Csection birth can be just as positive a birth outcome, if you feel listened to and fully supported.
I just wanted to send you a very belated email to let you know about how our birth went! So sorry for the delay, its been a busy few weeks, haha!!
On the 13th September we had a little boy called Gabriel by caesarean.
We went in on 8th to be induced due to my gestational diabetes. I was hoping so much that things would start naturally, but this wasn’t to be. That said, all the help and support we had from you about the induction process was absolutely invaluable and made me feel so much calmer throughout.
Having a better understanding of what was happening helped immensely. In particular knowing about the Bishops Score and what it meant was so useful. I’ve passed that info onto so many people…including telling other women on the ward at the hospital!
Unfortunately, as you said may be the case, the induction didn’t work for us. We had the pessary and gel but they couldn’t break my waters. The doctors were really honest with us saying that the drip might cause me and the baby distress, but in their opinion, in all likelihood wouldn’t work.
My original examinations and Bishops Score were unfortunately not right and were higher than they should have been. So when I was retold it, now on the labour ward, it was actually only 3!
Changing Our Birth Plans – Our Positive CSection Birth
We then decided to have an emergency but planned caesarean before it became a genuine emergency procedure.
I was really sad at first as I’d had my heart set on a natural birth despite the induction. However, the experience far surpassed my expectations!
The surgical team at Stoke Mandeville were incredible, so friendly and chatty putting us at total ease and talked us through every stage. They paid total attention to our wishes and birth plan (I’d followed your advice and written a ‘plan B’ caesarean birth plan just in case). Our section birth was great, not at all as I had imagined.O
Gabriel was almost 9lbs when born and is such a beautiful happy baby.
Thank you so much for all your help and support. Everything we learnt from you was so helpful and used across the 9 days we were in the hospital – for all of the highs and the lows!
You took extra time to really ensure our concerns were addressed and we felt prepared and informed.
I am so happy to share my positive caesarean birth story with everyone. Despite being so focussed on wanting a natural birth, it really was everything I had hoped for and I am so proud of myself. There seems to be a lot of shame around csection birth, I’ve heard people say you aren’t doing it properly. If you are bringing a baby into the world, it is birth.