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A Caesarean birth can be scary. But with your own permission, it can be gentle too.

We put so much pressure on ourselves as mums. Don’t you agree?

From before we even hold our little ones we change our lives, eating, exercising and homes to keep them safe. And we do everything within our power, and hope for the perfect birth. All of these are wonderful things to want!

But when we have so much pressure on ourselves, it can be hard when things don’t go to plan.

That was the case for me with the birth of my first child. 30+ hours of labour, every pain relief under the sun, a sick mum and a baby who got stuck and was in distress led to an emergency caesarean and weeks of antibiotics for me.  Add to that I found I was mourning the birth I had always planned.  The birth I had wanted.

With the birth of my second baby, I learned to be kinder on myself and my body. This time, I had a clearer perspective on my worth as a parent.

We spend so much time growing these little humans, and then even longer raising them. I had to learn that in the scheme of things, those hours birthing them are a drop in the ocean compared to everything else in our journeys as mothers.

I still didn’t get the “natural” birth that I had hoped for as I had to have another caesarean delivery. But this time, instead of feeling like I’d let myself down, I was proud of myself for carrying my baby, for making birthing decisions that kept us both safe and knew that our bond would be powerful and my love every bit as fierce as any other mother has for their baby.

His birth was magical! A gentle caesarean.  I soaked in every second of it and most importantly, I was gentle on myself.

We’d love to hear your birth stories and whether you agree that as Mums we often feel pressure to have the “perfect” birth.  Share your comments below to let this Mum know you’ve read her story and have heard her.

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Posted anonymously, 1st July 2021