In this article, I’m sharing my worst experience after giving birth to my first child — Bleu.
WARNING: This post may be a bit of a TMI (Too Much Information), gross, and emotional that only mothers and the likes might appreciate.
I must admit that I didn’t really take care of myself post the delivery of my very first child, Bleu, because I got so busy taking care of her and making sure that she’s getting enough breastmilk for feeding.
In fact, the day after my CS Operation, right after my IV and catheter got removed, I already pushed myself to stand up and walk around the hospital room to hold my baby in order to start establishing the breastfeeding routine.
I gave birth at the Makati Medical Center, a hospital that strongly advocates breastfeeding and I should say that this hospital is really very strict when it comes to implementing it, which I am very thankful for.
It was very challenging! It was painful and frustrating, thinking about not producing enough for your newborn who had started getting restless and fussy.
Out of desperation, I remember begging the nurse to allow us to let Bleu take a sip of the breastmilk which was donated by one of my very close friends because I was suspecting that my baby wasn’t getting anything from me due to some latching issues. I felt she was getting starved!
I was one of those pregnant women who did not experience early lactation before giving birth.
I would always get bothered by the thought of not having any supply once my baby has come out.
I was crying as the nurse handed to me the pain reliever that I should take in order to ease that post-operational pains which I seemed to be not minding at all that time because I was more in pain whenever I hear my baby’s crying.
But being a strict breastfeeding advocate a hospital it is, the Makati Medical Center nurses turned down my request and compassionately pushed for more latching attempts in order to make it right.
In the end, I was thankful that they stood by their advocacy because, true enough, my supply started showing on the 3rd day.
But I knew that it was just the beginning of the many challenges that I would experience Postpartum.
Ever since then, I had devoted myself in making sure that my newborn would get enough round the clock (whether via direct latching or expressed breastmilk-feeding) that I forgot about the fact that I just had a major operation which needed some time to heal.
I also did some tasks as if I had healed completely!
Well, on the first 7 days of Postpartum I thought I was already getting the hang of it and was soon getting into the road of recovery.
But the 8th day made a major backfire.
I woke up having some serious bleeding which seemed to be a bit abnormal at first.
I researched online and learned that it’s a bit normal for most mothers 2 weeks after their CS Delivery so I asked one of my friends if she had the same experience.
I felt relieved as soon as she confirmed that the same happened to her and this was something that I should be expecting.
However, after filling 6 maternity pads in a matter of hours, I started feeling worried because it felt like the flow won’t stop anytime soon and it was just barely the afternoon.
Finally, I decided to call my OB to consult.
She sounded a little alarmed upon hearing that the amount of bleeding was beyond the usual.
My OB immediately prescribed Methergine and asked me to take 1 tablet as soon as possible then continue for the next 4 days.
That moment, I knew that things were not going well with my body as I started feeling weak, drained, and drowsy, all combined with the cramping and feeling of wanting to vomit.
I researched what Methergine was for and figured that it was for Hemorrhage.
It’s as if the day hasn’t gone any worse yet, both Watsons and Mercury Drug stores were out of stock.
Watsons even checked with their Supply Chain to see if there’s any but not luck so we resorted into a different brand, Mergot.
However, not a lot of drug stores nearby would have it.
I never expected for such a critical drug to be quite rare.
Fortunately, they found one branch in Pasay (near DFA) which still had some.
It was just timely that I was chatting with my bestfriend who lives in Pasay and, as soon as she learned about the situation, without thinking twice, she packed up and stormed to that branch to buy and then went straight to our house to give me that precious medicine.
While my bestfriend was doing that heroic deed, back home I was lying down next to my sleeping baby.
I was crying (while still bleeding) and feeling scared upon thinking that if something bad would happen to me, the more I wouldn’t be able to feed her.
I was praying for the pain and the bleeding to stop while my mom and my bestfriend were out desperately seeking for the cure.
It felt like I only had a quarter of blood remaining.
It was past 6PM when my bestfriend arrived carrying 3 tablets of Mergot.
I took 2 tablets as per my OB’s advice upon learning about the amount of the flow (1 maternity pad soaked in less than 15-30 minutes).
That moment, I knew I’ve been saved.
Days after that, the bleeding had stopped temporarily so I took that chance to go to my OB and undergo a Transvaginal Ultrasound for her to determine what happened to me.
Based on the results, my OB confirmed that I experienced a condition which only 1 out of 300,000 women experiences after giving birth.
She found out that my uterus was filled with so much blood and my body needed to expel that.
And since I could not bear the pain of having it done via a procedure at the clinic (I have very low tolerance to pain when it comes to any procedure which has to be done down there) so she just asked me to drink antibiotics to help my body flush all the blood out as if I was having a SUPER heavy menstrual flow.
I may have spared myself from undergoing that painful procedure, I never expected that the antibiotics would give me a feeling as if I was having the worst and most painful Dysmenorrhea I have ever experienced in my life.
My mom witnessed how I would cry because of so much pain and cramps while spending my days inside the bathroom.
I saw how much blood I have eliminated, but, everyday, I would start feeling better.
After the medication, I was feeling so much better and the bleeding had completely stopped.
I went back to my OB to undergo another Transvaginal Ultrasound so she could check the progress.
Thank God! My OB confirmed that all the blood trapped inside my uterus has been eliminated and it now looks normal and healthy again.
Biggest lesson learned: Our body is not something we should be taking for granted.
It may endure a lot of abuses that we do on a daily basis but time comes when your body tells you that enough is enough.
How about you?
What was your worst postpartum nightmare?
I would love to hear your story on the comments section.
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