Dear fellow C-section mamas,

I know. I get it.

Sometimes when you think about the delivery of your child, you have all sorts of unwanted feelings fizzle up in your heart.

Anxiety. Fear. Worry. Panic.

And it’s frustrating that those are often the first thoughts that come to mind when you think of the birth of your beautiful child.

Because it wasn’t supposed to be that way.

Sometimes you feel your body failed you.

In your heart of hearts, you know that if it weren’t for your C-section, you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t have made it. YOU WOULDN’T BE ALIVE. Your baby wouldn’t be alive, either.

Oh, and that scares you. Terrifies you.

Rocks you to your core.

Sometimes you’d rather just block out your memories of birth and fast forward to holding your sweet child.

But you can’t. Because it’s a part of you.

Sometimes it hurts your heart that you will never experience “normal” birth.

You don’t know about the rush of hormones.
You don’t get to see baby’s first cries.
You often aren’t the first one to hold your baby.
You don’t recover as quickly.
You stand up for the first time two days after delivery.
But you immediately get dizzy and sit back down.

When your baby cries, you don’t get to pop out of bed to hold your sweet babe.
Instead, you watch helplessly as your husband soothes and nurtures baby as your heart crushes and aches to do the same, but your body won’t allow it.

Instead of changing diapers and looking after baby, the first few days after birth you practice walking the hallways with a nurse holding your hand and dragging a pole with your catheter and urine dragging close behind.

But do you know what?

I don’t feel in the slightest bit sorry for us.

Because when I look at you C-section mama, I see beauty.

I see a scar that screams “love”.

I see a warrior who overcame so much in the name of love.

And isn’t that motherhood after all?

Overcoming challenge after challenge in the name of love?

Because who said love was easy?

Love is overcoming challenges in the name of love.

It’s resilient.
It’s priceless.
It’s strong.
It’s brave.
It’s sacrificing in the name of love.
It’s motherhood.

So fellow C-section mamas, don’t for a second doubt yourself.

You are brave.

In the first few seconds of your child’s life, you overcame so much in the name of love.

You are a warrior.

Own that beautiful scar.

This post originally appeared on Messy Footprints

 

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