10 positive things about my Cesarean

I learned about this way to help moms process their cesareans from the Birth after Cesaren Blog

Listing 10 positive things, not including Devon, that came about from my cesarean.   I think it is sometimes hard to see beyond the baby you get.  It has been 10 years and a long journey to get where I can see with a different perspective then right after Devon was born.  The birth I had hoped for, did not happen, but I learned a lot from it.  

Here are my 10 positive things that came about from my cesarean birth of Devon.

1. Appreciation that birth is unpredictable.  It is ideal to plan for the best, but understand that sometimes things come up that lead your birth in a different way.  Being flexible can help.
2. Personal understanding that cesareans are sometimes medically necessary and life saving.
3. Physical experience of recovering from a cesarean.  Knowing how challenging that can be.  I think this helps me have a good base to talk to others from.  For moms I doula who end up with a cesarean, I think it helps me appreciate their recovery better.
4. The trauma of Devon’s birth led me to seek out hypnosis to help me deal with the emotions that I knew I needed to deal with.  This has led me to an incredible understanding of how powerful our minds can be.   It has also led me to become a Hypnobabies Childbirth Educator. 
5. VBACs are possible and can be wonderful with the right supportive careprovider!
6. I am now very active and interested in women’s birthing rights.  It is sad to me to see how many women end up with unnecessary cesareans.  If I had a vaginal birth with all my boys, I may not have become a birth activist.
7. Because of what I have learned about birth and how the medical management of things can lead to problems, I am now more proactive in learning about other areas of my families health.
8. I really appreciate the vaginal birth of Carson and Bryson.
9. I am a member of ICAN!  A great organization, that I may not have joined if I didn’t have a cesarean.
10. I am a more compassionate person.

It was hard to come up with 10 and took me awhile.  If you had a cesarean, give it a try.  Be patient with yourself, I have had 10 years to see some!  🙂