After more than a decade since giving birth to her first child, Camila Alves opened up about giving birth for the first time and having an emergency C-section.
As she discussed her three-day labor on Wednesday’s episode of Lady Parts with Sarah Hyland, the 38-year-old model detailed her initial plans for a vaginal, non-medicated birth for her son Levi, who is now 12.
‘I was in labor for three days,’ the wife of Matthew McConaughey revealed. ‘We tried to go as natural as we could in a hospital setting. So when my water broke, they’re like, ‘Well, should we give you the stuff to [induce] contractions?’ And we’re like, ‘No, no way.’
Reflecting: After more than a decade since giving birth to her first child, Camila Alves opened up about the ‘scary’ experience and having to undergo an emergency C-section
As they hunkered down in the labor and delivery room for hours, the mother-of-three described how she and Matthew, 51, ‘took over’ their surroundings.
‘It was, like sweaty, all the windows were foggy,’ she recalled, before joking ‘the nurses scared to come in’ and her husband was ‘DJing in the background.’
Then, she looked back on how her ‘contractions came so strong’ she would breathe through them and ‘pass out, literally, from exhaustion, ’cause it went on for so long.’
Memories: The mother-of-three described how she and Matthew, 51, had a memorable first time giving birth (seen with her husband Matthew McConaughey, his mom Kay and her three children in 2019)
Three-day labor: She discussed her three-day labor on Wednesday’s episode of Lady Parts with host Sarah Hyland
The discomfort led to a funny exchange with her doctor when he politely asked her to move out of her rocking chair to the table, so he could check her cervix.
‘I was like, “No, I cannot move to the table. I can’t move anywhere!” And he goes: “Well, I need to check — I need to get in there and check.” And I was like, “Well, get in there and check!”‘ she said, causing herself and Hyland to laugh.
Alves continued: ‘I felt so bad. We really wanted to go through without taking [medication]. We wanted to have that experience, and that what we planned on.’
‘The crown of the head would come out and then he’d go right back in,’ she said, before noting this led to an emergency C-section
Unfortunately, her ideal birth plans hit a snag when her attempts to push out Levi were unsuccessful.
‘The crown of the head would come out and then he’d go right back in,’ she said, before noting this led to an emergency C-section.
‘So right when I started getting groggy from the anesthesia, all I could hear was them trying to find the heartbeat and they couldn’t find it. It was really scary for me,’ Alves reflected.
‘So right when I started getting groggy from the anesthesia, all I could hear was them trying to find the heartbeat and they couldn’t find it. It was really scary for me,’ Alves reflected
Thankful: The surgery ended up saving her firstborn’s life, as afterward her doctor said the then-infant ‘knew how he needed to come out’
The surgery ended up saving her firstborn’s life, as afterward her doctor said her infant ‘knew how he needed to come out.’
She explained: ‘The way that the cord was around his neck, it would’ve actually made him not well.’
Her eldest’s delivery taught her to ‘forget about anything you ever learned’ and give up control during her next two labors with her daughter Vida, ten and youngest son Livingston, seven.
‘So with my other two pregnancies I just kinda went, ‘It’s however you wanna come. I’m here for you,’ she her told OB/GYN Dr. Sherry Ross and Angela Simmons.
Happy mom: Alves seen cooking with her eldest son Levi, 12, in October