The birth of Nicholas
Sequence of events:
|
Event |
Date |
Time |
Comment |
|
Admitted to hospital |
16/08/2002 |
00H30 |
Very early to be admitted. |
|
Elana is given induction |
16/08/2002 |
01H30 |
The going is good. |
|
Elana starts contractions,
uses gas to subdue pain. |
16/08/2002 |
From 02H30 |
Good relief from the gas. |
|
Elana calls for doctor to
administer Epidural. |
16/08/2002 |
10H00 |
The contractions are now
becoming more intense. The gas seems to make her more |
|
Doctor arrives to
administer Epidural |
16/08/2002 |
11H00 |
Doctor arrives almost an
hour after being called to administer the Epidural. Was busy with an operation on another
patient in theatre. |
|
Elana experiences immense
pain flowing up her spine into her skull, over her head into her eyes after
Epidural is administered. |
16/08/2002 |
11H02 |
Elana takes hold of my
thick leather belt and squeezes with all her might. Elana pleads to the nurse, “Please tell me
what is happening to me?” |
|
Elana passes out. |
16/08/2002 |
11H10 |
Elana looks as white as a
Ghost. |
|
Elana’s blood pressure
drop to 57/39. |
16/08/2002 |
|
I am not informed by
either the doctor or the nurse of what is going on, but am dumbstruck and in
shock to see Elana passed out. |
|
Nicholas’s heart rate
drops from ±160bpm to below 100bpm. |
16/08/2002 |
|
I am still in shock and am
not aware of the danger that Elana and Nicholas are in. |
|
Elana receives 3 revival
injections over the 2-hour period. |
16/08/2002 |
|
Not even aware of this as
I walked out of the delivery room to get some fresh air. |
|
Elana comes out of her
passed-out state. |
16/08/2002 |
13H00 |
Elana is shaking like a
leaf from shock. I ask her to stop
shaking, but she tells me she can’t.
She is shaking all over, from head to toe. I cover her with blankets,
thinking that she is getting cold. |
|
Nicholas is born with the
aid of forceps. |
16/08/2002 |
13H35 |
Elana does extremely well,
while still in a state of bewilderment. |
|
Nicholas is weighed in at
3.815Kg and 53.5cm. |
16/08/2002 |
13H45 |
What a whopper, Elana was
quite shocked when I told her! |
|
Elana has to remain
horizontal for 24 Hrs due to the Blood patch administered after the Epidural. |
16/08/2002 to 17/08/2002 |
|
Elana cannot get up to
bath, neither can she go to the toilet. An extremely uncomfortable, yet
frustrating situation. |
|
Elana still wakes up with
immense headache and pain. |
17/08/2002 |
08H00 |
Elana is still horizontal
after 24Hrs, with no progress. |
|
Dr C van den Bergh requests an anaesthetist to administer a second
blood patch. |
17/08/2002 |
10H00 |
The first blood patch
should’ve worked. If no progress was achieved within 24 Hrs, then it does not
appear to be administered correctly the first time around. |
|
The anaesthetist arrives
and prepares us for the second blood patch. |
17/08/2002 |
10H30 |
Elana feels extremely
tense and sensitive due to a second Epidural that has to be administered so
that the blood patch can be performed. |
|
The anaesthetist starts to
administer the second Epidural and blood patch. |
17/08/2002 |
11H00 |
Almost to the minute after
24 hours, the second Epidural and blood patch is administered. Elana is crying while I support her. She is more afraid of something going wrong
again than the Epidural needle being inserted in her back for the second
time. |
|
As the anaesthetist
attaches the syringe and slowly depresses the plunger to administer the blood
patch, Elana feels an immediate response of a cool feeling flowing over her
head. |
17/08/2002 |
11H30 |
The cool feeling is the
sign of relief and the headaches depart from Elana instantaneously. Elana and I sigh as a form of absolute
relief, but it’s not over yet… |
|
Elana is taken back to her
ward. |
17/08/2002 |
11H50 |
Elana now has to remain
horizontal for another 24 hours. |
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Elana is finally booked
out of hospital. |
|
14H00 (I think) |
The birth ordeal was
finally over and we could all go home. |
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