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Three Cesarean Birth Stories
Afra has undergone 3 C-sections mainly due to intervention. With her first she was induced at 41+2 with cervidel to prepare me for an induction and went into labor shortly after. She was 3 cms when admitted to the hosptial, but was put on a bed, not allowed to move around much, and also given some pain meds through an IV which slowed things down alot. She was naive and didn’t know much about the importance of movement, and advocating for herself. She labored and got to 8cms, but baby wasn’t engaged even though she was 80% effaced. Her baby quickly moved and went transverse as the OB says and so she ended up with an emergency c-section.
With her second she ended up having a c-section again after her water starting leaking. She wasn’t getting any contractions and so she was induced at 41 weeks, and she progressed to 8.5cms after about 30/40 hours or so. Her daughter was eventually at station 0 and Afra was 100% effaced but baby wasn’t descending as they later found in the c-section the cord was around her neck. Her cervix had swollen with all the constant cervical checks, water ruptures, and catheters inserted. she had been on the IV, antibitocis and eventually had an epidural which helped her progress to 8.5 from 7.
With her 3rd baby, she couldn’t find a supportive provider or midwife that could take her on except for an OB who agreed to allow her to TOLAC provided everything was going well. She dilated and went into labor on her own this time and without her approval got a sweep from her OB which set off active labor. Her baby ended up being posterior in brow presentation which gave her back labor and was the reason why her labor wasn’t progressing well causing decals. She ended up having her 3rd C-section shortly after.
Afra Said Bio
Afra is a Mommy Blogger & Influencer at “Through Mama’s Eyes’ is a wife & stay at home mom of 3 (aged 4, 2 & 4 months). She uses her experiences as a mother and an entrepreneur to connect with & support mothers in their journey as new moms, moms with young toddlers and moms who want to work from home. She loves keeping it REAL and talking about managing birth, breastfeeding, managing motherhood, toddler tantrums, teething, baby wearing, life as a work from home mom (previous corporate world workaolic), the best products for babies, to toddlers & moms. Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook. Check out more from Afra’s Birth and her Birth Plan Template & VBAC Preparation Checklist here.
I had a very difficult time with this episode. I don’t want to leave a mean comment or anything, because every experience is different! But, it just seemed to me that there were times when making sure she got a vbac seemed much more important to her than the health or safety of her baby. Sometimes I feel as if avoiding a c section is a pride issue. Not for everyone of course and not all the time. I just felt for her doctor and midwives, because I do believe they had her best interest in mind. I also don’t believe it’s okay to skip appointments. The safety of the baby should be of the utmost importance. If there is an anxiety issue, perhaps it needs to be treated, but it can’t be treated by skipping appointments.
I came to see if anyone else had left a comment like this! I felt the exact same way. This episode was hard to listen to, and I felt frustrated with the guest in maybe the same way her care team may have felt. Ultimately everything worked out, but this was definitely one experience that I did not relate to at all.
I am the guest, and I am insulted by your comments. If you have ever gone through what I went through and been made to feel like I can’t give birth naturally you would maybe remotely understand. There was NO pride Issue. Nor was I putting pride in front of the safety of my baby. I am sorry that you felt the way you did but before making comments and judgements you need to think through your words. I had completely healthy pregnancies and there WAS NO point in my pregnancy or birth that I put my baby at risk. If you think I did, then you are misinformed and need to read more into birth. Also I have only had 1 *hospital* midwife for my first birth.
I would like to echo on Afras comment. Unless you have had a c section you really cannot understand why someone would do everything they can to avoid a 2nd or 3rd one. People really need to do research and see the safety statistics of VBAC vs. Repeat Routine c section
My c section was unnecessary and caused by an epidural and not being allowed to move. My baby was in perfect shape. The provider just had no patience and wanted to go home. Sometimes it really is that simple.
The comment section isn’t meant for people to just come and comment about how wonderful everything is. It’s to give real feelings and comments about the story. I’m sorry we saw your story differently than you did living it, but there is nothing offensive about that. I gave my actual opinion without being nasty or name calling, and I won’t apologize for that.
Don’t apologize. I don’t need it because you clearly don’t understand. But..don’t sit back and make yourself feel good about your comments when you clearly did judge me by saying I put my son at risk, and that C-section is a pride thing and that you felt for my doctors, and that a VBAC was more important to me than my baby. Those comments were judgemental, rude and uncalled for. Call it what you like, but it is what it is.
It is not about pride. It’s about not completing (and in the case of planned cesareans, not even starting) a biological function and process. The very process why we all exist. When you’re made to feel that your body, your biological female body, can’t properly work in one of its basic functions, it’s not about your pride being hurt. It goes deeper than that because it’s what it’s expected of a healthy female body. It’s also about the hormones that are released after the birth but feeling too drowsy to experience them because of the drugs they give you before, during and after. The feeling of helplessness while they take the baby out of you and after, because you can’t move and have to ask for others to hand you your baby. It’s about multiple factors, including demeaning comments from people like you who think a cesarean is no big deal and that pursuing a vbac with all your strength is a selfish choice. And by the way, interventions often have an impact on outcome, whether you think the doctor had her best interest in mind or not-how would you even know?!
Which is more likely, that this woman truly cares more about her birth experience than her baby, or that there are details of the story you are missing? Give people the benefit of the doubt before concluding the worst.