Delivering without the Dad

[mommybaker]

My daughter's birth story is anything but perfect, yet I have accepted everything about it... and I think it is a beautiful reminder that there are doctor's with our best interests at heart.

It all started when my husband went to work out of town for 10 days.  I was 3 weeks away from my due date, so it seemed to be the best last shift available before the baby was born.  I was an emotional wreck, but managed to keep myself busy for the next 10 days.  I nested, helped out a friend and decided I had enough of sleeping alone.  I went to stay with a friend for a few days.  We talked and took wonderful belly pictures.  

The 9th day, I woke up in my friend's bed thinking I had peed.  It took me a few moments before my foggy head cleared and I realized that it was my water breaking.  I woke up my best friend and informed her that she had to take me to the hospital soon.  I called my husband and he started driving.  He had 6 hours  ahead of him.  I called another friend who is a nurse and we started to the hospital.  We had decided to deliver in a small town hospital that is really supportive of natural births and loves having babies.  Once I got there they monitored the baby's heart rate.  It seems she was not handling the contractions (and they were very small) at all.  Her heart rate dropped down to 60 at one point.  They immediately called my doctor to come and check me out.  I had very few contractions, but they were coming on stronger and stronger.  My doctor came in, hair disheveled and checked me.  2 cm.  He told me that the baby was really in a lot of distress and I was very far away from being able to push her out.  So a section it was.

Just to recap, my husband is still driving from work, and I am more the worried every time I here the baby's heart rate slow down so much.  

I called my mom, who drove in to come into surgery, and an hour later my daughter was born.  My husband made it to the hospital in time to meet us coming out of recovery and was the second person to hold her.

Now I am not advocating for a c-section at all.  My decision to share this comes from a desire to share a positive birth story.  How could this be positive?  

I was not pressured at all.  They listened to my concerns and shared honestly with me.

I held and breastfed my daughter as soon as I was in recovery.  This hospital does not keep you separated for long at all. 

We were a family that was well taken care of.  They never, ever threatened to feed her formula, take her out of my room, or discouraged my from having her in the bed with me.  We could parent as we saw fit.

I had a very large support system around me the entire time and no one tried to change that.  Everyone was welcome to participate in my daughter's birth.

So, if your birth plan goes off the rails, don't live in fear that everything will go wrong, it could be more then OK!

[Viola]

Congratulations on your birth and your new little one!

[Italiamom]

Mommybaker, first off, congrats on your new little one! 

Also, thanks for sharing!  I think it's really great to see that thomgs were okay, even if they didn't go right according to plan.  I also think that hearing about hospitals that ARE respectful is important for mams to hear.  We get soooo many horror stories, so it's nice to have the affirmation that even if things aren't perfect, at least they were respectful of you!!

[Katie T]

COngrats and wonderful story. Thank you for sharing and helping other women see that every kind of birth can be a beautiful experience. Enjoy your little one! And healing vibes your way!

[PatchChild]

Lovely story. My DS was also a cs and I also don't have regrets. Smetimes, the best laid plans don't go the way you expect. Healthy mama, healthy baby, that's the best plan of all.