I was 30 weeks pregnant and enjoying my “last hurrah” in New York with my husband Seth when I noticed that my belly started to feel clumpy. I know that clumpy sounds like a funny way to describe it, but truly what I was feeling was clumps! I felt a big clump right under my ribs and another one under my sternum. I thought maybe I was having Braxton-Hicks or that my kid just had really big feet. But no…my baby boy was breech. That was his head that felt like a clump of lead under my ribs, and his feet were dancing right on my bladder! And unfortunately, he remained that way for the next 9 weeks despite my best efforts—you may have seen my Olympic-quality handstands in the Woodland Park pool. Nothing would turn this critter. I wore headphones on my tummy, had massages to open my pelvic area, swam and flipped like it was my job, did 100 pelvic rocks a day…I attempted every “natural” method of trying to get my baby to flip on his own. Basically, I spent every waking minute upside-down! Only 4% of babies are breech at 37 weeks, so my OB, Dr. Wendy Hansen, surmised that maybe I had a small dent or dimple in my uterus making it difficult for my kiddo to turn. She wouldn’t know for sure until the C-Section, which was looking like my only option. I was crushed, terrified, and downright angry! The entire pregnancy I had done everything I could to prevent a C-Section and have a natural birth (including securing Lauren Howard to be my doula and attending prenatal yoga) and now it was my only choice. Yuck.
Seth and I picked a date in my 39th week for the section—July 27. Ironically, I started having contractions about 2 days before then so at least I knew that my body and my baby were both getting ready. I had two weeks to mentally prepare for the big event so I set about learning as much as I could about what to expect in the operating room. I read The Essential C-Section Guide from cover to cover, and with Lauren’s help, constructed a birth plan just as I would have if I was delivering vaginally. I wanted to be as coherent as possible during and after the surgery, working through post-op pain instead of being fuzzy, just as I would have if I delivered naturally. Seth wanted to cut the cord. And, most importantly, I wanted to be with my baby ASAP!
Lauren came to my house the night before the delivery and gave me a great massage so that I could get a good night’s sleep and eliminate some anxiety. The morning of the 27th we went to UK Hospital feeling rested and prepared. I was quickly attended to by the residents who would be assisting Dr. Hansen. I met with the attending anesthesiologist the day before the surgery, and she and her resident reviewed my requests for the surgery and post-op pain relief. I received a combination spinal block/epidural for the surgery. I was catheterized and IV’d with 2 liters of fluids and introduced to all of the physicians who would be taking part in my son’s birth. They were all great, but my heart belongs to the anesthesiologist resident who sat by my head and consistently asked how I was doing. I think that he even stroked my hair once or twice! Once I was “on the table” my husband was able to join me (he looked so cute in his blue scrubs and hairnet!) and the infamous drape went up so that we would be spared the visual details of the surgery.
I was kept abreast of every step of the procedure, which was nice because I really couldn’t feel a thing! The nausea that I was so petrified of never came, and all I can remember is my baby being held to my cheek. Jonah Louis was delivered at 10:32 am. The nurse whispered in my ear… “Do you have any idea how big your baby is? Practically eight pounds!” Seth and I were both in shock to say the least! I am 4’11 and Seth is no giant, but at least we now know why our lil’ man was breech! He simply had no room to turn!
After my dimple and dent-free uterus was put back in place (this I will admit, was a strange feeling!) I was wheeled to recovery where my doula and my mom were both waiting for me. Seth went with the baby for all of the newborn procedures and was adamant that most things could wait until I was able to snuggle and bond with Jonah. Holding my baby for the first time made everything worth it. And thank goodness for Lauren’s support in those first critical moments with Jonah. Attempting to breast feed for the first time in recovery with an IV and an epidural still in place was quite the challenge! Having extra help for this was well worth it.
I was prepared for the worst possible pain after the section, but surprisingly, the pain was the least of my concerns. More bothersome was the incredible itching I experienced from the morphine in my epidural (this helps when the local anesthesia wears off) and the liquid diet that I was subjected to for 24 hours post-op. I was starving! At one point I ate 3 containers of jello and 2 popsicles in one sitting and then was promptly nauseous. I think my nurse actually laughed at me when I told her how much I ate! I did experience some pain in the first day; especially when my epidural pain-pump had an occlusion and wasn’t administering any medication! But in the end, it was minimal.
By the second day they removed all of my hook-ups…the IV, the catheter, and the epidural. All of this meant that I actually needed to get out of bed to use the bathroom. With my mom’s help I was able to shower and walk around the ward pushing Jonah in his bassinet. By day three, I was moving around on my own and just taking Motrin for the pain. My staples were removed right before I was discharged and by the time I got home, I was just taking Tylenol…if I remembered! Seth and I had set up our bedroom with a co-sleeper for Jonah and everything that I would need since we both thought that I would be confined to bed for a week at least, but that was absolutely not the case! I felt fine, and by day eight when we celebrated Jonah’s naming ceremony I was able to wear heels and enjoy a great party. I absolutely credit prenatal yoga for helping me recover from the surgery so quickly. That, and the fact that I didn’t have to labor for twenty hours!
My worst fears about having a C-section never came to fruition, and in the end, I have a beautiful and healthy baby boy. If I get pregnant again, I will likely be able to do VBAC—vaginal birth after Cesarean. But truthfully, after the wonderful experience that I had with Jonah, it would be hard not to do a C-peat. I originally wanted so desperately to be in the childbirth “club,” but as my husband jokes, I am still in the club, and Jonah is my membership card!
A million thanks for everyone’s support at Baby Moon!