10/09/2026
Like the first-time mom who was fully committed to a vaginal birth and planned to go without an epidural. Then, her baby had a big, long dip in their heart rate when contractions were strong and regular. She was given a medication to slow down her contractions to help the baby recover and it worked. So they kept going. And then when contractions got strong again, the baby had another big, long, scary dip. After the third time this happened, her care team was willing to keep trying (she was making steady progress!), but she said no. She was too worried about her baby and the emotional toll was too much for her and her partner. She asked for a c-section, which was uneventful, and allowed her to meet her baby her way.
She knew in her body what was the right answer for her. She said that if those dips hadn’t happened, she absolutely would have kept going and knew she could do it. But her labor had other plans and she did what the situation required of her in the moment. She was so happy to meet her baby and said later that she felt good because she knew it was her decision.