April is International C-Section Awareness Month, something close to my heart, or should I say uterus?
This month is dedicated to raising awareness about cesarean deliveries, their impact on maternal and infant health, and empowering parents to make informed decisions about their birth experiences.
It also focuses on reducing unnecessary C-sections and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) when appropriate. As someone who has had a c-section and two successful VBACs, I feel I can advocate for both.
According to National Library of Medicine, the procedure called a cesarean section is often referred to as a "caesarean section" because of its connection to the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. While the exact historical link is debated, the name is believed to derive from the Latin word "caedere," meaning "to cut," used in the context of Roman law mandating that pregnant women who died in childbirth be cut open to save the baby.
My oldest daughter was breech. And trust me, I tried everything to convince her to flip before getting to week 40. There wasn’t a doctor in town at the time who was willing to take on a breech delivery. I would have had to go to Prince George to deliver but everyone knows you can’t predict exactly when a baby is coming, so if I wanted to give birth naturally, I’d have to hang out in Prince George for at least a week before my due date and wait it out.
It would have been very possible I would have had to get a hotel room for up to three weeks if the baby was late.
She was my first, and I was so scared of the unknown and would have much preferred to give birth in a hospital that I had previously toured in my prenatal classes and have my doctor with me. I also made the mistake of watching a video of a woman giving birth to a breech baby and was even more terrified.
So, the only other option was to have a scheduled c-section at 39 weeks.
Anyone who thinks I was simply too posh to push is dead wrong. I wanted so badly to have a natural birth, but it wasn’t exactly in the cards for me. Opting for a c-section was not the easy way out. I did all my research (except watching a video of the procedure) and felt confident in my decision.
So very early in the morning, I woke up and went to the hospital, knowing I’d be meeting my baby in a short while but also scared because I had never had any type of surgery before.
I was prepped and given a spinal block (regional anaestesia used in c-sections). I lay down and a curtain was placed between my head and my stomach. My husband was invited back into the room and told to stay by my head. My arms were stretched out and secured.
A horizontal incision was made in my abdominal wall, followed by a uterine incision. My baby was then delivered through these openings, and the incisions were closed with sutures. I heard a small cry and my doctor yelled out that it was a girl.
She was checked over and then placed on my chest while the surgeon put me back together. For me, the recovery was OK. She was my oldest and I was able to rest with her. My husband carried us everywhere. We were also lucky that he was able to take time off and drive me everywhere.
Had I had a partner who had to go to work right away or, didn’t have a partner for help, things would have been so much more difficult. I am so very happy that I didn’t have any other children at the time to care for.
C-sections are not the easy way out but are so important because they can save the lives of both the mother and the baby in situations where vaginal birth is too risky. We are very lucky that our doctors have the ability to perform them.
