Joanna Shares Her C-Section Story (VIDEO)

Joanna:
The day of the surgery, we actually had the surgery prescheduled since I knew that it was going to be a high-risk pregnancy. I had to have a C-section, so we actually, it was kind of weird--we actually got to pick our daughter’s birthday, which was kind of surreal, but so we scheduled it, and we went in that day. And we knew what time, and everything was planned.

It’s a very weird thing going in for a C-section because everyone already knows, everyone’s already prepped. You are going in for major surgery, and people are there, and they are excited for you, which I just thought was like the strangest thing.

But you go in, and I was actually surprised which I have always said is that I didn’t know that much. I remember having major surgery done, and I didn’t know that much about what was going to happen, and I didn’t have a brochure from the doctor. They told me a little bit, but it was just bits and pieces of really what it was.

I got more information from my friends where they told me, “Here is what happened to me.” That was the most helpful. There were still things that I did not realize. So I went in. I think I got the most freaked out when the anesthesiologist came in and started telling me about all the things, and that’s when it really hit me, oh my gosh, this is what’s really going to happen.

So then they carted me down in the surgery room, and there’s a whole bunch of surgical equipment all around, and I am just laying there on the gurney. And I had to get myself on to the table, and they are all just waiting there, and that was the freakiest part, I think. So then they did the spinal. I had no idea how much the spinal was going to hurt. That really was, they have you kind of bend down so that they can get to your spine. You are laying there, but you are kind of in like a fetal position, and they do the spinal, and it’s just truly the worst part of it, and that’s it. I mean, if you can get past that, that’s the worst part.

Then you lay down, and they test and see if you can feel certain things, and you are kind of surprised that you can’t feel it, but you can’t. And they put the sheet on; they ask if you want to see what’s going to happen. I didn’t particularly want to; my husband didn’t either, so we stayed on the other side of the sheet. And then they just start working, and it’s funny because they will just be talking about their day while they are doing it. It’s very surreal.

Then, all of a sudden, you know, there’s your baby, which is very cool and very exciting. The thing that the doctor said is she was shocked that I did not go into labor. She said I must have angels looking out for me because I guess it’s something with the lining, it was really thin, so she was actually very, very surprised. I was scheduled for a C-section about a week and a half before my due date, but I guess it was still pretty close.

So we were just very lucky, and Jacqueline was happy, healthy. We were very lucky that there wasn’t anything that happened with her afterwards and she cried really good right away, so that was good. And then it was all good. I mean, I laid there, and they are sewing me up, and the whole thing is very surreal, and then I saw her and it was just. It’s hard to describe. It’s hard to describe. After that it was just very, very cool.

And so then they are still sewing me up. That actually takes a while, and then you go into recovery, and everyone is there. You feel totally out of it. Your body is going through shock, and everyone wants to come around, and you don’t feel well because you just went through something pretty major. And it’s still amazing thing, but I didn’t feel very well after it.

I actually started going into so much shock that my body was uncontrollably shaking, and I couldn’t stop. And I felt very, very sick, and I felt that way for a couple of hours. I had no idea that I was going to react like that, and chills and sweats, and it just, I felt so ill.

And then they put the baby right next to me, and I was very afraid I was going to drop her. I was very, very afraid because I had no control over my body. And I was just shaking uncontrollably, but you should bond with your baby as quickly as possible, they say, and I wanted to hold her, but it was very, very hard.

So that was the surprise to me, and the only thing I wanted to do was just deal with the fact that I had major surgery. And you have all these people coming in and saying congratulations, which you appreciate, but it’s very surreal. It’s the only time that you have so many people so close to you, talking to you and dealing with you after a major surgery. I just found that whole experience very surreal. It was amazing. It was amazing, but I just was not prepared for the whole thing.

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Tags:

• Cesarean Section
• Pregnancy