From: judy@locus.com (Judy Leedom Tyrer)
Subject: Re: Justin's Birth Story
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 20:45:08 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.151223.7259@ttinews.tti.com> reid@metis.tti.com (Reid Kneeland) writes:
>In article <1992Aug24.184922.6330@news.media.mit.edu> stanzi@media.mit.edu (Constance "Stanzi" Royden) writes:
>
>>I have similar thoughts about child-birth classes.  Although mine did not
>>advocate non-intervention, they talked a lot about different types of pain
>>medications, they kind of glossed over the reality of C-sections.  They
>>made it sound like C-sections were a breeze
>                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>Funny, I remember Judy Tyrer using those exact words in misc.kids, and
>she meant it.  (It was no breeze for my wife, either.)  YMMV.
>

Yes, I said it and for me it was true.  I found the recovery from the C-section
infinitely easier than the 3 weeks of intense backaches they called "false 
labor" combined with 20 hours of pitocin induced labor including 3 minute 
contractions with only 30 seconds break between them.  

I think there are several factors that make having a C-section easier (just
as there are factors that make some women have easy vaginal deliveries).

	1) Willingness to take pain medication.  Since I actually enjoy
	   narcotics, this wasn't a problem for me.  But I know a lot of
	   women who resist pain medication and wait until they are crying
	   in pain before taking any.

	2) Fast healers.  I am an extremely fast healer.  Unfortunately,
	   at almost 40 that is starting to slow down some. 

	3) Post operative complications.  I didn't have any.  I know some
	   women who had infections and that seemed to really impact their
	   experiences.  

	4) Emotional comfort regarding helplessness.  I think this is often
	   the hardest part.  Not very many adults can adjust to being unable
	   to do anything for themselves.  I looked at lieing in bed and
	   having a nurse do everything for me as a luxury, not a strain.  I
	   admit that I really LIKE being pampered and frankly I don't get
	   any pampering in my daily life.  So for me the hospital was closer
	   to vacation than surgery.  Having a terrific nurse I really loved 
	   helped this.  

	5) No desire to be super woman.  This is part of 4 above, but also
	   relates to the emotional drain some women feel when they view 
	   themselves as failures for not delivering vaginally or see that
	   they have missed some incredible experience for not having pushed
	   their baby into the world themselves.  I think being asthmatic I
	   had to put the super woman myth aside long before I ever got 
	   pregnant.  And since I have other much stronger dreams I will not
	   attain (like starring on Broadway) not giving vaginal birth doesn't
	   bother me.

So, don't get me wrong.  There was some pain invovled.  And I lived for the
minute they would take the catheter out.  But all-in-all, I'd do it again.
But not if I have to be pregnant first and take the baby home afterwards.  For
me those hospital stays were the most magic moments of my life.  
-- 
Judy Leedom Tyrer

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"	- William Blake
From: dani@hp-ptp.ptp.hp.com (Danielle Cohen)
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 23:34:34 GMT
Subject: Re: Re: Girls? (corrected!
Organization: HP Pacific Technology Park - Sunnyvale, Ca.