A little about me.

I had a c-section in December 2009. I will avoid a repeat with my next baby.

While pregnant with my daughter I was terrified of having a c-section and hoped for a normal birth. I even counseled my husband on what he was supposed to say if the doctor started talking about a c-section while I was in labor and he performed great in his role when the time came. In hindsight now I see where I could have prepared myself better for my labor & delivery though.

While pregnant I held on to this hope that all would go as planned - I would go into labor on my own, dilate appropriately, get an epidural, and birth my daughter. What I didn't plan for was a posterior baby and how unprepared I was for the pain of labor.

I was so worried about being able to breastfeed successfully - I read a ton on the subject - that I failed to do anything proactive to prepare for childbirth. I didn't read any books on the subject, I took the one day course at the hospital with my husband which only taught like 15 minutes of breathing techniques, I didn't research pain relief options (who needs to right? Everyone knows about epidurals. Ugh). What I didn't think about could fill a book.

Now I'm pregnant with my second baby (24 weeks!) and I'm committed to avoiding the same result. I'm planning for my VBAC as though it's my full-time job. I'm currently reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, Easy Labor: Every Woman's Guide to Choosing Less Pain and More Joy During Childbirth, Husband Coached Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. Yes, I'm reading all of them at once!