I wanted to take this time to share with you my pregnancy and birth stories because they are anything but straightforward. With the help of amazing pediatricians and gynecologists in Burlington, Ontario, my family is safe and as healthy as they can be. But boy, was it a journey to get to that point.
How Pediatricians and Gynecologists in Burlington, Ontario Helped My Pregnancy
When my husband and I decided to start our family, we got pregnant and had a 15-week delivery. It was not a miscarriage, my cervix started contracting, and my water broke. After this happened, I was referred to a gynecologist in Burlington, Ontario, a specialist named Dr. Paul Wu. I went to see him, and he scheduled me for some tests. Before any of the tests could be done, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Alexis. Dr. Wu said I couldn’t get the tests done while pregnant, but in his opinion, I had an incompetent cervix. So at 13 weeks pregnant, I had a surgical stitch placed around my cervix to keep it closed throughout the pregnancy. At 38 weeks, they removed the stitch.
Alexis’s Birth With Dr. Paul Wu and Dr. Al-Gazi, Pediatricians and Gynecologists in Burlington, Ontario
I went into labor with my daughter at 39.5 weeks, so the stitch did what it was supposed to do! My labor was long with my daughter. I was in active labor for 18 hours and pushing for 2.5 hours. Dr. Wu, my gynecologist in Burlington, was not there to deliver my daughter. My daughter got stuck in the birth canal, and the doctor twisted her to get her out. This is known as Shoulder Dystocia. My daughter was born at 9lbs 13oz!
From the delivery trauma, my daughter had a Brachial Plexus injury to her right arm. My daughter had no movement in her arm at all. Dr. Al-Gazi, a pediatrician at the hospital, came in to see us and talk about the situation. He said that sometimes the movement can come back on its own. We had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Al-Gazi, and we ended up having him as her pediatrician, and still to this day! He is an excellent doctor who is very caring! After a couple of weeks, he decided that Alexis’ arm would not return on its own, and we were referred to Dr. Bain at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Bain at McMaster Children’s Hospital
Dr. Bain is an excellent doctor and decided that Alexis would need surgery. At four months old, Alexis was scheduled for surgery. Her surgery went really well. They were pleased with it; however, Alexis couldn’t be without oxygen, and her levels would drop. They couldn’t figure out why. So, what was supposed to be a 1-2 two-day visit ended as a month-long stay in the hospital. They believe she had issues with her oxygen levels because of the damaged nerve, the phrenic nerve, which controls your diaphragm.
After a month, we finally got a monitor. So, we went home with Alexis needing oxygen when she would sleep. Eventually, just before her first birthday, she had grown enough that we no longer needed to have her on oxygen. She was always going to physio. We had nurses coming into our home to check motor skills, and Alexis’ arm healed to about 90%. Alexis is a Lefty; to this day, we are unsure if it is forced or natural. She has difficulty doing things above her head, like brushing and washing her hair, but she is always figuring out ways to do things. Not many people realize that she has an injury unless you pay close attention.
Hayden’s Birth Story with My Amazing Birth Team
Just before Alexis turned one, we had become pregnant again with our son, Hayden. So, I returned to my amazing gynecologist in Burlington, Ontario, Dr. Wu, and had the Cervical Stitch put in at 13 weeks pregnant again. While at one of Alexis’ many appointments, I asked Dr. Al-Gazi if he would also be the pediatrician for Hayden when he was born. He very quickly agreed, which made us so happy, because we had such great care with him!
Due to my cervical stitch, I had a lot of doctor’s appointments. On one appointment at 36 weeks, I told Dr. Wu that Hayden felt really low and there was a lot of pressure in my cervix. He said I wasn’t dilated and still had four weeks to go! Well, that wasn’t Hayden’s plan. The following day, I woke up and was having contractions 2 minutes apart. I called Dr. Wu’s office, who told me to come there so he could do an ultrasound. At this point, I still had the cervical stitch in.
Labor and Delivery with My Gynecologist in Burlington
Well, it was confirmed that I was in labor. Dr. Wu asked me if I wanted to try to deliver again or have a c-section. I asked him if there was a risk that the same thing that happened to Alexis could happen to Hayden, and he said there was a high chance because Hayden was also measuring big. So, I decided to go ahead with a c-section.
Dr. Wu told me to head over to the hospital, and he would meet me there. I left Dr. Wu’s gynecologist office in Burlington and got to the hospital. They greeted me at the door, took me upstairs, hooked me up to the IV, and wheeled me into the room. 12 minutes later, my son was born at 9lbs 2 oz! One month early! It’s unbelievable how fast it went! They showed me my son, and I got to kiss his face. I said I thought something was wrong, but they said he was good and not to worry! I told my husband to go with my son to the nursery while they finished with me in the Operating Room.
Recovery with Hayden
Once I returned to the room, my husband said he got to hold him. When he returned from grabbing something to eat, the doctors came to our room and said something was wrong with Hayden. They needed to transfer him to whoever had room, either Sick Kids in Toronto or McMaster Children’s Hospital. A special ambulance came and took Hayden to McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Unfortunately, the hospital didn’t have a bed for me. I told Dr. Wu I wanted to be released from the hospital to go see my son. He said, “You have gotten up on your own and are doing really well!” I apparently was the fastest-released c-section (at that time) in just about 24 hours after delivery. Due to the fact that Hayden was a month early, my husband was scheduled to go to Jamaica the next day for a wedding! Thankfully, my mom, sister, and mother-in-law were all around to help me with Alexis, who was only 20 months old.
National Prematurity Awareness Month
Hayden was born during National Prematurity Awareness Month, so people kept dropping off onesies, hats, etc. They were too small for my son, whose weight didn’t even appear on the preemie chart because he was so big!
Hayden spent just about two weeks in the NICU because he couldn’t breathe independently. His weight dropped down to 7lbs 2oz, which is when we were able to take him home because he had started breathing on his own and gaining some weight back.
Once Hayden was released from the hospital, he had appointments to see Dr. Al-Gazi, and was given a clean bill of health! To this day, Dr. Al-Gazi is both Alexis and Hayden’s Pediatrician.
Gynecologists in Burlington, Ontario
Without the help of pediatricians and gynecologists in Burlington, Ontario, I wouldn’t have been able to survive my birth trauma alone. Everyone has their own birth stories and they are all so unique. It makes me realize just how quickly they grow. I cannot encourage you enough to capture these moments in time with maternity, newborn, and family photography. Updating your photos with each milestone is a sure way to not miss a second! I’d love to help you capture these memories. Send me a message to get the conversation started.
While you’re here, be sure to check out more of my Ontario motherhood resources with the blog links below!
