The Birth of Campbell Robert 7/28/22
Trigger warning: This birth involves a uterine rupture, however mom and baby are fine.
Gabby and Jeff welcomed their third child, Campbell Robert in a very surprising sort of birth on August 28, 2022. This birth journey would be much different than her others for various reasons, but most notably because Jeff would be deployed and not present. Gabby accepted this reality and made sure she had a team of support who could be there in his stead. She also had a strong desire for a VBA2C and chose providers whom she felt could help her get there. But her birth would be vastly different in some other ways that remained to be seen.
As her pregnancy neared the due date, Gabby’s doctors who had originally been very supportive of her VBA2C intentions, changed their stance. Since her baby was measuring large on ultrasound, they no longer recommended nor would support her decision to do a VBA2C. Gabby left that appointment feeling letdown and frustrated, and quite frankly, backed into a corner. But she also wanted to do what was best for her son and took her providers advice to move forward with the repeat c-section. She got the call that afternoon and the date for the c-section was set for August 2 at which point she would be 40w4d. She hoped to have some time to let the change in plans settle in her mind and heart as the date of the c-section drew near. She also found out that day that her husband would make it home two days later in plenty of time for the scheduled c-section. So that was a huge relief.
Contrary to her expectations, Gabby would not have as much time as she thought before meeting her son because the very same day of her appointment she felt contractions. They began that morning and were persistent, but mild and far apart. She didn’t think anything of them, chocking them up to late pregnancy discomforts. But that evening at home the contractions changed. They became more intense, growing longer and closer too. She texted me a shockingly close contraction pattern around 10:40 that night. I told her the pattern looked like it was time to head to the hospital, even though they had only been that close for an hour. It was confusing but within the hour Gabby decided she just needed to go to the hospital. If the c-section was the plan, then so be it. She didn’t feel she was coping well and knew she would feel safer once she got there and had options, whether it be an epidural and/or the c-section.
Gabby walked into the hospital with her aunt who had driven her. She refused a wheelchair and preferred to walk, her body already sweaty from the work of labor. When they placed the monitors around Gabby’s belly, it was immediately apparent that her baby’s heart rate was dangerously low. When the midwife went to do a cervical exam, she noticed a lot of bleeding. There was no bleeding at home, but had come on suddenly right then. The mood in the room instantly changed and people swirled around Gabby quickly mobilizing toward the OR. Her baby had to be born asap by emergency c-section for any chance at life, not to mention Gabby’s risk from the potential blood loss if she was rupturing. Campbell Robert was born at 12:38 am and his mom didn’t even know it yet. Gabby was put under general anesthesia because there was simply no time for any other way. Waiting for an epidural or spinal to be placed could have had a catastrophic effect on Campbell’s already tenuous outcome.
Gabby woke up afterward to learn that her uterus had ruptured, and her baby had been pushed by her uterus through the incision into her abdomen near her diaphragm. Campbell was alive, which was miraculous considering he had apgars of 0/4/4, but he would need to be on advanced support in the care of the staff of CHKD, the local children’s hospital, and his prognosis was guarded. As Gabby lay in bed coming to terms with all that had happened in so short a time, her baby was wheeled into the room for a beside visit before flying to CHKD. He wasn’t there long, maybe a couple of minutes before he was gone. Jeff was on his way home the next day as planned and would be there by Gabby’s side through the challenging weeks ahead. Campbell was also a very big baby weighing in at 10 lb. 1 oz. and measuring 22 in. long. Those details only added to the wonder of what happened and how he moved through the scar the way he did. Gabby was also stable, and thankfully her blood loss was kept at a very safe level.
Campbell would spend about 5 weeks in the NICU at CHKD getting stable, growing stronger, and most importantly, learning how to eat. Gabby was patient and persistent in her dedication to her family, her new baby, and the positive outlook for his health and recovery. I am happy to say at the time of this writing, Campbell is home enjoying time with his parents and adoring big brother, Walker, and big sister, Mayven.
Gabby’s birth may be scary to some, for it illustrates that a uterine rupture can be a devastating risk factor. Remember that it is also a very rare one. (Gabby was the first client of mine to EVER have a uterine rupture after nearly 900 births over 20 years.) But her birth journey is a striking reminder of the importance of having hospitals, surgeons, fetal monitoring, in addition to options like VBAC, representing the balance struck every single day in obstetrics between options but also having life-saving alternatives when the situation warrants it, and mom and baby’s safety depends on it. Thanks to Gabby’s intuition and the rapid response by the providers at Mary Immaculate Hospital that night, she and Campbell have a bright future ahead. And she is grateful for their support and honesty of her providers along the way, even if it might have been a difficult thing to hear at that last appointment.
