Unexpected but Wonderful: My Caesarean Birth Story
By Stephanie Edwards
I gave birth to a baby girl named Ellie on November 2nd, 2020. My birth story turned out a bit different then I had originally planned, and planned I did. I had a deep fear of birth, not sure if it came from stories I had heard or what I saw on TV. All that I knew is I felt a deep fear in my body and I really wanted to overcome that fear before I gave birth. I practiced hypnobirthing, took birth preparation classes, hired a doula, did meditations, yoga, and listened to affirmations almost daily to feel mentally prepared. I had a well-thought out birth plan that was focused on “natural”, no pain medication, the freedom to move around the room, use water for comfort and birth in any position that felt right. Although my birth did not go as planned, like at all, I do believe all the prep work I did helped me fully surrender to the experience and let go of my fear.
My midwives had attempted four stretch and sweeps in the week leading up to the scheduled induction day, but I was not dilated enough for them to be successful. I had tried every folk tale to get things going naturally; acupuncture, red raspberry leaf tea, walking, bouncing on my yoga ball, stairs, sex, spicy foods, etc. But alas, Ellie was enjoying her time on the inside and was not eager at all to join us out here. On Saturday morning, at 41 weeks and 6 days I had my first prostaglandin gel induction. Mild contractions followed and we went back in for the second round that afternoon. The doctor told me I would more than likely go into active labour and have my baby that night, he said only 3% didn’t after the second induction.
That night around 4am, after labouring for 12 hours, my water broke. Our doula came over and we headed to the hospital. They confirmed my water had broken, but I was only 2 cm dilated, so I was not in active labour. After a few hours of monitoring they sent me home, with another induction scheduled that afternoon if things did not progress on their own. I laboured throughout the day and went back to the hospital for a third induction. I was only at 3cm dilated, the Doctor suggested oxytocin, I was afraid that it would make my contractions unbearable resulting in an epidural so I asked that they try prostaglandin one more time. After monitoring we went home again, with our doula heading to her home, as it had been a long haul and we weren’t showing signs of active labour yet.
As we approached our home my contractions started to feel different. The intensity seemed to skyrocket out of nowhere and I was now having a really hard time coping with the pain. After a few hours of challenging contractions every 5 mins, we headed back to the hospital. I was just barely 4 cm dilated, so even though everything felt so intense I was not in active labour. I was practically begging for pain relief at this point so I was given a gravol and morphine injection and nitrous oxide to inhale during contractions. The pain was so intense that I requested an epidural, as the other medications barely made a difference.
After a few hours in triage, I finally got into my own birthing room. I was given an epidural, which completely took the pain away. At this point it was Sunday night and I was exhausted. My husband slept in the corner while I lay on the table receiving oxytocin. The baby’s heart rate started to drop with the intense contractions, her head also started to be squished to a point. I was only 5 cm dilated and it was coming up to 24 hours since my water had broken. At this point my midwife warned me the OB might suggest a C-section. As I waited for the doctor I fully surrendered and even felt relieved at the thought of having the C-section, I was exhausted. When the OB came in to examine me, I felt safe. He was the same doctor who listened to me when I asked for another prostaglandin induction instead of oxytocin, the way he listened to me and let me decide without pushing it, made me trust in his care. I asked my midwife to wake up my husband, as I knew we were about to be told it was time to have a C-section.
I never thought I would have a Caesarean. It’s the one outcome I didn’t put much stock or preparation into. I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy and with my age and low risk I just never thought I would get to that point. I know that having an induction can increase the likelihood of Caesarean, but I still didn’t think it would be my outcome. I was proud of how I surrendered to the experience once I was there. I had been trying so hard throughout my pregnancy to control the outcome by preparing as much as I could. What a lesson I learned as I accepted each and every intervention I was trying so hard to avoid.
We were told it was time for a C-section, as the long stretch of strong contractions were starting to take their toll on our baby. My husband was very upset, it was a startling thing to hear after the long haul we went through and he was nervous that it meant we would not be okay. I was the one consoling him because I felt calm and trusting that everything was going to be fine. The actual experience is a bit of a blur, I was on a lot of pain meds and was very exhausted by this point. The room was very bright, my husband by my side and my midwife Helen was near as well. There were so many people in the room, I was laying arms stretched out to the sides, curtain up so I couldn’t see anything beyond my chest and I was completely numbed from my chest down. I never felt any pain, only pressure. I was very out of it from all the pain medication I had received in the last 8 hours so I just focused on my breathing and looked at the overhead lights. My husband was crying because he was so overwhelmed and I had to do my best not to cry as I was being operated on, not because I was sad or scared, but seeing Cameron cry made me want to cry out of empathy.
The doctor told me it was time for my big “push” to get the baby out. I felt an intense pressure in my abdomen, it felt like my lungs were being squished. Next thing I know the baby was out! The anesthesiologist was a very happy guy, he kept popping out from behind the curtain to talk to us in an excited manner, he was the one to tell us we had a baby girl. Cam went with the nurse and midwife to see the baby while they closed me up, by this point it was 5:47am on Monday morning. She was 9 lbs 4 oz and healthy as could be. They brought her over to me so I could hold her after she was cleaned off. I was scared I would drop her as I felt so weak. I asked that people stay close just in case, so they did. Ellie had a little cut on the side of her face from the caesarean incision, the nurse told me it happens sometimes and would probably not scar long term as she was so young. They took her to be looked at by the pediatrician and wheeled me into the recovery room.
After Ellie’s wound was closed up with some surgical tape, she and Cam joined me. Ellie was placed on my breast and latched right away. It was a magical moment. After the recovery room we were brought to our private hospital room where we would spend the next few days. I had a catheter and an IV and was super out of it. Cam helped a lot with Ellie while I was numb and bed ridden for the next day. By the time we left the hospital on Wednesday afternoon I was feeling much better and was very ready to get home with our baby girl and start our lives together. Even though my birth was nothing like I imagined, it was an extremely positive experience.
Hi, I’m Stephanie Edwards! I am a new mom living in Coquitlam, BC with my Husband Cameron and Daughter Ellie. I am also a Reiki Master, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Health Coach; with a background in Human Resources and Administration. You can find me at @holisticabundance if you would like to connect!
