Kelly Molloy has spastic cerebral palsy. So when she first became pregnant at 25, she was told bluntly by a doctor she would have to a c-section. This snap judgement immediately deflated Kelly, who was excited, positive and confident she could give birth vaginally, despite her disability.
“Off I went to my doctor with excitement, you have to think positive right?” she wrote in a blog about her experience. “After my first visit I was already buzzing with WAY too many questions, and naturally, like most women, I wanted DETAIL.
“He [the doctor] came in and sat down. ‘Ok, so what are you here for?’ My heart SANK. I'm here to talk to you about my BABY. I am scared. I am excited. We are supposed to be in this ‘together’ doctor, said the voice in my head.
“He looked down at his chart and instantly referred me to a specialist for an MRI and pointed out that I will probably need a c-section, because I have cerebral palsy and I am too ‘tiny’ being 4'10 and 90 lbs.”
This “horrible experience” devastated Kelly, who was adamant she could give birth naturally.
“I could feel my stubborn heart say ‘no’ to that c-section,” she wrote. “How dare he not even know WHY I am here today, how does he even KNOW I need a c section?”
“So I marched out of the office, crying, bound and determined to have a more logical approach to this experience, and definitely a more satisfying approach to this pregnancy. Next, I found myself a midwife, and a forever friend. I sat in her office a bit hostile. I was scared to bring up my situation again.
“I didn't want to have to defend my choice to have a more natural approach to something people were doing long before there were doctors, regardless of their size, shape and mechanics on the outside.
“Then she said, ‘I'm sure you can have a natural, vaginal birth despite your disability. Just let me know how you feel most comfortable as we go, and if there are medical concerns I will tell you, and we will go over it step by step.”
Kelly was right to listen to her instincts, because six months later, she gave birth to her first son – “No drugs, no c-section, no medical interference whatsoever”.
And just a few years later, she gave birth to her second son in just an hour and a half, no c-section either.
The point Kelly is making is that women know their bodies, and that needs to be respected. Sure, there are medical reasons a birth may have to go a certain way, but in her case, she was dismissed outright because of her disability.
“Only I knew what was best for me in a birth experience,” she says. “I could have been robbed of these journeys had I let someone tell me about my own body and its limitations. How does anyone know about my personal limitations? Perhaps the only limitation in this scenario was in the mind of the doctor who ‘thought’ I'd need a c-section. To me, my body has no limitations. It is incredible. It gives LIFE. I have so much to be thankful for. I can thank my intuition, and my body – this vessel – for carrying me through two successful births.”
Kelly’s second birth was photographed beautifully by photographer Jaydene Freund of Cradled Creations, who kindly let us share them with you. The stunning photos show the pure power and determination of this bad ass mama.
