“AFTER MY PLANNED HOME BIRTH ENDED IN THE OPERATING ROOM FOR A NON-EMERGENT TURNED EMERGENT CESAREAN SECTION, I WAS LEFT IN A POSTPARTUM PERIOD RIPE WITH SADNESS, GRIEF AND TRAUMA.” 

LIKE MANY PARENTS WITH BIRTH TRAUMA, KINDELSPIRE FOUND HERSELF LOOKING FOR SUPPORT TO NAVIGATE THE DIFFICULT TRANSITION. 

KINDELSPIRE FOUND SOLACE IN HER LOCAL INTERNATIONAL CESAREAN AWARENESS NETWORK (ICAN) SUPPORT GROUP. SHE LEANED ON THE SUPPORT OF HER PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AS WELL AS HER POSTPARTUM DOULA. WITH THIS SUPPORT IN POSTPARTUM, SHE WAS ABLE TO UNCOVER A NEW “WHY?”

“THROUGH MY EXPERIENCE AND THE STORIES THAT HAD BEEN SHARED WITH ME, I BEGAN NOTICING THE RANGE OF EMOTIONS CONNECTED TO CESAREANS AND THEIR NOTABLE SCARS,” SAYS KINDELSPIRE. “LIKE THE REST OF OUR BODIES, OUR CESAREAN SCARS HOLD MEMORIES AND STORIES.”

SHE WAS LEFT WANTING FOR SOMETHING MORE WHEN LOOKING ONLINE FOR CESAREAN STORIES.

“I FOUND THE ‘NOISE’ ON THE INTERNET ABOUT WHAT THESE SPECIFIC SCARS MEAN- WARRIOR, SURRENDER, BIRTH- TO BE DISSONANT. I FOUND THE DEFAULT SCAR THAT SEARCH ENGINES CHURN OUT- A PALE PINK, SLIGHTLY-TURNED-UP-ON-THE-ENDS SCAR ON A WHITE BODY- TO BE TOO ‘PERFECT’.” 

THE OUR CESAREAN SCARS COLLECTION WAS BORN OUT OF KINDELSPIRE’S SEARCH FOR ANSWERS TO TWO QUESTIONS SHE HAD BEEN WRESTLING WITH:

KINDELSPIRE CONNECTED WITH HER FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND LOCAL BIRTH COMMUNITY TO FIND OTHER CESAREAN PARENTS. SHE PUT HER QUESTIONS INTO A FORM AND ASKED THE COMMUNITY TO SHARE THEM WITH THEIR NETWORKS. 

WITHIN FIVE DAYS, KINDELSPIRE RECEIVED 45 RESPONSES FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE INTERESTED IN EXPLORING THOSE QUESTIONS WITH HER. 

ULTIMATELY, 25 WOMEN VOLUNTEERED TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED. KINDELSPIRE COLLECTED MORE THAN 30 REFLECTIONS AND BIRTH STORIES. 

ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN MARCH 2023, PHOTOGRAPHERS AND PARTICIPANTS GATHERED AT SLOW ROAD STUDIO IN NEW BRIGHTON, MN.

PHOTOGRAPHERS SARAH MICHELLE, WHITNEY RENEE, AND GABRILLE HEILLE ARTFULLY DOCUMENTED THE CESAREAN SCARS OF EACH WOMAN. 

SOME WOMEN CHOSE TO BRING ALONG FAMILY OR FRIENDS, MANY BROUGHT THEIR CHILDREN. 

“THERE CAN BE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF VULNERABILITY AND INTIMACY IN PHOTOGRAPHING CESAREAN SCARS. SOME WOMEN [BROUGHT] PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM SHINE” SAID KINDELSPIRE. 

KINDELSPIRE’S GOAL STRETCHED BEYOND HER OWN HEALING, AIMING TO TOUCH AS MANY CESAREAN PARENTS AS POSSIBLE.