A lot of people know that I had my daughter young but a lot of people don’t know how she got here. I thought this story would be a perfect one to start my blog!
Blake sure made a dramatic entrance!
There I was in the doctor’s office, with my scheduled twenty-week Gender/ body part typical ultrasound. The nurse commented: “Oh my gosh, your uterus looks like a heart, so cute!” I didn’t think anything of it and being that It sounded cute at the time, there was no cause for alarm, right? It wasn’t until I was looking to switch from A typical OBGYN to a birthing center that I found out that the “heart shape” the nurse had referred to during my check-up was none other than the condition that deemed my pregnancy “high risk.”
So here are the facts: the proper term for a heart-shaped uterus is a ” bicornuate uterus.” Only 0.1-0.5% of women have this. A red line always shows up under the name, because the computer and my phone don’t even recognize it’s a word.
At the time, the only complication I was aware of was that most babies turn out breech. Now, after doing more extensive research to write this story, I found out some additional complications. These include; fetal malpresentation, recurrent miscarriage, miscarriage late in pregnancy, early delivery, disruptions to fetal growth, congenital disabilities, and for the baby to settle in a breech position. In that situation, ignorance was bliss, and I am thankful I wasn’t aware of all the additional complications that came with it.
Fortunately enough, I found a birthing center that excepted me regardless and ended up being such a blessing. At my first appointment, my midwife made sure that my baby was head down and everything was good.
Around the 28 week mark, I had spotting. Naturally, I freaked out and called my midwife. She told me to meet her at Seton round rock. The doctor there made sure everything was good and I was able to go home that night. There was no explanation of why it happened.
From there on everything was good until about 33 weeks. At 33 weeks I was admitted to Dell Seton Medical Center for preterm labor. Even then the doctors didn’t mention the connection it could have to me having the “Bicornuate Uterus.” It took them about twelve hours to stop the contractions and sent me home. After being released everything was pretty calm until I hit 37 weeks.
It was on Sunday, April 10th when my contractions started. I waited them out since they weren’t close together and got checked early Monday morning. As I went in, it was verified that I was actually in labor, however, they sent me home until they were closer together. The contractions grew in pain, but it wasn’t until Tuesday evening by the time I got to the birthing center. It was around 9:00 pm and I was at 5 1/2 centimeters. To everyone that seemed pretty good, except me, because I hadn’t slept in two days and wanted to get her out right then and there.
Wednesday morning rolled around, and I had only gone from five and a half to six and a half centimeters. At this point, I felt maxed out, but kept telling myself, “toughen up people did this without drugs for WAY too long to be whining.” My water never broke, so they broke it around 10:30 am. At about 2 pm, they checked me, and I was only at 7 centimeters. Around three-thirty, my midwife gave me this sad look and said: “We need to take you to the hospital, you and your baby’s heart rate is way too low.” I was extremely disappointed in myself, but obviously our health was far more critical than me trying to prove that I could do it without medical intervention.
So with that, we got to the hospital, and I truly thought Blake was going to be delivered right there on the sidewalk. Thankfully I made it inside.
All I remember is being forced to sign all the paper work before I could get the epidural. Yet even then, I was about two seconds away from having to have an emergency C-section.
After all of that, I finally received the epidural around 4:45 pm. They had to put oxygen on me and make me rest in between pushes because I was so exhausted and mine and Blake’s o2 levels were very low. Even though I was about one second from having to have A C-section she made it out! It was on April 13, 2016, at 5:13 pm that I delivered Blake into this world. And to this day I don’t think I’ve forgiven myself for not making it at the birthing center. Then I have to remind myself that my circumstances were a little bit unique. Most people don’t have a Bicornuate uterus, and most people Aren’t in labor for three days. She is healthy and we’re both alive and that is the most important thing!
The Modern Mama 