Today was a speedy class because one of our classmates is in labour and Lucia had to head out to support her. She is 40 weeks today. She was VERY ready to meet her baby and has been hoping labour would start sooner than later. I saw her today at the doctor's office and she was still status quo, but by the time I got to class at 7pm she was heading for the hospital. How exciting!
The info part of today's class was a video of a c-section. I had a lot of trouble watching. I felt stressed, tense, and upset. I felt bad subjecting Wee3 to those stress hormones. There were two aspects to my feelings. The first was empathy for the baby and mother. The film didn't even show the mother's face until right at the end. All we saw was the surgical site. I felt terrible that she was so detached from what was happening. I know that in some hospitals they will lower the drape so Mom can see the baby emerge. Then I felt bad for the baby who was pulled out, immediately detached from his/her lifeline and mother, handed to a stranger, suctioned, scrubbed clean, left laying alone between procedures. I longed on behalf of that baby for some skin-to-skin contact, some warmth, some familiarity. What an abrupt and I'd imagine frightening transition to this world! The other reason I got upset was thinking about how things could be for me and my baby if we ended up needing a surgical delivery. I asked Dr. Lopez a little about it today; in particular whether Andrew could be in the OR during surgery. He said he would have no problem with it but hospital policy is no. He did say that it might be possible to request an exception. The idea of undergoing emergency surgery all alone upsets me greatly. I know that I would cope by detaching emotionally and I don't know how easy it would be to re-engage and bond with our new baby. And the idea that Andrew wouldn't be there to hold my hand and then advocate for the baby... turns my stomach.
These are things that we will address during our meeting with our attendants so we can have as much influence as possible on procedures and protocols, and provide our baby with as gentle a birth as possible under the circumstances. Until then I won't stress about it. But I do want to address it so that we can have an opportunity to choose where choice exists.
The Willms Kids Christmas Production
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The kids and I had a birthday party for Jesus on Friday, and they were
willing to be cast in a variety of roles in an in-house nativity
production. I had f...
14 years ago
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insist! the policy at muguerza was only one person in the delivery room. But my mom protested loudly that she didn't come all this way to sit in the waiting room, and the dr helped on our behalf, and the hospital administrator did give in rather quickly (although what do i know, i was in labor!). you're a foreigner, and as you know, the kindhearted mexican "aim to please". You're in my thoughts!
ReplyDeleteDana, I know a C-section is far from natural but I have to say that I had a good experience with it, not that I know any different. If Gary hadn't been there, it def. would not be a good experience. It would have been scary and I would've been so sad that he would've missed it...it helped that he knew exactly what I went through. However, the doctors, nurses and Gary all kept me so informed of everything from beginning to end and Gary was able to watch and be part of it. I could still feel (not pain, just stretching) the baby coming out, especially his torso so that was very emotional for me. As for Koen, I'm sure any time you leave the comfort of the uterus, its a frightening transition although I can def. see that a C-section is a very fast tranisition and therefore prob. more stressful for the baby, although I know nothing about this.
ReplyDeleteI will say nothing good about the recovery though because it is no fun at all.
I am praying that you will have a labour and delivery that is everything you hope and dream of and more. If our hospital had it, and I was able to get Kai out vaginally, I would've loved a water birth. I think it would just feel so right.