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I was afraid of caesarean birth, but my doctor advised me against natural birth as the baby was curled up in a breech position inside the womb.
‘The baby is oblique!’ exclaimed my gynaecologist during my 32-week scan.
I was laying on my back with so much difficulty. My expanded uterus was already compressing the vein that returns blood to the heart, making me restless enough.
Besides, I couldn’t comprehend what my doctor said, though I sensed an abnormality. When the scan was done, I turned towards my left side and carefully got up from the bed. Putting on my slippers, I walked to the consulting room in dismay.
It was my first pregnancy. While many of my friends attended sessions on pregnancy, delivery, etc., and had a basic knowledge of ‘what is what’ and ‘how things work’, I wanted to go with the flow and experience the moments myself.
My doctor explained to me that the baby was in breech position, and I should undergo a caesarean if the baby doesn’t turn to the head-down position by 38 weeks. She also indicated that chances for a breech baby to turn at that stage were very less. I was struck with an unfathomable fear
Caesarean? The term had been a nightmare since my childhood. My mum underwent 2 caesareans and as a consequence 5 hernia surgeries. I’ve seen her undergo a lot of pain during each surgery, and it took a long recovery time.
Moreover, I had witnessed my friends and relatives grumble over their never-ending back pain caused by the spinal anaesthesia injected during a caesarean.
My mum did extensive research on the ways to turn the breech baby naturally to a head-down position. She was very confident that things will become normal if we try out certain harmless techniques, we had 6 more weeks after all.
Right from crawling on the ground and trying yoga poses, to exposing my baby bump to different temperatures, light variations, music beats, we turned all the stones to make it happen.
Then came the day of my next scan at 36 weeks. The baby was still in breech position. Never mind, we still have time to go!
It was my final scan at 38 weeks. Fingers crossed; we reached the hospital with mixed emotions. Things didn’t turn out the way it was expected, only to leave me in physical and mental exhaustion. Furthermore, my doctor advised an emergency caesarean the next day due to low fluid levels.
My mum and husband accepted the situation quickly and went ahead with further formalities.
In no time, we decided the time of admission, filled the admission forms, got anaesthetist advice, took an ECG and a COVID test. On the way back home, I was still trying to fathom the current situation.
‘Had I been aware of the pregnancy process earlier, could I have avoided this situation now?’
‘What more could have I done to improve this situation?’
‘Should I educate myself on the caesarean process now?’
And much more…
I was waiting to unwind myself after a tough day. By the time we reached home, it was mid-evening. I grabbed a chair and went to my terrace garden with a cup of lemon tea to sort out my perplexed state.
A sip of the hot tea amidst the chilly breeze flavoured with the smell of flowers gave me a sense of relaxation. As I was gazing at the spring leaves of the plants, I was reminded of an incident that happened that morning.
While I was walking outside the scan room to wake up my asleep baby, I noticed a married woman of my age entering the room for a checkup. She seemed to be restless, hoping for some positivity.
When she left the room, her eyes were swelled up, yet she was confident. It was my scan turn next.
As I managed hard to lay on my back, my scan doctor received a call from a senior doctor. She explained on the phone that the woman who recently left had three masses in her ovary and surgery would be the solution.
Unknown distress struck me on hearing it. A woman of my age, with a lot of dreams for having a baby, must undergo a huge procedure to set things right. I saw her again while filling up the admission form and wished her positivity and health.
A flock of birds flying back to their nest and the chirps of the sparrows nearby caught my attention and I landed back in the present moment. It dawned on me that my situation is just like a drop in the ocean.
There are many others facing huge issues in conceiving a baby and are fighting bravely with all their strength to experience the bliss of childbearing. That’s when I braced myself happily to welcome my little charm via caesarean.
To all the mothers sailing out in the same boat, baby in breech position is okay, little complexities are okay, and a caesarean is okay.
Just go with the flow, and you sure will thrive through it. Thankfully, our medical technologies have greatly advanced to ensure safe delivery amidst various complexities.
Yes, a breech baby is sure a blessing, and a caesarean delivery is also affirmative.
Image source: Damircucdic via Getty Images, free on CanvaPro
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Instructional Designer by profession; Writer by passion. A self sculpting mother exploring life in various dimensions. read more...
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