It seems an update is in order on the c-section front. I was able to visit with Dr. Harold’s surgical assistant today and ask her all kinds of questions. What a blessing to get more information.
She said that as they were doing the surgery, she was amazed at how very thin my uterus was. I misunderstood previously and thought they said just the scar area from my previous c-section was thin, but no, it was the whole uterus. It was so thin that it probably couldn’t put forth enough force to deliver the baby. She said that after seeing that, she completely agreed with the doctor’s call on the c-section.
Both the doctor and his assistant have said that there is no reason I couldn’t carry another baby, should we choose to do that, but that I probably couldn’t deliver a baby naturally with my uterus being so worn out. That’s disappointing.

My recovery from the c-section has been harder than I initially thought it would be. The day after the surgery I was not in nearly as much pain as I thought I would be, so I was thinking I had escaped the worst of it. But silly me… the worst was yet to come. The following days were quite agonizing, and then to add insult to injury, the painful part of breastfeeding kicked in, so I was fighting pain on two battlefields. Finally, yesterday, I realized that it wasn’t getting any worse, and actually was perhaps a tiny bit better.
Today I’m marginally better again, so I’m taking comfort in the fact that perhaps the worst is over. I have a new appreciation for those who experience multiple c-sections with no complaint. I’m spoiled by the natural birth process and the relatively quick recovery it offers.  I’m newly grateful that I was able to have so many of my babies that way.