Pre-term infants who aren't growing are often taken via Cesarean section from the mother and placed in the NICU. For a long time, this was thought to be the wisest way to protect these fragile infants from internal hemorrhages and other complications. But now, as with many things about birth, that thought is changing.

A new study shows that C-sections are actually no safer than vaginal delivery for premature babies. In fact, they may be worse. Predictably, many moms are taking the study as an insult. But they shouldn't.

C-sections might actually lead to a greater risk of respiratory problems and other complications in these infants, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. In addition, these babies not only face consequences in the short-term, they also face them in the long-term. 

If I were a DJ, I would be shouting "This one is for the c-section mommies!" And then all the moms who have had cesareans would cheer "Wooooooo!" We need that. Women who have had c-sections for reasons beyond their control need to feel the love that moms who got to have the natural birth they wanted are allowed to feel. Moms who have had c-sections need and deserve respect and love for the way they birthed. We need to honor all ways of birth, even the ones that didn't go as we planned. Because it is still the way some children are brought into our lives. Hear me out. This isn't about being pro-cesarean. This is about being pro-mom.

You see, some people seem to think there are two kinds of moms -- those who have c-sections and those who do not. This 'battle' divides us, and makes one side feel like a mother who didn't do the right thing.

Posh Don't PushGet your judging caps on, ladies! Because we're going to find out which Hollywood stars went all natural in the delivery room, and which ones were "too posh to push." (That's Victoria Beckham inspired, if you didn't know. Get it? Posh?) While I'm always curious about birth stories, simply because it is always important to the lady who actually did the birthing, I don't understand the head-shaking that oftentimes comes after.

I think we can all agree that our bodies are different, our threshold for pain is different, certainly our access to medical care is dramatically different, so why should we all have the same birth experience? But if you're into judging women for their choices (or in many cases -- complete lack of choice), here's a list of which stars went c-section, and which went natural vag.

Is this new mom the luckiest lady in the world, or quite the opposite? When you hear about a mom giving birth in a non-traditional location like the subway, McDonald's, the airplane -- it's a frightening, unexpected situation. But when Jennifer Russell gave birth to her baby girl in her car, it was the easiest birth I've ever heard of in my entire life. So easy, in fact, her husband was filming it while driving down the highway. And the loudest noises you hear come from the baby, and dad saying, "Oh my goodness."

No high-pitched screams from a mom in pain, just a video showing a baby popping up to say "hi!" Then mom unwinds the umbilical cord and gets on her phone to fill in her own mother about what has just happened. Which is surely empowering for other women, as the elementary school teacher pushed once after her water broke, and baby Willow was born 15 minutes into their 45-minute drive to the birthing center. I wonder how they filled up the rest of the drive time?

After three unexplained miscarriages over a period of two years and eight months, 29-year-old Rachel Schoger of Caldwell, Idaho received some terrible news from her doctor. She'd managed to get pregnant for a fourth time, but a hormone test and ultrasound revealed that the pregnancy was ectopic. The fetus had no chance of survival, and Schoger faced the possibility of life-threatening internal bleeding if the pregnancy wasn't terminated.

Her doctor gave her a medication to abort her pregnancy, but after two doses, Schoger couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. A week later, right before her second round of injections, she insisted upon one more scan—just to be sure.

The results of that ultrasound shocked everyone. Despite all the testing she'd undergone, the unthinkable had happened. 

I'm not sure why midwives don't get the respect they deserve here in America. But CNN certainly made an excellent choice when they named "Mother Robin" Lim, a midwife and mother of eight who has dedicated her life to helping women have safe and healthy births, Hero of the Year. The recognition is a great move forward for natural birth, and for Indonesia, where Mother Lim has helped families immensely.

In Indonesia, the average family makes $8 a day. However, a birth can cost $70, and if a c-section is needed, $700 or more. Good medical care for those who really need it is outside the reach of most people, but especially mothers. And in Indonesia, if you give birth and can't pay, your baby can be held until you can pay. They do allow the mother to see and feed her baby twice a day, though some give up and sign their baby over for adoption instead.

The real face of childbirthNot too long ago, fake television birth scenes became cliche. What people wanted (apparently) was the real deal. The straining, the pain, the clueless husbands, and the overbearing nurses. Pushing and heavy breathing for five minutes were just not cutting it for American households -- we need blood!

Enter One Born Every Minute on Lifetime*, which kicks off its new season tonight with scenes like these:

Bella in the delivery roomIt took me quite awhile to "get over" my first childbirth experience. The birth wasn't perfect (whatever that would look like), but everything turned out well in the end. Both my son and I made it through like champs and without any super-scary complications or health worries. However, the birth experience was still a lot to process, as nothing can really prepare you for that "undertaking" (to put it nicely) physically or emotionally. But that's where Breaking Dawn comes in handy. That's right. I'm talking about the Twilight book and much-anticipated movie that opens this Friday.

If you're still trying to "get over" your childbirth experience, Breaking Dawn can totally help! Once you hear the details of the main character Bella's horrifying birth story, you will more than likely thank your lucky stars for the human birth experience you had (and if yours was worse, get thee to a professional therapist right way -- you poor, poor woman).

WARNING: SPOILERS!!!