Let's be super clear about something: When it comes to birth shaming, we're NOT here for it. There are some people who still buy into the hurtful misconception that moms who give birth via cesarean section are getting the better end of the deal. But one mama just shared a raw and real selfie that proves this delivery method is definitely not the "easy way out."
Olivia White is a mom who took to Instagram to share a photo of her C-section incision to call out anyone who thinks that giving birth via C-section is a walk in the park. You can almost feel her discomfort through your screen!
Her photo is proof that bringing another human into the world is going to hurt, no matter how (or where!) you slice it (pun intended.)
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Though her photo is truly worth a thousand words, White drives her point home in her powerful caption.
"Look I know it might not be my best angle (or is it?)…but who wouldn't take selfies hours post birth so they can see where they sliced you open and yanked out a whole person…This is what you really look like a few hours post c-section."
White acknowledged that she was not only stitched up but still had an inflated uterus and was dealing with pain meds starting to wear off. Remind us — why do people think this is easy?
But after seeing this, anyone with those thoughts may want to think again!
White was not afraid to break out the emojis to really break down her feelings: "To anyone who thinks it's the easy way out, we'll try having a 6 inch gash in your abdomen like a gutted shark who had the body parts of the surfer it ate retrieved! That's then sewn back together with fishing wire while it feels like your vital organs are trying to escape! I mean sure, everything is and till the spinal wears off! After that it's like you've been hit by a bus which then backed over you just to make sure it didn't miss you the first time.
"If you don't time the Endone exactly before the previous lot wore off then you will most certainly know you are alive (while wishing you were dead) ☠️ and worst of all you'll feel as if you'll spend your entire life wearing nanna knickers up around your waist because the thought of anything settling in the canyon between your gut and pubic region is the stuff nightmares are made of "
Although White, a mom of two, is brutally honest about how painful it is to even think about wearing underwear that might come in contact with her scar, she says she's willing to endure it all for her family.
The thing about childbirth is that, no matter how it happens, almost all of us would probably go through it all over again just to grow our families. White definitely falls into this category, sharing that she "wouldn't change it! Because if it wasn't for the ability to deliver my babies this way they might not be here today "
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White's followers are thrilled that she's sharing the pic and love her honest point of view.
The other thing that almost always feels true about birth stories? Sharing our real and raw experiences helps other women celebrate their own experiences too.
One of White's followers shared that she could also relate to the misconceptions about C-sections, noting "Ah yes. I recall the comments, 'that’s so sad for you,' or 'you must be upset it’s not natural.; No. I’m happy my baby will come out healthy as this is the safest way for a frank breach baby. Sadly all the comments I received were from women and women i knew. A real lack of tact out there. You’d think women would support one another."
Another had White's back, stating "Omg, anyone who says C-sections are the easy way out, send them to me. All my sister's (whether by blood or marriage, no diff) had to have them because of how dangerous their labour had gotten for them and baby."
Bottom line: Let's stop the birth method shaming!
