Did you know that April is c section awareness month? When I found out Isabelle was going to be born via c section, I was devastated. Katie was born vaginally and I expected Isabelle to be as well. We first discovered that Isabelle was breech at 33 weeks and the doctors kept telling me there was still “plenty of time.”
The doctors kept telling me there was still “plenty of time.”
I started doing yoga moves that anecdotally have gotten babies to flip and spent a lot of time crawling around on all fours. Around 35 weeks I went and tried #acupuncture and #moxibustion (a procedure also known to get babies to flip.) I felt some attempts, but no full flip and Isabelle was running out of room. At 37 weeks the doctors attempted a breech version. It was more painful than both my vaginal birth and my c section, and Isabelle still wouldn’t budge.
At 37 weeks the doctors attempted a breech version.
At this point I was done trying. The doctors wanted to do one more version attempt a week later and I said no. I felt like I had tried everything and was done forcing it. I was also given the option to meet with a doctor who would deliver breech. Jason and I discussed it in length, but after losing my second pregnancy, and spending much of the third pregnancy worrying about losing Isabelle (bleeding, early labor, effacing 30% at 22 weeks… it was a really difficult pregnancy), we decided that a c section was the best option for us.
We decided that a c section was the best option for us.
A breech delivery gave me too much anxiety, but I did appreciate having options. A lot of women are NOT given options when they are told they need a c section and the US has the highest c section rate of all developed countries – at 33%. Whether it’s because your baby is breech, your labor is getting long, or your water broke, doctors are often quick to say a c section is the only option. Remember that you do have other options, and do what you feel is the best decision for you and your family.
The US has the highest c section rate of all developed countries – at 33%.
Be loud, the squeaky wheel gets greased. Do your research, get a second opinion. A c section is a major abdominal surgery and recovery is not easy. Yes, you will get through it if it happens, but remember that in very few cases is a c section the only option. #csectionawareness
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