The C-Spot: A Podcast about C-Sections
The C-Spot is a collection of stories told by women who have experienced Cesarean sections, otherwise known as C-sections or Belly births. Created by Daisy Davis-Marcelo, the C-Spot is a safe space for women to share and process their birth experiences, including planned, unplanned, positive traumatic, and family centered C-sections. If you would like to be a guest on The C-Spot, please fill out the sign-up form by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/caxkwPA7WpRYokdB7 | For more content and up-to-date information, you can follow The C-Spot on Instagram and Twitter @TheCSpotPodcast.
The C-Spot: A Podcast about C-Sections
Episode 11: Amy's C-Section Journey
This episode features a chat I had with Amy about her C-section experience in April 2021. Amy and I were both Science teachers at the same middle school, and I remember when she and her wife were expecting their daughter a few years ago. Amy talked about having her daughter at 32 weeks after being diagnosed with HELLP syndrome. This podcast episode was recorded a couple of months after the death of Tori Bowie, an Olympic athlete who died from complications due to childbirth. It is suspected that Tori died from eclampsia and possibly even HELLP syndrome.
Some of the topics discussed include the warning signs of HELLP syndrome, navigating pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, mourning the experiences that you may not get due to a preterm delivery + medical complication, an extended NICU stay, focusing on the positive moments in an unexpected situation, and learning that a C-section may not always be traumatizing or a negative event.
One topic that resonated with me as I talked with Amy is the importance of knowing that so many factors of childbirth are not within our control. It is perfectly fine to plan the birth of your dreams, but it is also helpful to know that parts of your birth plan may change, but it does not mean that you are a failure. It is also okay to mourn the birth that you did not get as well. For Moms that would like to learn more about HELLP syndrome and Amy's C-section, feel free to follow Amy on Instagram at @amseybeth!