"It was not the way I wanted to have a baby but it’s the way it happened..."

Guest blog by Jessica Hulse Dillon aka @lolaroaming

#StoriesFromTheSunroof

​I was NOT going to have a c-section, not because I had some ideal way my baby had to be born or because I was against them (I worked in public health and saw he ability of c-sections to save lives) but just because I didn’t want to have surgery, something I had avoided my entire life. 

My pregnancy was totally normal, if not a little dull. Things happened when they were supposed to, I threw up, got heartburn, and all the usual stuff but otherwise just skated along. Until week 35 when after 12 hours of contractions I ended up in the hospital until they. just. stopped. As my doula ushered me out the door “quick before they try to induce you” she said don’t worry, you’ll be back in a few days to have the baby. Instead I had HOURS of contractions for another five weeks.

Le sigh. 

Finally, three days before they were going to induce me I went into labor. Cervix dialating, painful as all get out, Labor. And it moved right along, from 4 to 8 centimeters in a few hours. And then the dialation stopped and in a flurry of doctors running in and out (15 other women were simultaneously in labor) he tossed out “she’ll need a c-section”. And I sobbed.

Then I got really stoned on an epidural and got over myself. 

As soon as we got back into the OR something tipped off the doctor and without waiting for the good drugs to kick in he starts cutting. While I’m screaming for drugs, and my husband, the doctor manages to pop out the baby (my husband made it with 30 seconds to spare), she started crying, and the whole room took a collective deep breath. 

After that, other then some light puking, it all went back to being totally normal and boring. We went home two days later and settled into a new routine with an eight pound dictator who cuddled and nursed and is now an insane toddler dictator in a princess dress. 

It was not the way I wanted to have a baby but it’s the way it happened and the details on how she got here seem rather unimportant as we give each other fish kisses and have dinner while building LEGO pirate ships.