Tracey and he little bundle of joys a couple months old
“There is nothing that anyone can say to prepare you for childbirth. Each woman’s experience is so different; you never know how it will be for you!” — Poppy Montgomery. Tracey-Ann Lawrence thought that she was prepared but her baby had other plans.
As a 35 year old , and it being her first pregnancy, she was considered high risk. So she went back and forth with her OB/GYN whether or not she would do natural birth or a C-Section. She decided that she would deliver naturally since her pregnancy was going smoothly, zero morning sickness and minimal heartburn. But her doctor was still skeptical and told her to be open to both options.
A Dramatic Episode!
Well her delivery was a different case Tracey would call it a dramatic episode. Her doctor told her that she did not have to think about her water breaking as it was a very very rare chance of that happening outside of the hospital. Well as fate would have it, hers did.
“I was training someone who would be working for me while off on maternity leave. I took a break because I felt uncomfortable and wanted to go home. My water broke a few minutes later at my coworker’s desk. I was so shocked because my doctor told me that rarely happened outside of the movies. Obviously he doesn’t know my dramatic ass,” which she finds hilarious to this day.
She immediately called her doctor, and before she knew it, she was almost near to the climax of her own delivery scene as the entire company came to see what was going on. It comes as no surprise to her that her little one likes to perform because, before birth, he has been demanding an audience.
He was a healthy bouncing baby!
Red lights?
Her coworker took her to the hospital. His hand stayed on the horn as if it was taped to it. Red lights seemed to look green in his eyes. She warned him about being stopped by the police, and instead of being concerned, he responded, “a police escort would be awesome.”
While her doctor had suggested the C-Section, he did make a note on her file that she wanted to go natural. So when the nurse asked her what she was going to do, she confidently told them naturally. That was before the contractions. The initial prepping stages were like her pregnancy relatively pain-free. Then midway through her shower, she felt a pain that basically knocked the wind out of her.
Lady! I change my Damn mind
When she came out of the shower, she sang a different tune and quickly told the nurses that she was ready for her C-Section.
“Would you believe this damn doc had the nerve to tell me to try, like ‘Lady! I’ve changed my mind’,” she exclaimed.
Her doctor was unavailable because of an emergency. She called him to give him an update, and she was prepped for surgery, and less than an hour later, she had her handsome baby boy.
“He was hale and hearty, and I was happy,” she said relieved.
Her recovery was far less dramatic; with the help of her mother. She had taken 6 weeks off to assist Tracey. As for the stigma attached to women who did not push naturally, she could care less.
“I found out that there is a stigma attached to not having given birth the so-called “regular way”,” she said rolling her eyes. “I think, as women, we can be hard on ourselves and each other unnecessarily. Pregnancy may be hard for some, motherhood will definitely not be a bed of roses, and I think that delivering your baby is what is important.”
For women who are having a rough time recovering after their C-Section, Tracey had this to say, “Moms having a difficult recovery, just remember that this is just the current stage. It will pass, take it moment by moment, and you will be surprised to see how the time flew by. Focus on your baby because while the days are long, the time is short.”
XOXO
Tracey and her #1!
See this link from the mayoclinic.com on understanding Water Breaking. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/water-breaking/art-20044142
Lori-Ann