C-Section Birth Stories: Miranda Lutterman

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

Umbilical Cord Prolapse. My son’s heart rate was dropping scary low and the OB insisted she check me one last time. I was 10 centimeters and ready to push when the OB called “OR STAT” to her staff. Eight minutes later, I heard my baby boy cry.

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

How traumatic it was and still is. I am still struggling with post-traumatic feelings almost 5 months later. I felt everything - the pushing, the pulling, the scalpel. I am a nurse, so I knew exactly what was going on and why it was happening. I also felt that I didn’t have a “birth” and I kept correcting people immediately after that I had a c-section, not birth. When I look back, I wish I would have given myself more credit for my role my body had to endure. I am also surprised at how long healing took. I’m still healing and still figuring out what hurts my scar and what doesn’t.

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

We live away from family and my husband was deployed after the birth (he got to come home for a short 2 weeks to welcome our son, I am extremely blessed). My family came down in separate shifts and it was amazing. Without friends and family, I would not have been able to make it through the first couple of weeks if it were not for them.

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

Give yourself grace. You are a human being too, you went through a major surgery AND you are in the first few weeks with a newborn. Give yourself some slack, in all aspects of your life.

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

Having an emergency c-section, healing from that, and solo parenting was no joke. But I lived through it all. I feel so empowered as a mom and myself to be able to live and thrive through that.

Name: Miranda Lutterman

Your Profession: Registered Nurse

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