Miranda Rutley
Moderator

Hiya

I’m Miranda, 38 years old, married to Mark 36 years old, we’ve been together for 20 years after meeting at college, I was born and bred in Southampton, moved to Bury, Lancashire but now live in Altrincham, Cheshire.

I worked in TV for 10 years and then chucked it in after calving to become a stay at home mum and I haven’t regretted a single day of it. Mark is still found hanging around in edit suites or writing the latest regional TV theme tunes into the dead of the night. A journalist sitting next to me at work told me about BW when I was 6 months pregnant and since that day I have been a total addict. I was thrilled to be asked to feed my addiction further by moderating the Caesarean Section forum.

I have three gorgeous children, Tabitha (01/02), Felix (11/03), and Genevieve (01/06).

My first birth, an induction at 40+11 where I demanded emergency section was horrific and really messed my head up, but my second birth at 40+18, homebirth to hospital transfer and emergency section was such a laugh and a completely fabulous experience.

My third was a planned emergency section ( I just make these up as I go along … HA HA) as I knew I would have to have a section but didn’t want it done until the baby was ready. Basically I refused to go in until I was in labour and Jelly Belly (Genevieve) was born 40+18 again! It was another fabulous experience and my first birth being awake on a spinal. I was very nervous but my husband and I sang all the way through the op much to the amusement of the staff - it was a theatre after all .......

Before having a section I had some weird idea that it would be a failure and I wouldn’t feel like a proper woman. But for Tabitha’s birth, when that consultant waved salad tongs and a sink plunger at my undercarriage after 36 hours of labour I just knew I had to protect my child.

And thankfully I did as for my second birth (during which I demanded and achieved honesty, facts and first class care from a single very experienced midwife at my house) it was obvious that I can’t get my babies out the “normal” way because I have a pelvis shape incompatible with my baby‘s journey, and Felix’s head bones were dangerously overlapping.

So now I think caesareans are great and whilst having a baby normally and naturally is always, always preferable and safer - if you can do it that way, sections have their benefits too - I know, I have three great ‘sunroof kids‘ and I was a sun roof baby too. Lets Big up the ‘CS‘, caesarean isn’t a dirty word it’s a necessary, valid birth for many women. Unfortunately too many women have them foisted unnecessarily upon them by incompetent hospital staff. Let’s keep it an elite club… oops just slipped off my soap box.

I’m a very open, positive person, my cup’s not just half full, but overflowing and every cloud and all that … so we have a very jolly life with lots of laughter and giggling, I’m pretty unshockable (within the rules of BW) so do pop in.

Much love

Miranda