IS A CAESAREAN SECTION (CS) A SUPERNATURAL CHILDBIRTH?

Prenatal period
Today, my second daughter turns five. It was a pregnancy I really enjoyed. I felt beautiful, was very active, and since it was during COVID, many people didn’t see me pregnant and were in disbelief when they saw a baby.  For me, when the lockdown happened, it was a blessing in disguise. I appreciated the time to rest and be with my older daughter, the gift that lockdown gave me.

I was four days late, so on a Sunday morning, I called my mom to pray with me. Even before I could tell her that I had seen one of the signs of true labor (bloody mucus), she spoke to my unborn child to come out and said, “Today is a good day!”

The previous day, one of my long-time friends came to visit from a nearby town. She didn’t want to miss seeing me pregnant. I jokingly told her to come with the labor anointing now that she would finally see me pregnant. The next day was her anniversary, and I told her it would be great for my baby to be born on her anniversary and sure enough, it happened.

Labor
I let my doctor know, and he confirmed it was a true sign of labor and told me to prepare to go to the hospital. Since it was a Sunday, my husband left for church where he was scheduled to preach that day.  I had requested a friend who is a midwife in a busy hospital to accompany me to the hospital and through the labor process, because my baby had a cord in the neck(nuchal code), and I had declined my doctor’s proposal to do an elective CS a week earlier. I feared having a Cesarean Section.

My friend came really fast. She found me ready and in almost active labor, which I managed with a lot of grace at home as I waited for my husband to come from church. She began to monitor my contractions. By the time we left for the hospital, they were two minutes, 

By the time I got to the hospital, I was overjoyed to be told by the nurse that I was almost fully dilated and would have my baby in 30 minutes. They took the baby’s clothes. Since my doctor (gyna/obs) was in another surgery, he asked another doctor (gyn/obs) to stand in for him. (It’s funny during my first baby, this is the doctor who walked with me, but he wasn’t available on my birth date, and I had to find my current gyn/obs.)

I was happy and looking forward to receiving my baby. The caterer even took my food order, and I was looking forward to eating my favorite food, chapati and chicken stew, in a few minutes. This time, the labor pain felt more manageable than with my first pregnancy. I was the only patient in the hospital, so I received attention from two nurses, my midwife friend, and the doctor.

But to my surprise, my doctor finished his surgery and found me still in labor there had been no progress one hour later. He could see I struggled with CS, but he said, “Eva, let’s give this 30 more minutes. If there’s still no progress, we’ll have to do a CS.” Remember, my baby has a cord around the neck. However, had in mind that CS was a possibility and the hospital was also prepared, the theater nurse was on standby.  When I got to the hospital, the nurse showed me two post-delivery rooms I could stay in one fancy private room upstairs if I delivered normally, and another in case the birth was through CS.

After 30 minutes, my doctor called my friend whom he recognized from the busy hospital and told her, “Sister, please examine Eva. I don’t want her to feel like we are taking her through an unnecessary CS.”

After my friend examined me, even before she could talk to me to accept the CS, I could tell it from her face. She told me that CS was the safest way to deliver my baby, as she was in OPP (occiput posterior position) and had a cord around the neck.

Birth
The next thing was signing the forms to go to the theatre. You know, it felt like a 50/50 life situation. I just cried in agony. I felt so sad, I had really been trusting God for a normal birth. I had walked a lot during pregnancy, including the previous day, to enhance a smooth labor. I felt sad for having labored all the way to 8cm and now going to the theatre.

As they took me on the trolley to the theatre, I was crying from the labor pains and what felt like double pain labor and now the reality of a CS wound. From what I had heard from friends, it’s painful. But it’s different when you experience it. I feel like you only really relate when it becomes your body’s experience.

Anyway, my baby was finally born four hours after I arrived at the hospital. Unlike with my first baby where I prayed for a long time after her delivery with my second baby, only quiet tears and prayers came out when they showed her to me. They had to attend to her as she was in a bit of distress. I saw her after about an hour, but she was already with her dad and two friends.

The second friend who came when I was being taken to the theatre is very special she is the owner of the hospital. Since our insurance wouldn’t cover the doctors’ fees, she gave us a big gift to pay for the anesthetist, (gyn/obs) and pediatrician. It’s the first time I've received such a huge gift from someone. God bless her.

From my experience, what I found most difficult was the pain after the first 6 hours, when you need to make your first move. It took me about 20 minutes just to sit up and walk to the bathroom. The healing process of a CS say the first 3 weeks for me was hard, where laughing or sneezing brought pain.

Postnatal period
In my postnatal period, I was grateful I had a healthy baby and a lot of support from friends and family who visited me at the hospital and at home. However, I struggled to accept that I went through a CS. I felt a bit disappointed because I had really prayed for a normal birth. It took some talking with three close friends at different times and also with my doctor to finally see that it was a miracle my baby turned out okay, and that even a little delay in the labor process could have affected her.

I shared this story to show how the labor process can change and what that can mean to a woman. It is even more difficult for women who go through CS and lose their baby. Or for those who experience delayed and mismanaged labour that leads to cerebral palsy. 

Hugs to all CS moms. In the end, I see that every birth is supernatural. A happy 5th birthday to my little princess. I will miss spending this day with her, as I am attending an international conference for women theologians where I am presenting a paper and thinking through sustainable justice in gender equality.