Taking the "EASY" way out?

**DISCLAIMER**  This is an emotionally-charged blog post.  This is a post about childbirth - so if that makes you uncomfortable for any reason, please stop reading.  I share my opinions, some research, some sarcasm, and I might even drop some f*bombs.  So if any of those offend you, stop reading now.  Otherwise, I welcome and invite you to read along and share your thoughts.

So I've been hearing an (unwelcome) comment quite often lately, when asked if I plan to do a vbac (vaginal birth after a cesarean) or a repeat c-section.  My first thought when asked this question is, frankly, why is it any of your business how I give birth to my child?  And there are two people who ask me this question - one type who is just curious, and the other type who wants to debate and shove their own opinion down my throat.  Anyone who knows me know how much I thoroughly enjoy the second type of person.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good debate.  The delivery of my child, however, is not a debate I'm going to have.  It's a personal decision that in no way, shape, or form involves anyone but me, my doc, and the life inside my body. 

Nonetheless, and despite my diplomatic attempts to avoid the debate, there are those out there who insist on pressing the issue, asking what research I've done to come to the conclusion that this is the safest delivery method for my unborn child, shoving their own personal experience and research down my throat, etc. To those people, I offer a big, fat fuck you.  I know, I know - harsh?  Maybe, if they were being polite.  However, these labor and delivery nazis are in no way being polite to me.  It takes the form of a personal attack, like I am being admonished for CHOOSING a repeat c-section.  How dare I, right?

I know there are those people out there who thoroughly enjoy childbirth - no joke.  I have a close friend who found it to be the most euphoric experience in her life.  And for those people who thoroughly enjoy it?  Good for you.  I WISH it was like that for me.  And who knows, maybe I'm just not "strong" enough, but those 15 hours I spent in labor were nowhere near euphoric.  And let me just clear the air right now - I'm NOT having a repeat c-section to make this entire process easier on myself.  I'm not that selfish.  Carter was in some serious distress during those 15 hours, flat-lining countless times, due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around his chest.  The cord would literally squeeze the life out of him with every contraction I had.  After many hours of monitoring this, my doc called for an emergency c-section.  And after Carter was brought into this world, my doc shared with me the fact that my pelvic cavity was too narrow and I could not have delivered Carter vaginally no matter how hard I pushed.  It would have put him in the position to use other  tools, such as forceps or even vacuum extraction.  Gee, neither of those sound potentially harmful to a baby, do they?

A lot of people feel that doctors push repeat c-sections on mothers via scare tactics.  First of all, if I felt my doctor was using scare tactics on me, he wouldn't be my doctor anymore.  My doctor did, however, present me with concrete statistics for BOTH delivery options given my prior c-section.  And since my doc was educated at Johns Hopkins, among other places, I'm going to go ahead and put more weight on his facts and opinions versus a nosy, rude person who can't mind their own business.

So yes, I understand there are serious risks involved with a c-section, as with any surgery.  But I also recognize that there are serious risks to my attempting a vbac as well, which include rupturing my scar tissue, which can lead to bleeding in the brain.  So really, it comes down to the old risk-benefit analysis.  And that analysis, coupled with my own research and discussions with my doctor, is no one else's business.  The choice is mine.  And while I'm more than willing to discuss the safety features on my child's carseat, I'm NOT willing to discuss my reasoning behind opting for a repeat c-section.  What I do or don't do with my vag and uterus really shouldn't be open for debate.