1. Please give me your full name, how you want to be identified (full name, first name only, anon, etc.), your general location, number of children, number of cesareans, number of VBACs, anything else pertinent to your story.
Megan, Megan-first name only, Chattanooga, TN, 1 son, 1 C-sec, 0 VBAC so far!, C-sec due to placental abruption and PROM at 29 wks 5 days
2. Did (do) you ever believe that you might have a cesarean? When did you first think that a cesarean was a possibility for your birth?
No way! We planned a homebirth w/a CPM, but was under doctor’s care, too. I kept the possibility open in case I had a major emergency, just so I wouldn’t be shocked, but I certainly did not believe that I might need a C-sec. I knew that it was a definite possibility as soon as I began bleeding and my water broke at home. It was a serious emergency, and I knew that I might have to have a C-sec to save my son and I.
3. When did your practitioner bring up a discussion about cesarean? Before labor? During labor? Was it a surprise?
Never, b/c my own physicians were out of town. The high risk ob on call at the hospital told me that it was a possibility if the bleeding didn’t slow down or if baby got in distress. So, it was during labor…and the whole ordeal was a bit of a surprise.
4. If you had a cesarean, do you think you could have done anything to prevent it?
Sure, in my heart, I think that there are a few things—not picking up my 35 lb dog that afternoon to take him outside, not going boating the weekend before, not working so much, eating better, and more. The guilt goes on and on. But in my head, and according to the doctors, there was nothing that I could have done to cause the placental abruption or to prevent it. So, I couldn’t have prevented the C-sec.
5. If you had a cesarean, did you or your baby experience complications? If yes, which ones and how did you feel about this?
Not big ones. I had to have an x-ray before they closed me up to check for lost instruments, as a preventative b/c I was taken to surgery so quickly. I was under general anesthesia for quite a while (hours), and it took a long time to wake up. I also had to have my incision reopened and restitched, b/c the surgeon missed a bleeder. Any other complications were due to the placental abruption and premature labor, not the C-sec.
6. If you had one good piece of advice for pregnant women or women considering having a baby, what would it be when it comes to cesarean prevention?
Learn about cesareans. Learn why they are performed. Learn why they are sometimes needed. And definitely learn to know the difference, b/c it is HUGE! And get it in your head from the start that having a baby is hard work! Having a c-sec will not make it less work, but it can certainly make it more!
7. What is one sure way to have a cesarean?
Stick your head in the sand and pretend that most C-secs are necessary and trust that only your doctor knows what’s best for you.
8. Did you try to prevent a cesarean? If so, how? (Did you switch doctors or midwives? Did you pay out of pocket for a homebirth? Did you stay home longer than you normally would have? Hire a doula? Stuff like that...)
Absolutely, but I didn’t make it far enough in my pregnancy to put much of it into practice, except mainly learning to trust myself and my baby—which kept him in the womb another 10 hours after the placental abruption and PROM. This gave us time for the steroid shot to have some effect on his lungs and for the hospital to get the NICU team ready. We didn’t even get to begin our Bradley childbirth classes! We did pay out of pocket to our midwife, we intended to go to Bradley classes, we read everything we could get our hands on, and I even went to the Farm and met Ina May when my friend was pregnant and going to birth there (which she did-VBAC!)
9. Advice for pregnant women in talking to those offering birth horror stories?
Smile, nod, and tune out. Everyone wants to share their story, and you might glean something positive from it, but keep in mind that we as a society have been brainwashed into believing that birth is a horror story and that we must turn ourselves over to male doctors to be able to birth our babies.
10. Where did you get a positive view of birth? Where should others turn?
Reading!!! I’ve taken out every book I can out of our library about having babies. I’ve bought several books on childbirth. I subscribe to Mothering magazine. I read Midwifery Today online. I talked to several midwives.
11. If you have had a VBAC, what resistance did you have? (If any.) N/A
12. What is the hardest part of having a VBAC? N/A
13. What was pregnancy like for you? What advice do you have in general for pregnant women? Feel free to add stories or quotes here.
Pregnancy was a wondrous time for me and for my husband. We loved watching our son move in my tummy and responding to us. Otherwise, I had a lot of back pain and discomfort. Don’t be afraid to bond with your baby from the very first moment you realize you are pregnant!!! Talk to your baby, rub your tummy, listen to your heart. This saved my baby’s life! Don’t sweat the small stuff, like getting tons of clothes or the perfect bedding set. Put together a simple sleeping arrangement, like a Pack N Play next to your bed. Get some newborn diapers, a few sleepers and onesies, and receiving blankets. Get a carseat. And after that, just bond with your baby and with friends and family who will support you and your decisions!
14. Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for writing this book! (-:
Please send these questions with answers to me at: robin at robineliseweiss dot com
By Megan (not verified) at Wed, 10/24/2007 - 10:21am |
csection book
1. Please give me your full name, how you want to be identified (full name, first name only, anon, etc.), your general location, number of children, number of cesareans, number of VBACs, anything else pertinent to your story.
Megan, Megan-first name only, Chattanooga, TN, 1 son, 1 C-sec, 0 VBAC so far!, C-sec due to placental abruption and PROM at 29 wks 5 days
2. Did (do) you ever believe that you might have a cesarean? When did you first think that a cesarean was a possibility for your birth?
No way! We planned a homebirth w/a CPM, but was under doctor’s care, too. I kept the possibility open in case I had a major emergency, just so I wouldn’t be shocked, but I certainly did not believe that I might need a C-sec. I knew that it was a definite possibility as soon as I began bleeding and my water broke at home. It was a serious emergency, and I knew that I might have to have a C-sec to save my son and I.
3. When did your practitioner bring up a discussion about cesarean? Before labor? During labor? Was it a surprise?
Never, b/c my own physicians were out of town. The high risk ob on call at the hospital told me that it was a possibility if the bleeding didn’t slow down or if baby got in distress. So, it was during labor…and the whole ordeal was a bit of a surprise.
4. If you had a cesarean, do you think you could have done anything to prevent it?
Sure, in my heart, I think that there are a few things—not picking up my 35 lb dog that afternoon to take him outside, not going boating the weekend before, not working so much, eating better, and more. The guilt goes on and on. But in my head, and according to the doctors, there was nothing that I could have done to cause the placental abruption or to prevent it. So, I couldn’t have prevented the C-sec.
5. If you had a cesarean, did you or your baby experience complications? If yes, which ones and how did you feel about this?
Not big ones. I had to have an x-ray before they closed me up to check for lost instruments, as a preventative b/c I was taken to surgery so quickly. I was under general anesthesia for quite a while (hours), and it took a long time to wake up. I also had to have my incision reopened and restitched, b/c the surgeon missed a bleeder. Any other complications were due to the placental abruption and premature labor, not the C-sec.
6. If you had one good piece of advice for pregnant women or women considering having a baby, what would it be when it comes to cesarean prevention?
Learn about cesareans. Learn why they are performed. Learn why they are sometimes needed. And definitely learn to know the difference, b/c it is HUGE! And get it in your head from the start that having a baby is hard work! Having a c-sec will not make it less work, but it can certainly make it more!
7. What is one sure way to have a cesarean?
Stick your head in the sand and pretend that most C-secs are necessary and trust that only your doctor knows what’s best for you.
8. Did you try to prevent a cesarean? If so, how? (Did you switch doctors or midwives? Did you pay out of pocket for a homebirth? Did you stay home longer than you normally would have? Hire a doula? Stuff like that...)
Absolutely, but I didn’t make it far enough in my pregnancy to put much of it into practice, except mainly learning to trust myself and my baby—which kept him in the womb another 10 hours after the placental abruption and PROM. This gave us time for the steroid shot to have some effect on his lungs and for the hospital to get the NICU team ready. We didn’t even get to begin our Bradley childbirth classes! We did pay out of pocket to our midwife, we intended to go to Bradley classes, we read everything we could get our hands on, and I even went to the Farm and met Ina May when my friend was pregnant and going to birth there (which she did-VBAC!)
9. Advice for pregnant women in talking to those offering birth horror stories?
Smile, nod, and tune out. Everyone wants to share their story, and you might glean something positive from it, but keep in mind that we as a society have been brainwashed into believing that birth is a horror story and that we must turn ourselves over to male doctors to be able to birth our babies.
10. Where did you get a positive view of birth? Where should others turn?
Reading!!! I’ve taken out every book I can out of our library about having babies. I’ve bought several books on childbirth. I subscribe to Mothering magazine. I read Midwifery Today online. I talked to several midwives.
11. If you have had a VBAC, what resistance did you have? (If any.) N/A
12. What is the hardest part of having a VBAC? N/A
13. What was pregnancy like for you? What advice do you have in general for pregnant women? Feel free to add stories or quotes here.
Pregnancy was a wondrous time for me and for my husband. We loved watching our son move in my tummy and responding to us. Otherwise, I had a lot of back pain and discomfort. Don’t be afraid to bond with your baby from the very first moment you realize you are pregnant!!! Talk to your baby, rub your tummy, listen to your heart. This saved my baby’s life! Don’t sweat the small stuff, like getting tons of clothes or the perfect bedding set. Put together a simple sleeping arrangement, like a Pack N Play next to your bed. Get some newborn diapers, a few sleepers and onesies, and receiving blankets. Get a carseat. And after that, just bond with your baby and with friends and family who will support you and your decisions!
14. Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for writing this book! (-:
Please send these questions with answers to me at: robin at robineliseweiss dot com