I saw this post from @thejoysofjules and knew I had to share

I saw this post from @thejoysofjules and knew I had to share. Postpartum recovery following a caesarean needs to be discussed more. Not just for those having a planned one, but for anyone who is pregnant. The birth itself is often quick during a caesarean, but for some, including myself, the recovery can be difficult.

"1 in 5 births worldwide are cesarean section and somehow there is still a stigma. When I was preparing for my own elective cesarean I tried to find photos of the healing phase. I wanted to really see what my body could look like to prepare myself for the aftermath, yet all I could find on social media was photos of a healed incision scar. Just the after, a clean line on a postpartum body months after the surgery. When the bandages came off my own incision scar 3 days post-cesarean I was shocked. I had no preparation for the bruising, the swelling and what was left of my abdomen. I didn't know that past two weeks I would still be in daily pain. I wasn't told that I would have internal stitches to hold my uterus together and this would be far more painful than the incision itself. I wasn't aware of just how gruelling the healing process really was, and I think women should be told all this before. Not to scare them, but to prepare them for the best postpartum recovery they can have. As soon as I was home from the hospital I started taking photos of my body healing every couple of days. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but as I saw the beauty in how quickly my body was healing and recovering from such major surgery I wanted to share them. So here is my cesarean body and I hope it helps you to emotionally, mentally and physically prepare to birth your baby this way."

Thank you for sharing your images and story Jules 💕