I first found out I was pregnant with my son on my three year wedding anniversary; we were so excited and looking forward to becoming parents. I was a carefree lady with very few opinions on pregnancy, birthing babies, or parenting at that point in my life. But I did have a medical background so I felt more knowledgeable than most first time mothers may have. I never really had a birthing plan, I just thought I would have this baby vaginally as so many women before me had. Easy, right? Wrong.
At my 20 week ultrasound, they mentioned that the baby was transverse (sideways). Not a big deal, the baby still had plenty of time and room to turn. Wrong again. A repeat ultrasound at 36 weeks showed that my stubborn son was very comfortable in the position he was in and had no plans of turning. When a baby is transverse, the most common presenting body part is their shoulder. I was scheduled for a c-section just in case he did not turn before his due date. This is when the research really started. Transverse babies are rare, like 1 in 400 babies are found in this malpresentation. Complications associated with transverse babies included obstructed labor, umbilical cord or hand prolapse, postpartum hemorrhage, birth trauma, and uterine rupture. All amazing things to think about with all of the hormones on board …
Then Comes the Surgery
I was scared and worried about having a major surgery, but I also understood that this was really my only option. This position is almost impossible to deliver vaginally and considering I did not have a proven pelvis this was my first child and delivery, well this is what I was stuck with. And you know what, other than having my c-section at 2:30 p.m because that was the only time I could be scheduled, it was amazing. I was awake and engaged during the surgery, my husband was able to see my son being born, I was able to hold him immediately, and nurse soon after delivery. Healthy baby and momma; all successful in my book.
Caesarean Sections, They Aren’t so Bad in my Book
I have nothing bad to say about c-sections; we may not choose them but they choose us. And I feel like this is truly for a reason. My C-section kept my baby and I alive and safe during the delivery. No. Questions. Asked. Anyway, I could try for a VBAC for my next birth; I was assured how rare the position was and that my next would more than likely not be in the same position. Wrong again. Turns out I have a minor uterine abnormality that keeps my baby from getting in formation position. Transverse babies for me, it is kind of like my thing.
My second c-section was even better than my first because we knew what to expect, and I was the first scheduled case of the day. Don’t get me wrong. I am not downplaying the complications associated with a major surgery, but I am confident that these risks to me and my unborn child are less than with me going into labor with a transverse baby. I just thank God every day that I am giving birth during a time when medical advances allow for me to give birth safely. It is my birth story; it is all that I know, and it will be repeated again in August. All I ask is do not rush to pass judgement when you hear someone has had C-sections, because you never really know why.
