Throughout most of my pregnancy, I never thought I'd post a birth story. But I changed my mind after having to have a planned c-section and hearing everyone else's reactions to that news. I'll explain...

At my 32 week ultrasound, we found out that baby was breech, but there was still plenty of time for it to flip. But, as time went on and I got checked every week, baby stayed still and it seemed less and less likely that it would turn. So, at 37 weeks, my OB scheduled me for a c-section at 39w1d.

I'd hoped for a vaginal delivery but never intended on making a birth plan because labor and delivery can be so unpredictable that I wanted to stay as open-minded as possible. So while a planned c-section wasn't my ideal situation, I figured that, since there was nothing that I could do about it, I might as well accept it and make the best of it.

Unfortunately, when I shared the news (and I didn't share it with a ton of people, just close friends, family members, and some coworkers I'm close to), almost everyone treated me with pity, like my needing a c-section was a reason to feel bad for me. Even some of the nurses at my OB's office would tell me, weekly, "Bad news, the baby is still breech, so it looks like you'll be having that c-section."

And it pissed me off. Some people are very anti-c-section, and they're allowed their opinion, but I wished they'd keep it to themselves. There was nothing that could be done to change it, so why treat me like it was the end of the world?

The more and more I thought about it, the more I was totally at peace with it. I liked knowing that I'd wake up one morning and have a baby that day without stressing about when it would arrive. But everyone in the peanut gallery really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, on the morning of the scheduled birth, I woke up early, took a shower, and got ready to go to the hospital. My husband drove us and we went right to OB triage, where they checked us in and took me back to the room where I'd be monitored for a while.

In that room, they hooked me up to the toco and fetal heart monitor while they got a full medical history, shaved me, and hooked up my IV. My husband changed into scrubs and then my OB and the anesthesiologist came in to talk me through the procedure. I started getting really nervous but everyone was so friendly and reassuring that it helped a lot.

Finally, they took me into the OR while my husband waited out in the hall. The next 20 minutes or so, the prep for surgery, was the worst part. It was freeeeeeezing in the OR and I was so, so nervous. The anesthesiologist gave me the spinal, which wasn't as terrible as I'd expected, but after they lay me down, I started shaking uncontrollably, which she told me would happen. Between that, my nerves, and the room temperature, I was really uncomfortable and shivery and I just wanted my husband to come back in. The anesthesiologist was really nice and reassuring and told me she'd be right by me the whole time so to let her know if I got nauseous or anything so that she could adjust my "cocktail."

Finally, they let my husband in and he sat down in a chair by my head. The doctors put the sheet up under my chest and they tested me to make sure I was totally numb. When they determined I was, they began surgery.

I could barely hear the doctors doing the surgery but the anesthesiologist talked me through what they were doing. Once they made the cut, they warned me that I'd start to feel a lot of tugging. But I wasn't prepared for how much I felt. It didn't hurt but it felt like they were literally rearranging my insides, from pelvis up to diaphragm. I couldn't imagine how they weren't tearing me apart. I started to feel queasy so I told the anesthesiologist and she adjusted my meds so that I felt better.

They finally announced that baby's butt was out first, and I asked If they could see yet if it was a boy or girl. They told us that they could and asked if we wanted to know now or if we wanted to wait until they got the legs and head out. But we wanted to know right then.

When he told us it was a girl, I started bawling. I didn't have a preference for baby's sex, but I'd had a gut feeling that I was carrying a girl the whole time, so to be right made me very emotional.

They pulled her feet out and then her shoulders and head, and then told my husband he could stand up and look over the sheet. He saw them holding her and just kept saying "oh my god, oh my god."

The NICU team took her and called my husband over. I kept asking to see her, even though they'd told me ahead of time that they'd need to tend to her first. It felt like forever before I heard her cry but it was less than a minute. Finally, they got her checked out and cleaned up, and my husband brought her over. I got to see her but not hold her as the doctors removed the placenta. They sat with me for a few minutes and then a NICU doctor came to me to tell me that she looked great, her Apgar scores were 8 and 9, and that they were going to take her and my husband to recovery.

So they left and the anesthesiologist gave me something that made me really sleepy while the doctors stitched me up. I didn't completely fall asleep but I was kind of out of it, which was nice. I woke right up as they finished and they wheeled me to recovery to see Baby P.

They'd weighed and measured her. She was 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 19.25 inches. She had a ton of dark hair and super-long eyelashes. I nursed her right there - she latched on like a champ - and they eventually took us to our room.

The feeling returned to my legs by the end of the day and when the IV painkillers wore off, they gave me some pills. I was uncomfortable the rest of the first day but not in a ton of pain. The next morning, the nurses unhooked my IV and catheter and helped me walk to the bathroom. I was up and about later that day and by day three, I felt really good, just a bit tender.

I spend four days in the hospital, the max allowed by my insurance. I was well enough to leave on the third day but I figured I'd stay if it was paid for. Plus, I wanted to make sure my milk came in and that I could meet with the lactation consultant one last time.

We had two sleepless nights and two nights where we all slept pretty well. I'm currently four days PP and feel almost no pain, but they told me to to stay on my pain pills for a couple more days. My incision looks great and the vaginal bleeding (which happens even with a c-section) has been lighter than a period after the first day and a half.

We're still getting to know Baby P and learn how to do this whole parenting thing, but I have zero regrets about my c-section and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

So, if anyone is struggling with the fact that they might need to get a c-section, just know that it doesn't have to be bad news! It is what you make of it.

Oh, and here's our little peanut.