April is Cesarean Awareness Month

After having had a very traumatic birth experience with my first daughter, I had some anxiety as I approached the birth of my second daughter, understandably so. 

While I knew there was an increased risk I would experience preeclampsia and placenta acreta again, I also knew it was not guaranteed.

More than anything, I wanted to reclaim the birth process. I wanted to give birth without experiencing trauma.

Then, we found out my baby was in the 99+ percentile for growth. She was projected to be over 10 lbs at birth.

And this caused me to pause.

Part of me wanted to try for a vaginal birth; to see if I could do it.

Another part of me worried I was setting myself up for a birth that would turn into an unplanned Cesarean - something that has been a very difficult experience for a lot of the clients I work with.

Ultimately, I chose to have a planned Cesarean birth. I chose to have a belly birth.

And it was the best decision I could have made.

Having had a first birth experience that was full of trauma and chaos, going into my second birth experience with absolute calm and trust was transformational for me.

I reclaimed the birth experience for myself; it just looked differently than I imagined.

Cesarean births - or belly births - are not the ‘easy way’ out.

For some, belly births are life-saving.

For others, like myself, it feels like the safest and best option for themselves.

And for others, tragically, it didn’t feel like they had the choice to make. 

If you had a belly birth, you *still* gave birth to your baby. 

You grew and birthed a human. You brought life into this world.

That may feel hard to hold right now, and if so, I hope you one day know you are a warrior.