My Caesarean

Twenty-One Mothers on the C-Section Experience and After

Author: Amanda Fields

A deeply personal essay collection that explores the physical, emotional, and psychological force of C-section births on motherhood and identity.

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Summary

A deeply personal essay collection that explores the physical, emotional, and psychological force of C-section births on motherhood and identity.

Description

An astute and vivid collection of personal essays about caesarean birth MY CAESAREAN features writing by novelists, poets, essayists, and journalists. At a time when more and more women exalt the experience of vaginal childbirth - even forgoing the epidural - those who give birth by C-section are increasingly isolated, harboring feelings of shame and guilt long after. For some women, the C-section represents a loss of control over their birth. For others, the cesarean is a life-saving operation, the only way they could give birth at all.

This book deftly explores these perspectives and many others, shedding light on the internal conflict, social guilt, and sometimes trauma that result from both planned and unplanned C-sections alike. From twenty mothers with varied and poignant perspectives on birth, MY CAESAREAN is an all-encompassing anthology that pulls back the curtain on the quiet shame, confusion, and pain of C-sections and offers comfort and acceptance through shared experience.

Critic Reviews

“"The essays in My Caesarean refuse to idealize the birth experience, and show it in all its stunning unexpectedness. This is a beautiful and important book that should be prominently shelved in the birth and parenting section of every bookstore." --Julie Schumacher, award-winning author of Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement "An incredibly important, gorgeously written, multifaceted, and profound collection."-- Maggie Smith, award-winning author of Good Bones”

2019 Foreword INDIES Silver Winner

"The cumulative sum of these stories is an enlightening reading experience for both those who've had C-sections and those who may.-- "Publishers Weekly"
The essays in My Caesarean refuse to idealize the birth experience and show it in all its stunning unexpectedness. This is a beautiful and important book that should be prominently shelved in the birth and parenting section of every bookstore.--Julie Schumacher, award-winning author of Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement
The C-section experience is as varied as life itself--there's guilt and gratitude, pride and regret. These mothers illuminate the whole spectrum with depth, urgency, and humor. My Caesarean is the antidote to alienation, and I dearly wish I'd had it before my own births. I'm so glad we have it now.--Meaghan O'Connell, author of And Now We Have Everything

About the Author

Amanda Fields is the co-editor of Toward, Around, and Away from Tahrir (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014), and she lives in Wethersfield, CT. She gave birth to her daughter via C-section.

Rachel Mortiz lives she lives in Minneapolis, MN. Her son was born by C-section.

More on this Book

An astute and vivid collection of personal essays about caesarean birth MY CAESAREAN features writing by novelists, poets, essayists, and journalists. At a time when more and more women exalt the experience of vaginal childbirth - even forgoing the epidural - those who give birth by C-section are increasingly isolated, harboring feelings of shame and guilt long after. For some women, the C-section represents a loss of control over their birth. For others, the cesarean is a life-saving operation, the only way they could give birth at all.This book deftly explores these perspectives and many others, shedding light on the internal conflict, social guilt, and sometimes trauma that result from both planned and unplanned C-sections alike. From twenty mothers with varied and poignant perspectives on birth, MY CAESAREAN is an all-encompassing anthology that pulls back the curtain on the quiet shame, confusion, and pain of C-sections and offers comfort and acceptance through shared experience.