One out of three women in the United States becomes a mother via a cesarean section. That’s a lot of mamas. Yet despite the high numbers, there are still plenty of misconceptions around them.
I have been a midwife for 7 years, so I thought I’d clear up just a few of those myths here:
Myth # 1: C-sections aren’t births
Let’s clear this up right now, because this is simply, without a doubt, not true. When a baby is born from your body, it is birth. Period.
Saying that a c-section isn’t birth because it didn’t happen vaginally is like saying that soccer isn’t a sport because it’s not tennis. Cesarean sections and vaginal births are different yes. But you know what’s not different? How hard a mother works to grow and birth her baby, how committed to her baby’s health and safety she is, how proud she should be of herself when she’s done, and how much she loves her baby.
And while we’re on the subject, many women who have C-sections do go through labor. Most C-sections are unplanned, meaning something comes up during labor that causes the need for a C-section. So, many women have already had many hours of contractions…
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