Emergency C-section Delivery With First Baby: The Cesarean Birth of Ashlee Nicole! by Donna John

The day before my due date, June 9, 1990, while waiting for steaks to cook at my parent's house, I heard a “pop” sound, then suddenly had to go to the bathroom. I joked that my water may have broken. A slight trickle made me suspicious, but when your water breaks, it gushes like in the movies. Right? I walked out of the bathroom to my husband hanging up the phone with the hospital, handing me a towel and telling me to get in the car. I was annoyed – my water hadn’t broken (or so I thought), I was hungry and my packed bag was across town. But at 6:30 p.m., we headed to the hospital.

I was almost instantly given an IV, and not too long after that I got the movie version of water breaking. Then came the contractions. I remember telling the nurse that if this is how bad it gets, it’s going to be a piece of cake. She just grinned. A few hours later, the nurse gave me something to help me sleep and that was all the excitement for Saturday.

Sunday, my contractions were strong, but I had only dilated to 3 cm. Pitocin was started to help me along. The word “C-section” began to get said often, and by evening I was hearing “failure to progress.” I never dilated past 3 cm. About 5 p.m., I was given an epidural (finally!) for an emergency Cesarean. After 23 hours of labor, my baby wanted out. During the C-section, I remember feeling like a bear was sitting on my belly, but had no pain at all. Ashlee Nicole arrived at 5:50 p.m. Besides the knot on her head from trying to get out, she was perfect. After a five-day hospital stay, I took my baby girl home. Ashlee is now 26 years old and a wonderful mom to her own baby, my 4-year-old grandson, Dylan. 

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