This post is sponsored by Evivo, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I think I must have fell asleep standing up at some point in the last 11 months because Jude is already a matter of weeks a way from his first birthday. I am not sure what happened to the last year, maybe I have been living in an overwhelming fog that I didn’t see it pass me by. Yet, here I am again, approaching another sweet baby’s first birthday. It seems crazy to think just 11 short months ago I was preparing to bring this little one into the world. Birth is such an exciting, overwhelming, nerve racking, yet beautiful moment. There is so much unknown that it makes the entire experience one that is impossible to forget. As I look back over the last year I can’t help but reflect on the entrance of my precious mama’s boy, and my first two babies, into this world. C-Sections can be scary and we don’t always like to consider them as a form of birth because they aren’t exactly something we find ourselves choosing. But as with anything, knowledge is power. When you know more about C-Sections, they aren’t so scary after all. So here are five C-Section Birth Secrets you may not know.

You have a say.

With my first C-Section, I didn’t think I really had any say in what my experience would be like. I was SO wrong. Did you know that you can have a birth plan for a C-Section? Some hospitals have certain protocols they have to follow, but medicine has also come a long way which means more of your wants can be taken into consideration. Even if you aren’t planning on having a C-Section, talk about what would happen if you did. How would you want it to look? In the event of an emergency, a lot may change, but talking about it helps you stay in control of your birth.

They aren’t always emergencies.

C-Sections don’t only happen in emergencies, which means they aren’t only these fast, crazy, no time to think experiences. A lot of times, doctors are choosing to move in the direction of a C-Section before a life threatening situation occurs. This is a GOOD thing! Wouldn’t you want your doctor to make the call before you or your baby was in danger? In the case of my first C-Section, this is what happened. Things weren’t looking good, there was no progress, and to prevent an emergency situation a C-Section was the best option. Since it wasn’t an emergency, I didn’t have to go alone, I could be awake, and they had time to walk me through it. C-Sections don’t have to be a horrifying experience.

C-Sections aren’t the easy way out.

You might get down on yourself thinking you took the easy way out…but you didn’t. Just because you didn’t push a baby out from downstairs, doesn’t mean you’ve got an easy task ahead. C-Sections are rough recovery…just ask any mom who had to stand up 12 hours after her C-Section. You do know that a C-Section is considered a surgery, right? You definitely didn’t take the easy way out. You’re pretty awesome. Don’t forget it.

C-Sections mean weird recovery questions.

You’ll pretty much be asked if you have passed gas about a hundred times after delivery. Apparently being cut open means you let all this excess air in and you’ve got to get it out somehow. Just hope your nurses don’t ask in front of a room full of visitors. Also, you can feel gas pain in your shoulder…who knew? They’ll also ask weird questions about your feet and swelling and whatever else comes in the typical line up of surgeries. You got the best of both worlds in this one…birth and surgery.

You can’t plan for everything.

If you ended up with a C-Section that you weren’t expecting, don’t get down on yourself about it. Some things you just can’t plan for. Sometimes your original birth plan doesn’t happen. Sometimes your back up plan doesn’t happen. Sometimes birth just looks a lot differently than you would have expected. You can’t plan for everything, but that’s okay. All that matters in the end is that happy, healthy baby you hold in your arms.

When you take your sweet baby home, it won’t matter how they entered into the world, all that will matter is that they’re loved and cared by you. All that matters is having a mom who pays attention to their every need and does their very best at taking care of your new found bundle of love.

That is why I am focusing on giving Jude a healthy start with Evivo Probiotics. Evivo is the first and only baby probiotic of its kind. Evivo contains the good bacteria B. infantis, which fully utilizes breast milk to protect baby’s gut from potentially harmful bacteria. One of the most surprising facts to discover was that historically, bifidobacteria, particularly B. infantis (a good bacteria), created a protective environment by dominating the infant gut, and continues to do so today in many developing countries. However, modern medical practices such as antibiotic use and C-section deliveries have led to the near-total loss of this good bacteria (B. infantis) in infants in developed countries, including the U.S. 

Sounds more powerful because it is more powerful. So here’s where introducing B. infantis to your baby’s gut is critical. A healthy baby gut is linked to a healthy baby metabolism and immune system. B. infantis is the good bacteria that minimizes the potentially harmful ones—especially those that are linked to a higher risk for conditions like colic, eczema, allergies, obesity, and diabetes. 

You can start with Evivo probiotics with these special discounts just for you:

$10 off an Evivo Probiotics Starter Kit of 4 weeks! Use Code: BLOG7221. Code is valid when redeemed by the first 50 readers. Code expires June 30, 2018 or after the first 50 redemptions.

$20 off a 8 week or greater sized kit! Use Code: BLOG7222. Code is valid when redeemed by the first 50 readers. Code expires June 30, 2018 or after the first 50 redemptions.