We only have a few more hours left of April, but I don’t want it to go by without mentioning something close to my heart.

I’ve always noticed that there’s a divide between “C-section moms” and “natural-birth moms” when it really should just be one big category of Moms.

Birthing experiences vary so much from woman to woman and country to country, but one thing remains the same: we are all trying to get a baby (or babies) out of a woman in the safest way possible for both mother and child.

So why do people feel the need to make others feel badly about having a C-section? Why do people need to brag about how they had a natural unmedicated birth? If you are someone like this, please check yourself. It is not a competition. You had a baby; I had a baby. We can be supportive of however that baby came into this world.

This is a Special Shoutout To My C-Section Mamas:

1. You are so brave, going into that operation room alone and getting cut wide open for the sake of you and your child.

2. You are so strong, enduring the side effects of anesthesia and the months of painful recovery while at the same time keeping a newborn (or newborns) alive.

3. Having a C-section doesn’t make you any less of a mother, whether planned or unplanned.

4. Having a C-section doesn’t make you any less of a woman, just because you didn’t birth your child “naturally.”

5. Having a C-section doesn’t mean you “missed out” on giving birth; you most certainly did give birth.

6. Having a C-section doesn’t mean you are a failure as a mother, nor did you do anything wrong.

To my dear C-section mamas: Don’t let other people’s experiences and comments make you feel any less about yourself. Your body created, nourished, grew, and gave birth to a whole new human being.

You are strong. You are brave. You are incredibly amazing.