The Final Hours of Amirah Rayne II
Day Three
Tuesday, July 26, 2022 - Hours 48 to 72
RBC midwives have told my parents repeatedly that I am in a vertex or head-down position, never having provided the required breech risk information or obtaining informed consent from my mom several months ago. They failed to properly notate records and schedule a follow-up ultrasound to ensure that my mom and I would have a low-risk delivery. Now my protective and nourishing fluid have been draining away for over 56 hours, my mom is GBS positive, and I’m in the frank breech position — folded in half as I’m being squeezed through mom’s birth canal. My umbilical cord is compressing, cutting off my blood oxygen and nutrients, slowly and silently extinguishing my spark of life.
Mom & Dad Speak
Dusty and I went in for my next scheduled, weekly prenatal appointment at 9:30 AM on the 26th. Willa and Amy did the routine vitals and I had lost 2 lbs.
I told them how I was still wearing diapers because of fluid leaking. They seemed concerned for a moment, but no sense of urgency. I externally rinsed with the Hibiclens (2nd time in 2 days) for GBS before another vaginal exam. As I’m getting up on the exam table I asked Amy why, on Sunday when Taylor texted her, was she wondering if I had been to the river recently? She said, “Sometimes you get water up your vag!”
They measured the height of my belly. I had lost 2 cm. They said that Amirah’s head had not dropped into my pelvis yet.
My legs shook uncontrollably. I was so damn scared after how bad it had hurt when Megan did Sunday’s vaginal exam. Willa asked why I was shaking and I told her why but to go ahead — I felt it was necessary.
As Amy was getting ready to do the vaginal exam with Willa standing next to her, they referred to Megan as having “magic fingers”. They said that she gets ‘things going’ (labor), elaborating that Magic Finger Megan has fingers that are short and stocky while Amy’s are long and thin. And, oh my did they think that was hilarious.
While Amy did the vaginal exam, she comments on how much my body has progressed. I’m 80% effaced, dilated to a 2 but can be stretch to a 4. She says that she’s feeling a flap, but doesn’t know for sure what she’s feeling. Confused.
She pulls out her hand and I feel fluid draining. She says,” I don’t understand. It’s pooling like amniotic fluid”.
They used 3 amniotic swabs with the same results as Sunday — dark brown, not black — negative. Next, Amy asks Willa to feel the flap. Both say they are sure that it’s a head suture. They tell me that I have a ‘juicy cervix’ and my body was probably flushing out the GBS. There was no concern and I was sent home again to follow the ‘when to call’ handout.
