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Hailee’s Birth
Story~ March 19, 2009
July 20th, 2008 I found
out I was pregnant for the first time. My husband
(boyfriend at the time) and I were not planning
for a pregnancy at the time but we were excited!!.
At the time I didn’t have any health insurance
so I applied to for Medicaid. However, after weeks
of calling and not hearing back from them I decided
to call one of the doctors on the list of providers
that they gave me. On the list there was doctor
who we’ll call Dr. X who also had a nurse
midwife that worked with him. We’ll call her
MW. They sounded appealing because the office was
3 minutes down the road from our house but he delivered
at Mease Countryside (though 30 minutes away it
was the hospital my aunt worked at and their maternity
wing was brand new). So I called Dr. X’s office
and explained to them the situation. They were shocked
that I was 8 weeks pregnant and still hadn’t
received prenatal care yet. They told me that I
should come in and would have to pay out of pocket
for the visit. $300 just to see the doctor. At the
appointment I gave the doctor my history and explained
to him about a cone biopsy that I had done in 2006.
Because of this procedure he wanted to do a pelvic
exam to check my cervix. After the exam he told
me that my cervix looked “slightly open”.
I started bawling. Of course the worst things started
going through my mind. “I’m loosing
the baby” is all I kept thinking. He told
me not to panic and to come back in 2 weeks and
we’d check my cervix again. This was also
the visit where they take a few vials of blood to
run your blood work. Because I didn’t have
insurance we had to pay out of pocket for everything.
After this appointment the bills from the lab started
coming in. $300 for one test. . . $400 for another.
. . I think it ended up totally around $2,000 for
that visit alone. We knew there would be no way
we could afford this pregnancy without insurance.
And we STILL hadn’t heard back from Medicaid
after multiple phone calls. So after talking to
Hubby we decided it would be best if we got married
so that I could get on his insurance. August 28th,
2008 Hubby and I went to the Pinellas County Clerk
of the Court and got married. I was 10 weeks pregnant.
September 1st my insurance went into affect.
About a week after we
got married I went back to the doctor to double
check on my cervix. It was still open. My doctor
then explained that I could have a incompetent cervix
which could cause premature labor. He explained
that he could put in a cerclage (a stitch) that
would keep my cervix closed. Obviously out of fear
of early labor and loosing the baby I went in for
the cerclage at 12 weeks pregnant. The cerclage
is a procedure that is done at the hospital. They
give you a spinal block and it is done in the OR.
After the cerclage was
placed most of the pregnancy was pretty uneventful.
I was very emotional most of the time. Worrying
about what kind of mother I would be. Adjusting
to living with someone for the first time. Adjusting
to being married. It took me about 5 months after
drastically cutting back smoking and I smoked my
last cigarette ever on December 20th 2008. In October
we went in for our Ultrasound and found out we were
expecting a little girl and her name would be Hailee!
We were so excited!! Also in October. . . I FINALLY
heard back from Medicaid. I was about 20 weeks pregnant!
Once I got into the 3rd
trimester I started to swell. At first it wasn’t
very much and would go down. But eventually the
swelling got worse. It was during this time that
Hubby and I decided that after Hailee was born I
wouldn’t be going back to work. At 36 weeks
I went into the doctors office and had my cerclage
removed. Now some people when their cerclage is
removed go right into labor. Others it can still
take time. I didn’t go into labor. However
at that time the swelling had gotten really bad.
It was in my hands and face and legs and feet. It
hurt to make a fist. It hurt to walk. My doctor
put me on bed rest at that point. At the next visit
I went to my blood pressure had been a little high.
So with that and the swelling they were concerned
so I was sent to the hospital for a stress test.
The test came back fine. My blood pressure was fine.
I went to my appointment at 38 weeks and was told
to go for another stress test that Saturday. During
the time I had a couple high blood pressures but
nothing that stayed high. So on March 18th I went
in for my 39 week check up. I was done. I had been
on bed rest for 3 weeks. I couldn’t walk to
the bathroom without hurting. I think I was going
crazy being in bed all the time.
I cried to the midwife
MW who works with Dr. X. I told her I was over it
and she offered me a induction. She told me that
she’d use the high blood pressures as an excuse
to do the induction but I didn’t care. I was
finally going to meet my baby girl!! She sent us
to the hospital after the appointment. We stopped
home first to grab my stuff. It was then that Hubby
decided he wanted a bag too. (UGH! LOL) After waiting
45 minutes for him to pack his stuff we left to
go to the hospital. (And stopped for Chick Fila
on the way :P) When we got to the hospital it was
about noon. After being checked in and everything
we were in a room. At about 1 o’clock they
started cervadil. Cervadil is a cervical ripener.
At this point I wasn’t effaced or even dilated
at all. I had to stay in bed too. When I went to
the bathroom I had to be extra careful that I wouldn’t
pull the cervadil out (it was on a string). After
I’m not sure how many hours later they removed
the cervadil. At this point I had started having
some contractions. I’m not sure about their
frequency. I tried to sleep. However I started to
have a hard time sleeping though the contractions.
At about 3-3:30am I rolled over to buzz the nurse.
That’s when my water broke. And man was there
a lot of water! I remember in the childbirth DVD
we watched to check the color of the water. It was
green. There was meconium in it. The nurse came
in and check me. I was 3cm dilated. It was then
she offered me a epidural. I accepted her request.
I was about 4-4:30 when the anesthesiologist came
in and administered the epidural. After that I was
completely confined to the bed. A few hours later
about 9-9:30am I was checked again. Barely 4cm.
At about 10:30am MW came
in and told me I was barely 4 cm and that I wasn’t
progressing fast enough and that I needed a c-section.
In a pathetic attempt to make me feel better she
told me “Well at least you’ll get to
pick your next babies birthday! (rolls eyes)”
So they started prepping us for the OR. They brought
in caps for Hubby and I and a gown for him. The
anesthesiologist came in and talked to me. Since
I already had a epidural placed they were just going
to up the dosage of the epidural. I was then wheeled
to the OR. It felt like a long time. I remember
laying there staring at the ceiling. After I was
prepped with the sheets up they brought in Hubby.
This part gets fuzzy. Probably because I was nervous.
Also because I couldn’t really see what was
going on around me. But I could feel it and hear
it. I remember laying there feeling the awkwardness
of them cutting me open and pulling. Because I had
the epidural (as opposed to a spinal block) I could
feel the pressure of everything they were doing.
It didn’t hurt per se but was very uncomfortable.
I remember laying there for what felt like hours
just waiting to hear her first cry. Finally at 12:58pm
she was born. Then there was the cry. They let me
get a sneak peek at her before they whisked her
off to be cleaned up and examine her. I laid there
crying. I just wanted to hold her so bad. And all
I could do was lay there and feel everything they
were doing. After a little bit the uncomfortableness
of it all started to make me panic and I started
having a panic attack. The next thing I remember
was asking repeatedly “Are you almost done?
Are you almost done?” I felt them pulling
me, and yanking me trying to put me back together.
After this I don’t remember anything. I talked
to Hubby well after the fact and he told me that
I started hitting the curtain in front of me. The
doctor was telling me that I needed to lay still.
I guess the anesthesiologist got on the phone and
then I was administered an amnesia-like medication.
I have no recollection of what happen after I asked
“Are you almost done?”
According to Hubby I
was actually awake the entire time. The next thing
I remember was waking up in a hospital room with
family around and Hailee was on a bed. I had always
had it stuck in my head from watching our Breastfeeding
DVD that you needed to feed them ASAP after they’re
born. So when I “came to” the first
thing that came out of my mouth was “I need
to feed her!” They brought her over and I
was able to have our first nursing session.
Recovery was rough. I
was taking the pain medications and between that
and recovering from surgery I felt exhausted. I
was in so much pain that when they were trying to
get me up walking the halls I couldn’t. It
hurt so much. It hurt to sit in a chair. Of course
then there was trying to go to the bathroom. The
first time I had to go the nurse was very nice and
helped me. But when I had to go again the new nurse
wasn’t as nice and told me I had to do it
myself. It took me a very long time because bending
at all hurt like hell! I remember sitting in the
bathroom and hearing Hailee cry that she was hungry.
By the time I came out I saw that my dad was sitting
there feeding her a bottle of formula. I freaked
out yelling “I’m suppose to be doing
that!!” I guess the not so nice nurse came
in hearing her crying and told him to give her a
bottle. I was pissed. It seemed like after that
I was struggling with getting the hang of breastfeeding.
It just seemed like I wasn’t satisfying her.
That night I cried to the not so nice nurse and
she could have cared less. So we continued to supplement
with bottles. We also ended up giving her a pacifier
and that seemed to help her too. Hailee was overall
a very healthy baby. She weighed 8lbs 4oz and was
20.5 inches long. I guess after she was born she
had some low blood sugar so the nurse gave her some
formula. She also developed a little bit of jaundice
but it didn’t require any extra treatment.
We were discharged from
the hospital on March 22nd, 3 days after Hailee
was born. I was still struggling to walk but it
was getting better. After we left the hospital we
stopped at Walgreens and I filled my prescription
for pain pills and picked up a can of formula. After
that we went home and I sure was exhausted! Hubbys
mom came over with dinner for us as well as my dad
and stepmother who were down visiting. The next
morning we had to take Hailee to her first pediatrician
appointment. She had still been a little jaundiced
like at the hospital but there was no concern. The
best thing came from this appointment though. She
told me to stop supplementing Hailee with formula.
There were no issues with her breastfeeding and
she didn’t need formula. Here I thought she
did! She did point out too that Hailee was tongue
tied. She offered to clip it. Hubby is too so we
felt this was unnecessary. Since she wasn’t
having any issues eating she didn’t push it.
She said if she developed an speech issues because
of it then we’ll readdress clipping it.
From there on Hailee
grew like a weed. My recovery was slow. I took the
pain pills for about 2 weeks. Fortunately with my
recovery and everything Hubby was able to take 3
weeks off work. Over time my scar healed and I could
start driving again. Everything after that seemed
to revolve around Hailee. She never got any more
formula. (I think we tried before with the “formula
fed babies sleep better” intent but she always
refused it.) She was breastfed until she was 11
months old when she self weaned.
It has taken me 4 years
to be able to write the story of what happen that
day out. The emotional pain that I still carry around
with me everyday about it makes it really hard to
confront. I remember the months following her birth.
I don’t know if I actually suffered from true
post partum depression. I don’t remember being
sad about her birth. But I think the entire time
I was. I slept A LOT. When she slept I slept. And
that is a lot with a new born. If I wasn’t
up with her I was sleeping too. I’m not exactly
sure when the sadness of her birth started to set
in. Maybe when I started to think about having another
child. Maybe before that. I don’t exactly
remember. It is tough. One of the worst things that
someone can say to me is “You have a healthy
baby and that is all that matters.” It’s
like saying “It doesn’t matter you weren’t
the first to hold her. It doesn’t matter that
you have a portion of her birth that you don’t
remember. It doesn’t matter that you could
feel them cutting you open. It doesn’t matter
that you had a panic attack on the table. It doesn’t
even matter that you were in excruciating pain afterward.”
Because the fact of the matter was Hailee’s
health was never a issue. She had always passed
the stress tests. During labor there were never
any heart decels. Nothing was the matter with her
for them to do what they did.
So here comes the point.
Why? Why did I have to have a c-section? Is it because
my body is broken?? Is it because there is too much
scar tissue on my cervix because of the procedures
done to it? Or is it because of a doctors impatience?
Did they jump the gun on saying I needed a c-section
when I wasn’t progressing by the text book?
Or was it because of the cascade of interventions
starting with a completely unnecessary induction?
I don’t know. If the doctors were in fact
right then it does mean I am broken and that there
is something wrong with me. BUT! If I’m not
broken. . . Then its true that the doctors were
at fault and I was put through hell for no reason.
Looking back I could
draw a list of the regrets that I had that day and
before. I wish I had been informed. Some tell me
though that it wasn’t my fault. That I put
my trust in my doctor and he failed me. I wish I
knew that not all inductions work. I wish I knew
that cervical procedures could lead to scar tissue.
But now I do. Many times now I find myself between
a rock and a hard place. Every time I hear a momma
going in for a unnecessary induction I want to scream
at them “DON’T DO IT!! NOT ALL INDUCTIONS
WORK!! LET YOUR BABY COME WHEN THEY ARE READY!”
And unfortunately I have heard the stories afterward
that they too played out like mine. Every time I
hear about a momma who goes in for their induction
only to have it work and they have a vaginal birth
envy sweeps over me. Feelings of failure engulf
me. It makes me angry. Why? Why didn’t it
work for me? Why wasn’t I just patient enough
to wait for her to come on her own? Why was my doctor
so eager to induce and then cut?
This day was a life changing
day for me. In a way I feel like it tested my womanhood.
That now I am somehow less than a woman because
my body didn’t do what it was created to do.
Now with every pregnancy there after I have to weigh
the risks. Weigh whether it is safer to VBAC (Vaginal
Birth after Cesarean) or whether it is safer to
have another c-section. I have a beautiful little
girl who lights up my world every single day. But
it breaks my heart that I couldn’t give her
the birth she deserved. It breaks my heart that
the first initial connection between us was never
had. I feel so blessed to have formed a wonderful
connection with her through breastfeeding. I think
in a way my passion for it steamed from missing
that initial moment that we never had. That I wasn’t
the one who was able to comfort her first cry.
I decided to write this
out because I want to put it in Hailee’s baby
book. One day she will grow up and start to have
a family of her own. One day she will become a mother.
I want her to know the story about the day she was
born. I want her to know that she needs to be informed
about her birth and that she really needs to find
a trustworthy midwife or doctor. And that she should
run for the hills if they start pressuring her into
unnecessary things. I hope that one day she can
give her son or daughter the birth that I couldn’t
give her.
Added Note: It’s been about a month since
I wrote out Hailee’s birth story. I wanted
to add a couple of key things that I’ve learned
since then. I recently requested a copy of my medical
records from the hospital that day. After looking
over them there were a few things I wanted to make
note here. 1) There is nothing in my records that
indicates that there was meconium in the water.
However, Hubby and I distinctly remember it being
“green”. 2) According to my discharge
summary it states that the reason that I needed
the c section was because I hadn’t made any
progress in 3 hours. However, according to the nurses
notes there was no change (5 cm) between 8am and
10am.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hannah’s Birth Story~ September 3, 2011
Shortly after Hailee’s first birthday I started
to get a itch for another baby. Through out her
second year that itch got stronger and stronger.
Hubby and I talked about it and we decided that
we would start trying to conceive in November of
2010. One thing we had with Hailee was because her
birthday fell in March we ended up paying more out
of pocket in insurance deductibles. So we decided
that when we would have our next baby we wanted
the entire pregnancy to be in one calendar year.
At some point before
I got pregnant again I learned about the option
of a VBAC ( Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). I’m
not really sure when or where I learned about this
but I knew as soon as I heard it was possible I
wanted to do it! I had joined a online birthing
community called Babycenter.com and they had a VBAC
group there that I learned a lot from. I started
to do my own research on it as well. And by my own
research I mean understanding that it was possible
and knowing the risks.
In September or October
of 2010 I had my annual appointment with MW at Dr.
X’s office. I decided that when I went for
this appointment I wanted to talk to her about conceiving
again and the possibility of having a VBAC with
my next birth. When I brought it up at the appointment
she told that yes they would support me having a
VBAC IF I went into labor on my own (they wouldn’t
induce) and it had be before 40 weeks. Perfect I
thought! I knew I NEVER wanted another induction
again and that I would go into labor before I was
40 weeks.
We started trying to
conceive in November but it wasn’t until December
that we actually got pregnant. I had be charting
my monthly cycles so I knew that it was the day
after Christmas that I we conceived. According to
my last menstrual period my due date was September
22nd but I knew I ovulated sooner and I calculated
it to be more like September 18th. A few weeks later
Hailee and I were leaving to go to out of town to
visit my dad and brother. It was while I was on
this trip that my period was due to arrive. A internet
mommy friend and I were both trying for our second
so we had made a pack that we would both test on
1-11-11. I brought a test with me and on the morning
of January 11th, 2011 I took the test and there
it was! POSITIVE!! I was so excited I didn’t
think I could fall back asleep. I decided to take
a picture of the test and email it to Hubby AT WORK!
He was quite surprised when he opened that email!
LOL
I then called my doctor
and made an appointment for when I got back from
my trip. I believe the appointment was for January
20th. When I went in I saw Dr. X. Because of my
history with the pervious cerclage and cone biopsy
he wanted to check my cervix again. He checked and
it was closed this time but he said “it felt
slightly short in the back” so he wanted me
to go have a ultrasound done to measure my cervix.
Within the next few days I had the ultrasound and
it was because of those measurements that Dr. X
recommended I get another cerclage placed. At 12
weeks pregnant I had the cerclage placed once again.
Oh and the ultrasound tech confirmed that a due
date of September 18th was accurate but because
it was less than a week difference my doctor didn’t
change my due date.
Once again the pregnancy
was pretty uneventful. I had Hailee and the little
girl I was taking care of during the day so they
kept me pretty busy. April 27th, 2011 we found out
we were expecting another little girl!! Hannah :
) This pregnancy ,despite being pregnant during
the summer ,I didn’t swell at all! I felt
honestly really great the entire time. Maybe because
I had taken appoint to start exercising and eating
better when I was pregnant. Since I was planning
on having a VBAC at 36 weeks I went into the doctors
office and had the cerclage removed. About almost
2 weeks later. . . It was a Friday night and I had
taken a shower and was cleaning up toys with Hailee
, getting ready for bed. Something just felt different.
I remember sitting on the floor in her playroom
feeling like my hips were really sore. Almost like
they were widening. (I think that’s the best
I can describe it.) Eventually I went to bed. However
that night I had such a hard time sleeping. I would
wake up feeling uncomfortable (I’m assuming
I was having contractions). I’d try to go
back to sleep but would keep waking with this uncomfortable
feeling. In the morning I had a pedicure appointment
scheduled. Hubby asked if I still wanted to go and
I said yes!! LOL But I would feel better if he drove
me. So I went and got my pedicure and the entire
time I felt so uncomfortable. After I was done I
just told Hubby I wanted to go home and take a nap.
I went home and laid down and was once again woken
up. This time it felt painful. I went to the bathroom
and I went to go back to the bed but was stopped
by this pain I was having. On top of the uncomfortable
feeling I was having I was getting a isolated shooting
pain in the lower part of my belly near my pelvis.
I had no idea what was going on with my body or
even if what I was feeling was normal. So when Hubby
came in and asked if I wanted him to take me to
the hospital I said yes.
We gathered our bags
and got Hailee in the car. I felt uncomfortable
again in the car. Eventually we reached the hospital
and I was checked in and brought into a triage room.
It was about 4pm. I was put on the monitors where
it showed I was having contractions. I told the
nurse about the pain I was having that was isolated
near my pelvis. She also checked me and I was 1
cm dilated. Shortly after that Dr. X came in and
asked me about the isolated pain. He wanted to know
what it was on a scale of 1-10. I said about a 7.
His response after that was “ Well I’m
afraid your uterus is rupturing and I’ve never
had a rupture before. I think we should go ahead
with another cesarean.” After that I emotionally
shut down. I stopped talking unless I was being
talked to first. And just went with what he was
saying. After he left the nurses came in a prepped
me and shaved me to get me ready for the OR. Anesthesia
came in and consulted with me. Another nurse came
in and had me signing papers. We called around to
anyone who would answer to come pick up Hailee.
Finally we were able to get a hold of my cousin.
We were then wheeled into the OR where this time
I was given a spinal block instead of the epidural.
This honestly made things better for me because
this time I felt nothing! Not to mention for some
reason when I’m given a spinal block the medication
in it makes me talk a lot!
I laid there talking
and waiting for that first cry. Shortly before she
was born either MW or one of the nurses asked if
I wanted them to lower the curtain(or bring a mirror.
. . I cant remember which one they offered) so I
could see her born. I told them no. Later I eventually
regretted this decision but my reasoning at the
time was that I didn’t think I could handle
seeing myself like that. So they offered to Hubby
and he peeked his head over the curtain and snapped
a couple of pictures of her being born. They quickly
showed her to me and once again my baby was whisked
away and cleaned up. From here on out honestly everything
seemed to go pretty fast. I remember laying there
and they brought her over to me and I able to hold
her after they got me all stitched up. They wheeled
us to the postpartum room. The nurse came in and
checked me out and I was able to start our first
nursing session. It was like riding a bike. About
a hour later they allowed family to come in. When
they opened the door it was like everyone that we
had been trying to get a hold of to pick up Hailee
came piling in. LOL I had made it clear that Hailee
would get to hold her before anyone else did. And
oh man was she so excited to see her new sister!!
Hannah was born September
3rd, 2011 at 6:32pm (Yes. 2 and a half hours after
I arrived at the hospital). She weighed 6lbs 13
oz and was 19.25 inches long. Tiny compared to her
big sister!! (Hey I thought 2nd babies were always
bigger than the first ;) ) She did great nursing!
And didn’t have any blood sugar issues like
Hailee did so they didn’t need to give her
formula. She did however become jaundiced and it
was extensive enough that she ended up having to
go under the bilirubin lights. Because of this and
my c-section recovery we ended up being in the hospital
about 4 days. She was born on a Saturday and we
were discharged Wednesday. The first night she was
under the lights I was woken by this urge to check
on her. I gotten up and when I went over she had
pulled the eye wear over her nose and mouth and
was flailing her arms! I freaked out and didn’t
sleep the rest of the hospital stay I don’t
think. I made sure that if Hubby was sleeping I
was awake because I was so scared of it happening
again. Needless to say by the time we were getting
discharged I was going crazy.
She also had a situation where she dropped too much
of her birth weight and the pediatrician wanted
us to supplement with formula. We ended up giving
her one bottle but shortly after that one of the
lactation consultants came in and saw that my milk
was already in so she talked to the pediatrician
and I was able to pump and supplement with breast
milk! YEAH! I was so thankful for that lactation
consultant. Hannah did gain enough weight back and
I was able to stop supplementing before we left
the hospital. So between nursing every 2-3 hours,
then pumping and not sleeping I was exhausted!!
Though recovery this time was much different than
with my first. I was up walking within a few hours.
I was able to sit and walk. And the only pain medication
I took was Motrin. They continued to offer the strong
stuff but I never liked how it made me feel so I
always declined. Plus I didn’t think I needed
it. I only ended up having 2 minor complications
afterward. I’m sorry this is TMI but I ended
up getting a bed sore on my butt at the hospital
that I ended up needing a antibiotic ointment for.
Then shortly after I left the hospital my incision
developed a hole in it that oozed and the doctor
used a Qtip to help drain it.
Hannah grew like a weed
too! She never had any formula other than the one
bottle at the hospital and breastfed until she self
weaned at 13 months. She has always been little
but man is she one feisty little girl. She adores
her big sister and the love they have for each other
is amazing. The day after we brought her home from
the hospital we took her to her pediatrician appointment.
She looked great but her jaundice was still there
so she wanted to check it again in a few weeks.
I’m not sure how long after she was born but
within a month or two Hannah was diagnosed with
an umbilical hernia that she was referred out to
a specialist for. The specialist said it would heal
on its own and didn’t require surgery.
When I look back on Hannah’s
birth I don’t feel as if it were as traumatic
for me as Hailee’s birth was. If anything
this time I felt more angry and disappointment at
myself. I would tell myself things like “Really??
You actually believed that the person who cut you
open unnecessarily the first time wouldn’t
try to do it again?” I wanted to add a couple
of things. I’m sure some reading this would
think “She had that pain. . . Her cesarean
was necessary!” I honestly do not believe
it was and here’s why: 1. I arrived at the
hospital at 4pm but my daughter wasn’t born
until 6:30pm. 2 and half hours later. They took
their time prepping me for surgery. Had this been
an actual rupture I should have been rushed to the
OR. Which leads me to believe that my doctor honestly
didn’t think I was rupturing. 2. There was
no rupture. Nothing. There weren’t even any
other signs of me rupturing. My doctor did however
pull my husband aside after the surgery and told
him “I don’t think she could have handled
labor. Her lower uterine segment was thin.”
Really Doc? I assume covering his ass acting like
he saved my life because I really wasn’t rupturing.
3. I knew I wasn’t rupturing. I don’t
know how to explain it. But I KNEW, I knew in that
moment when he threw out the rupture card that it
was wrong. I just knew that when I emotionally shut
down I was trying to protect myself emotionally
because what was about to happen shouldn’t
be happening.
When I look back I wish
I knew about organizations like ICAN before my CBAC
(Cesarean Birth after Cesarean). I wish I was as
informed as I am now. I do have those feelings though
where I wonder again “Scar tissue from the
cerclage? Impatient doctor? “Broken”
Body?” Why oh why did I have to go through
another cesarean? Why can I not give my babies the
births they deserve? I cannot take again having
my baby pulled from my abdomen and hearing her cry
for me across the room and there is nothing I can
do for her. I have my list of regrets for her birth
as well. I wish I fought harder. I wish I hadn’t
caved and consented to another cesarean.
I’ve heard many
women who’ve had more than one cesarean say
things like “Oh my second one was so much
easier than my first one.” Yes, physically
my second cesarean was easier. Emotionally, no.
It was very hard too. Not only did I have to hear
my poor newborn baby girl crying for me across the
room but I also had to deal with weeks afterward
of having to hear my oldest cry for me to pick her
up when I couldn’t. That pain that I felt
that I couldn’t be there for her either. I
could never choose this. There is so much that my
babies and I missed out on with a vaginal birth.
As with Hailee’s
birth story I plan on putting Hannah’s birth
story in her baby book as well. When my girls become
women I want them to read these stories. I want
them to know that I so desired a better birth for
them both. I want Hannah to know that I am so sorry
everyday that I didn’t fight to give her what
she needed those first few moments of her life.
And all I can do is pray that they will have those
moments with their own children.
A few months after Hannah
was born Hubby and I decided that one day we would
have a 3rd child. I KNEW a VBA2C (Vaginal Birth
After 2 Cesareans) is possible! So head first into
the books I went. Understanding VBAC at a more extensive
level. Understanding the risks and possibilities
of a VBA2C. And now understanding the politics behind
VBAC period. I even became a member of ICAN of Tampa
with the hope that maybe one day I could help a
momma who has gone through what I have or even prevent
one from going through what I have.
I never did find out
what that pain was all about. After doing some research
I believe it was possibly adhesions (scar tissue)
breaking apart that formed after my first cesarean.
Hopefully the next time
you hear from me will be my VBA2C story : )
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