I know there is a month for everything and I usually don’t partake in awareness posts but this one struck me, so here we go. The posts I have seen around Cesarean Awareness Month haven’t quite been like my experience, the ones I've read have been emergency, or last resort or medically needed. I know there are other Mothers out there who can relate or may have made the same choice as I have so I thought what a lovely way to celebrate our C-section Mamas with my beautiful story.
The birth of our daughter Scarlett via C-section was purely my maternal choice. I'm proud to say that which still to this day shocks some people. Even before I was pregnant I knew how I wanted to birth my children. My midwife and obstetrician were completely supportive of my choice too.
Here is my story of the birth of Scarlett. The night before our scheduled C-section Alex and I headed out for a final dinner together. Then, it was off to bed to try and get some sleep before the next day. (Can’t say I got much sleep!) The alarm went at 6am, I washed & dried my hair because who knows when I would have time to do that again! (Newborn mum things!) , pack my final things I needed in my bag and off we went to the hospital for 7am check-in time. All was calm, and we were so excited to meet our baby girl. We were taken into pre op where we were given scrubs for Alex & a gown for me. The nurses then completed the pre-op checks and we met our anaesthetist where I could ask any questions. I think the main thing I said to him was ‘make sure I can’t feel anything!’ He laughed and said I've got you covered don’t you worry! Shortly after this Alex and I were taken to the theatre. Again, the entire process was so calm, we were both so informed and supported, greeted by all the nurses & doctors in the theatre.
The next day I got up and took small walks, sat in the chair in our hospital room (being cautious of course getting to know my limits and taking upmost care of myself) We headed home 2 days later, with pain relief if needed and within 5 days I was no longer taking this which was amazing. I could pick up/put down Scarlett get into my feeding positions, get on and off the couch and in and out of bed. I did ensure I took my time and asked for help when needed to support my body and not use my stomach muscles. Within the first week, I was doing loads of washing (unsure If I should have been!) But I felt up to it and as long as I worked out my own body's limits and didn’t push myself I was ok to do household things.
Further on, I was cleared to drive after 4 weeks by my midwife, and the wound healed really nicely. Now when I look at it, I am so grateful our darling girl came into the world safely. I hope sharing my story is helpful and informative to expecting mothers.
No matter what birth you plan or what happens, the main thing is your baby or babies arrive and are safe.
I hope my positive story resonates with someone.
Grace x