By Shel Franco
My first pregnancy ended with a 10 lb. 6 oz. baby delivered by cesarean section. Two years later, I was pregnant with my second child. Although I did not know much about my choices in childbirth, I knew I didn't want another cesarean.
Early in my firstborn's infancy, I was introduced to parenting books by William and Martha Sears. I decided pregnancy and birth books by the same authors would be a solid beginning point. They introduced me to concepts I had never thought of as possibilities. Those concepts led me to deeper research. Eventually I found Midwifery Today E-News and Online Birth Center News.
My deepest thank you to all who participate in these newsletters. These publications imparted the greatest amount of information. Through them I was able to gain access to a world that had been foreign to me. I was introduced to normalcy in pregnancy and childbirth, something that eluded my first pregnancy, and that I feared would be denied me in a VBAC attempt. In believing in the normalcy, I was given courage I did not know existed within my heart.
I went on to hire a midwife and an excellent doula. Using tips from these two online publications, I was able to take an active role, and most importantly, competent responsibility for myself, my pregnancy, my birth and my child. The outcome was miraculous.
On a humid Midwest Thursday evening, I awoke with labor sensations. They were not painful, but strong and undeniable. I sat in the dark calm of my living room, my company Jay Leno and a bowl of cereal. In that serene environment, I labored on my own terms for nearly an hour and a half.
As the clock neared Wednesday morning, I needed the companionship of my husband. My sensations were even stronger, but manageable. While I walked and talked through each contraction, my husband timed. Even though the sensations were coming every 5 minutes or less and lasted at least 60 seconds, I would not allow myself to believe I was in active labor.
Because I was feeling rectal pressure, I asked my doula to meet us at the hospital. I decided that anything less than 5 cm would necessitate my return home. Imagine my surprise when I was 9.5 cm dilated--nearly perfect timing! After 55 minutes of pushing on all fours, I birthed my second son, Luc. He weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces. The euphoria still lingers.
I am often confronted by people who hear my story and proclaim how "lucky" I was. I have come to a different appreciation: it has little to do with luck. The information I gathered while I was pregnant prepared me for childbirth. The power was in the knowledge that gave me confidence and courage to let go. When I turned the reins over to my body, my child was born on his terms. And his terms were much kinder and more efficient than most of the obstetrical medicine practiced today.
My many thanks to the contributors of these newsletters. In a very real sense, your information enabled me to birth my son like I had always dreamed.
In telling this story, my hopes are twofold. Perhaps someone in the many professions within pregnancy and childbirth has a tiring passion, a flame that will rekindle when they hear how important their work truly is to women and their unborn children. Perhaps a woman with a history of cesarean birth will read this story and have the courage to reach out, explore herself, and gain the courage I did.
My birth was an epiphany. I feel I owe all the women who have had cesarean sections. I owe them the hope that was taken when our children were taken out of our wombs. Thank you for allowing me to accomplish some of that.
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 1 Issue 31, July 30, 1999)
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