Recently, I read a blog post by a woman who had a C-section. To say the very least, she was not happy with the procedure. At our Moms Night Out event last night, a few moms were talking about having C-sections. The overall opinion was not good. Sadly, both the blogger and at least one mom said they felt like they "missed out on the experience" of having a natural birth.
I have a different take.
Having had three "natural" births, the fourth needed to be born by C-section due to the baby's position. I was very nervous about this possibility, and when the decision was made to go ahead with the procedure, honestly, I got a little lightheaded.
But, within a few minutes, my nervousness subsided.
Even those who know me likely don't realize I a little bit of a control freak. I'm the quiet kind- I don't make a big deal about things going my way, I just kind of silently plan things ahead of time to make sure they do :)
Right away, I knew I was in for a different birthing experience than my previous ones.
First of all, there was no waiting around. Once the decision was made, everything went surprisingly quickly.
In the operating room, the anesthesiologist stood behind me, telling me what to expect, step by step. Then, seconds before it happened, he'd say, "Remember I said you'd feel xxxx?, well here it comes."
For a control-freak like me, this was the perfect birthing experience. Quick, and no surprises. No waiting for contractions, no stressing about the baby's heart rate, no worrying about if, at any minute, the decision to need a C-section would be made (THAT was honestly the worst part for me).
Yes, recovery took a few days longer, which made life a little more difficult post-partum, but my husband and older children were able to help with that issue.
As far as feeling like they are "missing out on the experience," I have a different thought. To me, the goal is having a healthy baby. There may be different paths to reach that destination, but, in this case, it is not the journey that matters; it is the final product.
We are done having babies (four is enough for us!), but if I were to have another, I would definitely choose C-section over vaginal birth.
Am I the only crazy one who prefers the C-section method?
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It is great to see a different point of view, but I still feel as those other moms do... I didn't get to have a natural birth, and it makes you feel like a bit of, well, a failure. You feel like you can't do what you were made to do, and that the decision was made for you. I wish I could of just had 1 birth the way my body was made to have it and then I might be able to be more thankful for the c-section, but alas, we will never know :( Thanks for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteI too was not originally on board with the idea of a c-section. But, after 29 hours of labor I was begging for one.
ReplyDeleteI just took my coach's advice to heart and stood up as straight as possible every time I got up, and worked on getting those muscles back to normal.
I had a lot of complications after with my incision (oh lord, what a nightmare), which should really leave a bad taste in my mouth, with the whole ordeal. But, looking back on it I didn't mind my c-section and would probably do it again, if (and that is a huge IF)I have another child.
Oh and I agree, I felt very much a failure. All I could think about is I would of been one of those Women that died in childbirth 100+ years ago.
DeleteI can't vote on this one - - having adopted. ;) But I can totally relate about your body not doing what it was made to do!
ReplyDeleteI've heard that c-sections are way more difficult as far as recovery time and I've had 3. Honestly, yes I was sore, but nothing I couldn't manage. I would love to have a natural delivery although that would never happen now after having 3 c-sections, but the one good part about it is, no labor. I was in labor with the first, and it sucked! ;)
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