1. There is SO MUCH WAITING. You get there hours before your scheduled time so they can get you prepped and monitor baby – which gives your nerves plenty of time to set in. I wasn’t nervous until I was sitting outside of the O.R. – then it got real. I full-blown panicked – and that’s ok.
2. Not only do you walk yourself into the O.R. (or at least I did), you hop up on the table & have full view of everything in there as they get your spinal going. It’s scary & intimidating – and that’s ok.
3. It happens FAST. Once that spinal kicks in, they’re cutting and that baby is out in no time. The clean-up/closing takes much longer and you’ll be exhausted from the drugs and adrenaline rush you just experienced. You’ll shake uncontrollably, which is normal, and make plenty of awkward small talk with the anesthesiologist.
4. Mom doesn’t get first dibs to the baby. Your partner will get to see them first and hold them first. The worst part – baby gets taken away for about 15 minutes immediately after they’re born so you can hear those sweet little cries but not see them. It’s hard and hurts your heart – and that’s ok.
5. It’s 2020 and people STILL want to tell you that c-sections are the “easy way out” and “not really giving birth”. They’re idiots.
I didn’t have a choice in how my sweet Ethan came into this world and I had plenty of complications along the way, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
