Why Is There Still Stigma Attached to Having a Baby Via C-Section?

Image @ Mustafa Omar on Unsplash

I have always found it interesting that one of the first questions’ a woman is often asked after she has fought ‘tooth and nail’ to give birth to a baby, is “was it a natural or a caesarean (C-section) birth”? In the past (before I had children of my own) I didn’t give it too much thought. I presumed it was just one of those questions that women were asked after delivery, right after enquiries about the baby’s health and gender. But after having children of my own and being on the receiving end of this all so ‘very important’ question, I started to see things differently. I began to understand that it wasn’t a simple yes or no question that you could answer and forget all about. But rather it was a loaded question that carried with it implications for your ‘womanhood’, solely based on your method of childbirth. It communicates that a woman who has a natural delivery is strong, fertile, valid and a real woman. But women who have C-sections- elective or by no choice of their own (due to medical conditions), are often seen as weak and lazy women, who choose the easy way out and therefore failed to experience true childbirth – as if to suggest that having a baby via C-section is like having a baby drop onto your thighs from the sky! 

Depending on who you ask, some people might even say that women who choose to have C-sections believe that they are ‘too posh’ to push! Say whatttt!!!! Delivering a baby (whether vaginally or via C-section) is not a ‘posh’ experience. It is unsightly- there is lots of blood, tugging and pulling and much more (I’ll save you the rest of the gory details). So whoever came up with the ‘too posh to push’ theory clearly didn’t consider all the facts. Even though I say this, I do know that in some circles, people who deliver a baby via C-section are considered to be of a higher social economic status – because speaking in financial terms, C-section births cost twice as much as natural ones. And the average man or woman cannot afford the cost of such a procedure, especially because it is still considered to be an elective procedure. Also, the predictability of a C-section birth means that the mother can plan ahead and make the necessary arrangements for the baby’s arrival – and this flexibility of choice is considered a ‘luxury’ for most people. 

No matter how you look at it, there is nothing easy about having a baby, regardless of your birthing method. By all accounts, delivering a baby (whether natural or via C-section) is hard work. It takes a physical toll on your body; it wears you out emotionally and exhausts you mentally. It is like going into battle armed with nothing but your mental fortitude and wits (sense of humour)- that is if you will find anything about childbirth funny – and hoping for the best. Further to this, both vaginal and C-section births have certain risks to mother and child. However, with natural (or rather vaginal) birth, the risks are not frequently communicated to pregnant women, to encourage mothers to choose vaginal delivery- because it is by large the ‘safest’ and least invasive way to deliver a baby. For C-section births, the risks to mother and baby are more widely known for obvious reasons. 

Delivering a baby naturally or via a C-section is a valid childbirth experience. And since both have their associated risks, why is there so much stigma attached to C-sections? In answering this question, you will have to consider prevalent attitudes that exist in various parts of the worlds. Depending on where you live, you will find that people have strong opinions either in favour of or against C-section births. These beliefs are largely due to personal experiences or preferences, fear or superstition, religious or cultural practices, anecdotal evidence and the state of the health care facilities. Taken together, these variables inform prevalent attitudes about C-section delivery in most parts of the world. 

In the developing world, for example, the lack of basic medical equipment and supplies is a major contributory factor in the stigmatization of C-section deliveries. The state of the healthcare system has created a situation in which many expectant mothers suffer unnecessarily during the labour and delivery process. A routine C-section procedure may often lead to post-surgery complications, and in extreme cases, even death. I once knew a woman who outrightly refused to have a C-section (she was a nurse, so I guess she made an informed decision), even after she was advised by her doctors to do so, given that her pelvic region was too small to birth her baby vaginally. She ended up delivering the baby naturally, but almost bled to death in the process. The dishevelled state of the healthcare system in many developing countries means that women would rather take their chance with a vaginal birth, even when the odds are stacked against them, than risk their lives by having a C-section. Although this is seldom highlighted, the less than promising state of the healthcare system in the developing world continues to cause angst and anxiety about invasive surgical procedures, including C-sections. Due to this, the public has grown to distrust the healthcare system, which is an important factor in understanding why C-section deliveries attract so much stigma in the developing world. 

In the developed world, the stigma around C-section is not always as evident but it nonetheless exists. It often takes the shape of a narrative fixated on the idea of the natural as the only viable birthing option. Health care practitioners will often advocate for vaginal births, without necessarily finding out if you have a birthing plan preference or discussing the pros and cons of the various methods. Also, social media is awash with influencer mothers and mothers-to-be, advocating for vaginal births. Platforms such as YouTube and various other sites have popularised and marketed videos with captions that include “How I Birth My Baby Naturally Without Medication/ Epidural” to women and expectant mothers. While these titles may seem harmless, they play an important role in contributing to the stigma around C-section births. Often mothers-to-be will watch these videos and subsequently decide that they must have a vaginal delivery- based solely on the suggested ‘tips and hacks’ for giving birth naturally. Such women will often not make alternative birthing plan arrangements – if they are unable to birth naturally. Due to this, these women may end up with feelings of sadness, disappointment, shame and even regret. Some may even suffer from imposter syndrome or feel like they failed in their primary role of being a woman because they wanted a natural delivery and had a C-section instead.  

Some final words

Having a baby is hard work. Even though I have said this earlier, I see a need to reiterate my sentiments because no amount of descriptive word fillers can adequately convey the feeling (both good and bad) of giving birth to a child. Having said that, I will also add that I am not for or against C-sections, as I believe that all birthing methods are valid, important and instrumental. What I know for sure is that every woman should feel empowered regardless of the birthing method that she chooses. As women, we intrinsically understand our bodies and know our capabilities and limits. We know what we can handle and what we can’t. We should therefore have the right to make an informed decision on how we would like to birth a child without people weighing in on our decisions, looking to sway us one way or another. It is counterproductive, futile and wrong to judge a woman based on her birthing choice because it feeds into the toxic narrative that seeks to play women out against each other based on arbitrary standards. Women are beautiful creatures, and our bodies can do amazing things. Let that alone be enough to make us stand strong with our heads held up high.