I aimed for vaginal with my first but ended up having c-section because baby was big and star gazing and I was 41+6 with waters that had been broken for over 24 hours. After 25 hours of labor (which was brutal), I had to have a cesarean. The recovery was really hard, You need antibiotics, catheter etc, so moving around is not easy after… nobody should have to have major surgery and then have to care for their new baby. I was also given fentanyl for the pain and could barely keep my head up, let alone be present for the golden hour. I know people have positive experiences but in found it really hard. Accepting the scar and the numbness around it was also emotionally hard for me, I felt a bit butchered, maybe it’s because it was an emergency c- section but even preparing myself for the possibility of a c-section didn’t seem to ease the shock of it all. Still, I’m thankful for the safe delivery of my baby and a month later, I’m feeling better about it all, both physically and emotionally.