“My body did not fail me.”

I first photographed this mother in 2015. I visited her the other night and photographed her again, after her third C-section and the birth of her third child. These were taken the night before her staples were removed. Her body didn’t fail. Your body didn’t fail. I hope these images touch the hearts of those who struggle after giving birth via C-section.

“When I was 24, doctors found that my left over was extremely enlarged. This led to months of tests, doctors, oncologists and surgery. I have a family history of ovarian cancer and they couldn’t tell exactly what it was, or why it was growing so fast. My surgery ruled out cancer and I was diagnosed with aggressive Endometriosis. I have a scar from my belly button to my pelvic bone, one less tube and ovary, and what tissue the doctors couldn’t get out.”

“My boyfriend (now husband) and I were told that if we planned kids it might be hard, if at all possible, and with as advanced as my Endometriosis was, I may be faced with losing my other ovary or need a hysterectomy one day. A year later, and just before my wedding we decided to beat the clock and try for kids. We decided on four kids, as the endometriosis is there like a ticking time bomb, and I don’t want to have any regrets.”

“It took 4 years to get our oldest daughter, and after five days in labor we wound up with a C section. I hear a lot of talk from other moms about wishing our bodies didn’t fail. How a “traditional” birth would have been better, and wondering how we wound up here. I can tell you I didn’t plan on a C-section. I didn’t want a C-section…but my body didn’t fail.”

“This body that has seen surgeries, tumors, three C-sections, and incredible loss didn’t fail me one bit. My baby is alive, I’m alive, and no scar or procedure will take that away from me. The scar that almost determined my future, dead ends at the scar that gave me my future.”

Contact Natalie: thehonestbody@gmail.com