Birth is Traumatizing

I was reading a fiction novel the other day in which the main character’s sister just had a baby and is taking her baby to the neighbor’s house the following day to show it off, or just walking around the house making tea for people. I can’t stop thinking about how unrealistic and common this portrayal of new moms is in books and on tv.

I think it’s harmful for new moms to be portrayed this way. Obviously if you haven’t had a baby or been around someone who has, you have no idea what to expect. When people read or see things like in the book I just described, their expectations toward new moms are completely unrealistic.

Giving birth whether vaginally or by c-section is physically and for some mentally traumatizing and takes time to recover from. It changes you forever, and you shouldn’t be expected to bounce right back. I wish media didn’t make light of it and paint this unrealistic picture.