A positive planned c section: Bodie’s birth story
My pregnancy was fairly ‘smooth’. I didn’t have much morning sickness and enjoyed most of it. During the last few months I had a really sore back and it was difficult to sleep however I found that yoga helped a lot. I had been very anxious about giving birth for years - so this was my main focus and I read up on all my options. Having a planned Caesarean section was something I wanted to explore.
After choosing to have a planned section I felt a lot of relief but also wanted to hear stories and prepare myself for what it was actually going to be like. We had a date booked in, which is very strange but also quite exciting! We had our birth plan notes and speaker for music and these things really helped calm me down.
Everything then happened very quickly - within 10/15 minutes my baby was born and I could hear him crying, it was amazing. They took him to be cleaned which felt like a really long time but may have only been minutes. In our birth plan we had asked for skin to skin immediately and to cut the cord however nobody asked us at the time and so looking back we should have been more vocal about that. But once he was on my chest looking at me it didn’t matter. He was perfect! It was so magical. The team were really great and when I found the next bit painful or uncomfortable - they gave me pain relief to help.
My husband took some videos and photos which we have to look back on which I’m so grateful for.
All in all, it went very well and I’m so pleased that I decided to do it my way.
The first time I saw Bodie I was uncontrollably crying and felt ecstatic! It was truly magical.
The first night was a little tough, but then there is something quite natural that happens which enables you to adapt. It’s definitely tough but you soon realise that every day it gets a little easier. Recovery from my C section was slightly frustrating as I couldn’t do much and was very reliant on my husband. He did a lot at night time in the first week or so - changing nappies and helping pass the baby to me. It’s remarkable how the toughest moments were shadowed by the love for our baby - looking at his face all day really helped - luckily he’s a cutie!
I would really recommend the HPHB antenatal course. We definitely wanted to meet other parents who lived nearby and having a WhatsApp group provides lots of additional support. The course is really manageable and covers a lot.
Top Tips:
Don’t buy any clothes! You’ll be gifted so many.
Enjoy your time alone with partner beforehand.
Don’t worry about pressure around ‘natural’ births or breastfeeding - just do what feels right to you.
Don’t try to plan too far ahead, take each day as it comes.
