely painful, luckily Fletch was in a wonderful daycare who always fitted him in last minute because I could not look after him on those days. The only thing I could do was take a Panadol and sleep it off.
19 week scan showed she was in a good position and she was tracking along nicely. 3rd trimester I was still struggling with the occasional migraine and vomiting which at that stage is awful because I would be vomiting and wee would just come out at the same time. Absolutely nothing glamorous about pregnancy some days.
I was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes again, I had it with Fletchers pregnancy and ended up on metformin then insulin to control my fasting levels. This time around they put me straight onto insulin again for my fasting levels. Because of this it was an automatic conversation about being induced around the 38/39 week mark. I booked it in for 39 weeks as that was when my midwife was available and we were both hoping to go into spontaneous labour before then.
It was around the 37 week mark I woke up one morning and I wasn’t feeling much movement so I rang the hospital and they said ring your midwife and come straight in. So I rang my midwife but she’d contracted RSV and was really unwell so one of the other midwives met me at the hospital.
Once at the hospital I had all the tests and by about midday her movements were pretty much back to normal and all the tests came back that she was fine. I still had a few more hours in hospital for monitoring but everything felt fine. However one of the registrars came that afternoon to see me and said that he and his boss would like me to have a caesarean that evening. Which came as a complete surprise, I explained that her movements were normal again and all the tests came back fine. Plus I had my son at home to think about and didn’t have anyone to mind him at the drop of a hat. So I declined and his response was I was now risking having a stillborn and had to sign a going against medial advice form.
When I told the midwife this she actually put a complaint in against him for the words he used and because he had this conversation without her even though I was part of the MGP program. The following day I went back into the hospital for a follow up CTG scan and again she was happy moving around as normal. I then had my first stretch and sweep, it was a little uncomfortable but nothing too bad.
A few days later another midwife came to my house and gave me another stretch and sweep. Again it was a little uncomfortable but nothing to bad. I’d been having some Braxton Hicks but no signs of labour. My parents arrived on the Sunday which was a big relief as I now knew whatever happened someone was home with Fletch.
On the Monday the midwife came and did a third stretch and sweep, she gave it a pretty good go but said everything still felt pretty closed and tight. This was at 11am, at 12pm I stood up from the kitchen stool and my waters broke. I went straight to the bathroom to look at them and they were brown which I knew wasn’t good.
I rang the midwife to let Lee know my waters had broke and she was shocked and actually said are you sure you haven’t just wet yourself and I said no it’s definitely my waters and they’re brown. She said I needed to come straight in so she could check and monitor Bub. I rang my husband who was at work and said you need to come straight home, by the time I’d had a shower and finished packing the last minute things for my hospital bag he was home and we were heading for the hospital.
Once there she took us straight to a birth suite and checked the pad I’d put on and confirmed it was indeed my my waters and they were covered in meconium. The OB then came in to discuss our choices which were start an induction or go for another caesarean. He then left and we discussed it further with the midwife who then left us to have our own conversation. After weighing up all our options and the fact it had now been over two hours since my waters broke and there still wasn’t any sign of labour starting and the fact we’d already had reduced movements and the meconium we opted for another caesarean.
Once the call was made everything moved pretty quickly and although it was classed as an emergency nothing felt scary or rushed. The team in the OR were all lovely, because of the meconium in the waters there was a paeds there in the room but they took one look at her once she was out and left. She was absolutely perfect so they brought her straight back to me, put her on my chest where she latched and stayed there until I was stitched up. It was absolutely perfect.
What do you wish you knew before birth?
I felt I was pretty prepared.
If you could, would you do anything differently?
I still mourn my vbac but at the same time if I had my time over again I think I’d make the same decision.
What did your partner do that really helped during labour/birth?
He trusted that I knew what was best for both me and the baby
What advice/honest truth would give a mama-to-be about birth?
Do all the research and know your rights so if you get a doctor or midwife trying to bully you, you have the information so you can make your own informed decision that is best for you and your baby.