“Two Traumatic Births, Part 1: Combined Twin Delivery” – with Nechama

Dr. Fox: Welcome to “High Risk Birth Stories,” one of the top 200 health and wellness podcasts in Iceland. I’m joined today by one of our loyal listeners, Nechama, who reached out to tell her birth story. When we spoke, it became clear to me that this would need to be two podcasts as Nechama has a long story. After all, she has nine children, and two of the births have detailed stories. So, we decided to turn her story into two podcasts. Today is part one, which is the story of the birth of her first eight children, including her twins. Next week, we’re gonna drop part two, which will be the story of her ninth and most recent birth. You’re in for a real treat these next few weeks, her stories are amazing. As a reminder for all you, listeners, we’d love to hear your birth story too. You can send us an email at hrbs@highriskbirthstories.com, or you can go to our website and click the link to tell your birth story. Also, a reminder, if you or anyone you know is interested in sponsoring the podcast for your business organization, you can shoot us an email at the same address. Thanks for listening. Have a great weekend. See you Monday for “Healthful Woman Podcast.”
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 life-changing experiences in pregnancy, fertility, and childbirth. Nechama, welcome to the podcast. I’m glad we finally connected. You got a lot of stuff going on with your kids and with your schedule.
Nechama: Yeah, I’m happy to be here. Now I feel lucky.
Dr. Fox: You’re calling in from the great state of Florida, where I assume it’s a lot warm than it is where I am right now.
Nechama: Correct.
Dr. Fox: What was it that made you volunteer your story? First, I’m gonna ask how did you even hear about us in the podcast, and the second is why you felt compelled to volunteer your own story?
Nechama: So, I found your podcast by…and I just had this feeling, it was actually a few weeks ago, it was coming close to Zalman’s birthday. And I was just feeling intensely emotional and kind of sad. And I said, “I listen to so many podcasts, there’s got to be people that had crazier stories than mine, and let me try to find their story.” So, I just Googled on Spotify traumatic births, and I came across this one, and I’ve been listening ever since.
Dr. Fox: And then what brought you to volunteer your own story?
Nechama: Well, I came searching for some healing for myself, and I got so much from everybody else’s stories. And I felt like if I gained so much, I definitely have a story, I definitely have a message. And then every single one, you ask everybody to share their stories, so how could I not?
Dr. Fox: Oh, that’s so nice. Well, I appreciate it. And I’m sure my listeners are gonna appreciate it as well. I know some of your story because we’ve been in touch before this podcast, but, obviously, I don’t know all the details, so a lot of this is going to be new to me as well. And I wanted you to take us back, so we’re talking about…you said the birth of Zalman who is, I guess, a little bit over a year now, right?
Nechama: Correct.
Dr. Fox: So he was born last year, take us back to before then, before his birth, or before his pregnancy. So, how many children do you have and where are you guys living?
Nechama: So, I have nine children now. He is number nine. Gosh, I don’t know where you want me to start from?
Dr. Fox: So, you had eight children and where were you guys living at the time?
Nechama: So, we’re living in Miami. There was talk about COVID, this was like February, then everything shut down in March. I teach in school. We started online school Zooming. My husband is tech support in school. I have all my eight kids home. And that first day when we have to figure out how to use Zoom, and I wasn’t feeling good. I missed my period, I took my pregnancy test so I found out I was pregnant the first day of Zoom school.
Dr. Fox: Zoom school for eight kids. Do you have eight electronic devices, or did you have to just go to Best Buy and clear them out in order to send your kids to school?
Nechama: Thanks to my husband’s tech. We had enough for everybody. Thank God.
Dr. Fox: Wow. So in terms of your eight children, how old is the oldest and how old is the youngest, again, at the time you got pregnant with Zelman?
Nechama: Right. So my oldest is 15. She’s a girl. And then I have a bunch of boys of different ages. My baby then was only like six months old. Actually, my closest pregnancies from all my kids was the last two.
Dr. Fox: Wow. So, let’s just run through your births one at a time in terms of just, you know, high order, you know, what kind of birth, any major issues. So for your oldest, tell us about her delivery.
Nechama: So, Haya’s [SP] was just pretty uneventful, first exciting, not really a long labor. I just started earlier and I thought, you know, that it was happening. And it was pretty good.
Dr. Fox: Perfect. So that’s Haya [SP], then your second is Mayor. He’s born year later?
Nechama: Right. So, yeah, a year-and-a-half later. He was late, we were actually looking into moving to Florida then. And they were waiting for us to come and check it out and interview and it was 13 days late. It was Shabbos where we kind of…you know, I’ve wanted to just…I wasn’t sure if I should go. And I had this thing with my mother-in-law who insisted that she’s going with me and not my husband at the Shabbos, and I just didn’t want that. So, I waited till the last second. And he was born within minutes of getting to the hospital.
Dr. Fox: All right. So, that’s number two. So, who’s number three?
Nechama: Number three is Lavie. So, he was my first baby born here in Florida. I do have to say that my hospital experiences in New York were not good.
Dr. Fox: Oh okay.
Nechama: And I really wanted just a nice hospital, and just I was trying to find a doctor more personable. I felt like I was just part of a big practice and nobody…those experiences. So, when I came I was really looking for something like that. So, I found one practice and beautiful hospital, and I ended up not really liking that doctor, but it was a normal good birth.
Dr. Fox: So, then number four.
Nechama: Is Gavi. Then I found a doctor that I…One doctor from that practice move to another practice and I followed her. I really liked her and she was great. So, she was with me for Gavi also uneventful, not uneventful, it was special, but nothing remarkable.
Dr. Fox: Good. Okay.
Nechama: And then…
Dr. Fox: And then number five?
Nechama: Came in Label.
Dr. Fox: Label? Okay.
Nechama: And so I was with her also, with Dr. [inaudible 00:06:59] for Label. And then came sort of a break, I had five kids.
Dr. Fox: And then six and seven came together?
Nechama: And then six and seven came together.
Dr. Fox: Yes. So, tell me about the twin pregnancy. Was it a shock to learn you have twins?
Nechama: It was definitely a shock. I think I went to the doctor the earliest I’ve ever gone. I always kind of push it off. It makes the pregnancy feel shorter if you go later. Like, seven weeks, I’m like so tired, and I’m like, I don’t know, maybe I’m just getting old. So, I made an appointment. And at seven weeks, she said, “Can look at the screen.” And she saw two sacks and I’m having twins. So, it was a real shock.
Dr. Fox: And was it a shock just because this wasn’t even on your radar, or were you concerned about having a twin pregnancy? Or was it, “I’m gonna have two more kids after all this.”
Nechama: Well, actually, I think every pregnancy I thought I’m having twins at one point because I’m so huge. But just coming to confirm a pregnancy and find out that you’re pregnant with twins, was just really shocking. My father is a twin and they say it skipped a generation, so it was kind of, you know, in my thoughts maybe.
Dr. Fox: How did the pregnancy go because I assume it was a little bit more intensive than with your other pregnancies because it’s a different situation now?
Nechama: For sure. So it was, you know, more appointments. I went to a specialist, but all along they said, you have the safest type of twins, you have two sacks, two placentas. And it was kind of reassuring, just keep going to all the appointments, all the ultrasounds. It was just very fascinating and very exciting. I just couldn’t believe that I have twins inside of me. It was just really special.
Dr. Fox: And did you know what you were having at the time in terms of boys/girls?
Nechama: Yeah, I knew.
Dr. Fox: How did the birth go?
Nechama: It was almost like…I have a little diary that I knew I wanted just to document it. You know, when I talked about the other births, I can’t really remember everything that happened. And I knew that this is special, and I really wanted to remember the birth. I actually pulled up those notes. My husband found them. It was just so, like…I remember that day I went to the office, I was 38…I think 38, 5. And she said, okay, you know, she stretched my membranes a little bit, she said, “Go enjoy your day. I’ll see you tonight.” And I spent the day with my mother on manicure and a pedicure and we just kind of just prepared and we went to the hospital. My mother stayed home with the kids and my husband and I went 9:30 at night. I hired a doula. She met us there. It was just so peaceful, and I got an epidural. Things were just going really like this is it, like, this is… It’s like a regular birth, like, no drama, I’m just progressing. Things are going really really well. I think it was about 2:00 in the morning the doctor said, you know, you’re nine-and-a-half, the baby’s a little high, you’re almost there. And then at 2:30, I said, “You know, I’m ready to push.” So, suddenly it seemed like they weren’t ready for me, it was just like, a lot of chaos. Like, “Wait, you gotta call her because I have to deliver in the OR, and…” So, they bring me there but nothing is ready. It’s like the lights are off. There’s nothing there and [inaudible 00:10:25]
Dr. Fox: Maybe it’s just mood lighting. They wanted it to be nice and peaceful, light a candle or something.
Nechama: Yeah, yeah. There was some kind of major understaffing in the hospital that night. It was very, very clear. The room wasn’t ready, and there wasn’t enough manpower. Like, the doctor was…they had to get me onto the bed, and she was a little bit hysterical. And I’m not really sure why but she was just like on high. I don’t know, high strong that night, usually pretty calm, but she’s just like, “Where’s this? Where’s that? And, you know, we need to lift her.” I’m like, “It’s okay. I can lift myself, like, just everybody relax, it’s okay.”
Dr. Fox: Had you guys discussed what goes on during a twin delivery during your prenatal care, in terms of what’s gonna happen in terms of moving to the operating room pushing for twin A, what’s going to be a twin B, is it gonna be head first, feet first? Was that something you had discussed, or was it sort of like, well, you know, just wing it when you show up?
Nechama: No, no, no. We definitely discussed it, and she assured me that if twin B…you know, why we deliver in the OR because, you know, the complications could arise. The main concern is that twin B will flip, will become breech, and that she can flip the baby if he is breech. So, we discussed it.
Dr. Fox: Do mean that she said if her intention was to deliver the second baby head first, so that if the baby flipped to feet first, she was going to flip them back, or was she gonna deliver the baby feet first?
Nechama: Oh, I don’t remember details, but just like she knows how to handle it if the baby is breech. I don’t know exactly, but she was comfortable with that. Because I know that was a concern that could happen, but she assured me that she’s comfortable with that, so.
Dr. Fox: She got it. Okay. So you’re in the operating room, everyone’s moving about frantically and you’re telling everyone to, you know, stay calm, it’s all good.
Nechama: Like, I’m ready to push. Everyone stay calm and I’m ready to push. Like, they’re in there, like, hold it. I’m like, I’m ready to push.
Dr. Fox: Right. There is a lot of stuff for twin delivery, a lot of things have to get set up. So, I guess if they weren’t ready, there is a lot of equipment.
Nechama: I really was ready to push. I mean, literally just like two pushes and the baby was out. And I was holding myself back from pushing until they let me push. So, the baby’s out, and, you know, right away I know the doctor was, you know, she had discussed this also, like, her concern is as soon as baby is out her concern is baby B, like, that’s her focus. I don’t know, I remember her saying that. So, she’s very busy, and there are suddenly this whole commotion of baby B’s heartbeat, and they’re like, maybe it’s not working. Like, there are just sudden hysteria. Like, it was just I guess a few minutes of it, and the doctor is like, we need a C-section. I’m like, “What do you mean? Just let me push. I’m open, just let me push.” And I remember her giving me that look, “It’s of no, he’s not going to make it through. Like, you need to do this for your baby. Like, it’s not about you, if you could push, it’s about the baby, your baby’s life is at stake.”
And then the real hysteria came because, like I said, a room wasn’t ready even just for a regular birth, but then switching over to a C-section she was just like, “Where’s this? Where’s that?” And there’s some kind of also may be friction with the nurses there. I don’t know. Like, maybe they didn’t like her. She didn’t like them. But there was just this feeling of, like, just total chaos. Literally, I remember her saying, “Just give me a knife. Like, let’s just cut her, just give me a knife, like, now.” Like, she’s just screaming. So that part was really scary to me. And then, again, there wasn’t enough manpower because I think they had to switch. I don’t know if they move me again, or switch something again and they had to lift me just to change. I don’t know, but…or change the board. Something had to be done to me and she was just like, anesthesiologist that was there. She’s like, you know, whatever his name was, “Come on. Like, you help. I know this is not your job, but we need everybody on board here.” Like, she was just very frantic.
Dr. Fox: Were they able to do it with the epidural? Did they have to put you to sleep?
Nechama: No, they did it with the epidural.
Dr. Fox: Okay. And now at the time, obviously, it’s a little scary because she’s telling you that something bad could happen to your baby and you’re seeing all the commotion and hysteria that’s going on around this. Was there anything other than fear, like, were, you know, either angry or upset that it’s going to be a C-section because obviously you had plan for a vaginal birth, or was it really just fear I hope my baby’s okay?
Nechama: Yeah, I was just so afraid. I was just so afraid that the baby will be okay. I was also, like, it’s kind of a stupid thought, but the thought that was going through my head was like, “I told everybody I’m having twins, like, now, what if only one of them makes it?” Like, I don’t know. I don’t know why that thought was in my head, but it just was, like, we don’t know if he’s gonna make it.
Dr. Fox: And who’s with you in the operating room, is that your doula, your husband, both?
Nechama: So, they only let one. So, it was the doula because my husband felt that she could be more supportive, so.
Dr. Fox: So, did he know this was even going on, or he’s just outside, you know, hanging out unaware that all this commotion is happening?
Nechama: I think he was able to see him a little bit or…he was definitely aware because I know he let my parents know. And he was definitely aware.
Dr. Fox: And so how did it go? How did the cesarean go?
Nechama: I felt like he was there, so…
Dr. Fox: Okay.
Nechama: It was very chaotic. Like, I just kind of felt it, you know, the whole…and you feel everything, you know, the pulling and the… and then I don’t hear any crying. So, that part was really scary, just not hearing anything. And then they show him to me, and he was really bad coloring. So, I was really scared. And they took him, you know, they took him straight to the NICU to try to help him. I think they did get a little, little faint cry. I think I heard a little something, but he didn’t look good to me at all.
Dr. Fox: And at what point did you know that he was either okay, or basically okay? Was that an hour later, a day later?
Nechama: I think he was born around 3:30 in the morning, and I didn’t know anything, I didn’t know where to call, I didn’t know anything…I didn’t till I insisted, it was like 12:30 in the afternoon they took me to go see him. I guess just after the birth and everything I was feeling, and I got to the NICU and I just started vomiting all over the place. It was really bad.
Dr. Fox: Oh, you poor thing. Oh my God.
Nechama: I was just so nauseated. So I guess all the shock, and the fear, and just, like… it was really scary. But they did assure me that he was okay even though he had a really low Apgar score. They told me he was gonna be okay.
Dr. Fox: And then how did you feel afterwards about the fact that it was a cesarean? Where you ultimately at peace with it because he was okay, or do you feel that somehow it shouldn’t have been a cesarean?
Nechama: No, I was at peace with it because I knew that…you know, I trusted my doctor. I knew that she didn’t want to do it, it something we had discussed. And I felt like she had to make that decision, and it was the right decision because, I mean, even with the C-section, he was not in a good state. So, I don’t know what it really means to go through the birth canal, but I don’t think that would have been good for him being what he look like.
Dr. Fox: Now, you have seven kids, you know, one C-section. And since we’re talking about your ninth birth, there was clearly an eighth birth. So, was that a difficult decision to make now that you have, you know, newborn twins and seven kids? Or did you know that you want it to keep going?
Nechama: Yeah. I mean, I definitely took a break with the twins. There’s a good three, some three-and-a-bit-year gap. You know, everybody always asks, you know, are you done? Are you having more? And I always would say, one at a time, one at a time, or two at a time?
Dr. Fox: Or two at a time. Yeah. One or two at a time, just, yeah, one or two. Hopefully not three. All right.
Nechama: So, it was when I was ready, you know, but with the next birth, it was really important to me, you know, that recovery was really, really, really hard from the twins. You know, taking care of twins and recovering from a double birth, it was really hard.
Dr. Fox: Yeah. Yeah, no doubt.
Nechama: I mean, it took me time to even, like, to face getting pregnant again. It was traumatic. So, definitely took me time to work through that, and it was really important to me to have a successful VBAC for number eight.
Dr. Fox: You ended up seeing a different doctor, correct?
Nechama: Correct. Yeah.
Dr. Fox: But it was for I think, you know, obviously for insurance reasons. It wasn’t because you were…
Nechama: Yeah, it was kind of both. I kind of felt like it was also, you know, God kind of saying, like, even though I trusted her, it was still, you know, a trigger to be with that doctor, even though I…you know, but it wasn’t meant to be that I continue. I wasn’t going to pay out of pocket, and it just wasn’t meant to be.
Dr. Fox: Yeah. And that happens. I mean, sometimes if someone has a traumatic event, they just can’t go back to the same place, whether it’s the same doctor or the same practice, the same hospital, you know, whatever it might be, and that’s quite individualized. Even if it’s not, let’s say, sort of a decision that I don’t wanna be with this person, it’s just I can’t, like, I just don’t feel right. And you can’t help that, and that happens a lot. Did you ultimately have the successful VBAC for number eight? You had the vaginal birth, it went okay?
Nechama: Yeah. I mean, it was definitely a focus of the whole birth. You know, I read up a lot about of it, and then also when I, you know, pre-labor, like, I didn’t let myself, like, I went to triage, I got checked a bunch of times. Like, even when I was in active labor, like, I was only three or four. I didn’t want to get admitted till I was over five open and I was really ready. So, I went a few times just back and forth to triage. I didn’t want to get admitted too early because I felt that would give me a bigger chance of having a successful VBAC.
Dr. Fox: My understanding is, not only that you have a successful VBAC but it went so smoothly that you’re able to go to your daughter’s graduation the next day after you delivered?
Nechama: Yes, yes. It was, like, they gave me a hard time releasing the baby because it wasn’t the full amount of hours but my pediatrician called up and got me out of there. So, yeah, [crosstalk 00:21:07].
Dr. Fox: Right. Now that’s a mother of eight, deliver the baby, leave the hospital and go to the oldest one’s graduation at the same time. Good for you. That’s awesome.
Nechama: And you know what? I felt so good compared to…I kept comparing it to the twin’s birth. I’m like, “This is one and such a good birth, like, I’m doing…” I mean…
Dr. Fox: During that pregnancy, your first VBAC, how much conversation did you have about the risk of uterine rupture? Was that something you knew a lot about? Were you worried about it? Was your doctor worried about it? Obviously, it didn’t happen during this birth, everything went fine, but was that something that was on your mind, or your doctor’s mind a lot?
Nechama: Not really. The real risks of it, it was kind of…like, I didn’t really think of it as a real thing. It was more like, the doctors might decide to do it to you, or the nurses might decide to do it to you if they’re not happy with how things are going. You know, I’ve been threatened with, you know, with the different pregnancies, I’ve had nurses who were like, “We don’t like the babies, whatever, you know, or if the baby doesn’t come out soon, we may have to.” You know, so I’ve had threats like that. So, to me, it was kind of more of just like, I just have to avoid, I don’t know, some kind of situation, but it wasn’t a real risk because, you know, I don’t know. The doctor didn’t seem so concerned. She said, “You know, you’re a great candidate, you know, the reason why you had the C-section was just because of the twins, and it wasn’t like your…” you know, even the practice itself, actually, they had stopped doing the VBACs, and they just started doing the VBACS again for certain cases. So, she said, “You know, we’ll discuss your case with the team.” And she said… the next appointment, she came back to me, “We discussed it, you’re a great candidate. This is exactly the type of person we’re comfortable doing a VBAC for.” So, I kind of felt like, as long as I do my part and, you know, avoid Pitocin and come, you know, have minimal nurse intervention and labor on my own, I think I’ll be fine with the VBAC.
Dr. Fox: So I see, so you’re saying is the idea of a uterine rupture was like, “Oh, because that’s sort of in the clouds as a possibility. If we’re worried about it, we may do a C-section or if this, if this, if this,” but it wasn’t, like, “Oh, this might really happen to you?”
Nechama: It wasn’t discussed at all.
Dr. Fox: Understood. Okay. And so that’s quite a setup. So, here we are. So now, everybody knows what your story is, what your family’s like, where you are, and now you’re pregnant with number nine. It is in the midst of COVID, you got your eight kids at home, you got remote learning, you yourself are teaching remotely, the whole world is shut down. Other than that craziness, how was the pregnancy with Zalman with number nine?
Nechama: It was pretty uneventful as far as, you know, appointments. I think the hard part was…so we actually started off the year on Zoom, because that was the end of that year. But by the time the next school year started in September, we were back in the classroom.
Dr. Fox: Do you mind to tell our listeners, Nechama was calling in from Florida. So, classrooms are open. All right.
Nechama: So September we open but we did have to wear…all the kids had shields on their desk, and they had to wear masks and I had to wear a mask. So I’m pregnant, it’s really hot, you know, with the shield and the kids can’t hear me so I have to raise my voice. It wasn’t easy teaching and being pregnant.
Dr. Fox: What do you teach?
Nechama: I teach Judaic studies to 3rd grade.
Dr. Fox: Okay. So, the pregnancy is going okay, obviously, uncomfortable and inconvenient from all the stuff that’s going on in COVID, and tell us about the end of pregnancy and the labor and the birth.
Nechama: As we’re getting closer, the COVID cases are kind of rising in Florida and especially in our school, there are classes are being shut down right and left, there’s a whole, you know, protocol. If the kid was in school within three days, then the class shuts down. But if this, you know, yes, if not. So, it was very complicated. And the cases were…I had a student of mine whose sister had it, but my class wasn’t shut down. And I told my principal, I was about to maybe 38 weeks, I don’t remember, I said, “I’m too close to my birth and I’m not afraid of COVID, but I just don’t want to get it now.” And she said, “Listen, if you’re not comfortable, I understand. I’m gonna let you teach from home. So it’ll be a good transition from the teacher taking you over, you’ll teach from home, the students will be in the class, and she’ll be in there with them, and we’ll do it together.” So, that was really nice of her. But I didn’t know that I already kind of had it at that point. It was a little bit too late. And I was already feeling some symptoms. And as I was teaching from home, I was, like, midst, I think you can just turn off your camera because I suddenly got so nauseous. I messaged the teacher, “I gotta go.” And she took over. And I just ran to the bathroom and threw up like crazy. And I felt so weak. And I actually had hired a doula to be my coach doula kind of, like, I wanna know the right time to go to the hospital. And that was my biggest thing, because, you know, I had with the last one that I just kept doing that. Like, I wasn’t sure if I’m ready yet, and I would go and get back. And somehow I just got to put this idea into my head. And then she was super helpful. As she kind of said, I asked, you know, is this normal, maybe into pregnancy? I don’t know. I don’t usually get nauseous during my pregnancies at all, but maybe this is…you know, sometimes you start not feeling good at the end. She’s the one that said, maybe you have COVID. Like, no [inaudible 00:26:48]. We get tested every, like, other day because if one of my kids’ sibling, you know, the class shuts down, so I took my daughter to get tested. So I tested myself, and I took two tests that week, and they were both negative. So I’m like, “I just tested. I don’t have COVID, it’s fine.”
Right. And, again, just as a reminder to everybody, we’re talking about November of 2020. This is pre-vaccine, right? So the vaccines have not been, you know, finished yet. There’s a couple of months away from that. So a lot of testing and a lot of quarantining at that time.
Dr. Fox: Right. So, I had an appointment Thursday, a regular checkup, I had a really bad headache. And they took my blood pressure, it was actually really high. The nurse was like, “You know, if we can’t get this down, we’re gonna have to admit you.” And I just kind of tried to relax myself, took a drink. And I told the doctor, I had a bad…it wasn’t my regular doctor. It’s a big practice so I didn’t always get to see my doctor. And she’s like, “Yeah, it’s normal, you know, to get headaches, it’s okay.” Meanwhile, these were all COVID signs, but we missed them all. And that was Thursday, and then over the weekend, I was just really, really feeling miserable, just severe headache, kept throwing up. So, after Shabbos, I called my doula and she’s like, “You need to get this checked out, like, this could be something, you know, labor-related. Go to the hospital.” So the first thing they did, well, you know, they asked you a questionnaire for COVID, and I answered yes to some of them. And have you been near somebody? And, you know, they were also still new to all this. They had just set up a triage, a COVID triage room. So, they first put me in the regular triage, and then, you know, one of them says, “Wait, she has to go into there. Did you read the answer? She answered partly, you know, yes to some of these, you got to put her over there.” So, we’re like, the first time they’re using this, you know, what’s it called? With a circulation that goes in the triage room, and I told the nurse, again, I tested twice this week, I’m negative. And she said, “Well, it depends who’s giving you the test. Not everybody does it right.” And she shoved it all the way up my nose.
Dr. Fox: Up to your brain. Yeah.
Nechama: Yeah. And she came back and it was positive.
Dr. Fox: Wow.
Nechama: So, yeah. I was really kind of shocked, kind of relieved, also, in a way because I really wasn’t feeling good. And I was like, I kind of thought maybe this is I’m forgetting what Google told me, but it could have been related to the pregnancy of, like, severe headaches and nausea, I don’t know, preeclampsia or something like that. Like, I was nervous about the baby. So it was kind of, like, “Oh, this is what it is, you know, I’ll be okay.” And I was dehydrated from throwing up so much. So they gave me some IV but they wanted us out of there, like, ASAP, like, “Get away from us, you have COVID.” Like, just…
Dr. Fox: Yeah, leave the hospital. Unless you’re, like, in labor, go home.
Nechama: Yeah. So, it was scary. It really was scary. You know, there was so much unknown, so it was just, like, how’s this gonna affect the birth? How is it gonna affect the baby? It was really nerve-racking. That’s the truth. And I started feeling really awful. And [inaudible 00:30:05] actually, I could barely walk, I was just so weak and I’m nine months pregnant, vomiting it hurt so much just being so big and throwing up so much, it was…I called the doctor actually, and I said, “You know what, just give me a C-section, I’m so scared of going into labor.” And she couldn’t believe it, because she knew how against C-sections I was. So, she stayed on the phone with me for a long time, and she said, “Just you’re gonna feel better, just wait it out.” And I did. I start every day…like, after that, I just started feeling a little bit better, a little bit better. The doctor was really, really amazing. She was really there for me. And usually, at the end, you’re supposed to come in for a lot of appointments plus I’m nervous about the baby, just COVID, like, “Is it affecting the baby.” So, she arranged for me to have appointments in the hospital, like, the full-on, you know, everything, ultrasound, checkout, everything because, in the hospital, they’re equipped with the proper room, as opposed to me coming into the office and spreading COVID. That was really nice. And, you know, it also calmed me down because it kind of just, you know, showed me you’re gonna be in a regular room, they just have that vent. I did that twice, so both times, I had amazing nurses who are just…it was just such a nice experience. We were chatting about all my births and about COVID, and I was just so grateful that I was feeling better, I was feeling more ready. It was just a really nice experience. So, it really calmed me down for the birth and said, you know, “It’s gonna be okay.”
Dr. Fox: Thanks for listening to part one of Nechama’s birth story. Be sure to tune in next week to hear part two, which is when she talks about planning for her birth after recovering from COVID and the birth itself and to recovery. Thanks for listening. Have a great day. Have a great weekend. We’ll see you next week.
Thank you for listening to “High Risk Birth Stories” brought to you by the creators of the “Healthful Woman Podcast.” If you’re 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 liked today’s podcast, please be sure to check out our “Healthful Woman Podcast” as well, where I speak with 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 informational and entertainment only and does not replace medical care from your physician. The stories and experiences discussed in our podcasts 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.