C-Section Birth Stories: Carissa Melicharek

1. Please share the circumstances that led to your c-section birth(s):

After laboring for 35 hours and stalling several times throughout labor, the doctors determined that it would be safest for me to deliver via cesarean.

2. What surprised you the most about having a c-section?:

A c-section was never a discussion leading up to my delivery. I was very fortunate to have a healthy, active pregnancy, and never once did my OB discuss the potential of me delivering via cesarean. As a former athlete who's undergone multiples sports-related surgeries, I was familiar with the operating room. However, the complete lack of post-surgical education with the c-section was shocking for me. As a Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), I am well-versed in the recovery process. However, what about mothers who haven’t had surgery before or aren’t healthcare professionals? It was at this time I realized I truly needed to be my own healthcare advocate and demand better care for postpartum women, especially c-section mothers!

3. What kind of support do you feel you received (from friends, family, healthcare team) after your c-section(s)?:

Continuing from above, there was no communication or education post-surgery for me. The nurses lacked empathy, as it seemed as though they had seen c-sections frequently. One nurse told me that “I had it easy” because I didn’t have a toddler waiting at home. I was the first woman in my family to deliver via cesarean so my mother and sister were confused as to why I needed so much assistance coming home. They were used to seeing a fit athlete and each had relatively standard deliveries with their children. We were all so uneducated and truthfully, completely unprepared for what a c-section recovery truly entails.

4. What’s your #1 piece of advice/encouragement for a new c-section mom?:

Take the help and let yourself heal. It was so difficult to not feel shame in those first few days during recovery. However, if you have the mindset of “the quicker I heal, the faster I can be a more involved mother” you will feel much better about taking the time to adhere to lifting restrictions, hydrate, refuel your body with healthy food options and let your body recover so you can be the incredible and strong mother you were built to be!

5. How do you believe having a c-section birth(s) made you stronger?:

Resiliency. I’ve always considered myself a strong woman - 4 surgeries will do that to you. But after laboring for 35 hours and finding the strength to recover from a c-section on top of navigating motherhood for the first time, I discovered a strength in myself that I never imagined existed. Delivering your little one by c-section is difficult. It might be the most physically, emotionally, and mentally difficult thing you ever do, especially after an exhausting labor. But it sets you up to become one of the strongest, most resilient, and disciplined mothers out there. Everything since that moment has been a blessing because I found the confidence in that hospital to receive motherhood head-on. I considered what could have been a traumatic event, a blessing. My c-section prepared me for the demands of motherhood - the physical, emotional, and mental strength it takes to be a new mother was discovered on that operating table.

Name: Carissa Melicharek, Physical Therapist Assistant, Pre|Post Natal training specialist

Country of Residence: USA

Instagram Username: @Carissafrancesca