April is Cesarean Awareness Month, so I thought I would share a little bit about my first experience with a c-section! I’m a c-section mama x2.

Emergency C-Section

When I was pregnant with Noah, I didn’t really have a detailed birth plan. The only things I was sure of were that I would get an epidural, I’d have a vaginal birth, and my husband was the only person that would be in the room with me. That’s it. I guess two out of the three isn’t bad!

My due date came and went and Noah was snug as a bug and showing no signs of wanting to come out. Four days after my due date and I found myself at another doctor appointment. Thankfully, the Doctor scheduled my induction for the next morning. Well, that night, I ended up going into labor on my own! Hallelujah! We made our way to the hospital at around midnight. When I got there I was about 3cm dilated. However, labor just wasn’t progressing and I ended up being induced and given pitocin.

The pitocin definitely sped up the process, but my baby boy wasn’t liking it. Every time I had a contraction, his heart rate dropped. You can’t imagine what it’s like to be laying there listening to your baby’s strong heart beat, only to have a contraction and hear almost nothing. We were in a catch 22. I needed the pitocin to speed up the labor, but the pitocin was essentially causing baby’s heart rate to drop. Not only was his heart rate dropping, but they believed the cord was wrapped around his neck and he was in the posterior position (head facing up). The Doctor’s waited as long as was safely possible and then made the call. I had made it to 7cm but I was going to need an emergency c-section.

At that moment, the only thing I was worried about was the well-being of my baby. I didn’t care that my “plan” was gone, or that my baby would be born via surgery instead of the “natural” way. I just wanted to get him out as quickly as possible so that I could kiss him and hold him and make sure he was healthy and ok!

My baby boy was born and he was beautiful and healthy, with ten toes and ten fingers. Having a c-section meant I wasn’t able to hold him right away, but I had my amazing husband right by my side and he held Noah while they finished up with me. Other than the fact that I wasn’t able to hold Noah as quickly as I would have liked, I’m not sure how a c-section really changed my birthing experience. Pain is pain, and both c-sections and vaginal births have their own kind of pain.

I am a C-Section Mama

It upsets and frustrates me to no end when I hear comments that those mamas who have their babies via c-section are somehow lesser. Or better yet, that c-section mamas took the easy way out. C-section mamas are strong, resilient, and are facing our own kind of obstacles. We are faced with fear, we question the necessity of a c-section, and we’re having to willingly venture into the unknown. But because we are mothers, we put our child’s safety and health before our own.

I am proud to be a c-section mama and wouldn’t have it any other way. So, if you  are feeling like less of a mama because your birth plan didn’t go the way you had hoped, and you had a c-section, let this be a reminder that you are a Mother through and through. And mothers, whether delivering vaginally or via c-section, are the toughest of the tough.