At the risk of spouting off on a topic that has been over-discussed to the point of boring everyone to tears, I want to take a moment to talk about C-sections. I’ve had two of them. And I want to make a case for relaxing a little on the bad rap they get.
If you’re a first time mom, you’ve heard some version of, “well, you wouldn’t want to have a C-section.” Possibly from your health care provider, possibly from your friends, and possibly from one of the many articles out there declaring that “unnecessary” C-sections rob women of the joyful experience of giving birth. Because apparently no female should be spared the sensation of having a watermelon rip out of her hoo-ha, preferably without drugs.
Let me take a moment here to say that I’m not down on “natural birth” mamas. That decision was the right one for them and I’m happy it worked out. Now let’s go on a little visit, back to First Time Pregnant Me. I was TRAINING for delivery day. I was walking five miles a day right up to the day I had Ian. (Yes, really.) I was lifting weights and strengthening my abs. I WAS READY. And boy, did my recovery benefit from this. But you know what I could NOT do? I could not make my body go into labor. So I found myself, nine days past my due date, with a sad, old, worn out placenta and doctors who were hoping against hope that my induction would be the terminal event for my high-risk pregnancy.
Well, it wasn’t. My placenta could not deliver enough oxygen to my baby. He was distressed. I had an emergency C-section, and a beautiful, darling, healthy, beloved baby. Without that C-section, I would have gone home with nothing but a tragic story. There was NO REASON to think I couldn’t deliver my baby successfully. I was strong, I was healthy, I was under 35, and I’d had good pre-natal care. It seems, however, that I was gifted with a body that is not so good at giving birth. Without two C-sections, I suspect I’d have had stillborn babies. There’s a word you don’t hear much anymore, right? “Stillborn.” There are some words in the English language that could use a revival, but I’m pretty sure nobody is hankering for that one to come back into everyday use.
Obviously I’m not suggesting that you put in a call to schedule your elective C-section right now. That would be CRAZY TALK. Just… try not to WORRY about it. By the time your baby starts smiling at you, you’ll be healed up from the surgery. (The pregnancy might be a ‘nother whole story but never mind that right now.) They’ll give you painkillers when you need them. Your baby won’t remember any of it, and, once you look deep into his teeny, weeny, adorable little eyes, neither will you.
