There are so many wonderful mamas out there who beat themselves up about the way their labor and delivery unfolds. They worked so hard for more than nine months to nourish their baby—and they did the best job, but all they can focus on is how their labor played out.

This is important.

If you’ve had a caesarean, epidural, or any other intervention, and if you’re feeling bad about it, you need to forgive yourself right now.

If your birth simply didn’t go the way you envisioned it, and you’re feeling bad about it, you need to forgive yourself right now.

I know it can be hard to do

This might sound silly, but I had a terrible time forgiving myself for getting two drops of Pitocin during the last 30 minutes of my pushing when I had my first baby.

Here I am, “Mama Natural,” and my birth wasn’t 100 percent perfect. Sigh. How could that be, I wondered?

The truth is, that Pitocin helped me get through labor without an emergency C-section. Because of it, my baby and I made it through labor healthy.

We can have the best intentions, but things don’t always work out the way we want them to. This is life. To accept this truth with grace is a sign of emotional maturity and spiritual strength (two traits I lack at times). So, allow yourself a few days to throw a pity party and then move on… because you have a beautiful new baby to fall in love with. And what a wonderful gift that is.

Remember: A natural birth does not equal a natural mama (and vice versa)

At times, it can seem like there’s a cliquey club of natural mamas. You’re either one of them or you’re not. And a C-section or an epidural can feel like a mark of shame when you’re among them.

But there’s SO much more to being a natural mama than the act of childbirth! From preparing healthy food, to limiting screen time, to practicing love and patience over strict punishment – there are plenty of ways you can raise your kids naturally and outside of the processed world we live in.

Thank God for C-sections

According to the World Health Organization, a 10 percent C-section rate is normal, even healthy. When they see developing nations with C-section rates below 10 percent, they worry. Because it means that women and babies are dying due to lack of adequate medical care when emergencies and extenuating circumstances arise.

Fact: Childbirth used to be the number one killer of women and babies prior to 1940. As soon as the standard of maternal care improved, maternal mortality rates started to plummet.

If you need more help, here’s an article with more information on how to emotionally heal after cesarean section.

Your birth was a success

At the end of the day, if mama and baby are both healthy and ALIVE, there is only one truth: Your birth was a success.

Blessings to you and your sweet baby during this incredibly important and special season of life.