Mom shares shockingly 'real' image of her caesarean to prove she, in fact, gave birth
Now that we live in a world of elective C-sections, people have a lot to say about women who go the route of a caesarean birth. But one mom is speaking out after being told that her C-section means she didn’t really give birth to her daughter — and she’s sharing a pretty shocking image to show just how real it was.
“A new day and what seems to be another new post from someone insinuating that giving birth by cesarean means that you didn’t give birth. Can we please just stop?!” pleads Jodie Shaw in a Facebook post for Birth Without Fear.
The mom explains that while she didn’t choose to have a C-section, a fibroid and a low lying placenta made it necessary in order to safely deliver her daughter.
“I obviously can’t change people’s views but I’ve decided to post this picture to see if it may make people understand that despite what our birth plans might say. Sometimes we don’t get a choice. I didn’t get a choice. I had a fibroid the size of a melon sat on my cervix and a low lying placenta which meant that I’ve been left with no ordinary C-section scar. But whether you believe this or not. I gave birth to my baby.”
Accompanying her post is an image of her post-surgery belly, the rope-like incision dotted with painful-looking staples and stitches.
“This scar saved me from losing a life-threatening amount of blood and meant my baby was brought into this world as she should be. Healthy and unharmed, as was I.”
Shaw hopes that the image will make people think twice before judging a woman for having a caesarean.
“Think about the fact that given the choice they probably wouldn’t of chosen this but had no choice. Why would you choose a major operation and 6 weeks of recovery?”
Since the post went up on Oct. 9, hundreds of comments have flooded in in response to Shaw’s image.
“Birth- ‘the emergence of a baby or other young from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being.’ Doesn’t say via which mode of delivery! And doesn’t matter a mother has grown her baby for 9 months and goes through a lot to birth her baby vaginally or via a caesarean!” said Vicky Pugh.
“You absolutely gave birth. And even if you had elected to have the C section, you still would have given birth. Seriously!! You go mama! Thank you for putting this in the world….and helping mamas know that a baby coming into this world is birth…no matter the scars we carry for doing so! Cheers!” chimed in Erin Hannah Clark.
But some still vented their beef with women voluntarily opting for a caesarean.
“I don’t know anyone who would nit pick a necessary C-section like this one. It obviously was life-saving. They have their place. What I do wonder about are all the scheduled unnecessary ones being done. But whichever type, I’d never say that person didn’t give birth,” said Shannon Rice.
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