It’s amazing to think that there are still so many misconceptions about giving birth. One of the most damaging and harmful to women is the myth that a C-section birth is taking the “easy way out”.
I don’t know who started this, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. The recovery from C-sections can be longer and more painful than a vaginal birth, not to mention that these moms then feel shamed for having a C-section.
That’s why this mom decided to finally speak out about the reality of C-sections.
Olivia White is a mom of two who shares her experiences in motherhood through the Instagram account @houseofwhite_.
On Instagram, Olivia isn’t afraid to get raw and real when it comes to discussing all aspects of motherhood.
Olivia shared intimate and personal updates from both of her pregnancies and during the postpartum periods that followed each one.
I still can’t get over this gorgeous maternity photo! Simply stunning.
However, it was the birth of her second daughter that brought her viral fame.
Olivia documented the birth, which ended up being a long 56 hours due to failed labor induction attempts.
Finally, Olivia’s second baby girl was delivered via C-section.
After emergency surgery, Olivia finally got to meet her baby girl. As happy as she was, she couldn’t deny how exhausted she was and how painful the whole experience had been.
In a C-section birth, doctors surgically remove the baby from the mother by making an incision in her abdomen and uterus.
While it is a fairly routine procedure, moms who deliver their babies via C-section can expect a slightly longer recovery time as their surgical incision heals.
During recovery, Olivia snapped this graphic photo of her C-section incision and penned a powerful post about what really happens during recovery.
“Look I know it might not be my best angle (or is it?) but who wouldn’t take selfies hours post birth so they can see where they sliced you open and yanked out a whole person?” Olivia wrote on Instagram.
She also had a message for anyone who thinks having a C-section is the “easy way out”.
“This is what you really look like a few hours post c-section. To anyone who thinks it’s the easy way out, we’ll try having a 6-inch gash in your abdomen like a gutted shark,” she wrote.
Olivia’s post quickly went viral and racked up over 3,400 likes on Instagram.
Many other moms related to this post and shared their own C-section stories. Sorry if this a bit TMI for some people, but C-sections are serious procedures.
Many people agreed that the pain of a C-section is downplayed by society.
If this was any other medical procedure, no one would shame people for explaining how hard and painful this can be, but for some reason, we expect more from moms.
A lot of moms shared their own experiences of being shamed for having a C-section.
How is this seriously still a thing to shame moms over? Thankfully, Olivia’s post has brought much-needed attention to this issue.
For many moms, the hardest aspect of having a C-section is the prolonged recovery.
In the weeks following a C-section, it is recommended that moms don’t lift anything except their baby. They also have to be mindful to keep their incision clean on top of caring for their newborn.
Years after making this post, moms are still learning about Olivia’s story and thanking her.
Olivia gave birth to her daughter in 2016 and shared her C-section selfie in 2017. People have commented on her post as recently as January 2020, proving that her message struck a powerful chord online.
A lot of moms were thankful for Olivia’s honest post.
Olivia bravely shared her personal experience and in doing so, helped so many other new moms who felt that they were going through this experience alone. It’s really important that we’re finally talking about this!
In the months that followed her viral post, Olivia shared some more honest postpartum updates.
“Puffy face, droopy milk filled boobs, wider hips and belly full of stretch marks!! That’s my post baby reality, no ‘bouncing back’ here!” she said in this empowering Instagram post.
Years after her viral post, Olivia is still sharing candid updates about motherhood with her followers.
Her followers continue to be inspired by her body-positive messages and for calling out mom-shaming when she sees it.
