Mom Takes Down Critics Who Think C-Sections Are 'Easy Way Out'

One in three babies are born via cesarean section, whether it’s planned or an emergency procedure. And c-section moms pull double duty after birth, adjusting to life as a new parent and healing from major surgery. So if you’re one of the few who thinks delivering via c-section is an ‘easy way out,’ one mom has a message.

“‘Oh. A c-section? So you didn’t actually give birth. It must have been nice to take the easy way out like that,’” Raye Lee begins her Facebook post, quoting one of her critics. “Ah, yes. My emergency c-section was absolutely a matter of convenience. It was really convenient to be in labor for 38 hours before my baby went into distress and then every contraction was literally stopping his heart.”

There are a variety of reasons that a baby would need to be delivered via c-section, including labor compications or baby’s position in utero: breech (feet down) or transverse (sideways). For many moms, it’s a last resort, leaving them feeling like they missed out on the labor and delivery process.

Lee describes the experience in (honest) detail:

“Having a shrieking infant pulled out of an incision that is only 5 inches long, but is cut, shredded and pulled until it rips through all of your layers of fat, muscle, and organs (which they lay on the table next to your body, in order to continue to cut until they reach your child) is a completely different experience than I had imagined my son’s birth to be.”

Fortunately, most women are able to recover from the procedure after six weeks, but there will always be a permanent reminder hovering just above their lady parts.

“I now belong to a badass tribe of mamas with the scar to prove that I had a baby cut out of me and lived to tell the tale,” Lee writes, describing the fairly graphic photo below.

There might be more to that scar than meets the eye. Research has found that fetal cells remain in the mother’s scar tissue after a c-section, producing collagen, helping to speed up the postbirth recovery process.

Lee ends her post with this message: “I am the strongest woman that I know. Not only for myself, but for my beautiful son. And I would honestly go through this every single day just to make sure I am able to see his smiling face.”

Still curious about what a c-section procedure entails? Here are 10+ things no one tells you about c-sections.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.