Don't Get a C-Section

I am 31 years old and my husband is 36. We are trying to conceive. My cervix is posterior, which means sperm can't reach the opening. I want to have a family, but there is danger in pregnancy and childbirth. I am scared. Would I be a good mother? How long would it take me to heal? I have seen so many women in my life give birth to gorgeous babies and yet I am still worried about the pain and recovery time. The US doesn’t have many companies that have paid maternity leave. My husband and I found a fertility clinic and we are meeting with a physician in the end of January. We are still going to go for it because you are never truly ready for anything.

Through all our school years, we aren't taught about sex: How it works or the disorders and conditions that can occur inside a woman's womb. There is endometriosis, PCOs, fibroids, cysts, etc. Women are told to just get an annual pap smear. All a pap smear does is check for cervical cancer, THAT'S IT. How do women know if something else is growing in her body? An ultrasound scan, but those are not part of an annual physical. I did not know I had a 5 cm dermoid cyst in my right ovary that pushed all my organs to the left until I was studying ultrasound and volunteered to be the model for the uterus scan. Dermoid cysts can explode and possibly kill you—I would have never known that was in me! I believe an entire uterus scan should be part of an annual physical.

Now, let’s get to pregnancy: It costs as much as 30,000 dollars to give birth. The US has the highest rate of mortality in our pregnant women—that is insane. The dream country, that families flee to from their dangerous and dying countries. Yet we have a high chance of dying during delivery in the US. The major causes of these are hemorrhage, infection, and eclampsia—very high blood pressure that leads to seizures.

But what am I really in fear of? A doctor lying to me and telling me I need a C-section!

There are the legit reasons WHY a C-section is ordered: Labor isn't progressing, baby in distress, baby or babies in abnormal position, carrying multiple babies, problem with placenta (if placenta covering the cervix opening), prolapsed umbilical cord, etc. The risks of the C-section surgery include, but are not limited to infection, blood clots, postpartum hemorrhage, and increased risk for future pregnancies.

There was a man on TV crying his eyes out while his wife was in labor and the doctors told him his wife required a C-section. The couple questioned the doctor asking why? We have no emergency here. The doctor insisted on the C-section, and what happened? Hemorrhage. The husband begged the staff for assistance, the staff said they were going to do a CT scan. (What? I am no doctor, but how would that help blood from falling everywhere?) The CT scan came hours later and too late, the family was told that his wife wasn't a priority.

If you are trying to get pregnant or want to, here are some personal tips from me. Make sure you are taking prenatal vitamins and exercising. Also, may be good idea to hire a doula once you are pregnant. Hiring doulas has demonstrated scientific evidence that women are more likely to have a vaginal birth. Doulas are professionally trained in childbirth and provide emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother that is expecting, both when in labor and during delivery. The purpose is to help the mother have a safe, memorable, and empowering birthing experience.

ASK questions to your physician, and about how you prefer giving birth. Ask them how many C-sections they perform yearly. Stay far away from facilities that have way too many C-sections. Remember only 5 percent of the time is it truly an emergency.

Finally, do not agree to a C-section if you know for sure you do not have an emergency. I encourage all couples who are trying to conceive to know their rights and understand that C-sections are usually to rush the mother into giving birth (more money for the facility, too). Know your body, trust your instincts, and if it doesn't feel right... refuse and find a different physician who has integrity and doesn't push the C-section.