Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A deeply personal essay collection that explores the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of C-section births on motherhood and identity
My son's birth was not a test I needed to pass, not something I needed to do in a certain way to become a worthy mother . . .
An astute and vivid collection of personal essays about caesarean birth, My Caesarean features writing by decorated novelists, poets, essayists, and journalists. At a time when more and more women exalt the experience of vaginal childbirth, those who give birth by C-section are increasingly isolated.
My Caesarean deftly explores these perspectives and many others. At turns, the essays address the history and current surgical trend of the caesarean, its impact on the mother's body and postoperative realities, the psychological aftermath--which sometimes unfolds well after the birth of the child--and how to heal. A beautiful, much-needed meditation on the shared experience of C-section mothers, this collection pulls back the curtain on the quiet shame, social guilt, and possible trauma of C-section birth to offer comfort and acceptance through shared experience.
Synopsis
Twenty-one vivid, moving essays on caesarean birth
"No one talks about C-sections as surgery," writes SooJin Pate. "They talk about it as if it's just another way--albeit more convenient way--of giving birth." The twenty-one essays in My Caesarean add back to the conversation the missing voices of a vast, invisible sisterhood.
Robin Schoenthaler reflects: "A C-section for us meant life." And yet, women who don't give birth vaginally--by choice or necessity--often feel stigmatized. "My son's birth was not a test I needed to pass," writes Sara Bates. "As if growing a human inside another human for nine months then caring for it the rest of its life isn't enough," adds Mary Pan, herself a physician.
Alongside their personal stories, the writers--decorated novelists, poets, and essayists--address the history of the C-section as well as its risks, social inequities, impact on the body, and psychological aftermath. My Caesarean is a heartfelt meditation, offering much-needed comfort through shared experience.
Contributors include: Catherine Newman, Judy Batalion, Nicole Cooley, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Lisa Solod, Misty Urban, Jacinda Townsend, Mary Pan, Robin Schoenthaler, Elizabeth Noll, Jen Fitzgerald, Tyrese Coleman, SooJin Pate, Daniela Montoya-Barthelemy, Cameron Dezen Hammon, LaToya Jordan, Sara Bates, Susan Hoffmann, and Alicia Jo Rabins.
Synopsis
"No one talks about C-sections as surgery," writes SooJin Pate. "They talk about it as if it's just another way--albeit more convenient way--of giving birth." The twenty-one essays in My Caesarean add back to the conversation the missing voices of a vast, invisible sisterhood.
Robin Schoenthaler reflects: "A C-section for us meant life." And yet, women who don't give birth vaginally--by choice or necessity--often feel stigmatized. "My son's birth was not a test I needed to pass," writes Sara Bates. "As if growing a human inside another human for nine months then caring for it the rest of its life isn't enough," adds Mary Pan, herself a physician.
Alongside their personal stories, the writers--decorated novelists, poets, and essayists--address the history of the C-section as well as its risks, social inequities, impact on the body, and psychological aftermath. My Caesarean is a heartfelt meditation, offering much-needed comfort through shared experience.
Contributors include: Catherine Newman, Judy Batalion, Nicole Cooley, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Lisa Solod, Misty Urban, Jacinda Townsend, Mary Pan, Robin Schoenthaler, Elizabeth Noll, Jen Fitzgerald, Tyrese Coleman, SooJin Pate, Daniela Montoya-Barthelemy, Cameron Dezen Hammon, LaToya Jordan, Sara Bates, Susan Hoffmann, and Alicia Jo Rabins.