Through His Eyes… PPH

Today’s post is a little different… and written by a very special guest… my hubs – Vince.

It only made sense that the next part in our journey that pertained to the delivery of Mason, should be through Vince’s eyes. As I mentioned in my previous post, shortly after my c-section I experienced PPH – Postpartum Hemorrhaging. The very last moment of Mason’s delivery that I remember was seeing his beautiful face and feeling at peace that he was finally here and healthy. From there… I slowly fell into what I believed to be… a deep sleep.

The next part of this blog is written through Vince’s eyes… and it’s important to note that this was something he wasn’t necessarily comfortable with, and opening up regarding his personal experiences is not something he particularly enjoys. So as a community… I hope we all show him the love and support for absolutely nailing his first BLOG!

After Steph gave birth (via C-section) to our beautiful son and feeling grateful for our miracle, my time to enjoy the moment quickly vanished.  Within 15 short minutes, things started to go terribly wrong.  

Initially, I had no clue what was happening, as nurses and doctors continued to enter the room to control the situation, things continued to get worse.  As this chaos continued over the next couple hours, I still didn’t know or understand what was happening. All I knew was that things were bad as I watched Steph’s vitals on the monitor reach near death levels.  

Steph’s blood pressure and heart rate ultimately dropped into the low 30’s and 20’s.. I was completely numb… waiting in shock and disbelief that in any second it could ultimately drop to zero and I could potentially lose her. As a last attempt, the dr’s made an emergency call to the head of obstetrics at our hospital, Mount Sinai, who happened to be on call that night – Dr. Kingdom.

Dr. Kingdom literally saved Steph’s life and the fact that she has a rare blood type AB+ was a blessing. Once he showed up… it became like a scene in Grey’s Anatomy, which Steph loves to watch. Except it wasn’t McDreamy. Much of what followed next has now become a blur at this point because I was so focused and consumed on Steph’s vital monitor like tunnel vision.

I remember Dr. Kingdom’s assertive, confident and positive voice, though at the time, I didn’t believe it. He quickly dictated next steps. He had the anesthesiologist reconfigure 2 additional epidurals; one in Steph’s leg and the second, in her uterus. Next, 3 litres of blood were ordered on rush for a blood transfusion. The blood quickly arrived because of Steph’s universal recipient of blood (AB+). As soon as the blood came, they completed checks and protocols. Initially, Dr. kingdom literally had to manually hand pump the blood directly in Steph’s body because they were simply running out of time to use the traditional method. After he was done pumping 3 litres, the room went from frantic to calm and silent. Everyone paused and anxiously stared at the monitor that I’ve been watching for nearly 3 hours awaiting for vital signs to improve.

After a few tense minutes, blood pressure and heart rate started to stabilize and Steph’s eyes slowly opened.  Noticing that I was still in shock and traumatized, Dr. Kingdom pulled me out of the emergency room and brought me to the cafeteria for a coffee to explain what happened.  After explaining all the details of a uterine hemorrhage, the rest was history.  I was so thankful for everyone’s strength and courage, mainly Steph’s. I am so grateful that I have my family, after all we have experienced and fought for to have one.