Entertainment
There's something about finding out little details about our favorite celebrities that make them more relatable and enjoyable. Celebrity pregnancy and childbirth are no different: We all love a little peek behind the curtain at how famous people deal with such equalizing life events. And when you're waddling around waiting to give birth, it's nice to think about some of the most beautiful people in the world feeling just as uncomfortable. That's why it's fascinating to read about celebrities who had C-sections, because they're really just like us.
Some of the most famous female celebrities, like Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet, have had C-sections. For some reason, knowing this makes the C-section process (whether it's elective or required) a little less scary. Many women seek to have a vaginal childbirth, with the notion that it's the "best" way to have a baby. However, some of these celebrities flew in the face of that conventional belief, instead deliberately choosing to have C-sections.
Of course, it's important to remember that any way that's safe for your baby to come into the world is none of anyone else's damn business; there's no need to condemn or praise anyone one way or another. If your doctor has said you should expect a C-section for a medical reason, rest assured that you're in good company with these famous ladies.
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Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie had all three of her biological children by C-section; daughter Shiloh in 2006 and twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008, according to Healthy Mummy. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Jolie reflected on her positive birthing experience: “I had a C-section, and I found it fascinating. I didn’t find it a sacrifice, and I didn’t find it a painful experience. I found it a fascinating miracle of what a body can do.”
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Gwen Stefani
Celebs are just like (some of) the rest of us. Gwen Stefani apparently had to have two C-sections for her sons, Kingston and Zuma "as they were both reportedly breech babies," according to Made for Mums. While there are ways to try to turn a breech baby, like acupuncture and chiropractics, it doesn't always work and doctors will advise surgery.
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Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham has had four C-sections for each of her four children, due to unspecified medical issues, reported Babble.
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Kate Winslet
While Kate Winslet said she gave birth to her first child naturally, she later said she had lied and had had an emergency C-section, in part because she felt she wasn't good enough after not being able to give birth naturally. She told The Daily Mail, "My whole life, I'd been told I had great child-bearing hips. There's this thing amongst women that if you can handle childbirth you can handle anything. I had never handled childbirth and I felt like in some way I couldn't enter the 'powerful women's club." Thank goodness, she did and you can, too!
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Camila Alves
People reported that the mother of three explained on an appearance on The View that when she had to have a C-section with her third child, Livingston, the doctors also found that she had additional problems that had arisen that needed to be taken care of. "They ended up finding all kinds of things in there that we had to take care of," making her recovery quite a bit longer than normal, reported People.
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Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera's son was born via scheduled C-section, and she explained to People why exactly she chose to take the surgery route. "Honestly, I didn’t want any [vaginal] tearing. I had heard horror stories of women going in and having to have an emergency C-section [anyway]," said Aguilera. I mean, does anyone really want vaginal tearing? Definitely not, and while a C-section itself is major surgery to recover from, it does spare you from a potentially painful tea down below.
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Jennifer Lopez
Because she was going to be delivering twins, Jennifer Lopez's was recommended for a C-section, and while she had similar feelings of insecurity to Kate Winslet after the surgery, it was only witnessing her sister's vaginal birth that had her singing a different tune. She told Wonderwall, "When I saw my sister pushing that baby out, I was like, 'Maybe this was all right! Maybe this was a better out." The grass is always greener, eh?
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Britney Spears
Not unlike some soon-to-be moms, Britney Spears was "hoping to give birth to them via C-section" because she was concerned about the pain of childbirth. Parents explained that Spears' mother had told her daughter that childbirth was the most painful thing she'd ever done, which would be likely to make one a little nervous!
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Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow had a marathon 60 hour labor with daughter Apple and subsequently ended up having a C-section to deliver her. Two years later, she gave birth to her son, Moses, by C-section as well, reported Tinseltown Mom. Thank goodness she has bee venom to help heal those scars!
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Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson had an elective C-section with her son Ryder, and more than a decade later came under fire for saying it was the laziest thing she'd ever done. Today said that Hudson filled out a questionnaire in Cosmopolitan and answered what the laziest thing she had ever done was with the C-section comment. Needless to say, other moms had some strong opinions in response!
Check out Romper's new video series, Bearing The Motherload, where disagreeing parents from different sides of an issue sit down with a mediator and talk about how to support (and not judge) each other’s parenting perspectives. New episodes air Mondays on Facebook.