the club

Q and I are very excited to meet our new niece who was born yesterday. Her name is Ella Jean, and she was born at 5:53 pm on October 2. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 10 ounces, and is 19 and 3/4 inches long. She was born via emergency c-section and the last word was that she is in the NICU due to fluid in her lungs. My sister hadn't seen her yet as of 9 0'clock last night, but I was texted a picture, and she is beautiful.

So, I welcome my sister to the c-section club as I was welcomed by someone before me. It is a tough club to join. One has to be strong, and willing to let go of previous beliefs that she who gets a c-section is she who is weak. She has to believe that she did the best she could (and after 2 1/2 hours of pushing, I would say so), and now she and her baby are both healthy and happy. She has to stop telling herself she should have done something different, or that she gave up.

The woman who has a c-section is just as strong and tough of the woman who got to deliver the natural way. She will be jealous of those who did not have c-sections, and with every friend or acquaintance who also has the c-section, she will remember her own experience. She will question the circumstances of her own surgery.

Having a c-section can be traumatic, especially if one is not prepared for that possibility, or if one's c-section was super emergency due to complications. The woman who has a c-section will always have a scar to prove that she is amazing, and lucky to be among us.

Welcome to the c-section club, B.