Track 11: Our Crazy (and "Oily") Cesarean Delivery →

The night before our baby girl was delivered, we had a big decision to make: to have a cesarean section the very next morning or wait longer, risking an emergency C-section.

Our doctor was out of town and every doctor who looked at our ultrasound the day before made a strong recommendation for a C-section. There was a greater than 80% chance that if we were to wait any longer, we'd be having an emergency procedure.

Etta was measuring at almost 11 pounds, and they told us her mid-section was so big it wasn't even fitting on the ultrasound screen, done just days before her birthday. (Her head also now measures above the 99th percentile…)

I quickly started texting tons of questions to my friends who had C-sections, and we called my OBGYN sister-in-law. She explained that the vaginal delivery would ultimately be more risk for our baby and less risk for me, whereas a C-section would be less risk for baby and more risk for me. That was the best picture for us to look at after hearing from so many people.

It wasn't much time to pray for guidance in the decision-making process, but we knew God would have His hand over either procedure. I prayed for His faithful protection and trusted the recommendation of the medical professionals – even though I told myself during the pregnancy that I would try vaginal over C-section first! God's thoughts are not my thoughts. My ways are not God's ways.

Paul and I had mere hours between the time we made the decision and the time we'd be meeting our little girl. (A nurse called to tell me I needed to shower with special soap in a few hours and then again when I woke up. When she looked at my record, she realized there wouldn't even be enough time for me to go get it from the doctor's office. That's how fast things moved…)

Before bed, we contacted our prayer warriors asking them to lift us up to God at 7 a.m. I was comforted when some of them shared that they had children delivered via C-section.

Before I knew Jesus as my Savior AND LORD, I know I would have been scared to death. I would have been crying like a baby, not knowing what to expect. I know this without a doubt. I have a terrible tolerance for pain and my entire family can vouch for that!

Which is why they all laughed at me when I told them early on that I made the decision to try laboring without an epidural. But all throughout my pregnancy, the Lord gave me an amazing peace, specifically about labor and delivery – something that has otherwise scared me for (almost) my entire adult life.

I do remember crying when I told Paul what the hospital was recommending. I cried because I was so ready to have this baby with Jesus' strength – with no medication.

Through every step though, I felt Him with me. I ran through my PowerPoint slides of scriptures. Yes, I had planned to have this running during my labor! And Paul's prayers and encouragement helped me so much. I am so thankful for having a Godly husband.

I just breathed in and out the same words I did the few times I had my blood drawn or was administered shots during my pregnancy: (inhale) "I can do all things" (exhale) "in Christ who is my strength."

I did this when they "missed" the IV three times.

Again when they missed the spinal block on the first try.

And very frequently when I was spitting into the many throw-up bags (in three different rooms).

I asked the doctor (who wasn't mine by the way…remember mine was out of town), "How many of your patients throw up during this?" And he said, "The majority."

I asked God to help me not vomit. I don't know why, but I didn't want to – in any step of the way. And guess what? I didn't!

I had somewhat of an "oily" pregnancy, meaning I got pretty heavy into 100% pure essential oils. I am so happy I did. And I am only sorry I didn’t start using them in the early weeks of being pregnant.

Before being rolled into the operating room, I inhaled my grapefruit essential oil. I had never been so hungry before…you're not allowed to eat the night before, so it had been over 10 hours since I had food (or water or ice!). Keep in mind, I'm nine months pregnant and had been waking up starving for breakfast every day there at the end… Grapefruit is known to prolong hunger and boy did it help! Thank you, Jesus!

Another momma shared that her Young Living White Angelica oil was like an "epidural in a bottle" – I had Paul put that in his pocket, too. I inhaled it to calm my nerves. (It's actually a blend made up of 10 oils.)

The third oil I handed him before going into the prep room was my trusty peppermint oil. It helped with my nausea. (So many meds on an empty stomach when my body already loathes pain meds!)

It wasn't long before the third most amazing moment of our lives came (the first being falling in love with Jesus and the second being committing our marriage to Him). As expected, we were both crying the moment we saw her in the surgeon's arms. It went so fast – Paul cutting the cord, me feeling her naked body against mine.

Next came the breastfeeding. I'm so thankful Paul captured the most beautiful photos from these precious moments, because I was starting to get a little delirious. And we quickly learned that was because I was hemorrhaging!

I knew it was serious by the number of doctors flooding the room and when I began hearing the words: "blood" and "transfusion." Plus Etta was taken from us – out of our small post-op room.

While I was confused about what was happening, Paul later shared with me that he was so incredibly calm during it all. That he wasn't scared at all, thanks to Jesus.

I remember watching my blood being weighed. I lost nearly two liters of it. I was looking around for Etta (who was nameless at the time), wondering where she was. I was SO medicated!

Before I knew it, I was in our hospital room being told that, because of the hemorrhaging, someone would be checking me every 15 minutes. "Checking" consisted of pressing around my uterus – which had just been sliced open. Nice.

Oh my goodness, motherhood is no joke. And that was only the beginning.

My friends who've had C-sections told me, no matter what, to start walking early and frequently – that it would help in my recovery. When I was finally able to stand, I couldn't walk far. There was a lot more monitoring of the blood loss – and a lot more meds via my IV for the severe itching I was experiencing in my legs.

But still no blood transfusion. Praise God! He protected me when I asked not to throw up and he protected me when I asked not to have a blood transfusion.

After some time, I began experiencing the most severe migraines I've ever had. Two different anesthesiologists examined me and confirmed a spinal headache, as a result of a failed spinal block before the successful entrance. They recommended a blood patch – meaning I'd be back in the OR, receiving some of my own blood in the "air pocket" hole that was created during the first attempt at the spinal block. 

Lord, I am so weak. Allow me to begin the healing process, so that I have strength to care for our child, who is yours, your beautiful, miraculous creation. Be my wisdom!

Is there any other way around this?! They told me to try drinking three large Red Bulls. All that caffeine may help. Etta (still only with a middle name at the time) went to the nursery and Paul set off to scour the hospital for all the caffeine he could find.

By day five, Jesus protected me from having to undergo the blood patch procedure – the third protection he offered me during our crazy C-section experience.

The doctors ultimately were still concerned by my going-home-day, so they asked us to stay for an additional period of time to be monitored. Plus that way I wouldn't be going home, possibly unable to feed/care for Etta.

Our sister-in-law was right: less risk for baby, but more risk for momma. Etta was absolutely perfect. The pediatrician was in love and he kept telling us he couldn't find a single thing wrong with her. She had quite the fan club at Methodist.

Because I had my hospital bags packed for weeks, I had my "vaginal delivery oils" all ready to go. I went ahead and brought it with me to my "C-section delivery," only adding that grapefruit oil as we were heading out the door. My oils bag included my diffuser…in which I diffused Young Living's Gentle Baby oil. All the nurses said our room smelled wonderful! It was the perfect environment for Etta who had been reaping the benefits of this oil blend towards the end of my pregnancy. (And who gets a bit of it now each day.)

When we went home, I applied Frankincense and/or Frankincense and lavender oil near/around my incision/bandages.

Two weeks later when I went in for my post-op appointment, my doctor laughed as she said, "Where is it?!" referring to my incision. I was startled for a moment – what did she mean, "where is it?!?" Then she motioned Paul over to take a look at it. She told us that my incision, after two weeks, looked like what most women's incisions look like after two years of healing.

Once again, Jesus protected us from any infection and I believe He healed me. You can research Frankincense for yourself, but I can tell you this isn't the only health issue this oil and others have helped our family with. (I'll share more about how we've been using essential oils in our home in a separate blog post.)

I think other C-section mommas would agree that once you're home, there is definitely a feeling of how-in-the-world-am-I-going-to-do-this – when you have a human to feed and care for and you can't lift, let alone sit up, stand and walk as you normally would.

But God. He is so awesome. Here I am with an almost two-month-old baby girl – and here to give Him all the glory, because it's His.