Mamas who have had a c section ( especially an unexpected one) did you feel like less of a mom because you didn't get to actually push your baby out? I struggle with this from time to time and want to know if I'm alone in feeling this way. Thanks!
@cassie_laughlin, Don't get down on yourself! You are a GREAT mom to your daughter! Always remember that. In fact, write it on a post it note and put it where you can see it every day!
@mamawallace1201, I agree. I just recently switched my four month old daughter to strictly formula because we just moved across country and my milk production went way down because I wasn't pumping regularly with all the driving we were doing. And at first I was sort of ashamed of myself for not being able to keep up with her needs, but my daughter seems to be putting on more weight which was needed considering her weight was barely in the 20th percentile and she is seeming to be more active. In retrospect I know I'm doing the best I can for her; I just get down on myself sometimes.
Absolutely not. My c-section was planned, and maybe because I work in an operating room, I worried more because I know what can go wrong. But @nomaci, was right. The incision isn't really any bigger than a vagina can stretch, but your muscle is being cut into, so the healing process and recovery time is about the same if not worse.
I also know that I am the best Mommy I can be to my son, so I don't let it bother me how he came into this world. I also exclusively formula fed after 7 weeks. I didn't have hardly any milk production. I don't let that bother me either. He is a healthy 2 year old who has hardly gotten sick. I got more flack for that than my csection. Born is best, fed is best!
If you think about it, you still squeezed a baby out, just through a different hole and with some extra help. Unless you had an abnormally large incision, the hole your baby came out through was about the same size, especially since many women tear.
I can't say I feel like less of a mother because a c-section is way more intense, with more mental stress and a harder recovery. I was shaking so badly during and after that I couldn't even hold my son! I still get squicky thinking about it, and it's still sensitive.