Some mothers are blessed with an easy delivery of their child. Some mothers, however, undergo complications that require them to have a C-section instead of having a vaginal delivery. While both are incredibly safe, some people look down on mothers who have C-sections, claiming it’s not “truly giving birth. “
Many mothers also feel bad about having C-sections.
Some mothers feel that having C-sections means they have failed in the birthing process. While it’s nowhere near failure, some mothers insist that not having a natural birth is not giving birth at all.
Now, one mom and her doula are changing the way we all look at pregnancy and C-sections.
Jordan Grissom, a mom from Long Beach, California, didn’t think she would have to undergo a C-section when giving birth. After she was a week overdue, she ended up needing her doula to induce her for delivery.
Jordan’s baby was breech, so her midwife took extra measures.
Jordan told Babble she was “so scared.” In the end, her stress levels caused her to dilate to 9.5 centimeters. But, after checking again, Jordan was only 6 centimeters dilated. Her midwife said a C-section would be safest for delivery.
The mid-wife prepared an emergency C-section to deliver Jordan’s daughter.
Amelia Ray, now 15-months-old, was delivered via C-section. Jordan says that she was scared, but was happy to welcome her healthy baby to the world safe and sound.
Jordan tells everyone that she didn’t have a C-section, but instead, she had a “belly birth.”
She says the term is helping women see C-sections in a way that empowers them instead of hurts them.
She went on to explain what the term meant.
“To me, the term ‘belly birth’ is exactly what a C-section is. You’re birthing your child through your belly. There are many women who feel as though they’ve failed by having a C-section, and that’s just not the case.”
Jordan said that the word “C-section” takes away from the birthing process.
“Using the term “belly birth” pushes the point that we, too, have given birth. It’s just more inclusive.”
Jordan’s friend and doula, Flor Cruz, told Babble that she uses the term “belly birth” with other clients, too.
The term makes it easy for women to be proud of their journeys.
Flor says it gives women ownership of their process.
“I find it serves as a bit of healing for families who had a belly birth. It connects them on a deeper level to the birth. … Changing the outlook on belly births starts with how we speak about them.”
It’s all about how a family tells their birth story.
” The term ‘cesarean’ or ‘C-section’ is what we say to describe a major abdominal surgery; [it] doesn’t respectfully pay homage to everything a family endured to get their baby here safely. ‘Belly birth’ connects the mother more to the baby instead of the connecting her to the surgery aspect. It reminds the mother and others that a birth happened, not just a surgery. It humanizes the mode of delivery and puts the family right back into the driver’s seat.”
Hopefully this trend will catch on.
While C-sections are the medical terminology for the procedure, calling it a “belly birth” is something I can 100% get behind for mothers everywhere.
