CNN Host Lisa Ling Admits She Regrets Elective C-Section
Little baby, let us sleep! #upallnightsleepalldayA photo posted by Lisa Ling (@lisalingstagram) on [...]
Journalist Lisa Ling is the proud mom of two beautiful daughters, but she has one regret about her second pregnancy. She admits her elective c-section was not the experience she'd hoped it would be.
In her This Is Birth webseries, the mother of two explores pregnancy and birth in the U.S. and opens up about her own c-sections.
Her first c-section was non-elective because an ultrasound revealed the umbilical cord was wrapped around her daughter's neck so her doctor insisted on scheduling a c-section.
"I can't say I was disappointed by the news," she wrote. "My life was so hectic that the idea of scheduling my delivery was actually kind of nice … I'm admittedly a type-A personality who has always been used to being in control of my life. Before I became pregnant with Jett I had suffered two miscarriages. After each one I thought, 'What did I do wrong? How did I cause this?' It was demoralizing."
The successful experience prompted her to elect for a c-section for her second pregnancy.
"Unlike my first c-section incision, this one didn't seem to be healing as quickly," she shared about her June delivery. "In fact, I was experiencing a lot more pain than I did with my first and at one point, fluid began leaking from the incision. I had developed an extremely painful infection and it was awful … My husband, who is a doctor himself, suspects that I may have picked up the infection in the hospital."
She admits she wishes she had considered the health risks more than the convenience before opting for the c-section and urges other mothers to do research before making such a big decision.
"In all honesty, I regret it," she wrote. "I'm grateful that my baby's OK, and that I'm OK now, but it was not easy."
