To posh to push

If you pick up a pregnancy magazine look on blogs about having babies you won’t be able to miss the talk about the ever increasing C-section rate in western countries. And frankly as a woman who has bought two bonnie babes in this world via the help of a C-section I am tired of being made to feel guilty about my choice to have C-sections because whilst mine were both emergency C-sections there are the diehard natural birthers out there that would continue to refuse. Certainly the second time I was hell bent on a natural birth and I did all the prep, kept fit, hypno birthing classes, herbs from the naturopath , acupuncture but in the end of four days of spurious labour (it stops and starts) very little sleep or food and unexplained bleeding I was relieved when I was being rolled into theatre. When my girl was placed on my chest it was one of the most incredible moments of my life. The whole world melted away and the only three people were me my husband and our new little girl.

I have often heard women who gave birth naturally that it was an amazing experience, and I’m sure for a lot of women it is. But let’s be honest I have spoken to women who have had difficult natural births and I have to say third degree tears don’t sound like a whole lot of fun. Also even thought I was exhausted and doped up on pain I have very vivid memories of both my children’s births. I can’t accurately describe those moments without using words like, amazing, incredible and overwhelming. Because meeting your new little person is all of those things regardless of who is in the room and what the lighting is like.

After my son was born when a friend come to visit she asked ‘what would have happened if you hadn’t had the C-section’ my mother piped in with ‘they would have died’ and while perhaps a tad dramatic yes it is likely to think that my 4.6kg baby may have got into real trouble had we had continued to try and have a natural birth.

The rising C-section rate is constantly being quoted and how it is so much higher than the world heath originations recommended but what doesn’t seem to get mention is the very low rates of maternal deaths in our country and the amazing out comes for prem babies.

I don’t think women should be made to feel scared to have natural births, I think that if you can have a drug free birth then that’s great for you. But it does not make you a better person, a better mother,  you and your child will not have a better relationship because you pushed them out. I am not disputing that there can be health benefits to a natural birth but C-section are a vital tool to delivering health babies and women shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for having them. Because I tell you what really messes with a new mum is feeling that she got it wrong from the moment her baby was born.

So this time around I am happy to book in for my C-section. I am now looking at the positives of a C-section and I am even enjoying the idea that I will know when the big day is. I don’t feel that I need to or should have to explain myself. My decision was made with careful research, talking to my doctor and my husband.  We are now planning to welcome our third child into the world, a moment I know will be overwhelmingly amazing.