I’m never sure how people will take it when I mention Cesarean Awareness Month. It’s a toss up between ‘Huh’ and ‘Are you for cesareans’ or “I’m done having babies’ or ‘well, I had to have an emergency cesarean. I was induced and my babies heart rate…” most of the time. Almost always
some sort of a reason why they aren’t really aware of the risks of cesarean or an explanation of why their cesarean was necessary or a reason why this next time, they will have to have another one, I always reach deep and try to find the appropriate response for my audience but it always comes so close to me saying
How
Can
Women
Not
Know
The
Risks?
Because they don’t. They know the numbers. They know in an eerie way that it’s suddenly “all” of their friends that are having cesareans. They know that cesarean rates are rising and they have that look like ‘I don’t want one of those’ or like they are mildly scared of them but they don’t know just how prevalent cesareans have become. They don’t “want” one but then again, they don’t seem to be surprised, though some are often bewildered and for some, are almost “special” to have something go SO bad that they had one. So I tell them the most important sentence I know. I have three daughters. Which one do you want me to choose? One in three have cesareans. If two of my daughters have children in this climate, then the one who has the cesarean will probably be forced or coerced into a second cesarean unless she fights like hell to VBAC and meanwhile, one of her sisters will be cut as well.

This problem isn’t just exponential. …it’s like a snake, glistening through the grass, touching every blade in some way. Some, it glides past and some it glides over. So why are we mostly unaware?
What are you doing to protect yourself from the bite?

#cesareanawarenessmonth Day 27

-Shannon Mitchell