13 Photos That Show C-Section Moms Are Strong As Hell

"My water broke 18 months ago on a Saturday evening and I went into the hospital by noon on Sunday. I tried to avoid as much medical intervention as I could because 1) I'm a scaredy cat and 2) I thought it would be nice to do it as natural as possible. But by Monday afternoon, the OB-GYN team came in and they were pretty concerned. My blood pressure was spiking. They were starting to get hints the baby might be in distress. They thought we should do a C-section at that point and I was fully on board. I was starving! It felt like within 30 minutes, I was in the OR, they had pulled him out and he was on my chest.

I love my scar. When I look in the mirror, sometimes I think it looks like it's smiling at me, like, we did this. It's a frightening thing to be told all of a sudden, 'We're going to cut you open and take this baby out,' but it was the best option for me -- and I don't feel like I missed out on anything." -- Ligia, 37

"We fought to have our second daughter for three years. We ended up with two miscarriages. I had four rounds of IUIs and then one round of IVF. The whole time I was pregnant with her, I thought I was going to miscarry, but she was like my little engine that could.

At 37 weeks they induced me and things were going totally fine until they couldn't find her heartbeat. My OB, who I've known for 15 years, turned to me very calmly and said, "Remember how we talked about what might happen in an emergency C-section? Well, I'm going to call a code because if I move my hand the baby will die. I'm going to yell and a lot of people are going to spring into action, but I promise you everything will be fine.' The cord was coming out before my baby.

I'm actually not a calm person in any way. I'm a crazy, Type-A person, but I knew in that moment I had to stay in a calm place, or it was all over. They rushed me into the OR and then there she was. It's so different from my first birth, which was vaginal and easy. But I love both of my births just the same." -- Mara, 41

"I had twins -- two girls -- eight months ago. I was on bedrest from 26 weeks onward for an incompetent cervix. They thought I wouldn't make it to 28 weeks, then 30 weeks, then 32 weeks...but I did. I ate in the bed. I did exercises in the bed. I trusted I would have my babies, and I kept that belief until they scheduled me for my C-section.

I was so excited for my surgery. It was joyful. My husband and I had been trying for a few years to have our babies and I wanted to hold them in my arms. And you know what? I actually love my scar. It shows me my babies are here. " -- Jody, 42

"I had a C-section with my first daughter, who is 5 now. I had planned for a natural birth. I went into labor on my own, but after laboring for 15 hours, the doctor came in to check me and couldn't find the baby's head, and her heart rate was decelerating. He said, 'This is not good. We need to do the C-section now.' I was devastated. I remember sobbing as I was signing the consent paperwork. I was scared, but it was also that in that moment, I had lost my chance at pushing the baby out.

I was so grateful my daughter was here and healthy, but I felt such a loss. Everyone around me, all they could say was, 'But you have a healthy baby! Why should you have any reason to be sad?' I felt like my feelings were disregarded and minimized. I was angry for months.

I've since had a VBAC with my second daughter, and that was so important to me. It was such a cathartic experience, giving birth on my terms. Now I don't feel anger about my C-section, but I still wish that my feelings had been validated in the moment -- that someone would have been there to say to me, 'It's OK to feel this way.' I'm in school, studying to be a labor and delivery nurse, and that's something I want the women I work with to know." -- Susan, 32

"They were monitoring my contractions and every time I had one, Milo's heart rate would drop pretty low. That happened for a few hours until finally the OB was like, 'We need to take him out.' I'm a big 'Grey's Anatomy' fan so I asked the doctors to pretend they were on the show and be really dramatic. I asked them to say 'STAT' a lot. Beyond that, it was a blur. This will likely be my only child, so going into it I really wanted to experience everything as naturally as possible. But I have no regrets. I wish I could relive that experience -- that day -- every year.

It's humbling to see my body in these photos. It's not how I think I look. I have to remind myself that I love my body, period. I do a good job taking care of it, but it also carried a human being for nine months and even though I had an easy pregnancy and an easy recovery, it still did a number on me physically. If that helps one person who can relate to me, that's really special." -- Molly, 37

"I was in labor for three full days before I had my C-section. The doctors were wonderful in that they made it seem like it was my choice, but in retrospect there was really no choice. The baby was in distress. He really needed to come out. It was very different from what my husband and I were expecting, and yet it's all good. We have a wonderful little boy. He's healthy.

I have a pacemaker, so this is my second major surgery and both times I've gone through it, it floors me -- what an intense physical experience it is. I think sometimes we forget that because C-sections are common. I used to think I might get a tattoo to commemorate my son's birth, but that feels so unnecessary now, because I have this other thing that's a reminder. There's something about having the physical imprint of that experience that helps me accept it." -- Liz, 27

"I had hyperemesis my entire pregnancy. I was hospitalized a few times. I lost 20 pounds the first trimester. I couldn't get out of bed. At 36 weeks, they told me I was having some contractions and that I was probably going to go into labor soon.

Another week went by and I went onto bedrest. I was still having the contractions, but they'd never be closer than 15 minutes apart, then they'd disappear for hours, then they'd come back again. It went on like that for two weeks. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor to check everything, and realized that maybe my placenta was detaching.

They induced me and it sent me into back labor, which I ended up getting a slipped disc from. I went through all four doctors in my practice because I'd been in the hospital for so long. Eventually they decided it was time to do the C-section, and they gave me time to get ready, but then 10 minutes later they came rushing back in saying the baby was in distress and we had to go then.

They immediately started working on me. I don't remember this, but my husband said my eyes were rolling back in my head and they were shouting my name to try and keep me awake because of whatever they'd given me. When I woke up, my daughter was there and I was like, 'What the hell just happened?'

My pregnancy was so hard, and my birth was so hard that I joke my C-section scar -- which my OB did a great job with -- is the only thing that went well. At the end of the day, I've tried to let it all go because I have a healthy kid, but I still feel like I have all this trauma." -- Marissa, 34

"My first son was born three-and-a-half years ago. My mom is a midwife, so I'd always planned to have a drug-free, no-intervention birth. We found out he was breech, and I did all kinds of interventions. I did acupuncture, I did inversions, I did chiropractic work. I felt like it was my fault that I couldn't have the baby vaginally. I felt like maybe I had done something wrong or my body was the wrong shape. I felt very disheartened and sad when I saw my friends who had had vaginal births taking their kids to the park a week after giving birth, and I couldn't even get to the bathroom because I was still in recovery. For a while, the scar was a reminder of that feeling.

C-sections are very important and I'm so glad I was able to get my son to me. We were both healthy. But I wanted to give birth vaginally. When I got pregnant again, I tried everything I could to try and set myself up for a VBAC, knowing ultimately so much of it is out of your control. I did yoga, I stretched, I walked, I met with a chiropractor, I researched to make sure I went with a practice where every provider was supportive of VBACs, and I was ultimately able to have one. Though I think I would have been happy no matter what, I do think it made me feel better about both births." -- Savannah, 35

"I didn't expect to have a C-section, but I was totally OK with it. I had low amniotic fluid, so I was induced, and after 13 hours I was having contractions every minute and hadn't dilated past 5 centimeters. I was like whatever you need to do, guys, I'm more than content.

I got attacked by a pit bull in 2010 and I have a big scar on my leg, so compared to that I don't mind the C-section scar at all. I don't usually go around showing it off -- like, my Facebook profile picture isn't my C-section scar -- but I usually just forget about it." -- Mariel, 32

"I was in labor for 36 hours just to find out I wouldn't dilate past eight centimeters. I have a high tolerance for medication, so I actually felt a burning sensation when they started cutting into me. Once they realized I could feel what was happening, they gave me the option of being put under, which meant my now ex-husband would have had to leave the room, or to keep going on with him there, which is what I chose. Eventually the medication kicked in and I was numb.

The scar doesn't bother me, it's just a reminder of where my child came from. I don't think it's ugly. It's small. It's hard for me to imagine that my child fit out of it. I had two VBACs with my next children, which I was very thrilled to be able to do, but I don't think I would have been upset if I had to have more C-sections. I never thought twice about it." -- Latina, 41

"My son, who is 6 now, measured really big, so they gave me the choice and I thought it was safer for me and him to schedule the C-section. It was scary, but it went well. It was quick, like 30 minutes total.

I had a planned C-section with my second, too. I knew what to expect, but you still wonder, 'Is the scar going to be bigger? Is it going to hurt more?' The recovery was a lot harder the second time. But it healed beautifully.

For a long time I felt guilty for not even trying, and to read online that you took the 'easy way'... it's insane. But I gave up the guilt. I have two kids who are running around, and I know that I am the one who brought them here." -- Nicole, 30

"I recovered from my C-section pretty quickly, but my wound wouldn't close, so I did have to have a nurse come to my house every day to help pack the wound. I was a little worried it was going to be ugly, but it doesn't look bad. When they say the word 'scar' you imagine it's going to be something big and jarring. It's not.

I'm now a postpartum doula and an international board certified lactation consultant. I have a passion for that postpartum period. I do see that for a lot of women, the recovery is harder when you have the C-section. I'm grateful that for me, that recovery part was pretty easy." -- LaShanda, 40

"I have pre-existing health condition -- I was born with glaucoma -- that prohibits me from laboring, because I could do damage to my vision. So I always knew I was going to have a C-section, and I was always fine with that.

It was perfect. It was just like any other OR. My arms were strapped down. It was a very clinical experience from that perspective, but when I reflect back on that day I see the room as being filled with light. It was just warm and wonderful and my OB-GYNs were incredibly caring.

If you could tell me right now, 'Caroline, you can have a completely safe and successful birth' I would say you can keep it. I felt very loved, and very well cared for -- and the scar is part of that story. It reminds me of the wonderful events surrounding both of my children's births." -- Caroline, 36