Missing out on vaginal birth

I had my daughter by c section and quite honestly I had to remind myself that while it wasn’t a natural birth, it is still giving birth. I still brought life in to the world and it is just as good as someone who delivered vaginally. Don’t worry momma you might have missed out on a natural birth, but you still gave birth, and you’re still a great momma for it 🫶🏻

I feel the exact same. I also had high bp during pregnancy and was induced however ended up having an emergency c section. I feel like I was robbed of a ‘natural’ birth and all the emotions that come with it. I completely understand as all the women in my family had vaginal births and I’m the only one who had a c section. It’s hard but I just have to tell myself that our birth story doesn’t define us or make me less of a woman

Completely understand where you're coming from. I was induced and was lucky enough to have contractions for 3hrs before they stopped and it ended in an emergency c section but still very much feel like I missed out on the natural birth process of pushing my son out. After a very traumatic birth, my husband and I have decided we likely won't have a second child and that makes me even more disappointed that I missed out so much for not naturally birthing my son. We each have the scar to show how tough we are to bring a child into the world via a c section and we're just as strong as those who naturally birth 💪 you're a fantastic Mum for that x

I completely understand and sometimes feels the same way too. Like Kate above, I was induced so had 5 hours of contractions but this led to a very traumatic emergency c section when my baby's heart slowed down and I failed to dilate. I wonder- do you remember the sensation of the surgical team lifting your baby out of you? I remember that feeling very vividly and it was an amazing sensation. I'm incredibly sad I didn't experience a vaginal birth, as its something I had worked really hard for - but I also remind myself that that experience of feeling your baby lifted out is unique to cesarean, and that is something that we c section mums have that is special for us that v birth mums don't have. Also, for some extra validation - my friend had her appendix removed recently and is really struggling with the pain post surgery. She messaged me to say how strong I am to have had a c section, and how her vaginal births were much easier than her appendix recovery. She said the surgery put that into perspective.

My first was a vaginal birth and it was traumatic, Over 48hours of labour. I refused most pain meds because they scared me the contractions where horrific, And I got stuck at 9cm for 4hours and baby ended up in NICU for a week because she'd been stuck and swallowed poop and fluid, The midwives started off lovely then because I wasn't progressing they ended up being horrible and made me feel like a failure. I had a C section last Friday, I was supposed to have a elective one 3 days after but I went into labour naturally, They pushed for a natural birth and ignored the reason behind the C section and wanted me to "try" again my cervix got stuck and I had my section when they wanted to give me an epidural and then the induction drugs. It doesn't matter how your baby is born. Recovery from a section is difficult. Anyone who shames anyone for having one has never had to go through the pain I take my hat off to all the ladies who's had one! If you have any questions you can message xx

Know exactly how you feel! I ended up with an emergency c section hours after induction because of high BP so didn’t get to go into labour. I also had to be given general anaesthetic so wasn’t awake for it and I even envy women who get to have ‘normal’ c sections when they are awake and hear babies cry etc for the first time as I got none of that x

Mine was an emergency c section and I’m still emotional that I missed out on the after moment as I was so drugged up I couldn’t even keep my eyes open. We are still soldiers regardless. By choice or not by choice we still bought a baby into this world ❤️ and c sections are hard work!

I had my son via c section after 52 hours of labour and he got stuck.. I'll forever hate that I couldn't get my body to do what it was meant to, I was absolutely heartbroken when I was told I needed a section and even now, 6 months later I look back and feel like I had that experience taken from me

I had high blood pressure prior pregnancy and was induced..likely It ended up without emergency c section , but was a tough experience for me...when you are induced they give you a lot of hormones and contractions much more painful in induction , pain was like a hell seriously....I was pushing 1.5 hour and could not make it myself, because when you have epidural you don't have really strengths to push.. They could see I just put a lot of pressure on myself without a progress so they said is not safe for me as blood pressure goes higher,. And decided to help me with cutting me down there and using a vacuum on my baby head Thanks God she was good, but on top of that I have heart condition that they did not take seriously and after this experience I got delitated aortic root and had very bad chest pain for some time...if I knew, I would go for c section...to keep my heart in a better shape

I think it’s individual preference on how much we personally care about people’s comments/beliefs. For me, I had an elective c section for some of the same reasons you mentioned and I wear that as a badge of honor. Initially, I was worried about what people would think. Now I don’t care at all. The recovery was tough! It was definitely not a walk in the park. At the end of the day, I birth my daughter. That is all that matters! Major abdominal surgery is no joke! But I hope you find some solitude being able to see that you’re not alone here! 😊❤️

I completely get where your coming from as i gave myself a very hard time at the beginning as soon as they got me out of theatre i was told if i have a second baby i cant even have amy contractions or sign of labour as they had to do a T incision i did so much hypnobirthing to get me ready for what i wanted a water birth ill never get that now i ended up with emergency section found out inhad pre eclampsia the day i went in and little boy was stuck. They gave me option of being induced or a emergency section and after what had been terrible beforehand I just opted for the section i knew id end up with that as soon as the canula went in my hand

I appreciate this thread. I’ve opted for an elected cesarean due to some pelvic floor issues & also I’ve had a fear of pregnancy and natural birth. I’m due in May and sometimes question whether I’m making the right decision. A lot of women in my family & friends of mine have needed emergency c-sections and it gives me some peace of mind to know what to expect versus being surprised day of. But I’m still wondering if I’m making the right call.

There’s a lot of great comments here already. I ended up with a semi emergency section after 12 hours of labour with no progress. I was super upset for months after because i so desperately wanted a relaxed water birth and everything was the opposite of what i wanted. It might help to think of it not as a c section (because really that’s the medical term) but an abdominal birth. You still delivered that baby from your body, you just needed help, but so do women who end up having episiotomies and forceps and my god the recovery from an abdominal birth is hard core. At the end of the day, you and your doctors made a decision that was the safest thing to have you both here and healthy and although its really hard to accept that when hormones are still flying around, it really is all that matters