Ali’s Story: High Fluid At 40 Weeks Leading To An Unexpected Induction & Cesarean.

Hey Ali, tell us your story!

The birth of my first son was quite the first experience! Everything was going smoothly until I got diagnosed with high fluid around 34 weeks. That is when things started to take an unexpected turn. I was hoping to go into labor naturally, with no medication, holding out induction until week 42 as a last resort. Once I was told I had high fluid, I started feeling pressure to induce at 39 weeks. The reasoning was that I was measuring large, and since I had no other reasons why my fluid could be high, this must be the cause. Plus, high fluid and large babies both could make vaginal deliveries more difficult.

Each appointment after that, included an ultrasound to measure my fluid. My fluid levels started going down, and I was optimistic I could wait till 42 weeks. But as we got closer to my due date, my husband and I both felt that they would use any reason to induce me and that is what happened. At my 40-week appointment, my fluid was up, and they said you are having a baby today, we are scheduling you for an induction right now.

When I arrived, the nurses said I would be there for a few days. I wasn’t dilated at all, and my cervix was hard. I started my first cervix ripening pill at around 10 am, and then I was to be checked later that night to put in a foley balloon. The evening came and I was hardly a centimeter dilated. The doctor tried to put in the balloon but wasn’t successful. From there, I was given another ripening pill and was given the night to sleep.

I woke up 24 hours later, and I made it to a centimeter. The doctor today felt optimistic she could insert the balloon, which she did. Since I was taking longer than expected, she added more weight to the balloon, to have me dilate quicker. Since there was more pressure, due to the added weight, I became scared. There was a lot of blood, and contractions came on very strong. At this point, I asked for an epidural, since I knew I had another long 24 hours in front of me.

That afternoon, I dilated to 4 centimeters, and the balloon fell out. Then around 7 pm that night, my water broke, and when I woke up in the morning, I was 8.5 centimeters dilated. I was very excited, and the nurses said that I would be pushing soon. Another two hours went by, and I only dilated to 9 centimeters. At this point, the doctor came in and said she could only give me 2 more hours until I would have to have a C-section. She still seemed optimistic that I could make it to 10 centimeters to push.

When she came back to check, they said I was close enough to 10cm to push. I was so excited! They mentioned I did still have a little lip but didn’t think it would get in the way of pushing. I pushed for 2.5 hours and he didn’t come out. At this point, the doctor recommended a C-section. She said I could push another 2 hours, but she didn’t think it would change anything.

At that point I was so tired, and I myself was a C-section baby, thought it was the way things were just meant to be and consented to my first C-section. I went back shaky but excited to meet my baby. I had no issues with my C-section but I was shaking the whole time, was cold, and felt out of it. The OBs were talking about their day during the surgery and that made me feel comfortable that everything was going smoothly. I heard him cry and they showed him to my husband. Unfortunately, they didn’t give me a good look at my son and had to wait till I was sewn up to see him. After getting wheeled out of the OR, I felt so much better! I got to hold him, and he latched on right away!

Oh, and he wasn’t large at all…7 lbs 14oz. There was no reason why I should have had high fluid and could have waited until 42 weeks.

They say that a C-section cuts down on the golden hour and increases your chances of having breastfeeding issues and that wasn’t the case for me. You have to stay close to the OR for an hour after to make sure everything is OK after surgery. My husband and I took advantage of this time and had our golden hour there, waiting for me to be cleared to go back to our room. So please don’t think it is the end of the world if you end up with a C-section!

What tips or advice would you like to give other Mamas?

Doctors Recommendations:
I wish the doctor would have told me the two biggest factors that increase your chances of a C-section after being induced: 1) First-time mom 2) Not dilated. I recommend having a strong conversation with your doctor if they want to induce you and you are NOT dilated. If your body isn’t ready, it can increase your time in the hospital, trying to get those first few centimeters.

Please know that in the future, the number of C-sections you have CAN impact your health and the number of babies you might have. Many providers say you can have up to 3 C-sections before they see an impact to health. That doesn’t mean that they still won’t operate, or you can’t have more kids, but there are more challenges. So please know, they might say it is “routine” and there are “no risks,” but that isn’t the case. If you want a large family, please consider the best way to avoid C-sections if possible!

Importance of a Support Person:
The whole time our doctors were pushing us toward induction. Having a support person in the room to help push back and ask questions. You are in a very vulnerable state during labor, no matter how informed you are! You should only be focusing on you and your baby.

Sometimes your body just needs more time. Having someone there to advocate ways to get more time, would have been helpful.

My son was never in an optimal position, and that is why I believe he didn’t come out. The nurses are not always going to be there to help or offer new position changes. That is why a doula is so important. Changing positions and having someone in the room the whole time to help you!

Support for your husband. Going back for a C-section my husband felt conflicted the whole time of who to support, the baby or me. I wasn’t in good shape, so we wanted to be supporting me, but the nurses wanted him to cut the cord and hold our son. Having someone else in the room to be with me would give my husband support and let him enjoy the moment.

How did you prepare for pregnancy and birth?

Walked multiple times a day, and ate clean.

What 3 words best describe birth for you?

Nervous, Long, Life-altering

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