I, like I imagine so many women, had envisioned a natural home-birth with minimal medical intervention. I had my son during the first lockdown so for me, at the time, home felt like the safest place to have my baby. I had my birth pool hired, the local home birth team on stand-by and I was working my way through my hypnobirthing course nightly in the bath.
But like many things in life, things don’t always go according to plan…
An unexpected Easter weekend
My son Hamish decided to make a surprise appearance six weeks early, on the Easter weekend of 2020. And to top it off, he was breech at 34 weeks, which meant that I would need an emergency c-section.
I arrived at hospital, 10 centimetres dilated with my waters fully broken. I was in such a state of shock that I don’t think I fully registered what was going on. I remember the consultant telling me that things were going to move along very fast but that I was in the best care. I remember my husband gowning up in blue scrubs. I remember there being so many people in the room. I remember thinking, my life is about to change forever.
It was a somewhat out of body experience. So far from what I had imagined my birth to look like but I remember feeling so safe and knowing we were exactly where we needed to be.
There wasn’t time for the birthing playlist I had painstakingly made to be connected. It all happened so quickly and in the end all I wanted to hear was a healthy baby taking his first breaths.
Despite the circumstances, the birth was magical in its own way. The medical team was so incredibly supportive and reassuring, and the surgery itself was quick and painless. Within moments, I heard my son’s first cry, and tears of joy streamed down my face. A moment I’ll never forget.
Looking back, I realise that there was no rhyme or reason for his early arrival. His healthy weight of 6.8 lbs led the consultant to question whether my dates were wrong, but they weren’t. I now know that Hamish was simply eager to join the world and experience all that it has to offer.
Both Hamish and I were in hospital for the next two weeks following his arrival whilst his little lungs developed and he recovered from jaundice. I suppose because of the extended time I was in hospital I didn’t have a typical c-section recovery. I was fortunate enough to have the help of the nursery staff to help me in those early weeks. I didn’t spend enough time resting in the weeks that followed and that led to me experiencing some abdominal pain when I’d over exerted myself.
My advice for recovery:
- Rest, rest, rest. Let your magnificent body heal. Get help where you need it.
- Invest in some good quality big knickers that cover your scar area and that don’t aggregate it.
- Care for your scar. I massaged Rosehip oil into my scar but there are so many incredible products out there to help aid scar recovery.
- Speak to your GP if you ever have any concerns.
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Header image by Hatch
