Five Months of Reflection

It seems like yesterday Addison was born. Heck it seems like yesterday we were shocked to find out we were expecting a third child. Both of our boys were very planned, but this time around... not so much.

She certainly made for a very pleasant surprise though.  Seventh grand baby... first girl after six boys. My sister, who we are going to lose any day told me someone was going to have a little girl soon and I laughed at her because I knew I wasn't having anymore kids. I joked around with her and told her good luck with a third kid herself.  A month later I was pregnant.


Everything about Addison has been amazing. I had a breeze of a pregnancy physically, until the last trimester when she gave us a run for our money and I ended up with intrauterine growth restriction. Thankfully she was healthy, even though she was small.


It took me almost 14 weeks to settle with a prenatal care provider. Why?  Because I didn't want to have a third c-section, and I had to make the tough decision of what would be the safest option for Addison as well as myself.

After almost three months of thinking about it, I settled with the midwives I used for my second son, my VBAC attempt, and the OB/GYN's that back them up, and planned to have a scheduled c-section. Why? Because I had to not only consider my past history of my babies getting stuck, but I also had to be in control of my delivery. I think the biggest factor of my two previous cesareans that made them such negative experiences was the serious lack of control.

I didn't feel like a patient making my own choices, I felt as though my choices were dictated to me with no option for real informed consent or informed decision making. Which for many women is a big deal. And for me it was.

I wanted to be involved, and have a say, and after consulting with providers who not only knew my history, but were at least one of my previous births, we all decided together the best option would be a scheduled c-section, something I had said in the past...

"I will never WILLINGLY have a c-section"

And I did, and continue to eat my words on that. Isn't that what life is full of?  Growing up, maturing, and realizing something you were so stern in 5 years ago may be something you are comfortable with today?  I challenge all my readers to find something you have flip flopped on over the years, because we all have something, big or small!

After I had Addison I was fine with my choice, I had a good experience, great recovery, and even wrote a post on Baby's First Year about how I am glad I did have a c-section with her.

Five months later I can say I am still fully secure with the choice that I made. While I still don't approve of patient choice c-sections with no medical reason calling for them, and of course I do strongly think the c-section rates in America are way too high... I know there is a time and place for medically necessary cesarean sections and I am happy that I can be on both sides of the cesarean advocacy/birth advocacy fence.

Happy Five Months old Addison!