When you know you will have to have a csection.. how do you stll keep your pregnancy feeling like...

[Michelle Renee]

Morning Momma's...

For now Im going to skip the back story.. but I am newly pregnant with a surprise #3...7 weeks 2 days and I am 99% sure I will be headed for a cesarean.  I had a really bad induction with DD1 and midwife/doula attended hospital birth ending in cesarean for DD2.

I have several high risk factors and for being 7 weeks pregnant, I have already had 3 appointments and one ultrasound.   They have me on a 2-3 OB schedule.

This pregnancy is so so different.  It wasn't planned or calculated as my other 2 were.   Wanted fiercely by me. but not planned.  Before, with my girls, we were planning the pregnancy - I had things in place and my mind was in this place of "pregnancy is beautiful and natural".  This feels so different.  I think half of it is my husband was not on board but is coming around and the other half is I feel like I lose all voice the last month or so of my pregnancy.  The extremely short version of my story is I am prone to anaphalaxis /extreme swelling at all times due to physical pressure.  Well.. carrying a baby causes a lot of physical pressure and can cause me some serious health issues...   (Part of the reason we had a csection with #2 was my cervix swelled shut from the pressure of her descending)  It is an autoimmune disorder.  I am also 36.

With my first daughter, we took Bradley classes and I had such a good mind space about pregnancy.  With my second, very similar.. I felt more armed and even more informed to have a better birth and then my body.. well it did not cooperate.   So this time, with number 3, I think I would be better off accepting my limits and working within them but I don't know how to do that w/o feeling like I have an illness.     

For the record, this pregnancy so far is going well for me.  I had to go off my ADD meds and am hugely struggling with lethargy, weight gain, and insane hunger (3 years being on stimulants and then just stopping is HELL) but otherwise Im okay.

Does any of this make sense?  How do you keep the strong woman, happy pregnancy vibe going when even if you feel mostly healthy, you have to have constant medical care?

I am so glad this forum is finally here.. I feel like I can talk without being lectured.

[McGucks]

First of all, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your pregnancy!

I hear you on the stopping meds...that can be a very tough thing to do without being able to wean.  Will PM you on that note.

Most women describe their successive pregnancies as being different.  Part of the fun, right?

I am glad you have good medical care professionals who you trust.  For me, that was a very important part of feeling okay during my high-risk pregnancy.  I am definitely not one who "trusts my body" as I've heard other moms describe.  My best advice to you would be to surround yourself with as much positivity and support as you can, whether it be family, friends, or groups that help you feel good about your situation and choices. 

Good luck!

[MaryLang]

Congratulations!!! Sounds like you have a lot going on at the same time. I just wanted to say that even with all the extra medical care you can still do some natural things to support your body during this time. In fact there's a thread about it with lots of good ideas.

[hildare]

can you research "family friendly" c-birth options?  there are lots of little things you can add to make your birth a very special experience- music, skin-to-skin, i did a birthing bead request from my friends, and would get little packages in the mail, which really helped me put a positive spin on things (though i didn't necessarily know i was going to have a second c at the time). 

[fayebond]

Congrats on begin pregnant!  

Your birth will be always be special to you because your baby is special.  It sounds like you have a good caregiver team (or are looking at one), which is SO important.  There are lots of options for a "family friendly" CS, like music, taking pictures, video, have someone there to hold your hand, watch the baby be born, etc: ask your docs, they will probably appreciate that you care about the baby and want it to be special too.

After my CS the most wonderful thing was skin-on-skin.  Absolutely hands down the best part of the day.  It wasn't right away but you can talk to your doctor about that, some let you touch baby right away.  Baby roomed in too, which made it feel more secure and comfortable for me while I recovered.

[LitMom]

In some ways, I found going into birth knowing it would be a c-section to be much less stressful than going into a planned natural birth worrying that it would turn into a c-section. I would say look into making it as mama- and baby-friendly a birth as you can. Talk about nursing soon after delivery, what your partner/husband want to do during the c-section, holding the baby right away. Prepare anything you can to make life easier afterward in terms of food, friends to watch the older siblings, etc. What was helpful to have last time around that you didn't anticipate? The boppy was invaluable for me after a c, to get the baby up off the incision for nursing. And congrats! My daughter thinks it's funny, by the way, that she was born "butt first right out of Mama's belly." I have no regrets about either birth-c-section and VBAC.