Baby Stucks: Lesson from a one-day old

By Sabrina Clark | October 15, 2012

I had 45 minutes left on my workday when POP! My water broke! In the middle of my open-floor-plan office!  In front of colleagues! And the FedEx guy!

Fast forward to the hospital, where I was put in triage to await a C-section for my breech-bound baby. There were two people ahead of me, so I knew I was in store for a good five- to six-hour interlude — except no one told my baby.

I still had at least three hours to wait when the contractions started. An hour later, my labor pains at full force, I felt the urge to puuuuuuusssssh!

Instantly, I was surrounded by what felt like half the hospital staff. As they wheeled me down the hall at record speed, my impatient babe’s foot began pushing toward the exit. Chaos erupts, as one doctor preps me for the next push, another commands a C-section “stat!” and I lie, stricken and stuck, in the middle of polar-opposite choices.

I looked from one doctor to the other, and then decided to lock eyes with the MD who believed I could deliver my baby the way she apparently wanted to come out. Despite what made rational sense, nothing felt more natural than my little girl venturing into the world feet first. And that’s what she did. In just five pushes.

In hindsight, I marvel at how, in her first moments of life, my daughter taught me a valuable lesson: Don’t assume the solution is right in front of you; sometimes you have to be creative. And go with your gut instinct.

Next post: Why can’t I stop checking in with the office?
Previous post: Surprised that her baby is in breech position, Sabrina finds a way to adapt to this unwelcome news. 

About Sabrina Clark.

{Whenever you’re feeling stuck, the Unstuck iPad app can help. You can download the free app here.} 

#by Sabrina Clark #Baby Stucks