Shawn Johnson, C-sections and the Ideals of Motherhood

Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson gave birth to her first child, a baby girl with husband Andrew East, last month. She shared the news in a sweet Instagram post. But apparently, the birth did not go exactly according to her plan.

Now, in another Instagram post, Johnson revealed she had an epidural and delivered via C-section. She shared more details about her birth story and tough pregnancy journey.

Here’s what she said about her delivery:

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22 hours of labor to end in a c section. I went in with such a stubborn mindset of thinking the only way I could bring our baby into the world was naturally. No meds no intervention. At 14 hours when I chose to get an epidural I felt guilty. At 22 hours when we were told I had to get a c section I felt like I had failed. But after holding our sweet girl in my arms and being told everything went well and she had made it to us safely I could have cared less. My/our world no longer has anything to do with us but everything to do with her. It’s all for her and I will forever do anything for this girl that I love more than I ever could imagine. A love no one can ever prepare you for. @andrewdeast I meant it in the hospital when I said you will forever be my number one but she will now forever be OUR number one together. Thank you to the incredible doctors and nurses who brought our baby girl into the world safely and to the best husband/daddy in the world for being there every step of the way. 📸 @tealephotography
 
A post shared by  Shawn Johnson East (@shawnjohnson) on Nov 7, 2019 at 12:44pm PST
 

In the post, Johnson expressed that she felt guilty and like a failure about having a C-section as opposed to a natural delivery. Despite the fact that it was medically necessary, I immediately understood her guilt about it. And that is a huge problem.

The ideals of motherhood

From an impressionable age, the idea of love, marriage, and childbearing is crammed into young girls. We grow up planning our weddings before falling in love and naming our kids before getting pregnant.

We find ourselves indoctrinated with these ideals of the very particular way things are meant to go so much so that when it does not, we wind up feeling inadequate, or like Johnson, guilty.

The world we grow up to meet is not the one we picture when we’re impressionable. Life is not a fairytale, and even the expectations that seem most basic and natural like giving birth through a birth canal without medication, might not happen.

The weight of this disappointment is a lot heavier in Africa where every single stray from what is normal can be used to villainize a woman. It actually is quite surprising to see a white woman share the same sentiment.

But what we as women and people all over the world need to understand is that different paths can lead to the same destination. The fact that your baby was delivered through a C-section doesn’t make you less of a mother.

The summary is this…

As Shawn Johnson realized later on, regardless of the process it takes to get your bundle of joy, it doesn’t diminish the fact that you are a mother. It still is your baby, and you are both healthy and happy together.

There is already too much pain in this life for you to endure a difficult childbirth without an epidural. There is too much death for you to risk your life trying to give birth naturally if you can’t.

Motherhood has enough bumps in the road and you cannot set out on that journey feeling guilty about how the baby’s life began. It’s just not worth the stress.

Congratulations on becoming a mother, Shawn Johnson. Love and light to you.