A Dr. George Birth Story: The Birth of Chloe

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I was a mother of four boys. My three oldest were born naturally but after my third I received a hard diagnosis. I was diagnosed with Intercranial Hypertension, a rear brain disease with no cure and honestly not much treatment at the moment. I had my first brain surgery in 2010 to place a vp shunt and that is when my dream of having any more natural births vanished. In 2011 I had my fourth boy born by a very traumatic emergency cesarean where doctors had no choice but to use general anesthesia. It was scary and traumatic. After that I thought that my dream of a natural birth was crushed and that is when this incredible, loving, and caring unicorn of a doctor came into my life. I met Dr. George and Samantha (his lovely wife and amazing midwife) when I was working as a breastfeeding peer counselor for Lee County Health Department, when I participated in my first labor day rally with ICAN.
“The plan from the start was a VBAC.”

In 2012 two positive lines showed up, and the plan from the start was a VBAC. At 15 weeks I miscarried. Dr. George did an ultrasound, he held my hand, but it was gone. Just two months later I was blessed with my rainbow baby. Dr. George worked very close with all my specialists. He fought very hard for making my VBAC a possibility. As the day came closer, we faced many challenges. My health give us a very hard time, my husband left me when I was 12 weeks, I was now adding the stress of being a single mom of five but again in each visit Dr. George cared for us. At 18 weeks he give the most amazing news: “It’s a girl.” “Are you are kidding me?!” I said to him as I almost fell off of the table, and we both giggled and giggled.

“We set a goal for 39 weeks.”
At 31 weeks I started having contractions. The pressure in my head was putting too much pressure on my body so then the plan had to change. Now the goal was a healthy baby and a healthy mama that didn’t go blind due to the pressure in her head. We set a goal for 39 weeks at that point. After my neurologist and neurosurgeon had a two hour conference call with Dr. George, he came back to me and I knew by the look on his face he was about the deliver the news to me about my VBAC not being possible. At that moment I was in so much pain that I just wanted my baby healthy and in my arms but I was disappointed, not at him but my own body which was failing me. I broke up crying. I was in so much pain. (If you can, imagine the worst migraine headache plus holding your head upside down underwater, letting water get into your nose, while drinking a slushy fast and getting a brain freeze. That is how headaches for Intercranial Hypertension are and, still being pregnant, I refused any kind of pain killer.) Dr. George gave me a comforting hug. 
“It was a hard decision.”

The week of thanksgiving I was in so much pain, I called the office and he saw me right way. I was 37 weeks, and my head was swollen. He agreed to move the cesarean to the following Monday, right when I turned 38 weeks. It was a hard decision, but I already had a black spot in my vision and my neurologist was not happy. Dr. George asked me that day what questions or wishes I had for my gentle cesarean. A week earlier I had been researching cord clamping and had been messaging Samantha about my research. Dr. George said he knew where I was coming from, that Sam had showed him the articles and videos the other day. He said he would see what he could do.

“He respected my wishes.”

He did it! My daughter Chloe Vivian Valdez was the first delayed cord clamped baby born by gentle Noelia Valdez - chloe borncesarean at Cape Coral Hospital. It was just three minutes and the nurses fought him. They were all surprised in the OR. He was a unicorn of a doctor, always going out of his way. He gave me the best gentle cesarean I could imagine. When my daughter’s cord was clear, she was placed on my chest, no delays. She latched right there. He as a doctor respected my wishes, helped me make the decision but ultimately he respected my decisions and made everyone in the hospital follow them, even the specialists who were pushing general anesthesia again. I cry tears of joy for what he gave to us, to this community and hopefully to generations of new doctors like him. They are tears of sadness for a great man, a friend and doctor who left us too soon. 

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