#1: Catherine’s calm, peaceful & planned caesarean…
Understanding your own needs is a very powerful thing: as Catherine’s beautifully honest caesarean birth story proves identifying these (and exploring how they can be met) is game-changing when it comes to planning your birth experience.
Trigger warnings: please note that this birth story discusses Covid & vomiting and loneliness during birth.
Before we get to birth, let’s start at the beginning. How was your pregnancy?
The good: I had a healthy baby throughout with no medical concerns.
The bad: Covid hit as I entered the third trimester and it was lonely and uncertain.
The ugly: I vomited daily for 6.5 months.
Did you know… pregnancy sickness is a hormonal response to cellular stress. Nothing you do (or don’t do) causes it. For the majority, it reduces or tapers off at the end of the first trimester, But for some, it can last much long - potentially even the whole pregnancy.
And, before the event, how did you feel about giving birth?
We did lots of prep!
We did NCT (which we found to be quite toxic) and hypnobirthing course (not enjoyable and thought it was pretty useless).
I read several books and decided to go with elective c-section due to anxiety and COVID which meant that I would would labour alone.
I did find some amazing resources though: theobgynmum on Instagram and the NHS video on what to expect from a c-section were both really helpful.
Think about it… you are legally entitled to decide how and where you give birth. If a caesarean section suits you best, you are entitled to request one and your doctors are not allowed to refuse without good reason.
Then the big day arrives. How did it feel when you realised your baby was on their way earthside?
I felt so relieved!
I had a date and time booked in three weeks ahead at 39 weeks for my planned c-section. This meant I could do a calm countdown, have certainty and hospital bag prepared.
Covid made it a lot more stressful but I was allowed my husband to attend as it was planned.
I was anxious about having major surgery but trusted my medical team and could calmly get a taxi to the hospital knowing the time my baby would be born without any uncertainty or panic.
Compared with my friends’ hellish experiences of 4 days labouring alone with their husbands waiting in the car park before an emergency c-section with massive blood loss, I was so so so lucky.
So, how was your birth experience?
I felt very lucky.
Everything went on time, to schedule, the staff were all lovely, my OBGYN* was brilliant.
My baby was born in a predominantly female calm operating theatre whilst listening to ‘Your Body is a Wonderland’ by John Mayer and then he screamed hysterically for 3 hours so we knew he had good lungs. Skin-to-skin was immediate and we had supportive, kind staff.
I recovered super well, was up and walking in a few hours, pain easily controlled with meds and I climbed Primrose Hill 6 days later!
My scar healed well and I felt like I did it in the way that was healthiest and best for me - calm, planned, organised.
Birth doesn’t have to mean labour or a vaginal birth. I’m planning on doing exactly the same for my second baby.
Glossary: an OBGYN is a doctor who specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology - birth and reproductive health. These are the doctors who perform caesareans.
Do you remember what you said to your baby when you first met them?
Not really!
Probably a lot of ‘hello baby’ and ‘it’s ok, you don’t need to scream’…
Looking back, what was the best part of your birth experience?
The best part was that there was no panic or uncertainty.
And on the flip side, if you could, what would you have changed about the way your baby entered the world?
Nothing. The difficult stuff came after but the birth itself was so straightforward.
If you could give parents-to-be one piece of advice about preparing for the birth of their baby, what would it be?
It’s YOUR birth.
Anyone who says it has to be a ‘natural’ birth or done a certain way without intervention can get in the bin: the nappy bin!
