It sounds a bit like Chinese whispers and yep, she may have embellished.

For instance, for this one I may CHOOSE to have a caesarean because I'm scared of the damage that a vaginal birth could do to my pelvic instability (took me 18 months to recover last time). Now, if I say this to my mum, before you know it she will have turned it into, "the doctors told Fiona she had to have a caesarean otherwise she'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life." That's what happens with secondhand stories.