Honoring Surgical Birth

My most recent birth client had a goal of a medication-free, natural birth but ended up getting a cesarean section. I will preface this story by saying that I was entirely her choice with no pressure from her doctor. 

She had been pushing for several hours with little to no progress. Once morning came, she knew that she was just too exhausted to continue. 
Later, as I was thinking through the night’s events and contemplating what I could’ve done differently, I found myself wondering who to blame. 

In the world of birth work, having a “natural”, unmedicated birth is seen as the gold standard. While there are reasons for this ideal, it doesn’t make other options—medication, surgery, etc.—any less honorable. Even if you have a surgical birth, you have still created a new life. 
So I came to the conclusion that to truly hope ir this experience, I cannot place blame on anyone because there is nothing to be blamed for. It’s no one’s fault because it’s not a failure. Sure, reality deviated from the original plan, but we knew that it was a possibility and had prepared as much as we could for the unpredictability of birth. 

As this mother kept apologizing for “giving up”, I reassured her that there was nothing to be sorry for. She had not failed. She is still a Creator and I honor her for that