“My second pregnancy and a retained placenta….during Covid” – with Bailey

Dr. Fox: Welcome to “High Risk Birth Stories,” brought to you by the creators of the “Healthful Woman” podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Nathan Fox. “High Risk Birth Stories” is a podcast designed to give you, the listener, a window into the life-changing experiences of pregnancy, fertility, and childbirth. Bailey, welcome back to the podcast. We got to hear your first birth story last week about your daughter who was born in 2019. And now we’re gonna talk about your second birth, which happened during the COVID. Right?
Bailey: Oh, my. Yep. It did.
Dr. Fox: So, you’re home, you have your daughter, all is going well and you decide we’re doing this again, right?
Bailey: Yep. Yeah, yeah. We decide to do it again. My daughter turned one and because I knew that I had to go on Clomid again, I wasn’t sure just because, you know, it took quick the first time didn’t mean that it would be like that the second time. So I said, “Let’s just go on Clomid, and hopefully, we’ll get pregnant sooner than later.” So, that’s what we did. And again, thank God the first time I got pregnant.
Dr. Fox: First try for the second pregnancy.
Bailey: Yeah. First try in Clomid. Yeah, exactly.
Dr. Fox: Okay. So, just so I understand the timing, if she had just turned one, this was around January-ish of 2020, January, February, March 2020. Correct?
Bailey: Yeah, exactly. So she had turned one the end of January, and I think that I got pregnant the next month. So she was like…turned like 13 months or something like that.
Dr. Fox: Right. So this is literally like one day before COVID?
Bailey: Yes, exactly. Yep.
Dr. Fox: You get a positive pregnancy test and then the world gets COVID.
Bailey: Yeah, exactly.
Dr. Fox: Okay. Just working on the timeline in my head here. And obviously, that must have been a big shock to the system. You’re like, “Wait a second, and now I’m pregnant and now I can’t see doctors.” And all that stuff’s going on because it was like, literally right at the beginning of your pregnancy when everyone had to stay home forever.
Bailey: So honestly for me, it was a huge blessing because I was super sick with my second daughter for a long time and my husband was home. So he really took care of our daughter, Bebe [SP], for like six weeks straight. I could not get out of bed. He would wake up with her, get her dressed, feed her, take her out. We lived right by the beach, he would take her to the beach every day. And he was amazing. He literally would put her to sleep and I would just, you know, flow in and out. So for me, it was really amazing because I do not know how I would’ve done it with him being at work.
Dr. Fox: It’s so interesting. So your second pregnancy you were very sick, which last week you described as sort of what your mother had. Right?
Bailey: Yeah.
Dr. Fox: Very, you know…a lot of… But your first pregnancy, you didn’t really have that.
Bailey: Right.
Dr. Fox: So fascinating.
Bailey: Super interesting. I know.
Dr. Fox: Yeah. Very interesting. And so this time it was almost a blessing because at least you had full-time help at home with you, your husband.
Bailey: Exactly. Yeah. My husband was my full-time help. Yeah.
Dr. Fox: Well, that’s full-time help. Absolutely. Okay.
Bailey: Yeah. Yeah. He was amazing.
Dr. Fox: At the time, did you have concerns about like getting COVID and pregnancy because all the uncertainty that was going on then?
Bailey: Honestly, I don’t think I was that concerned. It could be just because everyone that I knew…maybe I didn’t know so many people that, like, personally that had it, and then one person that I knew got over it, like, fairly quickly and easily. And I was really staying in my house, like, all day long. So it wasn’t like a forefront fear, you know. Maybe it was somewhere in the back.
Dr. Fox: Did you have, like, an altered schedule for going to your doctor? I know a lot of us had to sort of change the frequency of visits and do remote visits and all these things. Was that different for you?
Bailey: Yeah. Well, I didn’t go in for a whole bunch of weeks. With my first one, I went in right away. Maybe also because I think I was like, having spotting in the beginning. So I went in, in the beginning, a lot, and this one, I don’t think I went in until I was like 10 weeks maybe or something like that, which was definitely concerning for me. I was like, “Wow, like, how do we know everything’s okay?” And my husband did not come to any of the appointments with me, which was definitely different and not so fun. And yeah, also at the time my daughter didn’t have school and I was teaching at that time. So I still had to teach over Zoom.
Dr. Fox: Oh God.
Bailey: Yeah. So the whole fun party I was like, so sick, and I would get out and put on a little bit of makeup just so I could, like, turn on my computer, and then I would go, like, straight back into bed.
Dr. Fox: How old are the kids that you teach?
Bailey: So they were little. They were first grade at that point. I, like, jumped around a little, so that point was first grade. I know they probably did not care if I was wearing makeup or not honestly.
Dr. Fox: So you were sick and you have to corral a group of first graders on Zoom.
Bailey: Yeah.
Dr. Fox: That sounds like a disaster.
Bailey: Yeah. It was pretty horrible, honestly. I actually quit after that year. I was like, “Okay, I’m done.” They’re like, “Are you coming back after when they open up?” And I was like, “No, I’m really sorry. I’m not coming back.”
Dr. Fox: How did the pregnancy go? Otherwise, when did you start feeling better?
Bailey: With her, I started feeling better I would say around four months. I stopped feeling super sick and that’s when I started fainting.
Dr. Fox: Fainting?
Bailey: Yeah.
Dr. Fox: Okay.
Bailey: That was really probably the hardest thing that I dealt with in her pregnancy. The first time I fainted I was in the grocery store. I was with my daughter. I was paying and all of a sudden I just felt so sick. I was like, my whole body started shaking and I think the cashier noticed, and she was like, “Are you okay?” And I was like, “Oh, I’m not feeling so good.” And then the next thing I knew I was like, in someone’s arms and I had fainted.
So they had called some paramedics and they said my, like, blood sugar was very low and my blood pressure was low. But that was basically something that I dealt with for the rest of my pregnancy. Everywhere I went, I fainted. It was hard because we were really never able to put our finger on why. I went to heart doctors who put, like…you know, I would wear the monitor overnight. And every time I felt that…like, I would feel that feeling, I would press the button and see if it matched up to anything but everything came back good.
And anytime I was, let’s say, near a nurse, let’s say when I was, like, working in school or whatever, and I would faint and they would take my blood pressure right away, it would be like super, super low. But then if I would go to the doctor like even two hours later, it would be totally normal. So we were never able to, like, catch, like, you know, unless they were there on the spot. Like, my doctor was like, “Your blood pressure is always great.” You know?
Dr. Fox: Yeah. A lot of pregnant women just get that. Why some and not others, we don’t really know, but they just get more, we call it vasovagal, where you just basically…you know, your blood vessel dilates and you get less blood to your brain and you get sort of very, you know, dizzy and weak and sort of cold and clammy and then you pass out, unless you lie down very quickly.
And yes, while you’re passing out, your blood pressure’s gonna be low, but it’s not because you have a condition of low blood pressure. It’s just some people have this. And yeah, you do the workout but it’s so unusual in someone young and healthy that they’re gonna suddenly have a heart condition or seizures or something like that. It’s just so, so rare. It’s usually just annoying.
Bailey: Yeah. And I was like, “There must be something going on,” because I felt so sick. Like it was so bad. Every time I would faint, for the next two days, I would be, like, lightheaded and everything would be spinning. And it was like a lot of the times I was dehydrated. Like I would have to go to the hospital and stay for a little bit and get fluids. And also another thing was that I basically went off of sugar the whole time, because any time that I would eat sugar, it was like instant, I would basically feel like…
Dr. Fox: Interesting.
Bailey: Yeah. My head would start spinning. Like, even if I ate like a yogurt that had more sugar in it, I would instantly get dizzy.
Dr. Fox: Every time they went to evaluate you, did they think you had COVID?
Bailey: No, surprisingly not. I never had one COVID test until I went to give birth.
Dr. Fox: Really, they didn’t test you at all these things?
Bailey: Yeah.
Dr. Fox: Wow.
Bailey: Never.
Dr. Fox: I guess the tests probably weren’t that developed yet. That’s my guess. Wow.
Bailey: Yeah. It could be.
Dr. Fox: Wow. All right. So you’re fainting and they don’t know why. How was the baby doing?
Bailey: She was doing great. Yeah. It was not affecting her at all. Like I remember a few times they, like, wanted me to go into the hospital to get, like, monitored for the night to see how, but she was totally fine. And it was just me feeling terrible. Everywhere I went, I needed to bring, like, food and water and Gatorade because that would help me, like, not…like, you know, the electrolytes, even though that had sugar so I’m not really understanding that part.
But I was, like, had to be all stocked. And I remember once I went to Costco and I had a huge, like, groceries shopping with me and I was standing in line and all of a sudden I felt like I was gonna faint. So I quickly called my husband and I was like, “I’m gonna faint. I’m gonna do.” So the thing that helped me is to like the faster I can eat, the more chances I wouldn’t faint. So he was like, “Just look around you, grab whatever you can and we’ll pay for it.” So I was, like, the people probably in line thought I was insane. I was like ripping open boxes of protein bars and nuts and drinking water bottles. Finally, I was feeling a little better.
Dr. Fox: And if you’re at Costco, you’re ripping open a box with like 612 protein bars in them.
Bailey: Exactly. And I get up to pay. And at that point, like, my husband, we like using pretty much just, like, cash, not to use credit cards. And I guess for some reason, I didn’t count how much money I had, and I didn’t have enough money on me. I was like, “Okay, I’ll use my credit card,” not knowing that you can only use Visa. And so I gave them my credit card and they’re like, “No, we only use Visa.” And I was flustered from this whole situation of not having money.
And like, you know, they’re very quick there. Like, they don’t have time. They’re like, “Okay, we’ll void your thing.” And I just walked out and I remember driving home and all of a sudden being like, “Oh my gosh, I ate so much of their food and I didn’t pay for anything.” It was pretty funny.
Dr. Fox: I hope no one from Costco is listening to this podcast.
Bailey: I know. I was thinking if anyone is listening, you could be in touch with me and I’ll send you $10.
Dr. Fox: They’re coming after you. [crosstalk 00:09:37]. We’re not using your last name. This is confidential. They have to rip my fingers and fingernails out to get who you are, so.
Bailey: Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, basically that was pretty much what I dealt with. I would just faint everywhere I went and it was not so fun, but it was okay. And so I had the same thing at 30 weeks. My daughter also was growth restricted. She was not as bad as my first daughter. So they basically decided with her, with every appointment that I went to, they said, you know, she’s holding on. She would get a little bit lower. She was like five percentile but she never, like, fell off the charts.
And they said that, “We’re gonna let you go to your due date but not later.” So on my due date, I was induced. This one went much faster. They gave me the drink. After one drink they were like, “Listen, the drink doesn’t really work with you like from last time.” So they gave me Pitocin and around like 3:00 in the morning, I was like, “Okay, let me take the epidural.” I got epidural. And I would say like 9:00 in the morning, maybe even a little earlier, I started feeling a lot of it in my right leg.
And I was like, “This is weird.” Like I’m having so much pain, like, not realizing that it was the contractions, and slowly my epidural just completely wore off, which was weird because I had never pressed for a refill because I like being able to like feel a little bit for pushing. So I’m like, nervous to press too much. So at that point, I was like, “Okay. Let me like press and get more,” but nothing happened. And basically, I was like, getting the contractions like full-on. So it was, like, at that point it was probably like, yeah, like 9:00-ish, 9:30 in the morning.
My husband was like, “Hey, I just have to go to the bathroom.” So I was like, “Great.” He went to the bathroom and I’m like, sitting in the bed, and all of a sudden I was like, “Oh my, like, I think the baby’s coming.” So I go to get the remote to call the nurse and it falls on the floor and my husband’s in the bathroom and I’m having such bad contractions, like I can’t move. So I called my husband and I was like, “Oh, like, I really feel like the baby’s coming. But like, no rush, whenever you get out, like, can you go call the nurse?”
So he was like, “Okay.” Like I said, “No rush.” So he was like, you know, enjoying himself in the bathroom. And in the meantime I’m, like, waiting and waiting for him to come out. And all of a sudden I’m starting to, like, freak out that the baby is, like, coming.
Dr. Fox: Wow.
Bailey: So I was like, “Okay. Come out of the bathroom. Like, go get the nurse.” So like, he runs out and he goes, and they come in and they’re like, “Yep. Like, the baby’s here. Like, it’s time to push.” So, I was pushing and it was such a different birth because there was only one nurse and my doctor in the room.
Dr. Fox: Yeah. It was so nice and peaceful. Heart rate is good.
Bailey: Yeah. And I was like, “Where’s everyone?”
Dr. Fox: Yeah. No [inaudible 00:12:10] I assume.
Bailey: Yeah. No, thank God. So I push and, like, in six minutes she was born.
Dr. Fox: Beautiful.
Bailey: I didn’t tear. It was, like, it was amazing. It was really amazing. And she was 6 lb. 9 oz. So also she’s bigger than my other daughter. And it was just amazing and I felt so good. I remember with my first daughter, I was able to, like, eat right away and everything like that. So I was really hungry and the nurse kept coming again and, like, pressing on my stomach and then would leave. And I remember like an hour later I said to her like, “Oh, can I eat?” And she was like, “No, you know, you’re still like, bleeding pretty badly. So we wanna wait in case, like, you have to go back in.” So I was like, “Okay.”
So I think like another hour went by and she came back. Like, she was coming in between to, like, press on my stomach. And she was like, you know, “Like, it seems like the bleeding stopped. Like, you could eat.” And like, looking back, I should have said something because I know, like, the bleeding didn’t stop, like, after she left. Like, I was bleeding a lot again, but I was so hungry and I didn’t understand. Like, I was like, “Okay.” Like, you bleed after you have a baby, like, that’s normal, you know.”
So I started eating and I was enjoying myself and eventually, like, the bleeding definitely, like, you know, lowered, went away, whatever. Okay. Left. It was great. And I would say about five weeks in with my first daughter, I stopped bleeding around, I would say like three weeks, like, I was done. Like totally done. And with this one, like, I would, like, stop bleeding and it would start again, and then it would slow down and then it would get more and, like, it really stopped.
And I was like, “You know, like, this isn’t so normal for me.” So I called my doctor and he was like, “Listen, like, your first baby’s different than your second baby. And like, I’m really not so concerned.” But I was like, “No, I really think that there’s something going on.” I was also having, like, really bad stomachaches, which I had with my first daughter also. So that wasn’t so much of a concern but I was like, “This is really not so like my norm.”
And I was like, “Please, can I just come in for an ultrasound a week early?” Because normally you go in for six weeks. So he was like, “Okay.” Like, he knew me and he trusted me and he was like, “Okay. Fine, you can come in. So I went in, I think, maybe even that day, the next day, and he put the ultrasound thing on my stomach and right away he’s like, “Yeah, you have placenta in you.” And I was like, “Are you serious?” Like, I really kinda, like, knew that that’s what it was. Like, I had a feeling.
So he says, “Listen, tomorrow come into the office, take two Advils before you come in. Now we’re gonna try to get it out.” And I was like, “Okay.” So I went home and the next day came back. And essentially what they did was basically like a D and C in the office without anesthesia. I do not recommend it.
Dr. Fox: Well, you got those two Advils. How’d that work?
Bailey: Exactly. I said, “If my doctors tell me to take two Advils, it’s probably not such a good sign.” And I remember there was like three people in the room, one person doing the ultrasound, and he was trying to get it out. And I was in so much pain. It was really horrible. It was like about 45 minutes later, he was like, “We can’t get it. Like, we’re just gonna have to do a D and C.” And all of this is during COVID. So my husband was not able to come with me to any of this.
Dr. Fox: Yep.
Bailey: So I remember I got home…
Dr. Fox: So I mean not the doctor’s office either?
Bailey: Yeah. Not the doctor’s office either.
Dr. Fox: Not the doctor’s office and not ultimately I guess the hospital where they had to do it.
Bailey: Yeah, exactly. So I remember I went home. I was in more pain than I was after I had a baby, for sure. I was in so much pain. She wanted to send me to a specialist, like, in the hospital to get also, like, a second opinion and see if they agreed. So I went in the next day for that and they did ultrasound and they said, “Yeah, like for sure, like there was a good amount of placenta left.” And they said that you need to.
Dr. Fox: How was your fainting by the way over the five weeks after you delivered? Did it go away?
Bailey: Oh, gone. Yeah.
Dr. Bailey: Amazing. How about that?
Bailey: Yeah. Thank God. The night before, you know, I went in for like, you know, just for them to, like, ask me questions and stuff and then…so the next morning, we went in at 6:45. It was pretty crazy because my husband couldn’t come with me, which was really scary because it was…I’ve only been put under once before when I was much younger and I was, like, I can’t believe like you can’t come with me, besides the fact that like I had a seven-week-old at home, it was literally seven weeks to the day.
And I also had a two-year-old at home and it was COVID so no one had school. It happened to have been mid-winter vacation, so my in-laws who live near us and are always, like, super helpful were flying to Florida that day and their flight was at 11:00. So they were only able to, like, watch our kids, like, for my husband to, like, bring me to the hospital. But then my husband had to go pick them up. It was, like, so crazy. Anyways.
So I get in there and I remember, like, the anesthesiologist was, like, telling me, like, what to expect and also because I’m nursing and with the anesthesia so, like, you know that I wouldn’t be able to nurse my baby for like 12-ish hours and just, like, talking to me. So I remember, like, they did IV and I went in and they, like, strapped me down on the table. And I remember just, like, listening to, like, what was going in the room and it must have been a nurse or someone that asked the anesthesiologist, “Oh, like how much are we giving her?”
And he made a comment like, “Oh, like, give her as much as we can.” Like, some comment like that. Like, “Just give her as much as she can handle,” or like, “Give her a big dose.” Like, something that I was, like, taken aback a little. Like, I’m not such a big person at all and I was, like, “Really? Like, should they be giving me so much?” Like, you know.
Dr. Fox: Were you worried because it was, like, incorrect, or did you think it was, like, insulting? Like it was snarky or something like that?
Bailey: No. I was worried that they would give me too much for, like, my weight.
Dr. Fox: Understood. Okay. Understood.
Bailey: And that maybe I would, like, have problems, like, afterwards.
Dr. Fox: I would think it’s insulting that they’re saying, “Oh, she’s a complainer. Let’s just make sure to knock her out.” You know? No, I mean, if I were hearing…I’m not saying that that’s what they were doing, but I’m saying if I were lying on the table and they said, “Oh, give him a lot,” you know, because they want me to shut up immediately.
Bailey: So I think the reason why I wasn’t insulted because beforehand, when he was speaking to me, he said, “My job is to just give you so that you just go to sleep. You don’t remember anything and you wake up.” So I think he was saying it more like that, let’s just, like, let her have it easy type of thing, you know?
Dr. Fox: Okay. Yeah. Out of kindness. I get it.
Bailey: But I was more like, “Why are you giving me so much?” So anyways, the next thing I know I was out and I remember the nurse trying to wake me up and I just, like, could not wake up. Like I was just beyond exhausted. And so she would just keep coming back and like, instantly I would just fall back asleep. And I remember, like, while she was waking me up, I heard the nurse speaking to my husband saying, “Listen, she’s a little bit more sleepy than we would like. It’s probably gonna take a little longer.”
My husband was waiting for me, like, downstairs to come out in the car because they had called in saying that I was out and that I would be up in an hour, but I was still sleeping. So he was just waiting for me with the two kids in the car and she still has to, like, you know, go to the bathroom. They didn’t wanna let me leave without, like, making sure I could pee. So he was like, “We’ll call you soon and let you know how it’s going.”
And I just remember, like, the nurses keep trying to wake me up and just, like, I couldn’t even open my eyes. And at one point she helped me get up and she helped me get dressed and she said, “Okay. We’re gonna walk to the bathroom and we’re gonna try to go to the bathroom.” So I was like, “Okay.” So she helped me walk and I remember the whole time I kept blacking out. Like, as we were walking, I’m holding onto her, I was blacking out. In the bathroom, I was blacking out.
It was like…I felt so horrible. Like, it was really bad. And I couldn’t go to the bathroom, which was really weird for me because after both my daughters, I was able to go to the bathroom right away. And I was like, “What is going on? Like, I can’t go to the bathroom.” And she was like, “This is normal sometimes. Like, let’s go back to your bed and we’ll try again a few minutes.” I was like, “Okay.” So we walked back, I fell asleep again. I was out I think for, like, another, like, hour. I was just out. And then the next thing I knew, the nurse was telling me that her shift was over and a new nurse is coming.
So I was like, “Okay.” And I fell back asleep. And then I feel myself being shaken awake by this nurse and she’s like, “Get up. Get Up. We’re going to the bathroom. We’re getting you out of here.” And I was like, “What is going on?” And she’s…like, literally, like, picks me up and brings me to the bathroom. And she was, like, super rough with me. I remember that they had told me beforehand that, “When you go to the bathroom it’s normal to see some blood. But, like, to a certain point, like, it shouldn’t be, like, you know, filling the toilet and, like, let us know.” Whatever.
So I went to the bathroom and there was, like, blood everywhere, and I actually passed out in the bathroom. And there was this male nurse there and he was helping me. And it was such a mess. And this nurse comes to me and I remember I started crying and I was like, “There was a lot of blood and I really don’t feel good.” And I blacked out again and she basically just picks me up and she’s like, “You’re fine. Everything’s fine. Stop crying.” And she walks me back, she didn’t even, like, look in the bathroom. She walks me back to my bed and she’s like, “We’re getting you out of here.”
She told the nurse to call my husband and say we’re coming down. And I was, like, trying not to cry because, like, I didn’t wanna give her, like, more, you know, things to like…you know, I felt, like, so vulnerable. And this is exactly…I was telling my husband like, “How could they not let you come in? Like, who’s gonna advocate for me, like, if I’m really not feeling good or if I don’t think that I should be discharged?”
There was no one there. Like the doctor didn’t come back. And I was like, “What it’s gonna be?” You know? And she was like, super, super rough with me. She stuck me in a wheelchair and brought me downstairs. And I remember that she was wheeling me out and my husband came to open the door and she, like, made this, like, comment to my husband, like, “Oh, like, your wife’s a little teary but don’t worry, she’s, like, overreacting.”
And my husband, like, what does he know? Like he hasn’t been there. And he was like, “Oh,” like, “okay.” And you know, he helps in the car. And I remember that she, like, left and, you know, the door closes. My husband comes in and I remember I just, like, burst into tears. Like, I have never cried so hard in my life. And I was just sobbing and I couldn’t even get the words out. My husband was like, “What happened?” And like, he saw that I was, like, not in a good state.
Like, as I was talking to him, I was blacking out. And he was like, “This is not okay.” Like, he was like, in the middle of driving home. And he pulled over to the side. My husband’s a very nice guy and he calls up the hospital and he was like, “This is not okay. You should not have sent my wife home. She’s blacking out.” Like, he was so upset. And I understand that it was because of COVID and they just wanted people in and out and everything like that but it was honestly a horrible experience.
Dr. Fox: Is that why you think they were trying to get you out of there, because of COVID?
Bailey: I think so. I think they didn’t want, like, people in the hospital for too long, like, you know, outpatient things. That’s what, like, my feeling was, that if it wasn’t COVID, it would’ve been a very different story. Like, why would they care to let me sleep for an extra two hours? Like, you know, I wasn’t bothering anyone. I’m like, in my own little bed somewhere. Like, why were they so bent on getting me up, getting to the bathroom, getting downstairs, you know?
Dr. Fox: Was it the end of the day? Was it like a surgery center that was closing or no?
Bailey: No. It was like 12:00 in the afternoon. I went in very early in the morning. Yeah.
Dr. Fox: Oh. Maybe. That’s so interesting. Did you ever get a chance to find out, like talk to your doctor about it or someone from the hospital like why they were so aggressive of getting you out of there?
Bailey: I think what happened…my doctor called me later that day and I told him what happened. And he was like, shocked. He was like, “No one told me anything that, like, you weren’t doing well. Like, I would’ve come.” He had to go do some C-sections. He’s like, “I would’ve come up and checked on you.” And whatever. And he said that he’s gonna put a complaint into the hospital. And the hospital actually ended up calling me, like, the people…
Dr. Fox: Somebody.
Bailey: I don’t know what it’s called.
Dr. Fox: Someone. Yeah.
Bailey: They, like, represent, like, the people or whatever. You know, they called me and they want to talk to me. When my husband called, they, like, right away, they’re like, “We’re so sorry. Like, we’re gonna get a room ready. Like, bring your wife back.” At that point I told my husband, I said, “I don’t wanna go back. Like, you’re not gonna be able to come into the hospital with me. I’m gonna be on my own again. Like, how do I know I’m not gonna get the same nurse?” You know, I said, “I don’t wanna go back in there.”
So he basically told me, he said, “Listen, we’ll go home but if, you know, in two hours, you’re still blacking out and fainting, we’re going back.” So I went home and, you know, I went to my bed, it was really nice. I was able to hold my baby. And it took me a solid three days to recuperate. I spoke to my father and he basically told me, which is good to know that, like, genetically, we, like my family, we do not respond well to anesthesia.
It probably was that I was just given a way too high of a dose than I was supposed to get.
Dr. Fox: For you?
Bailey: Yeah, for me. And also because my family history, like my father, he has, like, kidney stones, whatever, so he, a lot of times, has to go under and he said it, like, it’s horrible. Like, it takes him so long to get back to himself. And he said that they know that, that they give him a much lower dose.
Dr. Fox: Yeah. There are some people, it just takes them longer to clear the anesthesia from their system and so it lasts longer. And so you can give them a lower dose or, you know, whatever it might be. Yeah. Good to know now, I guess, moving forward.
Bailey: Yeah, exactly. I’m like, “Wow. Maybe I should have known this beforehand.” But yeah, it took me really a few days where I felt so sick. Like, it was pretty horrible but that was the end of my story. Thank God the procedure went well, all the placenta came out, and pretty much like two weeks later I was good to go. So it was like pretty much a nine-week recovery.
Honestly, it made me sad a little bit, the whole, like, D&C situation because I was thinking that I’m very lucky that I’m going home to my newborn that’s healthy, you know? But most times people are coming in to have D&Cs, they’re not going home to a baby, and for them to go through an experience like that where the nurse was so rude and was so uncaring was just so sad because I had a good ending.
You know, like, I had a healthy baby but for people to come home to an empty home and, you know, not have that, like, security of, like, listen, I went through something hard but, like, it was just something to, like, you know, finish up the situation of my healthy birth. You know, it just made me, like, sad that that was, like, one of the consequences of, you know, COVID, that just people, you know, weren’t able to have someone there to, like, advocate for themself. And it definitely, I think, would’ve been a different situation if my husband was able to be there.
Dr. Fox: Two things about it, really interesting. The first is how the second sort of pregnancy and delivery were really smooth and, like, so pleasant, despite it being through COVID because it could have also been…you know, some people had really hard deliveries and similar situations with COVID. And then you have this…a postpartum complication. It happens. I mean, you don’t want it but it’s usually not life-threatening and it’s kind of annoying and you need a procedure.
But for most people, it’s like, “Ugh.” Like, whatever. It’s like a half-day of their life, they go and they come out and whatever. They never really think about it again. But either because of COVID or maybe you just happened to find someone having a really bad day, for some other reason, it’s like a disaster. It’s like the worst experience for you, like, ever. I don’t know. If it was a COVID thing, then yeah, these are one of these sort of unmeasured consequences of all the things we do and did around COVID for safety.
And I’m not saying that they’re wrong. It’s not a bad motivation to keep people out of the hospitals and don’t get infections, don’t bring infections in. Yeah, of course, that’s like a very valuable intervention, but there are consequences to it. And there’s ones that you can predict and there’s ones that you can’t necessarily predict. And it’s just important to be mindful of these things that, you know, to flip the switch and say, “All right, no one can have visitors in the hospital,” you should do it if it’s absolutely necessary, but if it’s not, we can’t really be so lax about that because it’s really important to have someone with you in the hospital always if you have that opportunity. And, you know, you’re a perfect example of that. Your experience would’ve been much different obviously if someone were with you, I would imagine. It’s an interesting lesson.
Bailey: Yeah. And even let’s say, like, you know, the fact that I had my husband waiting for me in the car to pick me up, I’m sure there’s so many people that are either elderly or don’t have someone there, you know, they need to go in for procedures and they don’t have someone that can call afterwards and be like, “What happened?” “It was not okay.” You know, it’s just sad.
Dr. Fox: Yeah. Wow. Bailey, thank you so much for coming back and telling the story of your second baby.
Bailey: My pleasure.
Dr. Fox: I guess in a few years we’ll talk about three and four, so it’ll be great. But no, listen, it’s really interesting. And I do appreciate you volunteering because I enjoyed hearing both of your stories, you know, last week and this week. And I think that there’s a lot to learn from them. So thank you.
Bailey: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoy your podcast.
Dr. Fox: Thank you for listening to “High Risk Birth Stories,” brought to you by the creators of the “Healthful Woman” podcast. If you are interested in telling your birth story on our podcast, please go to our partner website at www.healthfulwoman.com and click the link for sharing your story. You can also email us directly at hrbs@highriskbirthstories.com.
If you like today’s podcast, please be sure to check out our “Healthful Woman” podcast as well where I speak with the leaders in the field to help you learn more about women’s health, pregnancy, and wellness. Have a great day. The information discussed in “High Risk Birth Stories” is intended for information and entertainment only and does not replace medical care from your physician.
The stories and experiences discussed in our podcast are unique to each guest and are not intended to be representative of any standard of care or expected outcomes. As always we encourage you to speak with your own doctor about specific diagnoses and treatment options for an effective treatment plan. Guests on “High Risk Birth Stories” have given their permission for us to share their personal health information.