Shared by Oh Baby graduate, Corina from @wombnutritionI wanted to talk about my experience during last year’s April Cesarean month, but it was too soon after birth and I didn’t feel ready. I am happy to Oh Baby Nutrition has invited me to share my experience and I’m grateful for all the empowering content they convey. Because one thing’s for sure: all mothers need support, regardless of how they choose or have to give birth.During my first pregnancy, I was reading all the time. About woman’s anatomy, menstruation cycle, in utero baby development, pregnancy, and postpartum nutrition. All the time. I had just signed up to study with Oh Baby Nutrition and was highly fascinated by what a woman’s body is capable of during pregnancy and beyond. I didn’t read much about other women’s birth experiences though. I knew I wanted a vaginal birth and wished for a non-medicated experience if possible. And I just found that every single story influenced how I imagined my son’s birth to be, which I didn’t want. Call me crazy, but I didn’t want to have any comparison criteria for my first birth experience. Ever since I was 15 I was told that, when the time comes, I’d have to give birth via C-section. I had high myopia and all ophthalmologists, man or woman, gave me the same speech, even when childbearing was the last thing on my teenage agenda. But this message stuck with me and, when I eventually got pregnant for the first time, I was scared. I wanted a vaginal birth and had studied all its benefits, both for me and my baby. And after months of researching the topic, I eventually went to see two amazing doctors who checked my retina thoroughly and told me a vaginal birth wouldn’t pose a risk. I knew almost everything about recovering after a vaginal birth and had pre-planned most of it during the last month of my pregnancy. My labor started on the evening of Feb 19th and, after a few hours, we were already at the hospital with regular contractions and 1,5 cm dilation. The midwives and doctors I met there (and I met quite a few — three different shifts!) were all extraordinary, I felt empowered and supported throughout the whole labor (and beyond) despite seeing them for the first time. The 26 hours of labor that I experienced are still a bit fuzzy to date, I remember fractions and feelings and key phrases that stuck with me for many months.