Cesarean awareness month.

It is cesarean section awareness month. So this seemed as good a time as any to share my story.

I have 3 sons (6, 2, and 11 months 50 days old). With my oldest I was uninformed and when my doctor suggested that I could get induced at 36 weeks I thought "wow! Yes I'm ready for this to be over!". So I was induced... and in labor for 32 hours... on oxygen... got and epidural... and pushed for I don't even know how long! Needless to say it was a traumatic experience. We were extremely blessed our oldest was in good health and his lungs were developed and he had no interventions.

So when me and my husband were expecting our second it wasn't something I was looking to duplicate. I read. I researched. I became more informed. But... I had pre-eclampsia (HELLP i believe) that wasn't diagnosed until my blood pressure was too high and would not come down. So I had an emergency cesarean section at 33 weeks gestation. I understand the medical need for this surgery as it likely saved my life. None the less I have never quite felt so very powerless. He was born 3 lb 5 oz and I was not able to see or hold him for 24 hours... Even then I could not hold him as he was hooked up to the wires and mask thing. And again we were so very blessed (albeit stressed beyond my then understanding of the word) that our second son did so well in the NICU and was there 6 weeks (the longest 6 weeks of my entire life) and came home 4 lbs 15 oz. We are so blessed he.came.home.

Something happens when you become the mother of a preemie... pregnancy is no longer a burden no matter the pain you're in or how uncomfortable you are. You would do anything to make sure you never have to be in that place again. You don't understand why other mothers would ever try to rush their babies out why they wouldn't just let them come on God's time. You cry reading statuses of pregnant friends doing all they can to have their baby early, scheduling early unnecessary csections, and inductions.

So when we were expecting our third son I was cautious because the history of issues... I took time off from working to minimize my stress. I was told I had to have another cesarean because I'd had one before. I was told I had to have another cesarean because it hadn't been 18 months between pregnancies. I did not believe this. So I researched I asked online support groups for advice and links of articles to read. I armed myself to fight for what I wanted, MY normal birth and a healthy baby. So on I went. I had migraines (the same ones I had with our second) went to neurologists and my OB and there seemed to be no cause so I dealt with them the best I could. So I come in for my 36 week appointment an after I'm done with the appointment my doctor says that he's scheduled my delivery for the next week and has filed all the paperwork to do an early delivery because of my issues. When I informed him that I didn't want a cesarean I've never had someone's attitude change on me so quickly! But he angrily wrote down in my chart and said we could do a "trial of labor" (which in my discussions and research was a giant red flag) so I researched my OB and come to find out he had over a 50% cesarean rate in his births. I thought I could still do it, I really wanted to deliver at the hospital my second was born at, I thought I was empowered enough in my decision and plan to overcome him.

And then came my 39 week appointment. I could tell he was getting more annoyed by the fact the baby had not come yet and more so at the fact that I was choosing to wait. He wanted to induce. I did not want to because the stress induction can place on the csection scar can raise the chance of issues... The likelihood of a vaginal delivery to turn into a csection from induction skyrockets!!! ... And then it came. The moment that has completely lost my faith in this country's OB practices... He told me that if I did not have this baby soon that me and my child would die. He told an emotionally venerable 9 month pregnant woman who'd recently dealt with traumatic NICU experience that I was choosing to KILL MY BABY!

And that was the day I fired my OB.

I found a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) doctor and hospital... They couldn't get me in for a week. I saw the new doctor and his entire vibe was different. I went into labor that day! I was in active labor approx 6 hours with no interventions and pushed twice. Our third son entered the world at 9 lbs 5 oz worth of healthy baby. And WE went home the next day. Together.

The cesarean rate in this country is unbelievable. And we are taught to trust and believe our doctors so we don't give a second thought to them telling us that it's what we need to do. But we as women need to trust our bodies above these doctors... Our bodies are meant to delivery babies! No matter how "big" that inaccurate 3rd trimester ultrasound says our baby is getting :-/

Read this: http://www.friscowomenshealth.com/?option=com_wordpress&Itemid=205&lang=en&p=89

And read more.