I absolutely love reading birth stories as every experience is so unique, and after sharing my own two very different birth experiences [emergency c-section and natural VBAC] I decided to ask other mums and dads to share their beautiful birth stories with me, too. If you’d like to share your birth story, send me an email or get in touch via Twitter or Facebook.
This week the gorgeous Lisa from Mummascribbles, is sharing her birth story. She had a planned c-section after finding out that her baby was in the breech position.
Is this your first baby? Yes
Was your baby early, overdue, or right on time? Six days early
What type of birth did you have? A planned c-section
Did you use pain relief? Spinal
Who was present at the birth? My other half, a surgeon, anaesthetist, midwife and several others!
What did your baby weigh? 7lbs 1oz
Did you have a boy or a girl? Boy
Was it straightforward or were there any complications? No complications
Tell me your beautiful birth story...
The birth of your child is a memory that will forever live in your mind. No matter how many years pass by, all you have to do is think back to that moment and you are able to fully re-live it. Some people of course wouldn’t want to re-live it. I mean, if you’ve had a traumatic birth, you might try and forget everything. But if like me you were pretty lucky, it is so easy to re-live. That’s why I love telling my birth story. It was scary and magical, painful and emotional, and writing it down every now and then brings all those feelings back.
Zach was born on 26th September at 14:13 by planned caesarean. I had found out at 37 weeks that he was breech and after some talking and Googling, I decided not to opt for an ECV or a risky natural birth. For me, really, the only option – the safest option - was a C-section.
At 8am, we arrived at the hospital as requested and were sent to the waiting room where we discovered a few other people also waiting for their slot to have their baby. It transpired that there had been a number of emergencies the previous day and therefore a few people had been shunted down the queue. At that moment, I could see us going home. I could see us waiting all day at the hospital to discover that actually, we couldn’t have our baby that day!
Luckily that wasn’t the case and after spending three hours sitting on a chair, we were moved into a room with a bed (yay). After another couple of hours (and while I was, ahem, having a nervous poo in the toilet outside), a nurse came in to say that we would be going to theatre in about 20 minutes. Suddenly I had gone from being a little nervous to really nervous. I had never had any form of surgery before (I don’t think root canal counts!), and so I didn’t have a clue what to expect.
Around 20 minutes later, the nurse came back and it was time to go. I wandered down the corridor trying to cover up my naked bum (those hospital gowns are useless!) and at that point had to say a brief goodbye to the other half who wasn’t allowed into theatre until I’d had the spinal.
It was all very clinical inside theatre. Bright lights, sparkling white walls and lots of people! The lovely midwife on duty was so good at keeping me calm during the spinal, which is the bit I’d been most terrified of. Unfortunately, just before that was done, one of the doctors had requested to have a go at putting the cannula in and screwed it right up. I literally had a hole in my hand. The anaesthetist then had to put it in the other hand correctly.
For the spinal, I had to sit on the edge of the bed, with a cushion between chest and bump to support me and sit at exactly the right angle and I absolutely mustn’t move! No pressure then. Thankfully all of that was successful and I was allowed to lay down…the other half was then let into the room and honestly I have never felt such a relief to see him. Over the next few minutes the lower part of my body went numb. I didn’t like that at all because I felt like I should be able to move but couldn’t.
When the anaesthetist tested whether I could feel anything, it was time for surgery. The lovely surgeon explained the process and then begun, going through everything he was doing as he was doing it and telling me what I should be feeling. The other half was talking to me throughout, eye to eye and keeping me calm. When only a few minutes later (it really doesn’t take long), the surgeon told me that it was time to take the baby out and that I will feel some pulling and a washing machine sensation, I knew it was time to meet my baby boy.
A bit of a tug, some manoeuvering (he was really, really breech apparently), and suddenly I heard the almightiest scream and it didn’t stop! Both the other half and I burst into tears – it really was the most powerful, emotional and beautiful moment ever. Around the blue screen, my little boy was shown to me and he was absolutely beautiful.
He was quickly popped over to be weighed and cleaned and then he made his way back where he was placed in my arms. I have never felt such instantaneous love. I was absolutely besotted with him from the moment I laid eyes on him. While I was having snuggles with my newborn, I was being stitched up and then it was time to go back to my room, baby in arms and me really worried that I wasn’t at that moment, strong enough to support all 7lbs 1 oz of him! I did though…of course I did…I was his mum!
Back in the room, everything went a little bit tits up so to speak. I vommed. A lot. And it really, really hurt! After the first vom I should have been given an anti sickness injection but they didn’t do that until I’d vommed 6 times. Can you imagine the pain of having just been cut open, stitched back up and then straining your stomach because you were being violently sick?! It was awful. We also discovered that there were no rooms on the postnatal ward so ended up in recovery until 10pm! Luckily, the only bed they could find me was in a private room! They said that I would have to move once a bed became available but they never moved me and they never charged me! So for the three days we were in hospital, I had a room all to myself! It was lovely. We were finally discharged after waiting the whole of Saturday and made it home for X-Factor!
Even though I hadn’t planned that birth, that I didn’t get the birthing pool, relaxing music and natural birth, it was still a wonderful experience. And I was lucky enough to have a really fantastic surgeon who stitched me up so beautifully that I have the tidiest scar ever! All of the health visitors afterwards commented on it!
I love how calm and straightforward Lisa's birth experience was, and that despite it not being the birth she had planned it was still a positive and wonderful birth. Apart from the hole in her hand, ick! Thank you for sharing, Lisa!
You can read more beautiful birth stories here.
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