Radiant mother, bespeckled with sweat
Will vaginally deliver, barring no threat
“Through my blood proudly come to your start
I’ll always love you, till death do us part”
One hour pushing, doctors mention
C section
Two hours of pushing, doctors threaten
C section
C section
Three hours. Mamma has strength. Baby is fine.
C section
C section
C section
Risk for infection demands dissection
“Time is what we need”, nurse disagrees
Mom cries, “my body is not my own”
Doctor’s decisions aren’t crafted to please
Of course.
She was trained to say no.
Avoid death and lawsuits; a quid pro quo.
Meds, curtain, disconnect mind from torso.
Surgeons stained satin, splatter bleached floor
Uterus outside chest, refugee in a war
of knives and sutures. Baby’s once home
bloody, battered, bandaged. Glory dethroned.
Same moment
Frozen in time, beautifully grotesque
Mother holds baby girl close to her chest
Tired baby sleeps on tired moms warm breast
Father, tear stained cheeks sing ineffable bliss
Heart full, gives his little angel a kiss
Radiant mother, bespeckled with sweat
Has delivered despite some grave threat
“Through my blood you’ve proudly come to your start
And I will love you, till death do us part
Cesarean sections in the United States have risen to 50 percent in the past two decades. We continue to have the highest risk of maternal and neonatal mortality in developed countries.
Osterman, Michelle, and Joyce Martin. "Trends in Low-risk Cesarean Delivery in the United States, 1990–2013." National Vital Statistics Reports 63, no. 6 (November 5, 2014): 1-16. Accessed October 23, 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr63/nvsr63_06.pdf.