How to Recover from an Unplanned C-Section: The Only Thing I Didn't Research!

We were so excited to see Nicole DeBoom, owner of Skirt Sports, wearing our BINSI Hairdo-la! Please read her blog, it is a great perspective on unexpected cesarean birth.

I was a researching fool throughout my pregnancy. I was fastidious. From exercise, to nutrition, to symptoms of early labor, to recommendations for the birth and delivery -- I basically got a bachelor's degree in "pregnancy for the active woman." I truly enjoyed the entire pregnancy, even the two weeks of limbo after my due date passed but before I was induced. I was good to my body. I was incredibly healthy. I was prepared for just about every possibility - except for the one that happened. An unplanned, emergency cesarean section.

Assuming I had experienced a vaginal birth, I was prepared for my lowest level of fitness to be the last few weeks of my pregnancy. After the birth, I thought I would enjoy minimal recovery time before "getting my body back" one step at a time. I imagined that within a few weeks I would be able to start swimming, cycling, hiking, and running at an easy, introductory level. However, as it turned out, my fitness level could indeed decrease even further, as dictated by the unplanned c-section.

A cesarean section is abdominal surgery, plain and simple. It's not arthroscopic surgery where they extract the baby through a minor incision. The medical team literally makes a large incision (5-6 inches in my case), cutting through layers of skin, muscle, and of course, the uterus, so they can safely bring the baby into this world.

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10 Steps to Natural Childbirth

By Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, About.com Guide

Choose a supportive practitioner. No matter whether you use a doctor or midwife, be sure that your practitioner has a lot of experience in caring for women who want to have an unmedicated birth. Midwives usually specialize in this type of birth. How to choose your practitioner.

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Homebirth Ryan Gosling

Please check this site out, it is hilarious! Homebirth Ryan Gosling

Facing Maternity Care Gaps, Midwives Push For Birthing Justice

Written by Michelle Chen

As wondrous a phenomenon as childbirth is, we often view it as a form of medical purgatory --hours of drug-dampened agony under starched sheets and sterile lights. But more women today are thinking outside the box about labor. Home-based births have shot up in recent years. Advocates across the country have persuaded governments to broaden medical coverage for out-of-hospital birth services.

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Another Reason to Delay Cord Clamping

Posted by Christie Haskell at The Stir

Likely, you've heard the phrase "delayed cord clamping" -- it's the idea that all the blood in the placenta and umbilical cord should pump INTO the baby's body before the cord is cut, since it's intended to be the baby's own blood supply. Waiting just 94 seconds ups blood volume and helps prevent anemia in the baby's first year. While the benefits aren't very disputed, sadly, most OBs only wait an average of 17 seconds before clamping the cord.

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Delaying Cord Clamping Explained!

A Beautiful Birth Video

Birth from Josh Rask Films on Vimeo.