Own your c-section birth story

Now that I’ve entered the club of motherhood, I’ve noticed a lot of women feeling judged (by others and themselves) because they birthed their baby via c-section. Research also shows that dissatisfaction with your child’s birth is linked to postpartum depression, so I felt compelled to address the issue of women feeling as if they had failed by having a child surgically.

I wrote this piece for Fit Pregnancy about how to come to peace—and even embrace—your birth story. I talked with Brooke Kyle, MD, an OB who delivered all three of her kids in the OR.

“I do feel like there are a lot of pressures in my community and nationally that make people feel like their birth is less worthy if they have to choose a c-section, like they’re less of a mother and they didn’t try hard enough,” Dr. Kyle told me. “I even feel those pressures because I aim for a vaginal birth in my practice and that’s what I’m known for. The goal for my patients is to get a vaginal birth, and that was the plan for myself, too.”

Yet childbirth is unpredictable, and many of the things we script out—delivering vaginally, opting for a home birth, going med-free—change.

(A quick aside: Childbirth can be traumatic. It’s important to recognize that many women have a difficult time, and that a bouncing bairn is not the only legitimate concern. Validating mothers’ conflicted feelings around childbirth and their birth story shows them that they’re valued, too—that their worth is not limited to bringing a child into the world at any cost.)

Kyle shared with me a few tips on how she kicked the disappointment of delivering via cesarean and came to love her birth story.

Did you feel disappointed in how your child’s birth went? (No judgment here.) How did you come to terms with it?

0 thoughts on “Own your c-section birth story

  • October 16, 2014 at 3:53 pm
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    Afraid I haven’t got too much to add on the subject, but have never felt like a woman was less of a woman for having a C section. My mother could not have children at all. She had a hysterectomy and adopted my sister and I. The thought that she was less of a woman never would’ve occurred to me. She’s more like Superwoman!

    Reply
  • October 17, 2014 at 7:11 am
    Permalink

    Wow, yes, I’m sure it is a tough issue. I imagine giving birth is the most intense experience we can have, no matter which route you take, so I think the goal is to do our best for ourselves and our babies and roll with the punches! No judgment at all to what happens when you’re in the trenches in labor!!

    Reply
  • October 17, 2014 at 6:08 pm
    Permalink

    My niece was born via Caesarean. So, while I don’t understand it personally, I do empathize with those that have issue with it after the fact. My sister did, but she overcame it. Glad you addressed it.

    Reply

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Own your c-section birth story

Now that I’ve entered the club of motherhood, I’ve noticed a lot of women feeling judged (by others and themselves) because they birthed their baby via c-section. Research also shows that dissatisfaction with your child’s birth is linked to postpartum depression, so I felt compelled to address the issue of women feeling as if they had failed by having a child surgically.

I wrote this piece for Fit Pregnancy about how to come to peace—and even embrace—your birth story. I talked with Brooke Kyle, MD, an OB who delivered all three of her kids in the OR.

“I do feel like there are a lot of pressures in my community and nationally that make people feel like their birth is less worthy if they have to choose a c-section, like they’re less of a mother and they didn’t try hard enough,” Dr. Kyle told me. “I even feel those pressures because I aim for a vaginal birth in my practice and that’s what I’m known for. The goal for my patients is to get a vaginal birth, and that was the plan for myself, too.”

Yet childbirth is unpredictable, and many of the things we script out—delivering vaginally, opting for a home birth, going med-free—change.

(A quick aside: Childbirth can be traumatic. It’s important to recognize that many women have a difficult time, and that a bouncing bairn is not the only legitimate concern. Validating mothers’ conflicted feelings around childbirth and their birth story shows them that they’re valued, too—that their worth is not limited to bringing a child into the world at any cost.)

Kyle shared with me a few tips on how she kicked the disappointment of delivering via cesarean and came to love her birth story.

Did you feel disappointed in how your child’s birth went? (No judgment here.) How did you come to terms with it?

0 thoughts on “Own your c-section birth story

  • October 16, 2014 at 3:53 pm
    Permalink

    Afraid I haven’t got too much to add on the subject, but have never felt like a woman was less of a woman for having a C section. My mother could not have children at all. She had a hysterectomy and adopted my sister and I. The thought that she was less of a woman never would’ve occurred to me. She’s more like Superwoman!

    Reply
  • October 17, 2014 at 7:11 am
    Permalink

    Wow, yes, I’m sure it is a tough issue. I imagine giving birth is the most intense experience we can have, no matter which route you take, so I think the goal is to do our best for ourselves and our babies and roll with the punches! No judgment at all to what happens when you’re in the trenches in labor!!

    Reply
  • October 17, 2014 at 6:08 pm
    Permalink

    My niece was born via Caesarean. So, while I don’t understand it personally, I do empathize with those that have issue with it after the fact. My sister did, but she overcame it. Glad you addressed it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Bill Volckening Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *