C-Section Birth Stories: Audrey Nguyen

1. Please share the circumstances that led to your c-section birth(s):

During my entire pregnancy, I was planning on having a vaginal, unmedicated birth. I was really afraid of getting an epidural so I wanted to be as prepared as possible to go through the pain of childbirth without intervention. I hired a doula and did a lot of research on coping techniques. Then I got some unsettling news.

At my 36 week ultrasound, I found out that my baby girl was sitting breech in the womb. The doctors gave me two choices: try to turn the baby using an ECV (external cephalic version) or schedule a cesarean. I was deathly afraid of having a cesarean since I had never had surgery before but the ECV would involve getting an epidural and attempting to move the baby from the outside of my belly. I struggled with my choice, crying and wishing that my baby could just tell me what SHE wanted.

And that next day she did! After dinner, we were cleaning up and my water broke! We went to the hospital and found out that since I had just eaten a large meal I would need to wait 6 hours for the c-section. During those 6 hours, I labored without any pain medicine. Then at 2 am when my contractions were about 10 seconds apart, I was taken back to the operating room to finally meet my sweet perfect angel, Amelia Rose! She just couldn’t wait to meet her parents I guess!

2. What surprised you the most about having a c-section?:

I honestly didn’t do much research about c-sections because I was dead set on having a vaginal, unmedicated delivery. I was surprised to find out after the surgery that my abdomen would be numb for some time (maybe forever) because they had to cut through nerves when they made the incision. This is something that has left me feeling traumatized. I feel like a piece of my body was taken away and I feel angry that my doctors didn’t mention this when discussing the possibility of scheduling a c-section. Knowing ahead of time wouldn’t have changed the fact that I needed to get a c-section but I wish I had known to expect this.

3. What kind of support do you feel you received (from friends, family, healthcare team) after your c-section(s)?:

The hospital I delivered at was excellent! The staff was really friendly and always there to make me feel better. Plus, the food was awesome! I will be having my next baby there for sure. My doula was also an asset so if you can hire a doula I recommend it! My husband and I live in New Jersey but my whole family is in Maine and my husband’s whole family is in Vietnam. We also don’t have a ton of friends so we didn’t have much support during those difficult early days.

When we got home from the hospital my husband was the MVP! He took care of everything for the first 2 weeks: grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the dog, etc. I just focused on caring for Mia and he took care of me. I don’t know what I would do without him!

4. What’s your #1 piece of advice/encouragement for a new c-section mom?:

Take the time to rest and enjoy your baby! I’m usually a very productive person so this was something I struggled with. I thought that by 6 weeks postpartum I would be hitting it hard at the gym like I did before I got pregnant. I’m 12 weeks postpartum now (as of writing this) and can only manage to take a gentle daily walk for now since my incision is still sore. So if you don’t feel amazing at 6 or 8 weeks postpartum, don’t beat yourself up. You went through birthing your baby AND having major surgery. It’s going to take time to heal so give yourself that time without feeling guilty or like you need to get back to your “normal” self right away.

5. How do you believe having a c-section birth(s) made you stronger?:

I’ve always considered myself to be a bit of a wimp. Heck, before I got pregnant I was afraid of getting my blood drawn! So you can imagine how afraid I was of having the c-section. That night when my water broke though I felt that my daughter was encouraging me to face my fears. After all, I was asking her the day before what she thought I should do, and I truly believe she could sense my anxiety and decided to “help” me to face my fear. Now that I’ve gone through a c-section, I feel like a lot of things that used to “scare” me are going to seem so silly! If I could get through the thing I feared the most then there shouldn’t be anything else in this world that stops me in my tracks. I’m ready to take on the world and show my daughter how strong she has made me through this experience!

Name: Audrey Nguyen

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