I hate the over use of the word triggering but this absolutely was.
I had a catastrophic hemorrhage during my C-section. I lost so much blood I lost kidney function and needed a transplant. I can’t imagine forcing anyone to give birth, period. Add the maternal mortality crisis into it. It’s beyond horrific. Pro-life my ass.
Fuck anyone trying to pass laws on women’s bodies.
This made me cry. What a horrific situation. I'm so glad you and your son survived.
I had 4 pregnancy losses between my two live births, decades ago, when that sort of thing was simply tragic. Now, I'd probably also be an accused serial killer because of losses outside my control.
A brutal reckoning told with wit, yet barely dulls the horror. I wept for you. Even while your brain tried to negotiate the loss of a lesser organ in exchange for your baby storage facility...though that did make me snort through the sobs.
You continue to make this one of my favourite subscriptions. You are currently neck-and-neck with Squidge Rugby - Squidge makes 20 minute videos explaining what happened in rugby matches, with wit and whimsy. Competition is tough at the top and you are killing!
And you are very much in line with a brilliant Aussie comedian, Alice Fraser, who described pregnancy/childbirth as "you’re signing up for a medium-sized car crash. Some people walk away sore, but essentially okay. Other people end up carrying injury for life." Fact.
I know this writing is a few years old but it was linked in your piece today, and I found myself reacting strongly to it. My first pregnancy had two life-threatening emergencies. One, an ovarian cyst that twisted and resulted in pain so bad I could not think or see and killed my ovary, requiring emergency surgical removal. That was at 13 weeks and the baby survived. However, this is largely because I had to advocate for myself during this process. I then had preeclampsia at the end of the same pregnancy, which is also life-threatening. I chose that baby (my sweet two year old son). I endured two chances to not be around to see that baby grow. Afterwards, someone said to me "after what you've been through you must recognize the miracle of life and not support abortion." I looked at them as if they were insane. I said the exact opposite has happened to me - I would never, ever, ever, ever EVER force pregnancy on ANYONE. I was always staunchly pro women's reproductive rights and pro abortion, but after my own experience with pregnancy, I literally cannot fathom undergoing that trauma and risk had I not even wanted to be pregnant. I agree that would be tantamount to torture. Thank you for sharing your worst moments, so well-written and even heartbreakingly funny, and vocalizing the rage so many of us feel. I am currently early on in a pregnancy with my second. I am very worried in today's environment and with our impending president. I can only imagine how scared women who did not willingly choose to become pregnant, or who cannot for whatever reason continue the pregnancy, must feel when assholes with no knowledge or experience in women's bodies or the harrowing experiences of childbirth pass laws dooming us to die.
Placental Abruption, reporting. I experienced pain on a logarithmic scale I never had access to before or since, but we both survived because we were in the hospital. I get very nervous when people tell me they’re planning to have a baby at home for reasons you well understand because you were on the right table at the right time… hugs!
I hate the over use of the word triggering but this absolutely was.
I had a catastrophic hemorrhage during my C-section. I lost so much blood I lost kidney function and needed a transplant. I can’t imagine forcing anyone to give birth, period. Add the maternal mortality crisis into it. It’s beyond horrific. Pro-life my ass.
Fuck anyone trying to pass laws on women’s bodies.
I'm so sorry this happened to you and I very much share in your rage at these lawmakers.
This made me cry. What a horrific situation. I'm so glad you and your son survived.
I had 4 pregnancy losses between my two live births, decades ago, when that sort of thing was simply tragic. Now, I'd probably also be an accused serial killer because of losses outside my control.
Lawmakers should stay the fuck out of medicine.
Amen amen amen.
A brutal reckoning told with wit, yet barely dulls the horror. I wept for you. Even while your brain tried to negotiate the loss of a lesser organ in exchange for your baby storage facility...though that did make me snort through the sobs.
You continue to make this one of my favourite subscriptions. You are currently neck-and-neck with Squidge Rugby - Squidge makes 20 minute videos explaining what happened in rugby matches, with wit and whimsy. Competition is tough at the top and you are killing!
And you are very much in line with a brilliant Aussie comedian, Alice Fraser, who described pregnancy/childbirth as "you’re signing up for a medium-sized car crash. Some people walk away sore, but essentially okay. Other people end up carrying injury for life." Fact.
Stay gold.
Thank you for writing this, and thank you for enduring the emotional avalanche it surely took to write it.
Thankfully the real emotional avalanche was in therapy!
What an amazing story. Glad that you and your baby are doing well.
He's 7 months old but reading at a 12th grade level.
Love it! :-D
I know this writing is a few years old but it was linked in your piece today, and I found myself reacting strongly to it. My first pregnancy had two life-threatening emergencies. One, an ovarian cyst that twisted and resulted in pain so bad I could not think or see and killed my ovary, requiring emergency surgical removal. That was at 13 weeks and the baby survived. However, this is largely because I had to advocate for myself during this process. I then had preeclampsia at the end of the same pregnancy, which is also life-threatening. I chose that baby (my sweet two year old son). I endured two chances to not be around to see that baby grow. Afterwards, someone said to me "after what you've been through you must recognize the miracle of life and not support abortion." I looked at them as if they were insane. I said the exact opposite has happened to me - I would never, ever, ever, ever EVER force pregnancy on ANYONE. I was always staunchly pro women's reproductive rights and pro abortion, but after my own experience with pregnancy, I literally cannot fathom undergoing that trauma and risk had I not even wanted to be pregnant. I agree that would be tantamount to torture. Thank you for sharing your worst moments, so well-written and even heartbreakingly funny, and vocalizing the rage so many of us feel. I am currently early on in a pregnancy with my second. I am very worried in today's environment and with our impending president. I can only imagine how scared women who did not willingly choose to become pregnant, or who cannot for whatever reason continue the pregnancy, must feel when assholes with no knowledge or experience in women's bodies or the harrowing experiences of childbirth pass laws dooming us to die.
Placental Abruption, reporting. I experienced pain on a logarithmic scale I never had access to before or since, but we both survived because we were in the hospital. I get very nervous when people tell me they’re planning to have a baby at home for reasons you well understand because you were on the right table at the right time… hugs!