2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
For nine months, we imagine this first meeting. We make a birth plan and we already see ourselves there. But what happens when reality does not meet our expectations? Are women sufficiently prepared for the possibility of a caesarean section?
Knowing that in industrialized countries, 26.3% of deliveries end in caesarean section, according to the National Institute of Public He alth, one could imagine that women are sufficiently well prepared psychologically for such an eventuality. However, several mothers describe this experience as traumatic and have very bad memories of it.
Between the 20th and the 25th week of pregnancy, parents are invited to prenatal classes. During these meetings, the main terms relating to maternity are discussed: labor, vaginal delivery, the arrival of the baby and breastfeeding. However, the importance given to caesarean section and its consequences may not be sufficient to protect women against the shock that it can represent. Hélène Vadeboncoeur , perinatal researcher and author of the book Another caesarean ora VBAC? Get informed to better decide, specifies: “Caesarean section is a subject that has generally been avoided, both by doctors and in prenatal classes. Moreover, it is only since 2013 that we find information on the subject in the Better living with your child, given to pregnant women by the government”.
Pains
If in prenatal classes the surgical aspect of the caesarean section is discussed, its physical and psychological effects are somewhat neglected. Martine, mother of little Lou says: “This pain… I did not expect to be in so much pain and to be so dependent on others. I would have liked so much to be told that I was going to suffer but that it would not be eternal.”.
While some women seem to tolerate the surgery quite well, others suffer excruciatingly. Several factors can affect how the body tolerates a C-section. Fatigue, mental preparation, the way the incision was made, as well as the pain threshold specific to each individual, are elements that come into play.
Feeling helpless
“I felt so helpless. I couldn't even wash my baby. What kind of mother was I? “, says Justine, mother of little Iris. Since the first weeks after caesarean section are often synonymous with pain and discomfort, mothers sometimes find it difficult to accomplish different tasks. They then enter the comparison game and quickly feel incompetent.
However, theminimum of three weeks to recover from a caesarean section. Although it is important to move to activate the circulation and thus prevent phlebitis (clots in the legs), there is nothing shameful in doing things at your own pace. “The recovery for a caesarean section is comparable to that of surgery, says Ms. Vadeboncoeur. For a few weeks, it handicaps to a certain extent and interferes with contact with the baby.”.
Guilt and Anger
Stéphanie, mother of a 5-year-old little girl, recalls: "Even though it was a planned caesarean section, I felt guilty for a long time for not having been able to give birth in a natural way. »
Hélène Vadeboncoeur explains that a cesarean can also have an impact on self-esteem. “Many women can experience disappointment, sadness and even a state of shock that can lead to trauma and even post-traumatic stress,” she points out.
Women who learn or consider that their caesarean section was not necessary often feel angry and in these cases, according to Ms. Vadeboncoeur, "the reactions on the psychological level often resemble those experienced during bereavement". For this reason, in situations where caesarean section is necessary and indispensable, it should be quickly emphasized to women that having a caesarean section does not necessarily mean that the next birth will end in the same way.
Changing practices
If it issometimes impossible to avoid caesarean section, Ms. Vadeboncoeur maintains that to help women better withstand this ordeal, it is necessary to change practices. According to her, "Mothers must be allowed to have their babies skin-to-skin from birth, in the operating room, in the recovery room and in the bedroom, since one of the greatest pains for women is not having seen their baby as soon as it was born or not having held it against them at that time. »
