Here are some of my least favorite myths about caesarian births: that all women can avoid them by being strong-willed/more informed. (If only I'd used my Jedi mind powers over that pesky preeclampsia!) That it's not a "natural" birth. (O RLY? What exactly are my babies, then? Cylons?) That they're "the easy way out." (*doubles over, slaps knee, throws out back because of decimated core muscles*)
For whatever reason, some people are just really, really, really opinionated about c-sections, and all I can say is that I hope for their sake that their lives continue to go exactly as planned with zero undesired consequences.
But I'd also like to address another increasingly pervasive belief, which is that any and all medical intervention during birth is horrible and unpleasant, and that hospital environments are always rushed and uncaring and uncomfortable.
I'm sure it's true for some people, but my hospital births -- surgeries and all -- were amazing.
There were disagreeable things, of course. I was scared silly about going into surgery, I was unnerved by the nauseating sensation of my intestines being moved around during the birth, recovery was achey and gooey and weird.
But mostly I remember both of my hospital births with happy nostalgia. I even remember feeling like I didn't want to leave, especially after my first son was born. My husband was eager to get back to the comforts of our house but man, I could have stayed for a week or more. At the hospital we had all kinds of experts checking on the baby, making sure everyone was doing okay, and even taking him to be fed if my husband was gone and I needed to sleep. A steady stream of friendly nurses were a button-push away from bringing me ice water, pain meds, and extra diapers.
Everyone says hospital food is awful, but I have fond memories of the little daily menus where I'd circle my meal requests. The shockingly delicious pushup popsicle a few hours after surgery, the blessed cup of coffee on the second morning.
I loved the big comfy bed that could be adjusted to suit my needs. It was crisp and white and even when the sheets got all bloody and gruesome and had to be changed out from under me it felt like this clean, safe, sterile place to be holding a baby. I could crank it into a Barcalounger shape and nestle my child in my lap while holding a book off to the side.
I dozed a lot, especially the first time around when I was recovering from magnesium, and since I went to a teaching hospital it felt like I had a new nurse every time I opened my eyes. Every single one of them was pleasant and patient and kind.
I remember recovering immediately after surgery, with my baby in my arms. The nurses had put a knit hat on him -- you know, the one with the little tied-off piece of yarn? -- and wrapped him like a burrito in that teal-and-pink blanket and the anesthesiologist came by to check on me and there was this bustle of professional good-natured activity in the room and I just felt like we were so cared for.
I have the same exact memory from both births: I'm lying in bed, just me and my brand-new son. The room is quiet and I'm looking at my child's tiny perfect face, while outside I can hear the muted murmurs and bleeps of a busy nursing station. All those people ready to help us if need be. It was like being in a pocket, or cupped in someone’s hand.
I know a lot of people have unpleasant hospital ordeals, and hate the idea of intervention. I didn’t plan on having surgical births either, but I couldn’t have asked for better treatment. Really, considering that everyone arrived in perfect health, I couldn't have asked for better births, period.
Did you have a positive hospital birth?
Image via Linda Sharps
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Comments 40
My hospital birth was awesome. I was induced 9 days after my due date. My daughter was not coming out. I know they say induction increase the risk of c-sections but for me, I guess my daughter just needed the push. They gave me pitocin and broke my water around 9, at 11:00 I got my epidural (thank the Lord!) and at 1:29 it was time to push. Olivia was born at 2:36!! Afterwards, all the nurses were wonderful. My husband got to go and be with our daughter for her first bath, in the nursery while our family watched. The nurses were wonderful as were the doctors and they re-assured me at every turn. I plan to have my next child at that same hospital!!
Both my births were hospital births with an epidural firmly implanted in my back, and neither were unpleasant. I really resent when people make the implication that women choose epidurals or get C-sections because they don't know any better or they're always the result of nurses and doctors pushing them on confused laboring women. Not always the case! For both my births it was written in my birth plan - which the hospital provided me with for my pre-admit! - that I would ask for an epidural if/when I wanted it. Knowing that, my nurses never even breathed the word "epidural" until I asked for it. And even then, I had sort of a code phrase with my husband where he knew I didn't just need extra encouragement, I needed da drugz! And I have friends who have had C-sections at the same hospital and they have nothing but positive things to say about their experiences.
What I love about the birth center at my hospital is they have struck a really great balance between the medical approach and being supportive of what the mother wants. It's a great environment. Not every hospital is sterile and impersonal. Blanket statements are unfair.
I've had 2 preemies. One at 36 weeks and the other at 31 weeks after a week of bed rest after my water broke. The first was a vaginal birth and second we decided on a c-section because she flipped around breech while I was on bed rest. Since she was so little we didn't want to risk any further "trauma" during the birth, so a non-emergency c-section was fine with me. Now that I've done both, I definitely don't think of c-sections as an easy way out of childbirth. I had absolutely no complications from the surgery and even went back to work for a couple weeks while my daughter was still in the NICU, but my recovery from the vaginal birth was much much much easier. I'm now at 34 weeks (yay!) with my 3rd baby and am hoping for a VBAC, but am absolutely willing to do another c-section if necessary. Also, my daughters were both born at different hospitals, and the doctors and nurses at both facilities couldn't have been more supportive. This one hopefully will be at yet another hospital, assuming I can make it to at least 35 weeks, since they don't have a NICU, and having already spent one day in their birthing center for monitoring, I'm confident that I'll be happy with them as well.
But a c-section is not a natural birth. Come on. Surgery is never natural. Sometimes it's the best course of action, but it's not natural.
What is a "legit" reason for giving someone flack over something that is none of your business? By your logic, zizzler, judgy people can go around making hurtful criticisms about things that don't concern them, on the off chance that they may be "right" in their assumptions. So I guess it would be okay to tell a bottle-feeding mom, without knowing her circumstances, that she's doing a wrong thing because you think she might be just "lazy"? NOT okay!