Sherri I went through labor with my son only to find out he was to big for me to have him naturally (I really wanted to experience that and now I have no idea why!!! THE LABOR FRICKIN HURT!!!!) All because I thought after having my daughter via emergency c-section that I had missed out on some experience I thought I wanted to have. Um yea with my youngest I went to my first appt already planning on asking for a planned c-section. I had a date for him scheduled and I developed complications so he was born via emergency c-section as well. I do not really think the second c-section an emergency c-section I guess it may be considered that though because they had already broke my water and I had been in labor 19 hours (from what I can remember) and not progressed. At any rate I think your goal is to give birth to a healthy baby and if that is what is accomplished it should not matter how you accomplished it. I thought it did at the time but realized it really didn't to me anymore.
You're right, Labor HURTS! I went in to labor with my first but didn't really know it. I had a horrible, dull, back ache. I only realized after the fact that it was labor and it wasn't full blown labor really. My cervix had already dilated before the labor started. In fact, the cervix dilated, infection set in through the open cervix and then the infection caused the premature labor. Either way, my son wouldn't have survived.
Anyway... no labor with Caitrin. I went to a perinatologist with her but all he really did was place and remove the cerclage. The rest of the pregnancy was taken care of my by family practitioner. So, towards the end I developed some preeclampsia and I was feeling awful. My doctor was feeling baby' position during an exam and thought it felt funny so he did an xay and saw she was frank breach. He knew I'd probably need a c-section and he couldn't do it so he wanted my peri to do it. Well, my peri is in Joplin, an hour away, and I didn't want to be stuck there with no one being able to come and visit me (my grandma was in poor health and couldn't make that kind of trip and DH had to try to keep a normal work schedule). The peri suggested a local OB. I went to see him at 10 in the morning. He did an ultrasound and said "pack your bags, I'll take the baby at 4:30" and he sent me to the hospital. It wasn't an 'emergency' but it definitely wasn't planned. Turns out her cord was down between her legs by my cervix and had my water broke the cord would have prolapsed. Anyway, no labor... the surgery was easy on me and I was up walking a few hours after she was born. I went home before she was 40 hours old. She was born at 4:59 in the evening and I did spend 2 nights in the hospital but I got out bright and early after the second night. Easy, peasy.
With Declan (though we didn't know he was Declan because we had no idea whether we were having a boy or a girl) I opted for a repeat c-section. After a false alarm (no labor, they screwed up my due date and tried to take him almost 3 weeks early!) we had our c-section scheduled for Nov. 10th. Our choices were the 7th or the 10th and the 7th had been our first son's due date so I wanted to avoid that. My nephew, coincidentally, had also been born on the 7th (he was due a week after Tyler was due) so I also wanted to avoid Jacob having to share his birthday with a cousin. Anyway, 2 days before my scheduled section I woke up feeling like I had to use the potty. This was at 5:40 in the morning. By 6:00 I called my grandma because I really felt funny. At 6:20 I called my husband's job. He had to get a ride to work the night before because the battery was dead on our van. I wanted them to know he'd need a jump by whoever brought him home. I wasn't 100% sure I was in labor at this point but I had some greenish discharge and it was worrying me so I was going to go to the hospital regardless as soon as he got home. He was to get off work at 7 but his supervisor told him right when I called to get his butt outside and he'd take him home immediately. He got home around 6:45. After dropping Caitrin off at my grandma's we got to the hospital about 7:10. At some point between 6:20 when I called Sean's work and 6:45 when he got home I had transitioned into full blown labor. My contrax were 3 minutes apart lasting over a minute each time. I was in PAIN. The nurses just sort of tsk'd me and said I was 2 days early. I told them I was in labor and they blew it off. I was told they would watch the monitors for an hour and then call my doctor if I showed progress. Ten minutes later the nurse was back with two different shots of stuff to stop my labor and said my doctor was on his way. I was definitely in labor, hard labor, and likely ripping my cervix because this time my cerclage was still in. The peri felt it would be fine to leave it until my c-section and then remove it then. He didn't think I'd go in to labor and neither did I. LOL
As far as the gender thing... we've always encouraged our boy to play with dolls the same as he plays with trucks. He has painted his nails and I have some great blackmail pictures of him wearing his sister's dance tutu.
On the same note our girl had trucks and all the boy stuff back when she was the only child. That's how I was raised. My grandma always said that just as little girls grow to be mommies, little boys grow to be daddies and they need experience in nurturing form a young age too. Little girls also became mechanics and race car drivers just like little boys so they needed access to cars and trucks too. My first toy was a big plastic police car. My uncle gave it to me. I loved that thing.
My second was a doll that I eventually cut all of the hair off and named Peeto and said it was a boy.
