Hey girl, brace yourself, because what I'm about to tell you is far from cute.
This is about mentally preparing for the cesarean section you might have in the future. I do want to make it clear, though, that having a cesarean doesn’t make you any less of a mother than someone who gave birth naturally. Cesareans happen—you’re still an amazing mom.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand—here’s what I wish I’d known BEFORE they cut me in half to pull out a 7.5-pound human.
- You’ll be alone for quite a while while they (the medical team) get you ready. You’ll even think they’ve forgotten about Dad on the other side of the room. You’ll feel like you’ve been there for four years, but in reality: it’s been four seconds.
- When I say they’re going to prep you, I mean they’ll put a nice little blue helmet on you, strap you down like Jesus on the cross, and drape a nice blue sheet in front of you so you can’t see what’s going on inside.
- You’re going to shake—a lot. No one reassured me by telling me it was normal. I found out three months later. For me, it started when they brought my daughter out, maybe 30–40 minutes after she was born. So don’t worry—it’s normal.
- You’re going to feel like throwing up. You might even throw up. Practice doing it while lying down (okay, maybe not). Because when you tell them you’re not feeling well, someone’s going to hold a plastic tray up to your chin. As if a normal person could actually throw up while lying down like that…
- You’ll wonder what’s taking so long for your little one to come out. 1 minute = 1 hour. (reference to point #1)
- But THAT moment when you see your little bundle of joy… THAT moment when you hear “time of birth… 1:35 p.m.”, THAT moment when you hear your little one cry out for the first time—I swear you’ll forget all of that. The most beautiful moment of a lifetime, in my opinion.
I hope I’ve reassured a few of you. It’s not as bad as it seems, I promise!