I recently read a disturbing article with a meme that featured a woman with a c-section scar. On it was written the following:
“Face the facts: You didn’t really give birth. You caught a lucky break. Please show respect to superior women who actually had what it took to get the job done.”
As a mum of 2 c-section babies this made me quite mad.
Who the hell do these people think they are, telling women like me that they are a lesser woman for having a c-section?
For those who don’t know me, my first baby was delivered (not extracted as this group put on their Facebook page) via an emergency c-section. After 31 hours of natural labour, my baby turned, meaning she was coming bottom first and had I carried on trying to deliver her naturally I would have put both of our lives at risk!
There was no way on this earth I would put, either my life or the life I was trying to deliver on the line, just so I could do it naturally.
A cesarean-section is not fun and is in no way an easy option. I was in pain, I couldn’t drive for 6 weeks, I couldn’t pick up my baby, and feeding and change her in the first few days was next to impossible.
So why did I choose to have an elected c-section the 2nd time round?
There are two reasons:
1, After what happened last time and what I went through after (I’ve been honest about my battle with Post Natal Depression, and have written about it on this very blog), I decided I wanted to be fully in control of my birth.
2, I was a wedding photographer back when I was pregnant with my son. Trying to play the guessing game with my due dates meant it would cause havoc with weddings I already had booked in. Having an elected c-section gave me the confidence of knowing when I would have my baby and how much time I would need to recover. This meant I didn’t have to cancel any clients. I was booked in to have him at 38 weeks but I ended up having him at 36 weeks due to an infection. I went on to photograph a wedding when he was 7 weeks old.
New mums (and dads) don’t have it easy at all. There is so much bashing and whatever you do there’s someone there to criticise your choice. It used to be you would get looked down on if you didn’t breast feed your baby: thank god that one seems to have settled down now.
As mums, we have the right do what is best for us and our children.
At the end of the day all we want is a happy healthy baby, if that means having them by c-section then that’s fine!
