C-Section Mamas

Emilie121011

My friend posted this article on facebook. I thought it was very touching considering everything I'd gone through getting my daughter into this world 11 days ago.

Hope it makes you ladies feel as proud as it made me feel. Especially as a C-Section wasn't in my plan, however it was how I was able to make sure I had a healthy baby.

Enjoy!

Http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7091130

helloaustin123

Love this!

ashhsa

This is lovely. *jan 16 lurker

HeatherFaye718

Love this. Made me cry but I definitely needed to read this. Nothing like being in labor for 21 hours and being told you need to have a c section.

krantoine

Love this, thank you for sharing!

itstheblackwidowbaby

Oh man, yes on the in the operating room prep. It was the one time in the entire process that I felt scared and alone. The staff were amazing, but not having my SO in the room for twenty minutes or so (issues placing the epidural - OUCH) was rough.

AmoLovesAud

That was a really sweet article. My c/s was semi planned (knew I needed one but didn't make it to my scheduled day), but I was still not ready. I remember staring at the door waiting for DH to come in, and while the nurse was really great at distracting me during the epidural, I wanted nothing more than DH or my mom for comfort. It was scary for DH too; he said they tossed him in a room to change, then left him there alone for like 10 minutes, he was scared bc he didn't know what was happening to me. They didn't let him in until they'd already started, and my arms were strapped down so I couldn't hold his hand, or my baby when she came out.

I don't begrudge my birth experince. Kiddo was footling breech and her head was stuck up in my ribs, it was the safest way for her to come into the world, but it was still rough, I'm still recovering from abdominal surgery. I think I need to remind myself of that more often!

Lolo427

I second @AmoLovesAud the C- sections are pretty brutal on the SOs too. After induction starting on a Tues and pushing for hours early Thurs morn-my labor ended with a c section. DH said he was handed clothes and told to sit and wait while they wheeled me off. The room went from having a full medical staff, to completely empty and just him sitting on the futon for a good 15 minutes- how unnerving!

I was in a different place where I was so exhausted I fell asleep during prep and needing to sign forms. I remember thinking 'oh my God, I'm going to be asleep (with no medicinal reasoning) when my daughter comes into the world. I'm going to miss her birth.'. I perked up when they transferred me to the table and put whatever in the epidural that they did as I started shivering so I was somewhat cohesive of things. I definitely had a tough time after though as after 5 minutes of seeing her they wheeled her off with dad and for the next 36 hours ( the catheter needed to stay in that long due to swelling from attempted vaginal birth) I had to watch from my bed as he got to give her first bath, change, walk around and out the room with her.

I like this article as I know I was struggling with how my birth experience went; It definitely validates those who might be dealing with the stigma of what a birth should be from ourselves or others. Sorry for the over sharing but this article and thread is so refreshing in light of everyone's opinions of C sections.

Thanks for the share!

HungryRunner76

Thank you, OP. I needed to read something like this. My scheduled repeat c section is tomorrow and I've gotten a lot of judgement from everyone from other moms to our first daughter's pediatrician over our decision to not try for a VBAC.
This article was much needed for me.

LauraK33

Sitting here sobbing! Thanks for sharing!

I had two previous children then this pregnancy with twins. My induction went smoothly except for failed epidural attempts. My first was born after three pushes. Then everything fell apart and we almost lost my second twin. It turned into an emergency csection (we were already in the OR). But I felt very out of control and have been struggling with coming to terms with it all(even though I know this saved my daighter's life and I couldn't be more grateful!!)
The article really validates all of that and provides a great perspective!

kmd91

I wasn't able to get the article to load, but I just gotta comment on the discussion of how hard it is on our SOs, too. Because my personal experience I think it was a lot harder on my husband than me. Our little guy had his heart rate plummet and because they needed to get him out immediately there was no time for a spinal and since I had general anesthesia my husband wasn't allowed in the room. So they rushed me out and someone just told him that someone would be back for him. Because it all happened so fast he really didn't know what was going on and just left to himself in the labor and delivery room. I keep telling people I had it easy, because as scared as I was about baby being okay, it was only a couple minutes between his heart rate dropping and me being unconscious, then I just woke up to a healthy baby. I didn't have to sit with the panic like my husband. Obviously not quite your typical c section experience, but my husband really had it rough.

miristod

kmd91 said:

I wasn't able to get the article to load, but I just gotta comment on the discussion of how hard it is on our SOs, too. Because my personal experience I think it was a lot harder on my husband than me. Our little guy had his heart rate plummet and because they needed to get him out immediately there was no time for a spinal and since I had general anesthesia my husband wasn't allowed in the room. So they rushed me out and someone just told him that someone would be back for him. Because it all happened so fast he really didn't know what was going on and just left to himself in the labor and delivery room. I keep telling people I had it easy, because as scared as I was about baby being okay, it was only a couple minutes between his heart rate dropping and me being unconscious, then I just woke up to a healthy baby. I didn't have to sit with the panic like my husband. Obviously not quite your typical c section experience, but my husband really had it rough.

I had almost the exact same thing happen! The second they gave me pitocin my baby's heart rate dropped and then stopped all together! My husband barely made it into the OR as they were pulling him out and he was in tears! One second I'm doing fine and the next they are rushing me away he had no idea what was happening!

Gwennies

I always knew a c section was possible with different complications but never knew how scared I would feel to actually have one.

elsbels96

Similar to what happened to me! His heart rate was regulated after stopping the pitocin, I was dilated/able to push for over an hour before we had to rush to the OR. Ended up with general anesthesia so I was out, but poor husband was sitting outside, heard the alarms, saw everyone rushing in and had no idea if I or baby were OK. His mom was actually there (which I was first annoyed about!) which was a good support for him when he went to the NICU to see baby. Also - recovery from c-section is bad enough without dealing with some of the effects of pushing+general anesthesia - sore throat from intubation and coughing was so painful!!

missphil

I'm from d15-
I had a similar experience as @elsbels96 @kmd91 and @miristod
Emergency C section under general anesthesia because my little guy's heart rate dropped at every contraction until finally it would not rise again. Everything happened within minutes. I'm glad everyone is in good health, but I'm still processing the fact that my little guy was alone on the warming table before he could be with my husband and I dont really remember meeting my baby for the first time because I was just waking up. I feel completely disconnected from being pregnant to being handed a baby. I feel sad and guilty because I wanted the smoothest transition for my baby. And I can't imagine how difficult it was for my husband to see me wheeled off to the OR so fast and then waiting for everyone to be ok. It's humbling, but I wouldn't consider myself stronger necesarily. I'm very grateful for the whole team that helped us to safety.

mmmynyx

It really was the most heartbreaking thing for me to go through 32+ hours of labor just to be told that I'd have to have a c section. My LO heart rate was going down everytime I pushed and even though I was fully dilated, a part of my cervix was still holding on to her little head which was also in an awkward position so she couldn't come out right. I cried when they told me. I wanted to keep trying. They turned me, they flipped me. I pushed on my knees, my side, my back. All that effort felt wasted. I even had to be put under during surgery b/c I was shivering too much and began to feel nauseous so i wasn't able to hear her or hold her when she came out.
And if the c section wasn't hard enough there's people telling us that we didn't experience REAL labor or that were not REAL parents because of it. It hurts. "You got the easy way out" is something I always hear. It's a nightmare.
This article did make me feel a little better though. 5 weeks later I still feel a little sad thinking about it...this did help a little. Thanks for sharing!

SoFlaMommie1128

I had the same thing happen! LO's heart rate dropped every time I had a contraction when they gave me pitocin. After hours of this, my doctor scheduled an emergency c section, but luckily she quickly explained to my husband and I why it had to happen. I was upset and scared, but after a few minutes, I was fine and accepted it. This was the best way for our son to be born as the risks involved with a vaginal birth under these circumstances are too much and even though it isn't what I wanted at first, the goal was always to have a healthy baby at the end.

All of the heart rate decelerations landed LO in the NICU for transitional hypoglycemia, which was also terrifying. For such an easy/perfect/drama-free pregnancy, he certainly had quite the entrance into this world.

itstheblackwidowbaby

I'm so ready to educate the poor soul that dares to tell me I didn't experience real birth or that I took the easy way out. Actually my kid was pulled out of me Alien-style (kind of like in Alien 3 actually) from a hole in my torso. Easy way out... Since when is abdominal surgery easy? I'm confused.

Not real parents? Wut? @QueenSloth please ask these jackasses that you know what they think of adoptive parents since they clearly aren't "real" parents either.

Lolo427

itstheblackwidowbaby said:

I'm so ready to educate the poor soul that dares to tell me I didn't experience real birth or that I took the easy way out. Actually my kid was pulled out of me Alien-style (kind of like in Alien 3 actually) from a hole in my torso. Easy way out... Since when is abdominal surgery easy? I'm confused.

Not real parents? Wut? @QueenSloth please ask these jackasses that you know what they think of adoptive parents since they clearly aren't "real" parents either.

100% this. I will lose my ever loving mind if someone dare has the cahones to try to tell me
about the validity of my birth experience. Nope.

urby87

itstheblackwidowbaby said:

I'm so ready to educate the poor soul that dares to tell me I didn't experience real birth or that I took the easy way out. Actually my kid was pulled out of me Alien-style (kind of like in Alien 3 actually) from a hole in my torso. Easy way out... Since when is abdominal surgery easy? I'm confused. Not real parents? Wut? @QueenSloth please ask these jackasses that you know what they think of adoptive parents since they clearly aren't "real" parents either.

TRUTH.

kmd91

Okay, I hope this question doesn't bother anyone, but I'd rather ask here than start a new thread over it. So, I hear so much about people being devastated about having to have a c section, or feeling like they were robbed of their birth experience. Am I the only one that is totally okay with how things went?

I don't know if it's because all along I just had this feeling I would need a c section, so I was mentally prepared for that possibility. Or if I'm just completely weird. But even with the dramatic way my c section came about, I'm happy about the way things went. Happy that adequate monitoring was done during labor, happy that my nurses noticed his drop in heart rate quickly, happy about the prompt decisions and actions taken to get my son into this world alright. But I feel wrong for feeling glad and grateful for my c section, because it seems like everyone else I hear talk about it feels the opposite.

Just wanted to note that I'm not saying that those who are upset about having a c section aren't grateful to have a healthy baby and weren't willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. I know you can feel robbed of the birth experience you wanted and still know it was best for the baby. I don't want to offend anyone because I know this post might be interpreted a way that I don't intend it to.

Pontot31

kmd91 said:

Okay, I hope this question doesn't bother anyone, but I'd rather ask here than start a new thread over it. So, I hear so much about people being devastated about having to have a c section, or feeling like they were robbed of their birth experience. Am I the only one that is totally okay with how things went?

I don't know if it's because all along I just had this feeling I would need a c section, so I was mentally prepared for that possibility. Or if I'm just completely weird. But even with the dramatic way my c section came about, I'm happy about the way things went. Happy that adequate monitoring was done during labor, happy that my nurses noticed his drop in heart rate quickly, happy about the prompt decisions and actions taken to get my son into this world alright. But I feel wrong for feeling glad and grateful for my c section, because it seems like everyone else I hear talk about it feels the opposite.

Just wanted to note that I'm not saying that those who are upset about having a c section aren't grateful to have a healthy baby and weren't willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. I know you can feel robbed of the birth experience you wanted and still know it was best for the baby. I don't want to offend anyone because I know this post might be interpreted a way that I don't intend it to.

I think it's great that you're happy with the birth you got. Don't feel bad that you're grateful for a healthy baby and good medical care.
I'm finally ok with how my daughter came into the world but I wish that could have happened sooner. Having a VBAC with my son put things more into perspective with my daughter's birth and made me grateful for all I went through with her. I can finally appreciate all I went through.

SweetTooth126

@kmd91 I feel the same as you (labored 30 hours and ended up with emergency c section due to heart rate dropping). Part of me is actually relieved that in the future I can schedule c sections. I am not interested in ever being in labor again! I think that is an unpopular way of thinking but it's how I feel!

MargaretC5

@kmd91 I think part of it is people that are happy with their birth experience tend to say less than those that are not happy with it (like how we talk about bad MILs a lot more then the good ones).
I was disappointed when I had my first CS. My aunt had similar feeling as you about her CS and it was really helpful talking to her about it.

JStill0603

I'm not disappointed with my CS. I feel like what needed to happen, happened. I wanted to have a natural birth, I tried to have a natural birth, it didn't happen that way, I still have a beautiful and amazing son.

doodleoodle

I wanted a pain med free birth and had to have an emergency c-section. I wish that it hadn't gone that way only because of the recovery and the scar I now have, but I'm not sad about it either because it was literally the only option I had so I made peace with it.

AmoLovesAud

I knew it was happening weeks before it happened (really more like a month or more, I knew my LO was breech, but it became -real real- when the OBs finally gave up on her turning), so I had time to mentally prepare.  I talked to my MIL and stepsister, who both had C-sections, and they both were completely at peace with their birthing experiences, so I guess it never occurred to me to be disappointed (but there's totally nothing wrong with not being okay with it!  Especially if you feel you didn't need it, or your heart was set on another birthing experience).  I am annoyed I had to learn to be a mom while simultaneously recovering from abdominal surgery, and annoyed that VBACs aren't an option for me, but all in all it doesn't bother me.  I had a real pregnancy and a real birth and I'm a real parent, I don't see how a 1 hour trip to the OR changed that.

gkfk

My story sounds like many of yours - emergency csection after 24 hours labor plus 2 hours pushing, due to los heart rate. Traumatic for us! The kicker was, after 3 days in recovery room, we were sent to nicu for 3 days because our pediatrician was worried about sepsis (turned out negative, thank god). The NICU nurse expected me to be recovered from the csection THREE DAYS LATER. Crazy twat!

CheeseSticksfor4

kmd91 said:

Okay, I hope this question doesn't bother anyone, but I'd rather ask here than start a new thread over it. So, I hear so much about people being devastated about having to have a c section, or feeling like they were robbed of their birth experience. Am I the only one that is totally okay with how things went?

I don't know if it's because all along I just had this feeling I would need a c section, so I was mentally prepared for that possibility. Or if I'm just completely weird. But even with the dramatic way my c section came about, I'm happy about the way things went. Happy that adequate monitoring was done during labor, happy that my nurses noticed his drop in heart rate quickly, happy about the prompt decisions and actions taken to get my son into this world alright. But I feel wrong for feeling glad and grateful for my c section, because it seems like everyone else I hear talk about it feels the opposite.

Just wanted to note that I'm not saying that those who are upset about having a c section aren't grateful to have a healthy baby and weren't willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. I know you can feel robbed of the birth experience you wanted and still know it was best for the baby. I don't want to offend anyone because I know this post might be interpreted a way that I don't intend it to.

I am fine with the fact that I had to have a c-section with this LO. I had a feeling that it was a real possibility for a few months before she was born because of her breech presentation and lack of room to flip. I am also a paramedic and a RN and have seen births go horribly wrong all the way from injuries to deaths. I could have forged ahead and tried to deliver vaginally even though she was breech but why risk it. My only goal was to leave the hospital with a healthy baby. I did just that unlike many other women in the world. I call that complete success.

amm0512

I am happy that I brought both of my children into the world via csection. It's funny, I was pregnant with DS at the same time a coworker was two weeks ahead of me; she told me they found out at her AS that she had partial previa and may be a csection...I remember saying "I'm so sorry for you, I don't know what I would do if I had a section." Funny enough, her previa cleared, but DS was frank breech and I ended up being the one with the section. After a placenta accreta scare and 20 weekly shots of progesterone to prevent another preterm labor, I chose a RCS with DD because I felt it was the safest option for both of us. I was NEVER interested in a VBAC.