Birth is always an awe-inspiring moment, but if your baby was born by cesarean section, it might be hard to wrap your mind around exactly how it happened. You know the surgeon pulled your baby out of your lower belly, but unless you’ve studied obstetrics, further details about the process are probably a little vague.
A new video makes it easy and straightforward to understand the entire process of a surgical birth, using felt sheets to demonstrate each part of the mother’s anatomy. You can see the refreshingly approachable video here:
The video was created by Jesse Franks, a blogger and c-section mom who wanted to give other mothers a tactile, accessible tool for understanding their surgical births. Motherly magazine reports that Franks said,
“People have said that they are thankful it exists, that the actual surgical videos have been too gory for them to watch. One mom said that it was the first time she smiled while imagining her child’s birth. (That one made me teary eyed!)”
It’s incredible to consider just how much careful orchestration a c-section requires. What a gift it is that such a delicate, major surgery has become so safe and uneventful. Modern medicine, wise scientists, and conscientious doctors have saved the lives of countless mothers and babies, and so many families can turn to God in abundant gratitude for this lifesaving surgical advancement.
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The video is also a moving witness to the lengths mothers go through for their children. Watching how a doctor goes through 7 layers of tissue to reach the baby makes clear what an extensive operation a c-section is. The courage and strength of mothers who go through this process for the sake of their children is something to be honored. In the same way, all mothers endure trials for their little ones; there’s a reason we think of “a mother’s love” as one of the most powerful forces in our world.
You can purchase the felt c-section book, and it would be a useful tool for OB/GYNs, midwives, doulas, birth educators, and anyone else explaining the surgical process to a patient. Parents also might find the video a useful tool for explaining to children how they or younger siblings were born. Watching it is an opportunity to be awed at the resilience of the human body, the marvels of modern surgery, and most of all, the love and sacrifice of a mother.
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And today we celebrate...