My Emergency C Section Story

I haven't talked about my c-section a lot before. The specifics, anyway. I think I was so overwhelmed by everything that was going on, that I let it go to the back of my mind. ⁣⁣

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It's rare that one moment can change everything. I was in my hospital bed, falling asleep after another long day of induction. My nurse came in, and I could just tell. I was jerked from a peaceful dream into a nightmare. My voice felt far away, like I was hearing it through a radio or TV. The longest, most terrifying moment of my life was the silence after I asked my nurse, "Is she ok?"⁣⁣

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Silence.⁣⁣

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It was like a dramatic scene in a movie, and I waited for the music to race as my nurse sharply turned the corner around my door. But there was no music, just the beep-beep-beep of the machines. Just the gentle in-out breathing of my man asleep on the couch against the window. The loud, sharp banging in my chest.⁣⁣

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I'm not sure how long my nurse was gone. Maybe a minute, maybe less. She came back with a full team, and they worked over me like dancers. They talked softly to each other, their hands moving rapidly. Instruments, injections. I'm not here right now. ⁣⁣

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They tell me they need to stop my contractions. They need to get her out. They need my permission.⁣⁣

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I was terrified, but in that moment I was so thankful. I would've easily given my life to save hers. I was so, so happy to hear that there was hope. ⁣⁣

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When I heard her cry, I could breathe again. When they lowered her beside me, she stopped crying and looked into my eyes. My scar is a beautiful reminder of that moment- the one that changed everything.