Squishy Foods, Shower Curtains and Safety First: My Birth Story

Annelise just a few hours old.
Annelise just a few hours old

From the moment you find out you are pregnant you just can’t wait for that first trimester to be over. You want to get in to the “safe window” where the stats of most of the bad things drop. This was not the case with me. While I could not wait to be beyond the first trimester, the day I hit the second trimester it was pretty much downhill from there for my morning sickness. I was that freak that the doctor tells you about, where morning sickness is not guaranteed to go away by the end of the first trimester. I will tell you that I was sick multiple times a day until the day I delivered, even during delivery. After my daughter arrived we had to replace all of the rugs and shower curtains in my house because I would be sick so suddenly sometimes there was…room for error…when trying to make it to the bathroom. In my last week of pregnancy I event threw up down my hubby’s face in mid conversation. And yes, he still loves me even after that.

Baby Annelise
Baby Annelise

I had developed aversions to foods that I loved and created an entire category of foods, which I called “Squishy Foods” and could not stand to be around. Squishy foods included eggs, yogurt, bananas, grits … you get the picture. Some of these foods I still struggle with two years later. I also could not tolerate anything fried, which is not a bad thing, but when you are pregnant during Lent in New Orleans there aren’t many other options. I basically lived on peanut butter and wheat toast for 9 months, which is ironic because now my daughter has a peanut allergy – go figure.

Other than the constant sickness I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy, which was a huge blessing. At my 20 week ultrasound, she was breech, and it was mentioned to me briefly that a c-section may be needed. I, however, didn’t think much of that and continued through my pregnancy, mostly avoiding food.

My hubby had been awesome and was attending all of my doctor’s visits with me. But, when I got to the point where you have to go every week, I gave him a pass and said don’t go; I was sure there would be no report. Of course that should have been the sign. But, after another ultrasound we found out that my daughter was still breech and now too large to turn. My doctor went through the two options with me. Option one being a c-section and option two being an attempt to turn her. After hearing the pros and cons for both, a c-section was clearly the safer option for my baby. While not my first choice, this was not about me. This was about her safety. Then I had to call my hubby and tell him that the no report…turned out to be THE report, a delivery date. The c-section itself was easy. I felt no pain or discomfort and was so relaxed that I event fell asleep and my hubby had to wake me up when she was born. She went off to the NICU as a standard precaution for breech babies, and I went back to my nap. By the time I was all fixed up she was back and cleared from NICU.

Everyone talks about c-sections as horrific and painful. I had a pleasant experience and took no pain medication after. I had something called a Tap Block, which I believe is only done at Ochsner. It is localized anesthesia that didn’t let me feel that section of my body for about 48 hours. After the 48 hours there was no pain anyway. I was up and moving like normal the very next day and home within 48 hours.

First Day Home from the Hospital
First day home from the hospital

My c-section was a good experience and produced the result that I wanted: a safe delivery. I think that some moms are awful to other moms about c-sections. Moms should be much more supportive of each other. I admit that there has been a person or two that has made me feel guilty or that I missed something because I didn’t have a vaginal birth. I realized later that the shame is not with me. The shame is on them for making me feel that way. I did what I needed to do as a mom; I put my child ahead of my wants and by doing that, I became a mom.

Celebrate Your Birth Story. What’s Yours?

 

birth-story

2 COMMENTS

  1. Great story, Linzy! Babies being born is ALWAYS a beautiful thing, despite the circumstances or how they are delivered!! Also, I totally feel ya with the “morning sickness” thing. Even on Zofran, it was bad for the first 21 weeks, then eased up for the second half. I couldn’t totally go off Zofran, though, until the last month of pregnancy.

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