C-Sections: The Births of All My Children

I had five easy, non-sick pregnancies. I had one major glitch with Joe for about a week, but otherwise, I never threw up, felt great and exercised through them all. But did you know I had five c-sections?

A conversation on twitter made me reflect on a little story about the births of my babies. This woman was surprised that somebody had so many c-sections because she thought three was the limit. She had a friend who already had a few and wants to have another baby, but her doctor told her no. I said that my youngest baby was 17 and didn’t know her medical situation, but I would have thought nowadays that things were different. A lot has changed in the medical community in 34 years since I had my first, but my story is about God having the final answer. This is one of the stories of my life why I believe …

Christine: An Emergency C-Section

When I was pregnant with Christine, I found out near the end that she was breech. She wanted to come out by her feet, and we were hoping for her to turn around at the last minute. I never made it that long because the morning after that visit, I woke up with contractions. At the hospital, in the middle of labor, they whisked me down to get an x-ray. Is that dangerous, you ask? Yes, even 34 years ago, they knew it was dangerous. The technician didn’t want to do it because of the risk, but they convinced him time was of the essence and it had to be done. They had to check on the position of the baby.

Well, she wanted to come out sideways via her butt, and that was not physically possible. As I was knee deep in contractions, I was told that I would need an emergency c-section.

They knocked me out, and Christine was born! Woohoo! My first baby was born and I was home doing laundry a few days later. Recovery was easy.

Arthur Henry

Here we were in 1988, and I am pregnant with Artie. I would be in the V-BAC (vaginal birth after a c-section) category. I could possibly have a vaginal birth, but all would depend on the course of the pregnancy. Needless to say, I was watched closely. I had a wide pelvis, so it looked good, but we would have to wait and see. As time went on through the pregnancy, his size became a factor. His head was so huge that they were concerned he would way at least 10 pounds, and a vaginal birth became less and less likely. I was only 34 weeks pregnant, and his head was the size of a 40-week fetus.

My c-section was scheduled and although his head was rather large, (and still is), he only weighed 8 lbs. They may have been wrong about his size, but I will tell you that he did have a huge head. When he would try and sit up, his head would sway to one side and BOOM – that noggin would take him down. Even as he grew up, he had helmets special ordered for whatever sports he played.

After Artie’s birth, they told me that I was 100% effaced and about to go into labor when they did the c-section. Because of this; my uterus was thin, and there wasn’t enough to double stitch me closed the way they usually would. Having another baby wasn’t highly recommended for me, but if I did, I would have to be careful and should tie my tubes afterward. Went home a few days later and recovery was a piece of cake.

Roberta Frances

A little more than a year later, I am pregnant again! No chance of vaginal birth, but they were going to keep an eye on me as I grew. We had to be careful of the area of incision because it was so thin. All went well, and there were no problems. Easy breezy! She was scheduled, and my OBGYN wanted to tie my tubes after her birth. I said no. I was only 28 and would not make that decision at such a young age. Again, they told me the uterine wall was so thin that they didn’t think I should have any more kids; my uterus would never heal. More than three c-sections was not recommended for anyone back in 1990. Oh well!

Truthfully, I guess I ignored it because I never thought anything of the warnings. I went about my life and there was never a thought of NOT having more children. I had always dreamed of having 6 – I grew up watching The Brady Bunch and was heading in that direction. BTW, the recovery from Roberta was not so easy! I couldn’t stand up straight for weeks, and I had such bad night sweats that my weight went down to 102 pounds, so they checked me for Tuberculosis. 

Isabella Rose

Nine years later, I am pregnant with my Bella. My doctor tells me again; I had to be careful, and still, they wanted to tie my tubes after the c-section. This mom didn’t even want to hear about it, but they never relented the whole pregnancy. I continued to blow them off, right up until the day of my surgery. While I was laying on the operating table, I made a deal with the doc … I told him that when he cut me open if he genuinely felt I could not have any more kids, then I would agree to the tubal ligation, but he had to be honest with me.

When it was all over, do you know what he told me? He put his hand on mine and with a smile on his face, told me my uterus looked good as new, and it was as if I never had any kids. That was my fourth c-section, and he said I could have more children. All I could do was smile back at him, say thank you for doing such a great job, and think to myself … wow, miracles do occur. God has his own plan!  I gave him all the credit.

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

My Final C-Section & Thoughts 

Maybe it was that I waited for nine years? But I never thought so, not for one minute. The doctor had told me during our ongoing back and forth over the course of my pregnancy with Isabella that it didn’t matter how long I had waited, my uterus would never heal. But doctors don’t know everything, sometimes God has the last word.

God must have been whispering in my ear the whole time. It’s the only reason I can think of why I never paid any mind to their recommendations. I never even worried whether I could have a problem carrying them – I just did it.

After Joe, I did get my tubes tied. He was my fifth and final c-section I didn’t know what to expect having a child with Down Syndrome … along with a toddler, an adolescent, and two teens. It was enough, but I will tell you – physically, I could have had another. So grateful I went with my heart because everyone is grown. Now, I wish time would just stand still!

Have you ever experienced your own little miracle? I would love to hear about it!

With love and gratitude for all my blessings,

Sandy

#enlighten #empower #inspire #educate and please #BeKind