When a client is going in for a Cesarean delivery, there are usually hoops an Atlanta Doula and/or Birth Photographer has to jump through to continue to support the client in the operating room. First, the on call midwife/OB has to agree to allow the doula in the OR. Through the on call practitioner, the doula can speak with the anesthesiologist. They make the final decision on wether or not a doula can accompany her client. It helps to be at a hospital that is known to support their patients birth preferences.
This family centered c-section took place at North Fulton Hospital with Nile Women’s Healthcare
I had already been in contact with my client the day of her birth, but then her hubby called me to tell me things had changed with her. I made it to the hospital in 30 min, just as they began wheeling her back to the OR. I saw her midwife outside the OR and asked if I was allowed back for photographs. She agreed but it’s always up to the anesthesiologist. I looked at him and we immediately recognized each other as I had just worked with him earlier that week. I was super glad that it was me they chose as their doula because I live so close to the hospital and I’m familiar with a lot of the NFH staff from working with them often. I was given scrubs and invited in to photograph the birth and recovery of this lovely couple.
Here she is, sharing her story:
“My pregnancy was absolutely surreal. After more than two and a half years battling infertility through two painful IVF retrievals and two frozen embryo transfers, we were finally pregnant and couldn’t be happier.“
“Sure, I had my fair share of pregnancy symptoms, but all in all they were mild and completely bearable. Besides, there was a large part of me that relished every single symptom, no matter how unpleasant, as it meant that I was really going to be a mother. My favorite part was rubbing my rounded belly, savoring the shape and feeling my sweet baby girl moving inside me. The bigger she got, the more swollen and uncomfortable I became, and the more in love with her I fell.“
“My husband and I had originally wanted to plan a natural birth at home, but our back-up OB decided to change his payment policy making it unrealistic for us to move forward with that idea. We did a little research on hospitals in the area and found one that had the lowest rate of elective c-section. After touring it, we really liked the small community feel, the staff of midwives and their outlook on the birth process as a whole.“
“I spent countless hours learning the art of hypnobirthing after having bought the book and audio files online. I would take epsom salt baths in the evenings because of my restless, swollen legs, and used that time to practice my hypnobirth breathing and visualization techniques. I envisioned myself moving through the labor process with Jordan by my side, and I genuinely looked forward to the challenge ahead of me. All of my prenatal visits had been uneventful and completely normal, until week 38, where I was suddenly told that my blood pressure was 165/98 and I had a small amount of protein in my urine.“
“The doctor in the office that day advised me to drive straight to the hospital for an induction, and that more than likely I would be meeting my daughter within 24 hours. It was a flurry of information that I was not prepared for, and I asked as many questions as I could. I found out that since there was a chance my blood pressure could come down within a few hours, and the protein level in my urine was scant, the doctor felt comfortable just monitoring me and possibly sending me home if things seemed to resolve. Luckily for me, that’s exactly what happened. The very next day my mother arrived on her flight from Wilmington, North Carolina, and we spent the next week getting as prepared as possible for baby girl’s arrival.“
“On the morning of my 39 week check-up, my blood pressure had spiked again and the protein level in my urine had skyrocketed beyond what the doctor was comfortable with. This time, there was no escaping the hospital visit, and they weren’t going to let me go home. When I arrived for observation, the nurses were concerned with my low level of fluid output, so they put in a catheter in hopes to collect more. However, it quickly became apparent that my kidneys were starting to shut down, and even though I was showing no other obvious signs, I was diagnosed with atypical preeclampsia and given two options: aggressive induction or c-section.“
“After a quick conversation with my husband and mother, along with a few tears being shed, I decided that the c-section would be my choice.”
“My dream of an all natural childbirth experience was dashed, and in its place was put a major surgery that would drag my body through a hellish recovery. Just a few minutes after we let the doctors know about our choice, more of my kidney blood work had come back, and doctors were more concerned than ever to get the baby out. They moved my c-section from 8pm that evening to immediately, and within minutes I was on the operating table.”
“Thankfully my husband, midwife Lynn and doula Maegan were able to join me and the whole procedure took less than thirty minutes.”
“Athena Selene was born at 2:57pm, weighing six pounds and fifteen ounces, measuring 20 inches long. She had a full head of dark hair, just like me when I was born.”
“For several days after her birth I strongly grieved the loss of an experience I had so wished to have, but I couldn’t deny how grateful I was to have a healthy baby girl, no matter how she arrived into this world.“
