Yes, Labor Was Worth It (Even if It Ended in a C-Section)
Written by Birth Doula Joy Payne
Your baby is here but it was not the vaginal birth you were hoping for. Friends and family, trying to be encouraging, may say something like “healthy mama, healthy baby! That is what matters most”. And in general, the answer to that is yes, but there is more to being healthy than having a beating heart. We are physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beings. So, while physically you may be alive and well enough, mentally and emotionally you might be struggling with the outcome of your birth. Please allow yourself time to mourn the birth you wanted but did not have. And can we just add… we are so sorry.
Let us also acknowledge this – you are amazing! You did so well and worked so hard to get your baby here and it was not in vain! Unexpected things happen in labor (they always do), but the work you did to birth your baby counts for a lot. Some wonder if they should have just gone straight to a scheduled c-section after it was all said and done, but did you know that labor, even if it ends in a cesarean section, is so beneficial to you and your baby?! Research suggests there are huge benefits to labor even when it does not end in a vaginal birth. Here are just a few:
Benefits to baby:
fewer breathing problems (labor tells the baby it is time to clear their lungs)
fewer premature births (babies decide when the time is right and if you naturally go into labor you reduce the risk of an unintended premature birth)
the increased risk of obesity, allergies and Type 1 diabetes in babies born by cesarean tend to be lower in those that first experienced labor in utero
Benefits to mom:
higher rates of breastfeeding success
better physical recovery
decreased rate of heavy blood loss and postpartum hemorrhage
better pain management (with labor the body’s natural pain managing hormones have already kicked in)
better outcomes in future pregnancies due to the fact that the uterus had time to shift and change (thinner uterine wall at time of surgery because labor had begun means lower risk of future uterine ruptures in subsequent pregnancies)
a thinner uterine wall at time of surgery also means a decrease in maternal morbidity in the next pregnancy due to the likelihood of fewer adhesions
You labored with your baby. It did not turn out as you had hoped, but you gave a gift to your baby and to yourself with that labor. There is a time and a place for cesarean births and we live in a wonderful age to have that intervention as an option. We honor and celebrate you no matter how you birthed your baby!
Futher Reading: C-Sections Are Best With a Little Labor, a Study Says