C-Section Birth Stories: Miranda Cram
1. Briefly, please share the circumstances that led to your c-section birth(s):
My water broke at home at thirty-eight weeks. I literally couldn’t believe it! My midwife told me to monitor baby movements but there was nothing. Nothing for almost two hours. I was planning on having our daughter at home, but my midwife told us to go to the emergency room to get her checked out and that we’d be in and out. Little did I know, our daughter would be in our arms that night. Hours later, we got her biophysical profile and she scored a two out of ten. The option of having her at home was completely gone. They told us she would not be strong enough for birth and that a c-section was the best option. Everything from that moment forward was a trip. I knew ZERO things about having a baby in the hospital so every step was something new for us. Just a few hours later I was holding my little eight-pound baby!
Written four days postpartum: Our sweet Phoenix was nothing but a true angel and everything felt almost like rainbows and butterflies. I was recovering from the c-section very fast and was feeling really good. Everything was perfect and then it all hit me. The birth I had always pictured didn’t happen. Nine months of preparation for an unmedicated, at-home birth was gone so fast. Choosing a home birth had almost become my identity and was taken away quickly. My beautiful healthy baby girl was in my arms though and that’s all that truly matters. So how could I feel this sense of loss, this sense of feeling so defeated? I felt like I let myself and my daughter down because I didn’t have the ‘natural birth’ I had always imagined. I was overwhelmed with the feeling of confusion. How could I be so overjoyed but also so let down at the same time? Motherhood for me is learning to understand and believe that our birth story is just as beautiful and perfect as any other or how I had envisioned it for months. I’m soaking in every moment like this, wrapped in my girdle healing from surgery, breastfeeding our amazing daughter, and sobbing my eyes out because motherhood is intensely beautiful.
2. What surprised you the most about having a c-section?:
How fast it all happened, the crazy amount of pressure there was, and how it felt like my entire body was being shaken all around on the table!
3. What kind of support do you feel you received (from friends, family, healthcare team) after your c-section(s)?:
My parents drove down and made it in time to see me a few hours before my surgery, and then my mom stayed with us for almost two weeks - helping around with literally anything I needed. At one point, she was on her hands and knees scrubbing my kitchen floors!
4. What’s your #1 piece of advice/encouragement for a new c-section mom?:
Listen to your body postpartum. Don’t push yourself and be in tune with your body. You are strong, never forget that.
5. How do you believe having a c-section birth(s) made you stronger?:
I was forced to allow my body to heal in a way I never imagined. My body healed surprisingly very fast and seeing my body accept the scar and pain and not let that stop me or take away from my birth story truly amazed and still amazes me!
Name: Miranda Cram
How to Connect With You on Social Media: @browngirlinawhiteworld