After 30 hours of labor, a C-section wasn't the reward that I wanted. The anesthesiologist gave me more medication, and surgeons made a five-inch incision below my bikini line. They tugged at my body and jerked me back and forth. Just after the stroke of midnight, they pulled my baby out. When I reached out to hold my son, the nurses whisked him away without even letting me touch him.
Cesarean babies have a greater chance of developing respiratory problems.
And my baby had a bowel movement in the amniotic fluid, which boosted his risk of infection. The doctors decided to bring him straight to the nursery for observation. I strained to catch a glimpse of him, but before I knew it, he was gone. That night, I lay awake sobbing in the recovery room. I didn't get to see my son until 9 a.m. the next morning.