Birth

C-section

Giving birth is a profound and transformative moment in a person’s life. We want you to feel ready and knowledgeable for your labor and baby’s debut! Here you can explore expert advice on topics like vaginal unmedicated and medicated births, C-section births, home births, birth center births, and adoption. Read inspiring birth stories, helpful tips, and checklists that can support you through this life-changing journey.

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Close-up of a person wearing white underwear, revealing a horizontal scar on their lower abdomen. The scar appears to be a recent surgical incision, possibly from a Cesarean section. This image depicts part of the week-by-week c-section recovery process. The background is blurred.

A Week-By-Week Guide to C-Section Recovery

Here's a week-by-week guide to C-section recovery to help you better take care of yourself and support your tissues in their healing.

Recovery
A pregnant person sits cross-legged on the floor, wearing a light blue tank top and gray leggings. They hold a book and a pen in their hands, one resting on their belly as they start to create a birth plan. The background features a sofa and a carpeted floor.

How To Create YOUR Perfect Birth Plan (Includes Templates!)
Birth Tips
A pregnant person wearing a red top and black pants is sitting on a bed, packing baby clothes into their hospital bag. They are sorting through a stack of small garments and holding a piece of baby clothing in one hand, meticulously following the hospital bag checklist.

The ULTIMATE Hospital Bag Checklist
Birth Tips
A pregnant woman sits cross-legged on a gray couch, smiling as she looks at her smartphone. She is wearing a white top, light gray leggings, and earphones, likely enjoying her birth playlist. In the background, there is a blurred view of a table with a yellow flower vase and other household items.

100+ Songs to Put on Your Birth Playlist
Birth Tips
A black and white photo captures a moment of birth photography, showing a pregnant woman in a hospital bed smiling at another person seated beside her. The room is equipped with medical devices and furnishings commonly found in a hospital setting.

The Power of Birth Photography
Birth Tips

What to buy

A pregnant woman sits on a sofa, looking into the white quilted c-section hospital bag she has on her lap. There is a stuffed toy cat next to her and a bicycle in the background. She is wearing a grey t-shirt and green pants.

What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for a C-Section

 C-section
A stack of pregnancy books and parenting guides on a dark wooden table. Titles include "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth," "Birthing from Within," "Pushed," "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth," "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn," and "Mindful Birthing.

The Best Pregnancy and Birth Books

 Pregnancy Guides
A pregnant person wearing a red top and black pants is sitting on a bed, packing baby clothes into their hospital bag. They are sorting through a stack of small garments and holding a piece of baby clothing in one hand, meticulously following the hospital bag checklist.

The ULTIMATE Hospital Bag Checklist

 Birth Tips
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Related Podcast Episodes

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The image is a side-by-side of two photos. On the left, Kam and Leroy, with Kam in a pink dress and Leroy in a light blue shirt, hold balloons. On the right, the same couple smiles with their newborn, Leroy now in a maroon shirt and Kam lovingly holding the baby. Ep 94
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Becoming Parents: Kam Williams & Leroy Garrett
A pregnant person in a hospital gown is sitting on a hospital bed in a patient room. They have an IV catheter in their hand and various medical equipment is visible, including an IV drip. The person appears to be in labor, focusing on their breathing, as they await the next stage of their hospital stay. Ep 57
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What to Expect When You Check Into the Hospital in Labor
A woman is lying in bed, smiling down at a newborn baby who is sleeping on her chest. The baby, wrapped in a blanket, appears to be resting comfortably. The background is out of focus, placing emphasis on the woman and the baby. Listening to a VBAC podcast nearby adds to their serene moment. Ep 56
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A person is sitting on a sofa with a notebook and pen in hand, jotting down notes, possibly listening to a birth plan podcast. They appear to be pregnant, with one hand resting on their belly. Next to them are a pair of baby shoes and an ultrasound image. The setting is cozy and relaxed. Ep 11
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How to Write a Birth Plan
A pregnant woman sits cross-legged outdoors in a sunlit field, meditating with eyes closed. She is wearing a white blouse, black pants, and a flower crown, with sunlight streaming through the trees behind her, peacefully listening to a birth podcast to prepare for labor. Ep 9
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How to Prepare Your Mind and Body for Childbirth
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A pregnant person sits cross-legged on the floor, wearing a light blue tank top and gray leggings. They hold a book and a pen in their hands, one resting on their belly as they start to create a birth plan. The background features a sofa and a carpeted floor.

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Two medical professionals wearing gloves are shown performing delayed cord clamping while cutting a newborn's umbilical cord with a clamp and scissors. The newborn, lying on a yellow sheet, is partially covered in blood. The background is blurred but suggests a clinical setting.

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Mother holding a newborn baby close to her chest, both wrapped in the serenity of birth affirmations. The baby is swaddled in a blanket and wearing a small hat, as they rest peacefully in a hospital setting.

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A pregnant woman lies in a hospital bed with a fetal monitor belt around her abdomen, under observation for potential umbilical cord prolapse. A healthcare worker is seated beside her, carefully monitoring her condition. Medical equipment and monitors are visible in the background.

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A close-up photo showing the lower bodies of a baby wearing a light pink onesie and an adult, whose c-section scar is visible above striped underwear, lying next to each other on a white fabric surface.

How to Care for Your C-Section Scar for Healthy Healing
Recovery
A person is lying on a hospital bed, wearing a patterned gown. They are resting hands on their exposed, pregnant belly, displaying a hospital wristband and a ring. The image in black and white poignantly captures the silent fear of potential complications like placental abruption.

Placental Abruption: What You Need To Know
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A newborn baby is seen partially covered in amniotic sac during an en caul birth, with a gloved hand assisting. The baby’s head, covered in blood and fluids, is being gently held. The background includes blue medical fabric and a woman's leg.

What Is An En Caul Birth?
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A close-up image of a pregnant woman laying on her back with her midsection exposed. Two hands, likely belonging to another person, are placed gently on her belly, one above the belly button and one below, perhaps feeling for a breech baby. The woman is covered with a white towel from the waist down.

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Medical professionals in surgical attire are delivering a newborn baby via emergency c-section in an operating room. One holds the infant while the other clamps the umbilical cord. The newborn is crying and covered in vernix, surrounded by medical equipment.

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Close-up of two hands gently pulling the skin around a thin, slightly raised C-section scar on a person's body. The linear scar appears healed, with its light pink color indicating recent scar tissue formation.

To My C-Section Scar . . .
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A woman is lying in a hospital bed wearing a hospital gown. She appears to be in labor, her legs bent and partially covered by a white sheet. Medical equipment and monitors are visible beside the bed, dispelling any myths about labor and birth through the vigilance of modern healthcare.

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A newborn baby, with closed eyes and an open mouth, is crying while being held close to a person's chest. The baby, possibly having just received erythromycin eye ointment, is wearing a white cap and partially wrapped in a patterned blanket. A hand gently supports the baby's head.

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A newborn baby is lying on a hospital bed, crying as a medical professional wearing gloves prepares to administer a vitamin K shot at birth. The baby, donning a diaper and hospital identification wristband, is in a typical medical facility setting.

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A pregnant woman sits on a sofa, looking into the white quilted c-section hospital bag she has on her lap. There is a stuffed toy cat next to her and a bicycle in the background. She is wearing a grey t-shirt and green pants.

What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for a C-Section
C-section
The image is a side-by-side of two photos. On the left, Kam and Leroy, with Kam in a pink dress and Leroy in a light blue shirt, hold balloons. On the right, the same couple smiles with their newborn, Leroy now in a maroon shirt and Kam lovingly holding the baby.

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A pregnant woman, wearing beige underwear and a light bra, lies on a bed with a green pillow. A young child in a pink outfit is playfully lying on her, both smiling and looking at each other affectionately; capturing a tender moment often shared by moms who have c-sections.

15 Reasons Why Moms Who Have C-Sections Are Amazing
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Medical professionals in surgical attire, including masks and scrub hats, perform a gentle cesarean on a patient lying on an operating table. One doctor holds a newborn baby, with a protective plastic sheet partially covering the patient.

What Is a Gentle Cesarean?
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A pregnant woman is sitting on a couch and writing in a notebook, creating a birth plan. She is holding a pen in her right hand and resting the notebook on her lap. She is wearing a gray shirt, beige shorts, a bracelet, and a watch. The setting appears to be a home living room.

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A newborn baby with wet hair is pressed against its mother's chest, breastfeeding for the first time after a c-section. The mother, wearing a hospital gown and with an IV in her hand, is lying on a bed, smiling gently and looking at the baby.

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Breastfeeding
A pregnant woman sits cross-legged on a gray couch, smiling as she looks at her smartphone. She is wearing a white top, light gray leggings, and earphones, likely enjoying her birth playlist. In the background, there is a blurred view of a table with a yellow flower vase and other household items.

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A person wearing a hospital gown is sitting on a hospital bed, looking down. They have a protruding belly, indicating pregnancy, likely preparing for a vaginal birth. Medical equipment and IV fluids are visible around the bed.

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A medical team plans a c-section for a patient in blue scrubs and a hair cap, covered by a blue surgical drape. Several healthcare professionals in scrubs and masks are visible, some attending to the patient and others handling surgical instruments.

Questions to Ask When Planning a C-Section
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A pregnant person in a hospital gown is sitting on a hospital bed in a patient room. They have an IV catheter in their hand and various medical equipment is visible, including an IV drip. The person appears to be in labor, focusing on their breathing, as they await the next stage of their hospital stay.

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A person in a hospital gown is lying down, holding their pregnant belly with both hands, possibly preparing for a VBAC. An identification bracelet and an IV port are visible on their left wrist. The background is blurred, indicating a medical environment.

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A woman is lying in bed, smiling down at a newborn baby who is sleeping on her chest. The baby, wrapped in a blanket, appears to be resting comfortably. The background is out of focus, placing emphasis on the woman and the baby. Listening to a VBAC podcast nearby adds to their serene moment.

VBAC: Everything You Need to Know – Podcast Ep 56
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A medical team, clad in surgical attire and masks, is meticulously performing a procedure in an operating room. Behind a blue surgical drape, the patient—awake and wearing a surgical cap—lies on the table. Various medical equipment stands ready, as this might also be where c-sections are conducted.

C-Sections are Not the Easy Way Out
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A pregnant woman is sitting on a bed with striped bedding. She is wearing a light pink tank top and blue polka dot shorts, holding her stomach with one hand and placing the other hand on her lower back, appearing to be in discomfort, as if she is beginning to feel what contractions feel like.

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A woman, in the midst of postpartum recovery, sits in a hospital bed holding her newborn baby wrapped in a blanket close to her chest. She has a blood pressure cuff on her left arm and appears to be breastfeeding the infant. The background includes a pillow and a wooden headboard, reminders that giving birth is harder than running a marathon.

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