C-Section Birth Stories: Katrice Taylor

1. Please share the circumstances that led to your c-section birth(s):

I had a scheduled and planned c-section this time around for the birth of my second child because of my experience with having my oldest. I had a textbook pregnancy with my oldest child up until 36 weeks when I went in for my routine checkup and my blood pressure spiked. I was sent into triage where they also found protein in my urine, and I was officially diagnosed with preeclampsia. After being put on bed rest for the next three days, I was induced at 36 weeks, 5 days. My induction did not go great, as I was put on magnesium to keep from seizing, had two failed epidurals, and after 36 hours on Pitocin, I had still failed to progress. At that time, we decided to go ahead with the c-section as my pain was steadily increasing, causing my blood pressure to continue to rise. I truly was at peace with deciding to do the c-section. I was miserable, and I didn't want to risk anything further happening to myself or the baby. Before I knew it, I was on the operating room (OR) table and although I was foggy, I remember mostly everything up until I heard my daughter cry. Unfortunately, due to all of the medicine in my system for all of those hours, once I received the spinal, I was more numb than necessary, causing a sensation that made me feel like I couldn't breathe. It was extremely traumatic and scary for me. As soon as I heard my daughter cry, I passed out and don't remember anything until the following morning when I woke up to a continuation of the magnesium drip and mental fog. I wasn't able to latch my baby as I was in and out of sleep for the entire next day. It wasn't until day three of recovery that I finally felt somewhat like myself again and could finally start to breastfeed. I was in the hospital for a total of 5 days, only for my traumatic experience to be somewhat dismissed by my OB/GYN at the time. I was told that I should be happy to have a healthy baby and I truly felt like I was thrown into the lion's den postpartum without proper acknowledgment of what had happened. Not to mention, my daughter was born in January of 2020, so 8 weeks later when I was finally cleared to do things, the world shut down due to the pandemic. I was battling an early unexpected birth that thrust me into motherhood, recovering from surgery, postpartum anxiety, being locked in the house, learning to breastfeed, and absolutely no help (besides my wonderful husband) because our family could not visit. It was truly the darkest time of my life.

Fast forward 6 months later to when I found out I was pregnant with my second child. I knew it was important for me to first find a new OB/GYN. I wanted someone to review my discharge report with me in detail and more importantly, be sympathetic to what had happened to me with my first c-section. I was able to switch doctors and found a wonderful new OB who was a great listener, an advocate for me, referred me to an MFM for preventative care for the previous preeclampsia and was determined to give me a better experience this time around as much as she possibly could. Early in my pregnancy, we decided as a team that we would do a repeat c-section at 39 weeks, mostly because the births would be around 15 months apart and we did not want to risk anything with a VBAC. That was our decision and I was happy with it. The pregnancy ended up being very similar to my first - relatively smooth and textbook. Around 36 weeks my nerves started to get the best of me as that's the same time during my first pregnancy when my blood pressure started to spike. This time around, my numbers were great! We proceeded with our plan to deliver via c-section at 39 weeks.

The morning of my c-section was super smooth. We arrived a few hours in advance as we were instructed to, and my OB came right in and talked to me beforehand. I was so excited to see her and she was so confident and excited for me. It put me at ease instantly. Next, anesthesia came in and spoke to me. In hindsight, this moment truly made me feel like a million bucks. The anesthesia team had reviewed my chart and listened to what had happened to me in my last c-section. They assured me that this time would be different. I was on cloud 9. By the time I got to the OR, I was still feeling pretty good. Once we got ready to do the spinal I did get a little teary-eyed from nerves, but it quickly went away. The team was on it. They were all so confident and assured me that I would be okay. Within minutes, I was lying down and the nurse anesthetist was walking me through every single detail of what I should be feeling. He was spot on with every description. I already felt completely different from the last time. I was so happy. My OB came over and asked me what music I'd like to hear, and I chose coffee shop jazz as that's what I love to listen to in the mornings as I get ready for my day. They put my music on and less than 10 minutes later they started the surgery. My OB, the other OB who I had met, and I all talked the entire time. We talked about our upcoming weekend plans (ha!), and my doctor was telling me all about how my uterus looked, how she removed a little scar tissue for me, and that I had a tiny fibroid on my ovary, but nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, the anesthesia team continued to check in with me literally minute by minute. They were amazing. I was numb the perfect amount. I was awake, coherent, and with it the entire time! I truly felt like, "Is this real life right now?!" Minutes later my doctor says, "You'll feel a little pressure," and that's when we heard our baby girl's first cry. It was amazing! My husband and I were both so happy. He was able to get a video of her being born and I was able to hold her right away after he went with the nurses to get her cleaned up. After about 15 minutes or so they had me all stitched up and I was wheeled into recovery where I was awake, excited, and ready to latch baby for a few minutes. I decided to take a quick nap to charge my battery and I was so happy it was my decision this time! I went in for my c-section on Thursday and my baby and I did so well that we all got to come home on Saturday. It was really a wonderful experience all around.

2. What surprised you the most about having a c-section?:

The most surprising thing was how fast everything goes once they get you ready, prepped, into the OR and how quickly they start the surgery. I'm not sure if I expected it to be slow or anything, but it was truly a whirlwind both times the efficiency of everything! Secondly, I will say that I was surprised by how relatively quickly I "recovered" - and I use that term loosely - from major abdominal surgery. This is in no way bragging, but I think everyone just scares you so much no matter what kind of birth you're going to have. I'm not sure if it's the mom instinct to naturally want to be well enough to care for your child or because I really tried to take it easy like they said, but I was up and moving way sooner than I expected.

3. What kind of support do you feel you received (from friends, family, healthcare team) after your c-section(s)?:

The first time around it was really hard. I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty alone. The pandemic hit and we had no family around to help us care for the baby and become new parents. My doctor at the time was dismissive of my situation, plus I felt like I had no words to even describe what I was going through to family or friends. I didn't realize most of it until well after I was pregnant with my second. My husband was my rock. He helped me hold it together when I was really struggling on the inside. I also had a couple of close friends who were also moms and that had previously given birth help keep me going via text since we couldn't see each other. I won't say I didn't have support, but it was definitely limited.

The second time I’ve had so much more support in so many different ways. First of all, my OB/GYN has been wonderful. She called me a little less than a week postpartum to see how I was doing, and I went to see her well before my 8-week checkup just to talk to her about everything. That alone made ME feel listened to and cared for, not just my baby. Secondly, I started seeing a therapist again once I found out I was pregnant again and she's been an incredible resource, plus a way to sort out all of my feelings and emotions. Also, thanks to the amazing scientists out there, so many family members and friends have been vaccinated, including myself and my husband, so our physical support system has been incredible. We've had helping hands to assist us with our toddler while we transition to a family of four. Lastly, I feel like I was able to actually support myself this time around because I had a little bit of an idea of what to expect. To be honest, because the first time was so awful, I knew it couldn't get much worse. I was really looking forward to the postpartum period this time because I felt like I had done everything in my ability to have a more pleasant experience.

4. What’s your #1 piece of advice/encouragement for a new c-section mom?:

My #1 piece of advice is to please take a moment to really sit down, take it all in, and be proud of yourself. What you have endured is an incredible feat and it is not easy mentally or physically. I think we all know how quickly the attention is put on the baby and off of the mother after birth. I encourage every c-section mama to take some time after you're home safe and truly remind yourself that you did it! You're a rockstar.

5. How do you believe having a c-section birth(s) made you stronger?:

Having a c-section made me stronger by forcing me to be less of a control freak. I was put in a position that made me take a backseat and it really gave me a chance to realize that it is okay to relinquish control. It also forced me to give myself a chance to enjoy the ride a lot more the second time around. I was actually looking forward to my recovery this time because I knew that my only job was to listen to my body and feed my baby. Everything else can wait and that has really trickled into other aspects of my life as well.

Name: Katrice Taylor, Educator and Blogger

Country of Residence: USA

Instagram Username: @katrice.taylor