Yes, you read that correctly, I chose to have a C-Section.
I had no idea when my husband and I decided to have an elective cesarean how much opposition I would face or how many judgmental people I would encounter. I honestly cannot count the number of times I was asked why or told I should only use the cesarean as my last choice and should try a natural delivery first. Everyone assumed that I simply didn't want to endure hours of labor and everything that comes with it. Well, that's partially true but there are so many more factors that went into my decision.
- My mother had all 3 of her children via C-section. She had tried to have me naturally but I was not cooperative so she ended up in the O.R. having a C-section and then when my sister and brother came along she did the same thing. When I was growing up I knew we had all come out of the scar on my moms tummy so for most of my youth I didn't even know a vaginal delivery existed and when I found out I sure never thought I would do it any way other than the way my mom had done it.
-My husband was against a vaginal delivery from the get go. All of the men at the gym had him freaked out about how "terrible it is" saying their wives "screamed for hours" and it was "disgusting" and that they "never felt the same" after wards. So, after about two months of being royally freaked out in the locker room my husband asked me what I thought about having a C-section.
-My sister was born with Spina Bifida and I remember my dad telling me that originally the doctors told them she would never walk but years later when she was walking on her own the doctor said that had she gone through the birth canal there would have been no way she would have walked and that the C-section actually helped her. Call me crazy, but one of my main concerns was that if something were wrong with Riley I wanted her literally in the hands of a doctor as soon as possible without her health hinging on my ability to push her out fast enough.
-I tend to be a bit of a control freak. I like to have a plan at all times. Electing to have a cesarean allowed me to spend the end of my pregnancy not stressing out about weather I would be carrying this baby for weeks past my due date and it allowed me to have a deadline to get things ready for her to come.
Those are the initial reasons that lead me to my decision. I am not in anyway promoting one method of delivery over another but, for me, the C-section was the best option. I loved being able to tell my family ahead of time what time to be at the hospital and allow them to make arrangements at work or in their daily schedules. My husband did not have to sit by my side helpless, watching me go through pain and only be able to tell me it would be okay when he really had no idea. I never had to go through the uncomfortable checking for dilation at doctors visits. We literally welcomed Riley into the world 4 minutes after my husband sat down next to me.
When I would tell someone that I was having a cesarean, they almost always made this face like it was the most horrible thing they could ever imagine. They always said things like "that's major surgery," "it takes so long to heal," "it will destroy your body,"...blah blah blah. The truth is, yes, it is major surgery, I was up walking the next morning feeling just a little sore but fine. Four weeks out I had to force myself not to start working out hard because I felt amazing and most of all....my body is no worse than it was before I lost weight the first time. My scar is about 4 inches long, so low nobody but my husband will ever see it, I do not have any more of a "pouch" than I did when I was fat years ago. I can use my lower abdominal muscles just fine and I have no numbness.
The point of this post is not to shine a positive light on C-sections as much as it is to show that everyone's circumstances are different and what is best for one isn't always best for everyone else. I would never change my decision to have a cesarean, I have no regrets and I feel that women should be supported no matter what they chose as their method of delivery.
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