Giving Birth During The Lockdown
I had a csection on Friday April 10th.
I went to the hospital excited, expecting to deliver and enjoy my baby boy with my husband by my side.
I was talking to the nurse who was preparing me for my csection… putting in my IV checking my blood pressure, checking baby’s heartbeat etc.
When I cough….
She then proceeded to ask if my obgyn had checked my cough and I responded no
She then asked how long have I had the cough
I responded since the beginning of the week
She steps out and a few moments later someone comes in asking if I had been exposed to someone with the coronavirus. Now this person who came in had a mask, a face shield, a yellow gown, gloves and was standing feets away from me.
I responded no
She then tells me that she’s going to test me for the virus, and warns me that it’ll go up my nose and that it’ll hurt.
Oh boy did it hurt.
I wanted to scream and push her away from me.
She then says that the csection will still take place but that now they have to prep the O.R. a bit more.
An hour passes, now someone new comes in, as it turns out. My husband can’t go in with me and hold my hand while in having the csection.
I had gone to the hospital at 7am it’s now 10am and I’m finally going to my csection.
I go in alone, scared, nervous, and worried.
One doctor tells another nurse that once my baby is out I won’t be able to hold him, touch him but I can look at him. When I heard that I couldn’t hold back my tears.
They took forever to put in the epidural, they hurt me so much… just remembering it makes me cry. They poked me so many times on my back, told me not to move so many times. Had me bent over for so long.
No one wanted to hold my hand.
Finally they made me lay down they put my head in a box they had made out of tubes and a plastic bag around it, they tied my arms and legs then placed another plastic on top of the box. So I wouldn’t see what was going on.
The doctor cut me open and I began to feel pressure a lot of pressure. They pushed between my ribs and I began to scream and cry out that it hurt. But everyone with masks, face shield, the cold air blowing in they couldn’t hear me.
I began to wave my hands in hopes someone would see me moving and ask if I okay.
Finally someone did, I was already crying and told them that I can feel the doctor inside me.
They took out more blood from my arm.
They added more but by the time it kicked in I was still able to feel everything. I was in pain.
My baby boy was born at 11:55 am
I just hear the loudest most strong cry that I have ever heard.
My baby was born, my baby sounded healthy, my baby sounded strong.
Someone got close and said ” Congratulations you have a beautiful baby boy, he’s strong and big”
I heard them say “she can’t see him, it’s best to take him away. For his safety, take him away now, he can be checked in NICU.”
I had asked for my tubes to be tied, so the doctor began to tie my tubes.
I heard ” Right tube tied, left tube tied.”
Then the pain again….
Same thing no one heard me.
I was crying, I was in pain, I didn’t get to see my baby. My husband is waiting in the other room for news on baby and me.
I hear the doctor say that he can control my bleeding, and telling everyone if they don’t need to be there to take off the protection gear and leave. This is covid-19 I can’t stop the bleeding. Hurry up and he wasn’t to get out.
I feel him putting stitches on my csection.
I was so cold I couldn’t stop shaking.
They added warm blankets around me so I could stop from shaking.
I get moved to the room where my husband is waiting for me.
He didn’t even know our baby was born he didn’t even get to see him.
Our baby was moved to NICU and was placed in isolation.
NICU calls my room and asks for baby’s full name.
My name, husband’s name, house address, etc.
Doctor comes in and says that he took pictures of baby and asked for husband’s number to send them to him.
Nurse took husband’s phone and took a video and pictures of baby.
I get moved to recovery room, in an isolation room for covid-19 patient.
My husband asks when can we see baby.
They tell us that baby and mom are in isolation and they are waiting 16 hours for mom’s test results from the coronavirus.
My husband asks if he can go home to take care of our 3 year old and then come back tomorrow.
They tell him if he leaves, he can’t come back. Not until I’m discharged. And he can’t see baby.
Husband leaves worried and upset that he can’t see our baby. He only had the pictures and one video of baby to look back on.
Doctor comes in hours later and gives me the worst news I have ever heard.
In the coldest tone ever, with no heart, with no sympathy.
“Your results came back positive for covid-19, you tested positive for the coronavirus. You can’t be near or see baby. Baby will have to be tested too.”
Tears poured down my face I couldn’t even look at him.
“Why are you crying, are you feeling pain from the csection, are you having symptoms from the virus?”
“No, I’m crying because this is worst news you could give me, I can’t see my son.”
He leaves and I’m left in the room alone.
I call my husband, I give him the news, he can’t stop crying.
I call my mom, my sister, my in laws.
Anyone and everyone that was near me, so they can go get tested.
The rest of my stay at the hospital was horrible.
I had the worst nurses ever.
Only 2 were nice.
I got my catheter removed the next day (Saturday) was told I was expected to get up on my own in 4 hours, walk around IN THE ROOM, and use the bathroom with no help.
I have to go on my own because if I call for help by the time the nurse comes and gears up I already wizzed myself.
With all the pain, as slowly as I could, I got up and went to the bathroom.
I looked for undies, pad, and the bottle .
Found undies and pad but no bottle.
Nurse comes in to give me my pain killer pills and other pills.
This is a nice nurse, I inform her that I went to the bathroom already and I found everything but the bottle. She apologized that she was unable to help me get up and go to the bathroom and that she’ll be back with the bottle for next time that I may need to go use the restroom.
When the time for my meals, the person bringing it didn’t even bother to come all the way in, there was a trash can near the door and she would place the tray on top and tell me to take my time in getting up and getting my food.
I didn’t even bother on getting up. I just left it there.
I got a call from NICU telling me baby is okay baby is doing well.
But no way on calling myself when I felt like getting news on baby.
Sunday comes I get told I’m going to be discharged without baby, baby is still in isolation, baby got tested. Waiting on 16 hours for results.
Later on Sunday, test number two was done on baby without having results from test one.
(Baby needs to be 24 hours old for test one, 48 hours for test 2)
Hours later baby is negative for the coronavirus.
I call my husband in relief.
A nurse walks up to my door and asks who is going to come for me, that I need to leave.
I call husband and tell him to come to the hospital that I’m being discharged.
Husband arrives and tries to call NICU for news on baby before we go home. Nurse gets near the door and tells him to hang up the phone that we need to leave that we can’t stay any longer.
Husband demands to know why can’t he call to check on his son, and demands to know the name of nurse to report her.
Husband storms out wheeling me with him out of the hospital.
We get home nice nurse 2 calls me to give me direct number for NICU. Husband calls to check in on baby.
Husband calls Monday and gets news that second negative and he can go pick up baby from NICU. But momma can’t see or be around baby until 7 days after baby’s birth.
Mother in law and husband care for baby while I’m in isolation at home. 3 year old son doesn’t know momma is home. Baby’s first bath and second and I wasn’t there, I didn’t get to see.
Days later I came out from isolation but I need to wear mask, gloves and gown to hold baby.
I woke up at 7am took a shower on my own being 6 days from having csection. Went to where baby was and geared up and held my baby boy for the first time, I got to talk and meet my baby boy for the first time.
3 year old woke up at 10am and I got to hug my son after 6 days of not seeing him only video chatting. Tears of joy poured down my face. I was back with family.
I only coughed once at the hospital. I don’t feel sick, I don’t have a fever, I can breathe just fine.
This is my birth story.
Worst month ever and it’s still not May.
I’m still wearing a mask now,
I’m almost at the end.
Those days in isolation I was in the dark,
I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I didn’t go out to not be exposed during my pregnancy I don’t know where I got the virus from…
Thank you for reading my story, I still cry remembering what I went through to have my son’s with me.
