My Birth Stories
Carson:
When we found out that we were expecting our first child, I was so overwhelmed with excitement, fear, and happiness. The first thing I did was look for an OB, that I found in Corvallis. I was so happy with her, and she walked me through everything. Everything was perfect with my pregnancy. I had very little morning sickness in the first trimester. The second trimester was great because I had much more energy and could do a lot more at that time (we even traveled to Ireland for a vacation). Then the third trimester hit, and it was definitely uncomfortable, and sleeping was almost impossible.
Once the third trimester came, we were getting so excited about meeting our little one. We had the nursery all set up, I had my maternity leave all planned out, and we started to go to birthing classes to understand a little more of what giving birth was going to look like. As we progressed through the weeks, my OB was getting a little concerned with the measurements on the ultrasound of our son. At around 35 weeks, he was beginning to show measurements of about 3 to 4 weeks ahead of the average size. We started to go in almost weekly for ultrasound scans, and it continued to show that he was a very large baby. By week 38, we all sat down and discussed his size and our birth plan. Along with his total size, she told us that he measured larger in his shoulders than his head, which made her concerned because there was a higher chance of shoulder dystocia. She said I could try and have him via vaginal birth; however, the chances of him getting stuck or having complications were much higher. She gave me the option for me to have a planned C-section. This was never a thought in my mind when I wanted to have children. I wanted to be able to give birth, what I was considering, the “normal” way. I knew I was most likely going to have an epidural (let’s be honest, I would have asked for it right when I was allowed to get it), but I honestly did not want a C-Section. However, after some discussion with my husband and weighing the pros and cons, we ultimately decided to have a planned C-section the following week at 39 weeks. This was such a difficult decision for me. I knew there were a lot of stigmas out there if a woman decides to have a C-section or even if she doesn’t plan for it but ultimately needs to due to complications. When I told some of my family that we decided on his due date and I was going to have a planned C-section, it was brought on with a lot of questions and unwanted negative feedback. One of my family members even told me that I was taking the “easy way out.” This was the hardest thing to hear because this decision was already hard enough, and I was constantly wondering if it was the right thing to do until my delivery date.
I got to the hospital at 10 am. They got me all prepared, took my vitals, and checked the baby. I laid in the bed for about an hour, listening to his heartbeat and having my husband and the nurses tell me I was having contractions (I did not feel them). I was shaking and scared. They brought me into the surgical room and prepared me for my C-section. Once I could no longer feel from my stomach, down, they began. I could not see anything that was happening, which was probably a good thing, but I could feel pressure and my body move while they did the procedure. My husband was right by my side, holding my hand and talking to me. At 12:57 pm, I heard my beautiful boy’s first cry. He started crying before he was completely out, and it was the most amazing sound I had ever heard. They held him above the curtain for me to see and then took him to get his weight, size and make sure he was okay. My baby boy was a 10lb 3oz, 22 inches long, 15-inch round head size beautiful, perfect little human. I made the best decision for the health of my baby and myself to do a C-section and ultimately did not care what other people thought. He came out perfectly healthy, and that is all I ever wanted.
Caleb:
Caleb has a very similar story to Carson. However, there were no tears in my decision to have a C-section again. Caleb was measuring large too, around 3-4 weeks ahead of the average size, so we planned a C-section for 39 weeks again. I was worried that Caleb wouldn’t make it to 39 weeks because I was having weird pains a week prior, but he was perfectly content and had no plans of coming out, apparently. I went into the hospital on his planned date, and this time I was having active contractions, which I could feel. Again, in the hospital I was in at 10 am, I got hooked up to all the monitors and listened to our baby’s heartbeat. It was amazing. I was not shaking as badly this time because I knew the procedure and what to expect. They brought me into the surgical room, prepared me for surgery from the stomach down, and began my C-section. Caleb was a little more challenging to get out. Unfortunately, they had to use suction to help pull him out. He came out healthy and screaming at 12:55 pm, just like his older brother. They showed him to me and went to take his measurements. He was smaller than his brother, weighing in at 9lbs 12oz, 21 inches, and a head size of 14.7 inches. He was perfect, and again, I was happy with my decision.
C-sections are something that many people do not want, and I wish that I did not have to have them, but for the health of my baby and knowing their size, I was glad I did. C-sections take a lot of recovery time because they are major surgery. From what I understand, giving birth naturally is so painful and difficult, but the recovery time can be much faster. It took me six weeks to mostly recover from my C-section. I had to be careful not to pick up too much weight (which is challenging with a toddler) and make sure that my incision was healing properly. Any way that a woman gives birth is beautiful and perfect. The fact that, as a woman, you can create a human and bring that human into the world is exactly how it should be, and no matter the path you choose to do it, as long as your baby is healthy, and you are healthy, that is all that matters.