Actress Kate Hudson recently stated the laziest thing she’s ever done was get a c-section. Here’s why that’s ok.

In an interview for the October issue of Cosmopolitan, actress, athletic wear designer, and mother Kate Hudson answered a list of questions, one of which asked, “What’s the laziest thing you’ve ever done?” Kate’s response?

“Get a c-section!”

“The ‘laziest’ thing I’ve ever done https://t.co/ZfOzkuosj7 is have a c-section,” says #KateHudson@DrJenGunter@DocBastard@DrPaulOffit pic.twitter.com/1zC6uJBRVN

— Christianne Smith (@ChristiAnne67) September 12, 2017

In response, people are losing their dang minds. 

It’s a predictable response; birth is a controversial and personal subject. C-sections are sometimes emergency, sometimes elective, and sometimes unnecessary. With so many opinions flying around in so many different directions, people who’ve experienced surgical birth end up getting caught in the crossfire.

Here’s the thing though: Kate Hudson wasn’t talking about you, or any other mother. She was talking about her c-section.

We know c-sections are major abdominal surgery. We know it can longer to recover than vaginal birth. We know it carries risks for baby and for future pregnancies. Those of us who haven’t experienced it should never call a c-section “lazy.” And I doubt many who have gone through it would choose that descriptor. 

Related: A Love Letter To My Midwife

But Kate Hudson did. And she said it about her birth. It’s possible she didn’t want to go through the process of laboring, so she opted for a surgical birth. It’s possible she labored for a long time and finally consented to a c-section, which may have seemed “easy” in her opinion, compared to a long labor and vaginal birth. There are many possibilities; we don’t know why she feels her choice was a lazy one.

The simple fact is we’re allowed to feel how we feel about our birth experiences.

Regardless of what kind birth a person has, everyone is allowed to own their experiences and the emotions involved. Similarly, in the breastfeeding community, it’s not uncommon to witness breastfeeders joke about being lazy, compared to the effort it takes to get up and make bottles in the middle of the night. That doesn’t mean all breastfeeders are lazy. A statement about one’s personal experience is not a condemnation of everyone else’s.

We can’t take away a woman’s right to feel her feelings about her birth experience. But we can open up a dialogue about the stigmas surrounding birth choices. Mothers are criticized for choosing a homebirth, or wanting a natural birth, or needing a c-section. We are pressured and misinformed at every turn. The best type of birth is an informed, empowered birth. Whether a woman has a c-section or a homebirth or anything in between, what matters is making fully informed choices.

Related: My Healing Homebirth

Image credit: tanka v