As I laid there, holding Nick's hand, wiping my tears out of my eyes and enjoying and savoring the beautiful moments I was witnessing right before my eyes, little did I know my Dr. and the nursing staff were starting to get very nervous.
So, here is where it gets a little tricky for me. From this point on I only remember bits and pieces. A few minutes after I delivered him my Dr. tried to deliver the placenta. Unfortunately, it would not come out. He tried a few times and nothing. He tried to go in manually to remove it and I thought I was going to die! I told Nick, "I remember hearing this blood curdling cry and scream and thought who in the world is that!? And then realized it was me.." It was like an out of body experience, I never want to experience again.. My Dr. decided it would be a great idea to lay on top of my stomach and push with all his might to try to detach my placenta! If I had the strength I probably would've hit him..
Nick, knew things were not looking too good and decided that it would be best if B & C and their family could step out of the room. They were given a room down the hall to spend time enjoying their new edition.
My Dr. told us he'd give it some time and see if my placenta detaches by itself, but it wouldn't. He tried repeatedly to push, massage and manually remove my placenta but it was not coming out. I was in so much pain, I could feel everything he was doling. I remember crying from all the pain. My nurse Melanie stopped him firmly and requested they called the anesthesiologist to come and give me some pain meds. I vaguely remember him giving me an IV of something and I was in and out of consciousness. I remember tons of pressure, seeing a lot of blood, seeing a ton of people in my room & seeing them in a panic.. At one point, I remember opening my eyes and seeing someone with a bloody towel, wiping up a wall?? My mother in law told me in between consciousness I looked up at my husband Nick and said, "I'm scared." and he said, "Everything will be okay love." When I finally came to it was 8:40 p.m. Almost 4 hours after I gave birth to Baby A... What happened? Where did the time go? I was so lost and confused. By this time the only people there were Nick, my mom & mother in law. Where did B & C go and where is the baby? How is he? Someone please tell me what happened? I remember the nurses telling me I was getting color back and that the blood was helping?? Huh?
Apparently, I had lost 2.5 liters of blood and at 8 p.m. that evening I received my first out of 3, blood transfusions.
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This is what I was told:
I had a retained placenta. A retained placenta is when your placenta actually attaches itself to your uterine wall. Within five to 30 minutes of delivery, the placenta usually follows the same path that that baby just took out of the body. In about one out of every 100 to 200 deliveries, the placenta is "retained" in the uterus and doesn't deliver-even after 30 to 45 minutes. A retained placenta is often accompanied by heavy bleeding.Manual Removal of the Placenta
If the placenta does not spontaneously separate from the uterine wall, the placenta must be removed manually. This may be done in the delivery room or the operating room. To accomplish manual removal of the placenta, the physician places a hand inside the uterus and gently separates the placenta from the wall of the uterus. He will then gently withdraw the placenta from the uterus. Because manual removal may be uncomfortable, pain medication-narcotics, spinal or epidural anesthetic, or general anesthetic-may be necessary. Medications such as Oxytocin (Pitocin) and Methylergonovine (Methergine) are often given to help the uterus contract and to prevent bleeding before and/or after removal of the placenta. Antibiotics are often given to reduce the risk of uterine infection. The uterus is also massaged to help it contract. In a case of significant blood loss, a blood transfusion may be performed.Occasionally, a retained placenta is difficult to remove, and can only come out in fragments. In this case, a curette may be used to scrape the inside of the uterus and remove any retained fragments. This process is necessary in order to prevent bleeding and infection in the uterus.
Very rarely, the placenta will not separate, or the adherent fragments cannot be removed completely. This may indicate placenta accreta-a placenta that has grown into the uterine wall-a relatively common condition in women who have had a previous cesarean delivery. Significant bleeding is common, and often requires an emergency hysterectomy. Blood transfusions are also common in these cases.
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Unfortunately, I do not know why I had a retained placenta? It's most common if you've had a c-section, which I haven't? From what my family & what the hospital staff has told me, I'm lucky to be here. Someone was looking out for me? My nurse Melanie said she's been a nurse for a very, very long time and she had never experienced or heard of anything remotely close to what we just went through..
My placenta was removed manually in multiple pieces. I continued to bleed heavily throughout the whole process. My Dr. had to do a D&C on me to attempt to remove all the placenta fragments. He then placed a balloon in my uterus to stop the bleeding, but it just fell out. He decided to go in a second time to scrape the uterine wall & attempted a second D&C, he placed a second balloon and it stuck for a moment and after a few minutes it also fell out. My blood pressure dropped drastically & they had to give me oxygen.
At this point, it became a panic to stop the hemorrhaging. Well, my doctor was stumped when he couldn't stop the bleeding. He actually sat in the rocking chair in my room and was puzzled. As my mother in law repeatedly asked what his plan was he nodded he wasn't sure. My mother in law told him what about a hysterectomy and he was certain that's what they were leaning towards... He finally got up and decided he would try one more time to remove any loose fragments of placenta. After his third attempt of a D&C he was able to control the bleeding! :)
When I finally came to, I had felt like I'd been hit by a bus! I have never experienced so much pain in my life nor do I ever want to feel like that again.
My family said at different times of the evening they would have to step out of the room to compose themselves. I had 2 of my nurses tell me they also needed to step out and say a prayer for me & had to compose themselves. My mother in law & Mom said they have no idea how Nick remained so calm and collective? They said he was probably the strongest one in the room. One nurse told me there was a higher power with him that day. :) Nick told me, "I never worried. I knew you were going to be okay." When everyone else thought they were losing me. I am very grateful that he was as strong as he was! He's amazing!
That evening of the delivery was very special to me. Although, I had complications after I delivered this cute, adorable and beautiful little boy, I had time to reflect the important things in life. I was so grateful to have my husband there with me the whole night to comfort me and to love me. He is my better half, he is my best friend. I couldn't have done this journey without him by my side 100%. He was there with me from the moment I made this decision and has continued to walk hand and hand with me, whether my experience be good or bad. He is my rock! I love you more than you'll ever know Babe! Heavenly Father has certainly blessed my life in so many ways..
I also just have to share, I have an amazing mother in law who I (we) couldn't live without! She is amazing in so many ways. She has been an inspiration to Nick & I and our kids. She is stronger then she believes she is and she is more loving than anyone else we know. I couldn't thank her enough for fighting for me at the hospital, or taking care of our 6 kids for days, attending Choir performances, Christmas parties, buying groceries to stock our fridge, deep freeze and pantry, cleaning my house (from top to bottom), and doing our laundry. She is one person that means so much to our family, we are certainly blessed!
Although, I've had a rough few weeks, I still wouldn't change this experience for anything. I've learned how much my husband truly does love me, how much my kids mean to me (even if they can be pains sometimes), how important family is, how much I rely on my friends and church members. It has built my testimony of my faith dramatically! I know prayer plays a huge part in each and every one of our lives. I just want to thank everyone of you for all your support and love. I couldn't have done it without you!
Alvina ~
