Mom Shares Her C-Sections Bandages To Remind Us All How Tough We Are
This mom showed her c-section wound, bandages and all, in an Instagram post
So many women have taken to social media in recent years to be “real” and share images of their post-baby bodies in an effort to normalize and show fellow moms they aren’t alone. However, it’s not often that a woman shares a fresh c-section wound in those photos, like the one Crystal Renay Smith, wife of singer NE-YO, shared this week.
At only a week postpartum, Smith posted these images to Instagram, explaining her struggles to stay in shape during pregnancy due to bed rest and the resulting inability to work out.
Smith says, “1 week postpartum. Being on bedREST 85% of my pregnancy and not being able to work out the entire time was truly challenging and hard on my body. Then to get a C-section on top of that was a major setback.”
What she describes is a familiar scenario to so many of us — anyone who’s been through it knows that being on bed rest throws a serious wrench into a mom’s plan to be active during pregnancy. And of course, a c-section recovery takes longer and sets back the date a woman can return to her normal work-out regimen. Smith notes that once she’s back on her feet, she plans to get moving again saying, “My body isn’t what it once was but that’s ok because now in the next coming weeks (AFTER IM HEALED PROPERLY) I can share my #SNAPBACK journey and progress with you guys!”
She looks incredible, despite the obstacles she describes. It’s a powerful image and reminds moms who’ve been through a surgical birth that what they did was just as tough as labor and delivery. Smith is only a week postpartum and to boot, she’s showing the world her c-section wound, including the little steri-strips all c-section moms are familiar with.
In the age of social media, we see a lot of moms sharing their bare, postpartum bellies at various points after giving birth, but we don’t see many revealing their c-section incisions. This is pretty amazing for moms who’ve had a surgical birth to see someone healing the same way they are.
Stretch marks are fairly common, both in women who have had children and those who haven’t. Scars seem to carry another stigma altogether, with many moms feeling the need to hide theirs from view. With my first birth, a medical situation aside from pregnancy necessitated an “up and down” incision that went from my belly button to my pelvis. The scar was huge and visible, taking several years to fade to a point where I felt comfortable revealing it.
My daughter is nearly nine years old and only in the last two summers have I felt OK wearing a bikini, despite being back to my pre-pregnant size for most of her life. I work out frequently and am proud of my body, but never felt like I could show everyone on the beach my scar. I was incredibly self-conscious for a long time and looking back, I have no idea why. It’s not as though I’m the only one, and no scar is anything to be ashamed of, let alone one that meant my baby had entered this world.
Hopefully, more moms will follow Smith’s lead and show everyone that scars are just a fact of motherhood for some of us. And absolutely nothing to hide.
H/T People
