Every birth story is unique.
Their perspectives may all be different but each one powerfully illustrates the emotion and beauty of giving birth.
I had the worst childbirth phobia of anyone I knew.
The very thought made my pulse speed up.
Birth stories made me clammy.
I hated labor and delivery scenes in movies.
When I imagined my own delivery doomsday, I expected panic, desperation and lingering trauma.
So I scheduled an electiveC-section.
I started my C-section fund with a chunk of change earned on a big freelance project.
This plan felt right from day one.
I enjoyed my pregnancy.
I looked forward to my boys birthday.
If Id been anticipating labor, I would have wasted those months envisioning nightmare scenarios and surviving panic attacks.
This baby isnt going to wait five days, she said.
I was three centimeters dilated and my cervix was thinning.
More in This Series
Id rather drop a toaster into my bathwater,I thought.
But I said politely, It would have to be really,reallyeasy.
And that wouldnt happen, because first-time labors are always long and hard.
Because no one gets through labor without feeling like theyve gone through a physical and emotional meat grinder.
At 3:30 the next morning, I woke up and visited the bathroom.
The little cramps continued every two to three minutes, getting stronger over the next hour.
I woke my husband who sprang into actiongetting our hospital bags, but I hesitated.
No way this was active labor; it felt no worse than Aunt Flo.
But the cramps came so regularly that I went downstairs to shower, just in case.
Well, all right,I thought.Hospital time.
Contractions intensified during the forty-minute drive, and I expected to be in an operating room soon.
I recall rocking back and forth at one point to give myself something else to focus on.
I expected the nurse to tell me I was at four or five centimeters.
Her eyebrows shot up and she turned a shocked expression to a second nurse.
Shes at seven centimeters, she said quietly, with apaper-thin cervix.
I became an object of fascination to everyone in the room.
Are you sure you dont want to tryvaginal delivery?
It did seem perfect, even to me.
More than halfway dilated in three hours?
All the way to seven centimeters with zero emotional breakdowns?
I could keep my sanityandskip the whole major surgery thing?
The anesthesiologist placed the needle and had me roll over.
But it was already gone.
I couldnt believe Id made this decision.
I couldnt believe Id gotten this far into labor without feeling that I was suffering.
Wow, the doctor said.
That was a great push.
Im aware that I was incredibly fortunate to have an easy labor.
But my positive experience was due to more than just a fast progression.
The doctors and nurses who respected my choices played a huge part in my birth story.
If my doctor had refused to schedule a C-section, I would have suffered nine months of anxiety.
I vaguely registered someone saying, Here he is!
A pause, then, Rachel, look!
I took my son in my arms and said hello.
He turned toward the sound of my voice, which melted my heart on the spot.
As I peered into his curious blue eyes, there was no more room for fear.
There was only excitement about my boys crazy, incredible birthday, and all the parenting adventures to come.
just whitelist our site to get all the best deals and offers from our partners.
