C-Section Stories
Balancing a baby on your hip while recovering from major abdominal surgery is never easy. But many women suffer in silence - for months or even years after delivery - due to pain, swelling and discomfort caused by a C-section scar.
Sydney mummy influencer and former Miss Universe contestant Emily Becca says that women are their own best health advocates when it comes to post-partum health.
“I had hoped for a healing natural birth after my first child’s birth required a lot of intervention in 2019, however after I lost consciousness during labour and my second baby (Isla’s) heartbeat dropped, I had to have an emergency C-Section,” says Becca, who said she has still not recovered from the trauma of the episode two years later.
Emily says that six-weeks after delivery she went to an obstetrician who told her ‘it was all normal’.
“But it didn’t feel normal to me! I started to become quite depressed as a result of not being heard. I felt out of control of my body; and had this overwhelming feeling of being ‘cut’ and discarded.
There was no aftercare provided, no discussion of physiotherapy and in the end everything I learned were tips from other desperate women going through similar issues on Internet forums about C-section scars. “I felt like the scar was constantly ripping from the inside.
Almost like the stitches wouldn’t heal, and I had indentations on each side of the scar that felt like they were nailed down to my abdominal wall."
“This was confirmed when having the scar revised which I did in a second $7000 procedure with a Sydney reconstructive surgeon.
“This helped with the discomfort and ongoing pain, and now there is just a slight tugging around the scar, which is probably a normal part of long-term healing for C-Section mums.
“If there is one thing this whole experience has taught me is that you are your own best health advocate. So don’t suffer in silence.”
Dispite the fact C-section popularity has grown from 25% of all pregnancies in 2004 to 35% of pregnancies in 2022, many women failed to treat post-partum symptoms, such as incontinence and c-section scar pain
C-section scars can turn into keloid or hypertrophic scars where the scar tissue grows beyond the boundaries of the wound or incision, causing scar tissue and bumps. Hypertrophic scars are firmer and thicker generally without the same boundaries as the original wound.
Emily raised awareness of the issues when she became the first mother over 30 to be selected as a state finalist for Miss Universe Australia in 2024, where she modelled her C-Section scar in the bikini.
And she could not be prouder of her scars.
“A lot of women are taught to just dismiss these things or hide them because it’s just the cost of having a baby.
But scars are not blemishes, they are little reminders of the battles mothers have fought and won.
They should be celebrated and normalised,” she says.
Emily said she entered the competition to change the conversation about women and body image.
“It was around about the same time that Sports Illustrated featured swimsuit model Kelly Hughes showing her C-section – the first time in the 58-year-history of the magazine. I thought that was really cool. I was in a terrible state of mind, feeling really isolated from the pain so seeing her demystify the experience of motherhood scars was really inspiring.
“That is why I am so happy to support the work of doctors and health professionals who also push for change. No amount of pain is normal long after a baby and we all deserve to feel comfortable in our own bodies.”
Becca who is now studying psychology, admits she is still working on her body image which took a huge hit after the C-Section. Becca joined the Pregnancy & Baby Co team in 2025 to promote awareness of the difficulty of post-pregnancy recovery.
“It’s not linear and I have my ups and downs.
One of the reasons I left the state final of the Miss Universe competition was because my heart wasn’t in it.
I wanted to represent mothers, particularly those with birth trauma, however I found the message was lost in a pageant setting.
In the end I decided not to complete the state final, took the experience as a great learning opportunity and moved on to psychology.
It is in this space that I hope I can share my own experience so that other women may not have to go through the same thing I did.”
All surgical procedures have risks. All results are individual. Speak to your doctor about your scar symptoms.