A Real C-Section Story: Through My Mum’s Eyes

For this piece, I spoke with my mum about her experience having a C-section when she gave birth to her first child, my older brother, a story that shaped both her journey into motherhood and my understanding of birth, recovery, and resilience. This conversation is both personal and informative, as I am reflecting on the story of my brother’s birth through her eyes. Throughout the interview, she also references her partner, who is my dad and her husband.

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Before the C-section

When my mum found out she would need a C-section, her reaction might not have been what people expect.

She explained that she actually felt relieved. She had been terrified of having the baby naturally, so knowing she would be having a C-section made her feel more at ease.

However, that relief was not matched with preparation. She was not given any information beforehand and didn’t really know what to expect.

Her biggest concern going into it was recovery. She wasn’t sure what her body would go through afterwards or how difficult healing would be.

At the time, my dad was not physically there, but that didn’t worry her. When her water broke, he reassured her that he would make the necessary preparations to fly to her as quickly as possible to be there for the birth.

It is also important to understand the wider context of what was happening at the time. This was during the height of the volcanic crisis in Montserrat, when villages were being evacuated. Because of this, she received an invitation to travel and give birth in Tortola, which is how she came to be there for the delivery.

The Night Everything Changed

On the night of Thursday the 21st of August, everything began.

Her water broke during the night, and shortly after, contractions started.

Once she arrived at the hospital, things began to shift quickly. She noticed something felt different. Her stomach didn’t look or feel as round as it usually did. Even though the doctors didn’t say anything at the time, she instinctively knew that the baby had turned.

The nurses contacted the doctor, who instructed them to give her an injection to help manage the pain.

She stayed at the hospital and was told to try and get some sleep, but she didn’t sleep at all that night.

The next morning, the doctor arrived and began preparing her for surgery. She was taken to theatre, and the procedure was carried out under general anaesthetic, so she wasn’t awake for it.

At that stage, nothing particularly surprised her, but what followed during recovery would be far more difficult than she expected.

Recovery: The Reality

After the surgery, she stayed in the hospital for about a week, from Thursday night through the weekend and into the next week.

She remembers feeling extremely weak. One of the hardest parts was how painful it was to do something as basic as going to the bathroom. At the time, she thought that level of pain was normal.

There was one moment that stood out. She got up to go to the bathroom and suddenly felt dizzy, swaying as she stood. A nurse noticed and, after confirming she felt dizzy, brought her a bedpan so she wouldn’t have to walk.

Going Home… and Things Taking a Turn

When she was discharged, she went home, and by then my dad had arrived.

A midwife came to check on her, but things still weren’t right.

At night, she would have fevers and feel generally unwell. At the same time, the baby would sleep during the day and cry throughout the night. Despite her exhaustion and discomfort, she tried to soothe him, but nothing seemed to work. He wasn’t wet and he wasn’t hungry, he would just cry.

The entire experience was overwhelming.

Soon after, more concerning symptoms appeared. She lost her appetite and continued to experience severe pain when urinating.

When the midwife examined her, she immediately knew something was wrong. Her stomach was still high, hard, and larger than expected. Concerned, the midwife called an ambulance, and she was taken back to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor initially said everything was fine and prescribed medication to help bring her uterus down.

A Critical Turning Point

She returned home but was told to come back the following week to have her stitches removed.

The night before that appointment, she developed a very high fever. She described it as feeling concentrated in her midsection. Despite knowing something wasn’t right, she tried to carry on as normal, even washing the baby’s clothes.

She didn’t feel like eating, but my dad encouraged her to eat a little, so she did.

The next day, they went back to the hospital.

She explained everything, the fever, the pain, the weakness, but initially thought she would be sent home again.

As she was preparing to leave, the staff stopped her and said she couldn’t go.

After contacting the doctor, they carried out an ultrasound. That’s when they discovered that blood was collecting inside her uterus. She was admitted immediately.

Emergency Surgery

The doctor arrived at around 2 o’clock to review the ultrasound results. After seeing them, he made a decision.

My mum thought they were simply going to remove the collected blood, but instead, she was told she needed emergency surgery.

What was happening internally was that she was haemorrhaging.

She went into theatre at around 2:30, and the surgery didn’t finish until after 8 that evening.

Afterwards, she was told that the blood had started to smell, meaning a serious infection had developed.

She was given strong IV antibiotics, and looking back, she realised that even before everything escalated, she had been losing weight very quickly after giving birth. It was noticeable enough for others to comment on.

After the Surgery

After the procedure, she was placed in a separate room and given multiple blood transfusions to replace the blood that had been lost.

When the doctor came to see her afterwards, he said something that stayed with her:

“Look how we almost let Mrs Johnson bleed to death.”

After she had recovered and had time to reflect, she felt that God was not ready for her yet, and that she had been given a second chance.

Recovery After Everything

Because of the emergency surgery, doctors had to reopen her C-section scar, which had already started healing. This made her recovery longer and more difficult.

Despite everything, she said recovery itself didn’t feel as bad as everything she had already gone through. She focused on staying strong and moving forward.

What she wanted most was to return home to Montserrat. However, because the baby was born in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, there were certain legal requirements. The baby had to be christened before a birth certificate could be issued.

Because of this, she remained there until the end of September, even though the baby was born in mid to late August.

Emotional Impact and Support

When asked about the emotional impact, she said she didn’t have time to process it fully. However, she knew one thing for certain, she didn’t want to have any more children.

She did feel supported during her recovery. My dad was there, and she also received help from the woman they were staying with.

She also received significant support from Dr. Tuitt, who was living in Tortola at the time and helped care for her during this period. In addition, my sister Joan, who also lives in Tortola, visited her in the hospital and supported her by helping to take care of our brother.

Understanding C-sections

She expressed that she wishes more mothers truly understood what to expect, especially when it comes to recovery and possible complications.

She also believes C-sections are misunderstood. Many people assume that once the wound looks healed on the outside, everything is fine, but internally, the body is still healing. She emphasised the importance of being cautious and not lifting heavy items too soon.

A Final Reflection: A Different Experience

After the interview, we had a lighter conversation. My mum shared that when she had me, also via C-section, the experience was completely different.

She had more support and knew what to expect.

Being in the UK made a difference.

She recalled one moment where a nurse noticed how exhausted she was and told her to get some rest while she watched the baby. At the time, I had sickle cell and was jaundiced, which made me cry a lot.

The nurse later told her she wouldn’t have been able to care for me properly in that state of exhaustion.

During that conversation, I joked that she was referring to me as “the baby” as if I wasn’t the one she was speaking to, even though we were talking from different countries.

A Personal Reflection

I then asked her how she would have felt if, after everything she went through with my older brother, he had been the one diagnosed with sickle cell.

She explained that she had already asked for his cord blood to be tested during pregnancy, and he did not have it.

Doctors had told her she likely wouldn’t be able to have more children due to internal scarring, but she went on to have me.

I was the one born with sickle cell.

For the first time in my life, hearing everything she went through, I realised something. I felt grateful that it was me and not my brother.

What C-section Awareness Means

To her, C-section awareness is simple.

If sharing her story helps even one person, it makes everything worth it.

C-sections save lives. There was a time when far more women died during childbirth. Because of medical advancements like this, that is no longer as common.

She believes C-sections should be respected.

And most importantly, people should be informed. Hearing real experiences helps others know what to expect, or at least prepares them for what could happen.

Closing

And with that, we came to the end of our interview.

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