But mummy blogger and parody writer Sophie McCartney is out to prove this notion wrong.
Taking to Facebook, she explained she’d been shamed by a friend for being “too posh to push” after welcoming her daughter to the world via c-section. But in fact, destiny had conspired against her, forcing her to ditch her natural birth plan following a sixteen-hour labour and 45 minutes of “eye-popping pushing.”
“There seems to be an odd assumption that having a C-Section is some sort of magical and pain-free alternative to natural childbirth,” she wrote alongside a photo from the operation.
“You still have to undergo major surgery… awake. And once it’s over and you’ve gone through the horror of not being able to feel your legs for a couple of hours, what then?”
After listing a plethora of undesirable consequences she experienced, like having to have a catheter and suppository inserted and being left with a “C-section shelf,” she also highlighted the mental trauma that many women experience.
“The photograph with this post is no one of my favourites, but it didn’t used to be,” she added.
“It used to be a memento of my failings… a reminder that I hadn’t done things ‘properly.’”
“At the time, there was a rational part of my brain saying, ‘it doesn’t matter how she arrived, she’s alive.’ However, there was also a louder non-rational part that harboured feelings of guilt and inferiority.”
“Reflectively – if nature had done as it intended my children and I wouldn’t be here, so what’s the point in feeling guilty about that? I should feel lucky, and now I finally do.”
The post has since been shared more than 3,700 times, with many parents praising Sophie for her honesty.
“There is no easy way out in labour and childbirth. Vaginal delivery or C-section, we are all bloody awesome,” one user commented.
“Thankyou for posting this and making many mummys realise that they are not the only one and they’re not alone,” another added.
This article originally appeared on Women's Health Australia.
