Mum-of-two Sophie Lilley recently stood up for all mums everywhere in a post that has, unsurprisingly, gone viral.
Taking to her Facebook page Tired 'N Tested, Sophie from Warrington shared a photo of the moment her two-year-old daughter Evelyn entered the world "bloody [and] furious".
But she wasn't just sharing it for the sake of sharing it. No, the blogger had a very good reason for posting the photo: she wanted to call out those who think C-sections are "the easy way out".
"A friend of mine, yet to embark on parenthood, recently joked that when she gave birth she would be opting for the ‘easy way’ out - choosing a caesarean over natural," Sophie wrote.
"This got me thinking… well first I laughed a sort of psychotic serial killer-esque laugh - but then I started contemplating…
"Is it really the easy way out...?"
Understanding that it is one of the misconceptions that people have about C-sections, Sophie decided to share the reality of having one, and it's definitely NOT easy.
"Granted, if it’s planned you can eliminate contraction pains and a lot of the vomit / poo indignity that goes with a natural labour – but you still have to undergo major surgery… AWAKE (in most cases)," she wrote.
"Yes, there’s a big blue sheet - but what the heck is happening on the other side of it?! Two people rummaging in your trunk as though they’ve lost their phone down the back of a sofa cushion, is unpleasant at best.
"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?
"Well, regardless of it being planned or emergency – everyone is still very much in the same painful, catheter, and bloodied surgical stocking filled boat. Yes, there may be some who are ‘too posh to push’ - but no one is too posh for a suppository in the bum once that anaesthetic wears off. FACT."
Continuing, Sophie lists the things that happen after a section:
1. Trying to do everything - change nappies, breastfeed, pick up the baby - when you can hardly move yourself
2. It's major operation that you have very little time to recover from
3. Mental trauma
But to Sophie, who admits she harboured feelings of guilt following the section, how Baby arrives shouldn't matter.
Once everyone is happy and healthy isn't that all that really matters?
"Hate to be the bearer of bad news folks, but I’ve come to the conclusion there’s no easy way to birth…
"What goes up must come down, albeit nine months later and slightly heavier - there’s just no getting away from pain, scars, complications, and hefty dose of indignity…
"But if everyone comes out of it healthy, happy and alive - who really cares?"
