Back to the Past again - Dealing with a C-Section

Going into the hospital, I did not really even know what a C-section was. When it was covered in our class given by the hospital, the teacher was unable to make it that week, so it was a very condensed version that she shared with us. One thing I remember was that she said that 25% of the people in the class would end up with a c-section. I just looked around and wondered who it would be, never even considering that it might be me! :) I had never had any problems medically, and I just assumed this would not be any different.

After I did end up with a c-section, I felt bad that I hadn't been able to do what I was supposed to do. I knew that I should just be happy that my baby was healthy and we both survived, but somehow, it took me a long time to get to that point. I am not sure that I will ever reach it completely, but at least I understand why now.

It is the media, not to mention the competition between moms. Every mom has her own birth story or stories to tell, and those who had vaginal births are quite proud that everything went the way it did, especially if they opted to not use any medication during the births. Since I did have a c-section, I have paid close attention to everything I have heard about them since that time. I have come to the conclusion that the moms who are proud of the way their births went, along with the moms who feel guilty that their births did not go as planned, are promoting the idea that c-sections are wrong. I personally am thankful for mine - I don't think I would be here otherwise!

Apparently, it still bothers me a bit, because I get a bit defensive every time I read an article or hear someone comment about how c-sections are on the rise. I wonder why it matters to anyone that they are on the rise. Why should anyone even care how my baby or your baby was born? I researched this a bit just for my own curiosity and found that the number of deaths related to birth has declined. If just 1 baby or 1 mom was saved due to c-sections being on the rise, does it really matter how many c-sections, necessary or unnecessary, were performed?

I am thankful for all of the c-sections that my doctor performed before mine, if for nothing else than the experience it gave her so that she was able to perform all of mine successfully! :)