This post is the first part of my birth story after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy. I recently had my second living child which was my pregnancy after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy. The birth story of my oldest, which was my pregnancy with preeclampsia and prematurity, can be read here. My pregnancy between my 2 girls was an ectopic pregnancy and you can read that story here.
I wrote out my experiences during my whole pregnancy after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy starting with the first few months of the pregnancy. You can read the first part of those posts here.
A little over a week leading up to my scheduled c-section date I experienced what I would describe as severe cramping. The cramping was inconsistent and particularly bothered me the most after the end of the day and after exercise. I figured most of it was dehydration from also being at the end of summer and 38 almost 39 weeks pregnant.
I would tell my provider about them and he told me the same thing but offered for a cervical check if I wanted. I always took up on the offer to check once I was full term because I was pretty convinced that even if preeclampsia didn’t show up, I still wouldn’t make it to my scheduled date. I didn’t think my body could carry a baby to term, particularly after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy. Somehow, my cervix was always still closed.
About 2 days before my scheduled c-section date the cramping felt pretty severe, but again nothing consistent. It kept me on edge because I was just waiting for something to happen. My blood pressure continued to stay at completely normal levels, but I was still waiting for high numbers to show up at any moment. Once I hit the weeks that I started having high blood pressure with my first pregnancy, I checked my blood pressure every single day with my at-home blood pressure cuff and kept a log in the health app on my phone.
My c-section was scheduled for a Tuesday morning, so my husband started his paternity leave the Thursday before. We spent the last weekend as a family of 3 doing fun stuff and let my 4-year-old take the lead. We did the last of grocery shopping trips, checked over the packed hospital bag (you can read the post I wrote about what I packed in my bag here), along with my 4 year old’s bag, and did a final deep clean of the house.
The night before, things were still great. Steven (my husband) and I tucked our daughter in for the last time and reminded her that when she woke up in the morning Grandma and Grandpa would be there. We read a book with her and one of the many books we read to her over the last several months was about a new baby. Steven and I relaxed the rest of the evening after making sure everything in the house was put away and was clean and ready for the next morning. I had to be at the hospital by 4:30 am so we went to bed early. Well, tried to go to bed early.
That night we both couldn’t sleep. I was nervous but also excited. I just couldn’t shut my brain off. I felt like everything was going to be alright, but I couldn’t help but think of everything that could go wrong. This pregnancy after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy was so difficult in all the ways. Particularly very difficult mentally and emotionally. I knew if I ever had another pregnancy after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy, I would be having a C-section and had been preparing for it. However, the reality of it happening in less than 12 hours was getting me extremely nervous.
Steven was feeling excited but also very nervous. The last time I had surgery, well both times I’ve had surgery, have been emergency scenarios. After preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy, you would think I would handle emergencies better. This planned C-section seemed so easy, but I was still bracing for the worst.
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The day of My C-Section after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy
After only a few hours of sleep, it was time to get up and get ready to head to the hospital. I was told by the hospital nurse who called a few days before to not shower because I would shower when I got there with a surgical soap. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and straightened my hair (my hair has a natural curl especially when I take care of it like I am supposed to). I double-checked that I had everything packed (you can read my post on what I packed in my C-section hospital bag here!).
Soon enough we had a knock on our door and my parents were here so we could head to the hospital. We said our goodbyes and got into the car.
The drive to the hospital was very surreal. The world was very quiet that early in the morning. We don’t live far from the hospital, yet the drive seemed to be long. I was starting to feel nervous. The day was finally here. The day I kept looking forward to. The day I never thought I would have after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy. We parked in the parking garage, Steven said “The last time we were here was almost a year ago.”
The last time I walked through those hospital doors, I was hysterical knowing I was losing my baby and about to have another emergency surgery. The last time I had a baby inside of a hospital, besides my ectopic, I wasn’t sure if me or my baby would make it. Somehow, today was just so casual. Just business as usual.
We checked in and everything was just so chill. Lots of congratulations and us with shakey hands–both out of excitement and anxiety. Eventually, a nurse got us from the waiting area and we walked up the stairs to the L&D unit and into a room. I was instructed to shower with the surgical soap and then change into a gown. We took one last picture of me pregnant for the very last time ever.
After changing into the gown, we both just hung out. Which is the complete opposite experience of how my first birth went. I sat on the hospital bed just chilling while Steven sat on the couch in the room eating a breakfast he packed. Eventually, a nurse came in and began asking me questions, hooked me up to an IV, and the monitors on my belly.
I explained to her I was very nervous because of how traumatic my last experiences were. I told her this was my pregnancy after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy. She validated my experiences and she explained every single thing she was doing and going to do to me. Another nurse came in to start my IV and take some blood work. This took a lot of time because my veins are so small and so tricky to get. I also had to sign lots of papers and give consent that I still wanted the c-section and still wanted my last tube removed (my other tube was already gone due to the ectopic pregnancy I experienced).
It was very surreal to have those monitors on my belly again because the last time they were was my previous traumatic birth. This was the first time I was very monitored this way during this pregnancy. I never needed an NST or another ultrasound after the initial growth follow-up. While the nurse was doing all she needed to do the anesthesiologist came in to talk about anesthesia and what my last experiences were like with previous surgeries.
I explained to him that I had a lot of pain with my last c-section and that I could still move my feet and legs. But my last was under emergent circumstances so I had an epidural and then a spinal quickly before I was rushed to the OR. And I was super nauseous throughout it. He told me they had an essential oil they could pin to my gown so I would smell that and help with the nausea as well as medication.
He also said, that even though it sometimes isn’t covered by insurance, after the c-section and once I am in my room he could do something called (I believe this was the name of it) a panel block. I would be numb for longer and most describe it as period cramps. I agreed to that because the last time I remembered how painful it was after surgery.
C-section after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy
Once it came time for my c-section on the schedule, the nurse, Steven already set up in his gear, and I walked over to the OR in L&D. Everything was just so calm and chill. I was starting to get nervous and shaky, but more so out of excitement than worry that something was going to go wrong at this point. Walking into the doors of the OR felt pretty surreal, my doctor, the midwife I saw for some of the appointments as well, and the nurses were all busy getting ready. I heard all the counts of the equipment, the lights were bright but it was all calm type of busy. Nobody was rushing.
I sat on the edge of the bed as instructed by the anesthesiologist. He prepped my back for the spinal. All I could think about was how I couldn’t believe this was happening. After preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy, I was going to have a full-term, healthy baby.
Steven stood in front of me as I squeezed his hands and tried to stop shaking. I apologized for all my shaking, but at this point, I was starting to feel scared. My doctor came over at this point to ask how I was feeling and said, “Ready to bring Eleanor earth side?” I LOVED that he remembered what we were going to name her and called her by name. I didn’t expect him to remember–he has a lot of patients!
Once everything was done, I laid back on the OR bed. Steven held my hand and then rubbed my belly one last time. My doctor joked, “Get in your last rubs. This is the last time!” We laughed as everything else was getting set up. The curtain over my lower half went up. I commented on how heavy my legs felt and that I couldn’t feel or move them (this was when I fully realized I was never completely numb in my last c-section).
And what seemed like seconds later the final cut was made.
Peeking up over the curtain was my baby, crying. She was the most gorgeous, precious full-term baby I had ever seen. I immediately cried out, “Oh my gosh she’s here!” As tears went down my face. I explained many times to my doctor with my appointments leading up that I never got to see my first daughter until she was 27 hours old and it was so important to me to be able to see this baby. He validated how hard and traumatic that was and said he would do everything he could to make sure that me being able to see my new baby happened.
I didn’t get to see her after that moment. She struggled with the transition from being in the belly to getting out. I am glad I was told that this was very common with c-section babies to struggle a bit. In the same area as the OR, there was a little section for the babies. She had some oxygen and they patted her back to get out the amniotic fluid in her lungs, Steven was with her when she had this treatment while my tube was being removed and I was being sewed back up.
During this part of the surgery, was when I was starting to feel nauseous and super tired. I lost a decent amount of blood (not hemorrhaging or needing blood products) and was feeling the effects of that. My blood pressure went low, the complete opposite of my prior birth experience! The paper with essential oil was pinned to my gown, which helped a lot. I talked a lot to the anesthesiologist about what I was feeling as well which I think helped because I always felt better after. All of us were just chatting. What my doctor was going to do later, how we got our baby’s name, etc. It was all just calm and “business as usual”.
Once I was all sewed and stapled up, my doctor came by my head and chatted with me. He told me that everything went well, however, my uterus was very thin so it was a good thing we already decided that we were done having kids. The tube that was removed from when I had my ectopic wasn’t fully removed so he removed the rest of it (the other doctor in this practice, was the one who performed the ectopic surgery). And I was having contractions before surgery and my uterus reflected that and he would see me later that day. And told me “I am so happy for you. Congratulations”.
I was then getting ready to be wheeled to the room we would be staying in, and I noticed Steven or Eleanor weren’t in my sight still. I was getting worried that something happened and asked my midwife about it. She told me she would check on it and assured me that things were alright and she just needed extra help from the transition and they would meet me in the room. I was wheeled back out of the OR, across the hall to the Mother and baby room.
Mom and Baby Room after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy
My nurse stayed in the room and set things up. She handed me the menu for food for Steven and me to order breakfast. She also told me she would monitor me for the next hour and be in and out of the room every 10-15 minutes. The anesthesiologist came in to give me the pannel block which I didn’t feel at all because I was still pretty numb from my spinal. I also got an MMR vaccine then because my pregnancy blood work showed I wasn’t immune and needed another dose when I wasn’t pregnant anymore. My blood pressure was still pretty low and I was feeling so tired. Otherwise, everything felt super great.
Moments later, Steven came walking into the room holding Eleanor in his arms. My eyes immediately swelled up with tears as he helped me place her on my chest. She just looked up at me with her beautiful eyes and rested on my chest. She was 6 lb 12 oz, almost 3 whole pounds bigger than my first baby at birth so she seemed so big. I felt a huge burden lift off my shoulders. She was finally here. And she was alive! I couldn’t believe all that after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy, I could finally have a full-term baby in my arms.
We sent pictures to family and friends and reported the good news. We then ordered breakfast. I could eat real food only a few hours after surgery–which was so yummy! The food at the hospital wasn’t like typical hospital food. It felt like you were ordering at a restaurant.
After my parents dropped my oldest at school, they came and said hi to us and met Eleanor. It was so calm and happy.
Breastfeeding and skin-to-skin after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy
I did skin-to-skin most of the day. The only time I didn’t was when Steven was holding her or I was sleeping. I wanted to breastfeed, so I asked for lactation to come in for every feeding. Eleanor was struggling to latch. She would latch, but then not get anything out.
Lactation brought me a hand pump and taught me how to use it. Even though this was my second baby and I had pumped before I explained to them that my first was premature and in the NICU, so I never was able to. And the lactation at the previous hospital wasn’t helpful. I asked them to explain things to me like I was a first-time mom.
The lactation at this hospital was just wonderful and kind. Explained everything to me and helped me. During this stay, I pumped the colostrum. And while I would latch her either Steven or the lactation consultant would syringe feed her as well. She struggled to eat and at one point she needed her sugars tested to make sure she was doing alright. She was just so sleepy.
It was so surreal to have my baby in the hospital room with me after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy. I could hold her whenever I wanted. I could dress her in the clothes I brought if I wanted. I got to change every single diaper. And for the first time, I wiped up melconium. I just couldn’t believe this was happening to me after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy.
After our oldest was out of school, my parents brought her over. It brought me so much joy to see her see her sister for the first time. She was so sweet and so in love with her. All I could think about was how wonderful it was that my baby stayed with me. How wonderful it was that Cora could meet her sister.
Steven took our oldest daughter home to bed when the evening came and after dinner. The first night was a bit hard. I’ve never experienced taking care of a baby while in the hospital before since my oldest went straight to the NICU. Eleanor was just so, so, so sleepy and had no interest in eating. If I didn’t try every few hours, I don’t think she would’ve done it on her own!
In the middle of the night, I asked for help from one of the nurses after they gave me some medication and checked up on me. They checked her blood sugar to make sure it was fine and offered to watch her in the nursery while I slept. I declined because the last thing I wanted was to be away from her. It was such a privilege to have my baby in the room with me—such a luxury.
The next morning the pediatrician came by and checked on Eleanor. He mentioned to me that he heard a bit of a murmur, but nothing to worry about. And told me if he heard it again tomorrow morning we would talk about more in depth then. I just shrugged off that piece of information at this point, knowing that if something truly was wrong, it would be noticeable.
Steven came by and brought Cora as soon as they were awake and dressed for the day. We just hung out all day. It was tough having a 4-year-old in the room with us and I called my neighbor to ask if it was okay that she played for a few hours and was so grateful she was willing to do that for me. That allowed our oldest to be able to play and get out of the hospital room. Steven didn’t want to leave me or Eleanor.
Up until we had Eleanor, we knew nothing but heartache and pain when it came to pregnancy and birth after preeclampsia and an ectopic pregnancy We both were slightly on edge thinking it was all too good to be true.
And in some ways, it was because the following night I experienced some complications which I will talk more about in the next posts. While typing out my birth story, it got to be quite long and I will be separating them into parts. Once I have the other parts uploaded I will link them here.
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