Introduction: That Other Jill
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 11:10AMHi folks, my name is Jill P. and I blog over at Keyboard Revolutionary. Jill asked me to guest blog on The Unnecesarean and suggested I write a little intro for myself. I’m a mom to two wonderful little boys, Jameson (5) and Jacob (18 months). We live in the mountains of Virginia with my husband Adrian, one cat, one fish, and four rats. The cat and I are the only females in the house, so we’re definitely outnumbered. I like photography, nature, Dumpster Diving, music, crafting pretty much anything, and writing, of course.
My son Jameson was born by unnecesarean in 2004 when I was 21. I knew the benefits of natural birth, and since I was seeing a hospital-based CNM practice for care, I assumed that’s what would happen. I was wrong. Jameson was in posterior position, and despite the many flags that should have warned my caregivers, it went undiagnosed. I had a 46-hour labor complete with the typical cascade of interventions, and I was unable to push Jameson out while flat on my back with an epidural. During my Cesarean, the OB lacerated my cervix. No one told me, not even when that laceration began to hemmorrage after I’d been discharged and I found myself back in the hospital, bleeding out. It wasn’t until I got my medical records, years later during my second pregnancy, that I discovered what had been kept from me. I was still angry from the poor management of Jameson’s labor, and that anger was wrought anew when I found out they had basically lied to me to avoid taking responsibility for my near-death experience. Eveything that had happened to me could have been so easily prevented.
I had a triumphant VBAC at home with my second son, Jacob. I took great strides to not be a passive patient this time around, and took a very proactive role in ensuring I would have the healthiest pregnancy and safest delivery possible. Jacob was born in the water into my own hands after just 12 hours of labor. He broke my tailbone coming out, which was the only truly painful part of the birth. It was challenging and difficult but extremely rewarding and empowering. I am now a strong advocate for homebirth and VBAC in general.
Jill suggested that I link to some of my favorite birth-related blogposts to give new readers a taste of my writing - my Greatest Hits, if you will. :) Here you go:
My Thoughts On The Midwifery Model of Care
Can Too Much Positivity Backfire?
Birth As A Psychedelic Experience
How Does Birth Impact a Mother?
Reader Comments (9)
Awesome. By the way, your nifty links list on your site, the one that says who's updated when, is so handy, I use it all the time. When I'm not reading your posts :)
Hi Jill!
Hooray for Other Jill! ;)
JILL P!! I always enjoy all of your comments! So glad to see you come on as a guest blogger and to have found YOUR blog! Yay!
excellent Jill P.-looking forward to your blogs here! Sorry about the first birth- whoa- glad you are okay now. :)
Wow, except for the extra injury during your surgery it sounds like it could have been my birth story, though you did have 9 hours on me. I hope that I get the chance to have one like your second as well.
Hi Jill! Good to see you here, too.
Yay, my favorite Jill! S
Wonderful post!
I find it truly horrifying that they basically thought if they didn't tell you what they did to your cervix, then you'd never know. That way you couldn't sue. Perhaps the statute of limitations was up by the time you obtained your medical records.
Makes you wonder what else they do down there in hopes that 'no one will know.' That's some scary sh!t, for sure. :(