Why is there so much judgement against women who have c-sections? Every single birth is a miracle and should be celebrated.
Why is there so much judgement against women who have c-sections? Every single birth is a miracle and should be celebrated. When I had my daughter via scheduled c-section due to my medical history of abdominal surgery that put me at increased risk for uterine rupture during labor, I was shocked by some of the comments I received about having a c-section. While some were uplifting encouragement, advice, or words of solidarity from other women who had c-sections, many were negatively phrased to make me feel bad or less than for not having a vaginal birth. As I heard more and more of these judgmental remarks, I began learning more about what is known as “c-section shaming.”
For starters, what’s a c-section?
According to ACOG, a caesarean section, commonly referred to as a c-section, is “the delivery of a baby through incisions made in the mother’s abdomen and uterus.” Aka a surgery that involves having your stomach and uterus cut open to retrieve the baby. This differs from a vaginal birth — what many people think of as the typical or more traditional way to give birth. A vaginal birth is simply the birth of a baby through the vagina.
How many people have c-sections?
The prevalence of c-sections is on the rise, and in recent years, roughly a third of all births in the United States have been via this procedure. To be exact, in 2015, 32% of all births in the US were via c-section, which equates to more than 1.3 million cesarean section births. That’s a lot of babies being born via c-section!
Want to learn more? Read the full article on Natalist.com.
