I can’t believe I’m here saying that I’m a mother of two. If you’re reading this then you’ve been here since the birth of Marley, our first born daughter. This is Emma’s birth story, c-section edition.
When we found out we were pregnant with Emma, my husband and I were going through some of the hardest times of our lives and 5th year of marriage. Between losing jobs, raised costs of living, and the mere fact that we were going through a rough patch. Here came our beautiful Emma.
*disclaimer: I understand that every pregnancy story is different and there are many women struggling with infertility. Please understand, this post is not about unwanted pregnancy but merely how some are expecting in tough times.*
Embracing unknowns
It was one month after my husband lost his job where I remember sitting on the couch and I dry heaved ONCE and I knew right away. The next day we got a pregnancy test and yes that blue and white stick said positive. We sat there in complete shock and honestly dumbfounded. We barely had our heads above water with our own struggles and almost two year old daughter at the time, let alone bring in another person. But here we were again.. pregnant.
As mentioned, we were in such a tight spot with finances that I wasn’t able to see a doctor until I was 18 weeks. One that I knew would be affordable. Nothing compared to Marley, our first born, where we were able to afford any doctor and be okay with the prenatal payments. Mid-way through my second pregnancy, I sorta felt detached to Emma because of all the mental and emotional strain we were already going through. So much so, that I really didn’t want to think about names.
I remember being so strict with our first daughter, even down to what I ate. This time around I craved and drank coffee (mostly iced). I even had my share of McDonalds just because i didn’t want to cook. Thank God for Beli Baby prenatal that helped give me those added nutrients where I was slacking. You can read my review here.
What Really Happened During Emma’s CSection Birth Story?
This is going to be TMI but this is true about Emma’s birth story: Around 38 weeks, I was extremely constipated. At that point I thought I was going into labor. If you’ve had a vaginal birth then you’ll understand what I’m about to say. I was constipated so badly that it was pushing down on my bottom which made me think it was the baby’s head. I got scared and went to the hospital. Only for them to monitor me and say I wasn’t having contractions and my cervix was closed.
But then they gave me an ultrasound and discovered the baby was lying side to side with her face facing my back, which they called transverse. Then I went home and passed that really huge stool. Again TMI.
A few days later, I started to have contractions that felt like they were minutes apart so we went to the hospital. We got there around 8:00 and they checked me, and monitored the baby. I was having mild contractions but my water didn’t break and I still wasn’t dilated. They also ordered another ultrasound and this time the baby was breech, with her head up and her feet down. At this point, I’m 39 weeks and they wanted to schedule a c-section before anything crazy like my water breaking happens. With a little hesitation, I looked at my husband and said okay let’s do it. We left the hospital at 2:00 am in the morning on Thursday and I was scheduled to come back for a C-section for Friday afternoon.
Friday came and I woke up with so much peace. We got to the hospital two hours earlier like they advised. They also advised not to eat 6 hours before scheduled surgery. Anyway, we got there and there were 2 emergency c-sections that happened right when we got there so we were pushed back for about 3-4 hours. Honestly, that took the nervousness off a little but once the doctor came in to prep me then the nervousness came back.
I get ready and put on a gown. My husband puts on his “bunny suit” with the hat and shoes. And we walked to the operating room. I sat down and they gave me the numbing medicine in my back which felt like a little pinch. Then they helped me lay down. I started to feel my lower half of my body getting warm and numb. They put the curtain up in front of my face and that’s when the anxiety started to kick in. I immediately asked for oxygen to help me breathe. That helped. My husband was able to come back and they began surgery.
My husband and I were just talking as I could feel the tugging and pulling on my stomach. Then all of a sudden, I heard a roaring “whoa!” and one of the nurses eyes got big, I screamed “oh my god, what’s wrong?” thinking something was wrong with the baby. Well come to find out it was my appendix that popped out. I was like “what!?” weird but funny. I guess they stuffed it back in there because a few seconds later, I heard a cry and my husband and I started bawling. Here was Emma, 6 pounds and 10 ounces.
C-Section Journey: Emma’s Inspiring Birth Story
Why did we choose to name her Emma? As stated, coming up with another girl name was so difficult. After going through many different names, we landed on a name that means “healing”, Emma. Which happens to be my husband’s maternal grandmother’s name. So we played off the other grandmother’s, being Ann which means “god’s favor” and Belle, meaning “beauty”. And we decided to keep it meaningful and name her after her 3 great-grandmothers. Hence, Emma Belle-Ann.
God gifted us with a blessing that provided healing and a gentle reminder of his favor. I’ve been meditating on the scripture Psalm 127
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”
Thanking God everyday for our daughters, Marley and Emma, that we get to raise them up to be like arrows in a warrior’s hand. It’s only more ammo to the kingdom of darkness. The enemy hates family, and unity. His ultimate goal is to rip the family unit to shreds from the inside out. But we saw the light, and in the midst of our own short-comings God knew we needed healing and God knew we needed Emma. What a sweet victory!
