My Birth Story - Master Wolf Richards

Elective C Sections are a very different story - but still one that should be shared!

My second son, was born by elective C Section - a week to the day before my eldest son's first birthday.

So quickly, just to catch you up , I'd had a C Section with my first son, and I was pregnant so quickly again after that - I had to have another C Section for the safety for me and my baby, and now that I've had two - any future babies have to be by C Section too! So just install me a friggin zip please!

I can't tell you how surreal it is, to know in advance, your due date. My first son was born at 42 + 2 - in normal language that means blinkin ages past my due date! I felt like I was waiting all summer for him to arrive out of my ever expanding bulbous belly! But, with my second son, we had to book an elective C Section as I didn't leave it very long between pregnancies (naughty Mummy!)

So, to save my stitches from popping and causing awful havoc and because of dramatics during my first labour, a C Section was advised to me, as my safest option. Sign me up! No contractions - no labour - I was sold! Now don't get me wrong, its still major surgery - I’m not naive, but in my mind after an emergency one, this was going to be very different - it couldn't be worse than my first experience!

I could prepare for a start. I knew exactly what I'd need in my hospital bag (pads, pads plus some more pads and a dark crappy old nighty) I could prepare my home. I knew what sort of pain you're in afterwards so I could prep a breastfeeding station downstairs so I didn't have to tackle stairs right away. And mainly without a 4 day labour prior to baby's arrival I surely wouldn't be half as exhausted with my newborn baby when I did get home with him! To me it was a no brainer - the only thing that put me off was that I would never then be able to try and have a baby naturally after two C Sections - but this is obviously the way I was made to have babies - a few 100 years ago I wouldn't have even survived my first birth story so modern medicine you are tremendous and my life and my babies lives are in your hands NHS!

I was also warned that if I was to go in to natural labour prior to our booked date, I could go straight in for an emergency C Section to save my body from going through labour. So the date was booked!

We arrived at the hospital at around 7am. We were taken to a bed on a ward for some final baby and mummy health checks, standard blood pressure and that kind of malarky - and all was well. My husband and I were given our surgery outfits - I donned the sexy backless number while he looked dapper in some XXXXL scrubs. We sat and played cards for an hour - yes - I'M NOT JOKING! Played cards! Anyone that has had a baby knows this is not normally what you're doing half an hour before your baby comes! But played we did! We were led down to the operating theatre - the same operating room in which I had my first son a year previously. Very different from being wheeled through as an emergency I can tell you! We chatted with the surgery staff about the contestants on Love Island, and I had my Spinal block put in. This goes in at the bass of your spine, as you sit as still as humanly possible (again much easier second time round when you're not contracting!) This pinched and made me screw my face up - but really it was nothing. And a few minutes later I was on my back with a team of surgeons surrounding me (not the way that dream normally goes but hey ho). They put an ice lolly along my toes up to my neck to make sure the spinal block was working and numbing me in all the right places - and with that we were off!

At 11am on the nose, I was handed my delicious little cub, that was Baby Wolf. It was so incredibly quick, with no problems and again this time being prepared I knew what was to come and what I should do. So I had skin on skin for 45 minutes, as he drooped over my neck as they put me back together piece by piece (this I didn't do first time round with Ragnar as I was too tired to hold the baby when they worked on me, so my husband held him - a very big regret smothered in Mum guilt for me, but hindsight is a wonderful thing). I had quite a lot of scar tissue to work with so the surgeons took a while to do me back up - but I was assured all went really well - no crazy blood loss, and was wheeled into the recovery room.

The recovery room after a C Section is very calm, lovely and warm, and you're allowed your first drink of water in 24 hours. There is a midwife to help you with anything you need and is there to look after baby, and a nurse who keeps an eye on your vitals post surgery. As soon as the midwife said shall we try breastfeeding I replied 'Hell Yes!' He fed for an hour!! An hour!!! Hoorah!!!! My curse with breastfeeding was over - I'll tell this tail another day I'm sure !) He latched like a dream (unlike my first son, I put this down to no Pethidine and skin on skin for as long as I could). The midwife took one look at me and said - 'Well you're clearly a second time mum' - this made my heart burst! She thought I was obviously so well practised in breast feeding that I looked like a natural! Lush ! But mainly, it made me so full of pride - with happiness - with love! I'd done it - two beautiful babies in less than a year. Two major surgeries, and we were well and happy and healthy.

An hour later I was on the ward. Breastfeeding till my heart was content, reading my novel and drinking tea.

Were home after just one nights stay in hospital, with no drugs no recovery meds nothing - just me and my bub.

I often refer to Wolf's birth as a trip to the seaside, going on one of those grabber machines, and Bingo! You're a winner as your passed a baby as 1st prize! And I am humorous about it, and far more light hearted than perhaps I should be, as it is my sons birth story and I highly respect that. But, I think on reflection it was ridiculously easy...for me , I'm not saying it is for everyone, but for me , it was a walk in the park. Because, mainly, I'd been there done that, without any of the tedious, painful screamy bits.