My Birth Story: Choosing a C-Section After Gestational Diabetes

Ashley Strengholt
Sep 23
3 min read

Pregnancy doesn’t always unfold the way we dream it will. My birth story is one filled with unexpected turns, moments of fear, and also the deepest joy I’ve ever known.

The Decision

Because of my gestational diabetes diagnosis, my care team gave me a choice: Pitocin induction or a scheduled C-section. After learning more about the risks of a Pitocin induction, I decided that a C-section felt like the safer option.

One of the hardest parts of that decision was knowing that my doula wouldn’t be allowed in the operating room. My husband, while loving and supportive, doesn’t do well with medical procedures - so it felt like I was walking into the experience without the steady support I had imagined for both of us.

5:16 am - on our way to check into pre-op.

The Operating Room

With a scheduled birth came a few small comforts: I was allowed to choose the music that would play during surgery. I picked worship songs, the same ones I had listened to throughout pregnancy - the ones my son would always wiggle and respond to. Having that music surround me in the OR gave me a sense of peace.

The nurse anesthetist kindly offered to use my phone to take photos, which I will always treasure. But even in those early moments, things didn’t go quite as planned. My doctor nearly began the surgery before my husband was even in the room. Thankfully, a nurse spoke up, realizing he wasn’t there. We were all confused about where he had gone - only to find out that my 6’4” husband had literally ripped through the one-size-fits-all gown they give to dads and they were desperately trying to find something that could accommodate his height.

Change of Plans

We had planned for a clear drape and delayed cord clamping, little choices that felt important to us. But when the words “thick meconium-stained fluid” were spoken, everything shifted instantly. The NICU team rushed in, and our carefully considered birth plan was set aside.

I didn’t get to see through the clear drape. Delayed cord clamping wasn’t possible. I didn’t hear my baby cry right away - after experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss, that silence was terrifying.

7:51am - NICU team suctioning and assessing my son

Meeting My Baby

The NICU team worked quickly and skillfully, and soon after, my baby was placed on my chest. From that moment forward, he stayed with me. He didn’t leave my chest until hours later, when I was ready to move him. That skin-to-skin time was sacred, grounding me after such a surreal, disorienting experience.

Reflection

Looking back, I realize now that I disassociated during parts of the birth. My mind kept circling around how my husband was coping in the OR and I felt distant from my own experience. Not having the unmedicated vaginal birth I had hoped for was disappointing.

I wish I had known then what I know now - that I could have advocated more strongly for waiting until spontaneous labor began, even with my diagnosis. But even with the unexpected, the fear, and the loss of parts of my plan, my son’s safe arrival and those first hours of closeness remain the heart of my story. Will I plan differently next time? Absolutely! Do I regret my experience? No, I think it will make me a better doula to understand birth disappointment.

Birth rarely goes exactly how we imagine. But every story, with its twists and turns, holds moments of strength, love, and transformation. This is mine.