Melissa Shaw was excited about a home birth experience. It was her first pregnancy, and she had spent countless hours researching — from midwives, to potential complications, to the perfect setting to introduce her baby to the world.
But then the unplanned happened. Her son was breech, and her midwives called 911. “I was a bit panicked,” Shaw says, “and kept telling my contractions to go away. The OB/GYN on call at the hospital chewed my midwives out for letting my labor progress so far without checking the baby’s position.” At the hospital, within a matter of minutes, she was put under general anesthesia for the cesarean section procedure that was deemed medically necessary.
Shaw’s experience is a common one since many c-sections aren’t planned and are the result of unpredictable complications during labor. And these complications are on the rise. According to the CDC, the rate of c-section procedures in Tennessee has risen. In 2005, the rate was 31.1, compared to 32.4 in 2016.
Dr. Ashekia Pinckney, who has been a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist in Memphis for six years, notes that the rate in Tennessee is comparable to the national average of 31.6 in 2016.
“In my experience,” Pinckney says, “from 2016 to [the present], the rate of cesarean sections has remained the same here in Memphis.”
C-section experiences can vary, but many are emotionally and physically shocking to the mother. Elizabeth Nolan, a local mother who has had two c-sections, says, “My first c-section was due to failure to progress. My due date was Christmas day. I’d had an uncomfortable pregnancy, and I really didn’t want his birthday to be on Christmas.”
Nolan begged her doctor to induce labor, and he relented. “My induction was scheduled for December 19th,” she recalls. “We arrived at the hospital around 6 a.m., and by 8 a.m., I was on a Pitocin drip. Going in, I was only 1 centimeter dilated. By noon, I was still only 2 centimeters dilated with irregular contractions.”
After increasing the Pitocin drip and breaking her water, the medical staff became worried because by 5 p.m. she was only 3 centimeters dilated. “At that time, my doctor ordered an epidural, even though I wasn’t in pain,” says Nolan. “I later found out that he knew I was going to end up with a c-section and wanted to ensure the epidural was in place in case of complications. At my 8 p.m. check, I had stalled at 4 centimeters, and my doctor let me know that he thought a c-section was going to be necessary. I was very afraid and wanted to weigh all my options.”
The fear and uncertainty of the procedure is a common experience among mothers who undergo c-sections. According to Dr. Pinckney, “For some mothers, there are varying degrees of emotional impact with cesarean sections at play. The emotional impact primarily centers around the reasoning behind the surgery, as well as how the surgery is carried out. For instance, a mother who has a scheduled cesarean section for a baby in the breech presentation versus a mother who has an emergency cesarean section will have very different perceptions. In emergency situations, a mother has to consider the emergency and place her and her child’s well-being in the hands of the medical professionals.”
Dr. Pinckney notes that although there might be a great deal of anxiety initially, upon safe delivery of the child, any worries generally abate. “In cases of emergencies, to continue the healing process after a cesarean delivery, I encourage all mothers to talk to their healthcare professionals about the reason for the emergency. During a scheduled cesarean section, a mother has the ability to process the concept of the surgery and the possible outcomes.”
Both Nolan’s and Shaw’s experiences with an emergency c-section included weighing these options given to them by medical professionals. For Nolan, the doctor explained that she could continue with the Pitocin until morning but that once she hit the 24-hour mark from her water being broken, a c-section was medically necessary.
Shaw says that after being put under general anesthesia for the c-section, she remembers nothing about the actual procedure. “When I came to, after it was done, I immediately asked when I could nurse my baby,” says Shaw. “They told me ‘soon.’ About half an hour later, I was wheeled to a room where I was allowed to be with my baby. My baby was with my husband the whole time, which was a comfort to me.”
For women who will undergo a c-section or who are at risk for needing the procedure, Dr. Pinckney’s advice is simple: “I would encourage patients to realize how much of a gift and sacrifice motherhood is, and the delivery is no different. Cesarean sections may not be planned but may be necessary to ensure the best outcome for mother and baby. Unfortunately, there is no way to prepare for a cesarean section physically. I encourage mothers to follow all postoperative instructions to help them with their healing process.”
A Middle Tennessee native, Tonya Thompson (deltacreatives.com) now lives in Southaven, Mississippi, with her three kids.