Mothers are placed under ridiculous scrutiny- even starting from the moment they give birth! Whether it’s planned, or unplanned, having a c-section still carries a lot of negative stigma that leaves many women feeling ashamed of their birthing experience. The archaic notion that having a vaginal birth is somehow more right or correct is seriously damaging and certainly untrue.
Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera, and Jennifer Lopez are just a few of the many women that have received the most commonly performed operational procedure worldwide. Read on to discover three truths about c-section mothers everyone should know and appreciate!
1. It took courage to face a major surgery
Discovering that your body and your baby are at risk while in labor, can be traumatic. Although, not always, c-sections are often performed unexpectedly as a result of spontaneous causes such as failure to progress during labor, fetal malpresentation (when the baby’s head is not positioned toward the birth canal), placental or umbilical cord abnormalities, and other rarer conditions.
Understanding that an invasive surgery must be performed to deliver your baby, without having the time to process your feelings, takes a tremendous amount of courage. While the delivery room is bustling with loved ones, the operating room can be isolating, as only one person is allowed to be present. Mothers that have had to undergo a c-section not only brave a surgery, but endure the panic of being presented with unprecedented circumstances directly affecting the safety of themselves and their baby.
2. They had to wait to find out if their baby was healthy
While a vaginal birth permits the mother to cradle their baby immediately after delivery, a caesarean birth requires post operational steps that delay contact with the mother and her newborn. Often the baby is whisked away for care, as the mother is being stitched back together again.
Additionally, the anesthesia must wear off for sensation below the rib-cage to be recovered in mothers, and it is only after this painstaking process, that they can fully interact with their baby. The immeasurable amount of strength c-section mothers show by having to wait for notification of their baby’s health while being operated on is deeply admirable and something to be beautifully celebrated.
3. The recovery process was long and hard
The recovery process from a c-section is not a joke. In fact, it is far longer and considerably more painful than that of a vaginal birth. Due to significant blood loss from the surgery, mothers recovering from c-sections experience severe fatigue and have difficulty moving on their feet. They are also prohibited from eating for several hours and are left starving after a strenuous labour and delivery process.
If that’s not enough, mothers additionally experience enormous pain around their abdominal area and are administered painkillers to help with discomfort. While the pain will eventually subside, c-section mothers must take various precautions to ensure a smooth healing process that does not cause further complications.
C-section mothers also bear a scar along their lower abdomen that is telling of their journey. This scar might seem unbecoming to some, but it serves as a constant reminder that they brought life into this world and endured significant pain to do so. While the process may have not been “conventional”, it is nonetheless meaningful and empowering, and should only be treated as such!
