4 Steps to a Gentle Cesarean
WHAT IS A GENTLE CESAREAN?
Picture this….Your arms are free, you have a clear drape so that your head can be lifted up to see your baby being born. Your music of choice is playing in the background, your partner at your side, your doula there whispering words of encouragement…. your baby is gently pulled out and held up for you to see his/her sweet cheeks! Your OB holds baby there on your abdomen for you to see while patiently waiting for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing… in order to delay clamping as long as possible so that your precious baby receives all of it’s own blood supply from the placenta. Then the cord is cut and your baby is placed on your chest for you to hold and love on. You can breastfeed if you like or just gaze into those sweet baby blue eyes while the surgery is finished. Your awesome birth photographer is there in the wings catching it all on camera! You return to your hospital room with your baby to snuggle in, breastfeed(if that’s your chosen way of feeding baby) and enjoy sweet time with your partner and family.
THAT^ MY FRIENDS, IS A GENTLE CESAREAN!! It’s a far cry from the old school cesarean births where your arms are tied down, you can’t see anything, you hear the baby cry. They cut the cord immediately, bring baby to a warmer where nurses and a pediatrician check, weigh and measure baby. Then they wrap him/her up and hand the baby to your partner to hold next to you. Well, THAT was stressful just typing it!!
Therefore, lets talk about 4 STEPS you can take to ensure you get the gentle cesarean birth you desire!
#1 CHOOSE A CARE PROVIDER & HOSPITAL THAT SUPPORTS GENTLE FAMILY CENTERED CESAREANS
Your OB refusing to perform a gentle cesarean… or the anesthesiologist not allowing your support team in the OR…..are the LAST things you want to hear when you walk into the hospital to give birth to your baby. I cannot stress this point enough! You must have a Dr and hospital staff that supports your birth desires, or you can kiss your gentle family centered cesarean birth, GOODBYE. So when choosing a care provider ask these questions to help ensure that you can avoid the old bait & switch tactic.
Do you perform gentle cesareans?
Does the hospital have a clear drape so that I can see my baby being born?
Do you and this hospital support the use of doulas & immediate skin to skin in the OR?
Does this hospital support photography in the OR..even if it’s only after baby is born?
*If the answer to any of these questions is NO, then Huston… WE HAVE A PROBLEM!
#2 HIRE A DOULA EXPERIENCED IN CESAREAN BIRTHS
Seriously. We Doulas are trained to speak encouraging words of affirmation to you during your surgery to help calm nerves. We can help ease fears by answering questions with evidence based advice. Doulas help remind the staff of your wishes throughout the process of your birth, to ensure that no one “forgets” your desires. Your Doula can help support baby on your chest during the remainder of the surgery and facilitate breastfeeding in the OR if that’s your desire. She can educate you and your partner on newborn swaddling, breastfeeding or bottle feeding, get you things you need while you and your partner spend time with your sweet little one. She can be a judgement free sounding board for you to share those feelings that no one else can understand to. So many benefits to a cesarean birth doula! So, just do it. Hire one. You will be better off for it!
#3 ASK FOR AN ABDOMINAL BINDER & PAIN MEDS
Girl, you JUST had major surgery to give birth to your baby. This is NOT the time to be a tough cookie. So, do not be afraid to take the pain medication they offer you. If you feel like you don’t need it at the time then great! A spinal block is proven to give the best results for numbness during the surgery as well as immediately after because it’s affects take longer to wear off. Which in turn, will keep you comfortable post surgery for a longer period of time than an epidural. But it sucks big time if you let your pain level get out of control. It will also hinder how well you move just after birth and limit your ability to care for your newborn. So, use it if you need it.
Now, the abdominal binder… will be your best friend postpartum!! it helps to stabilize your abdomen at a time that it feels like jello. Coughing, sneezing, laughing… will be very uncomfortable. So that binder is a MUST have in order to NOT feel like your incision is going to split open. I know… GRAPHIC MUCH?! But seriously, use it! There is NO SHAME my friend… NO SHAME LOL
#4 HAVE A BIRTH PLAN ON PAPER
When many think of birth plans they picture natural birth in water with flowers floating and drums in the back ground LOL. But, a birth plan is for every type of birth…and especially for gentle family centered cesarean births!! This is just a simple outline of your desires for your birth put on paper. As long as there are no major emergencies in the OR (if so your support people will be ushered out & you will be put to sleep for the surgery in order to keep you and baby as safe as possible) then this outline can serve as a directional reminder of what your wishes are. It makes things easier for you & your partner to focus on the experience of your birth itself. Instead of constantly having to remind the staff of your wishes or having them completely bypass the fact that it’s YOUR BIRTH all together!
In closing, I sincerely hope that this helps you to gain the wisdom you need to set your birth plans in motion and to be excited and look forward to the birth of your sweet baby! No matter if it’s a planned gentle cesarean birth or a last minute change of plans cesarean birth…. it is still going to be YOUR BIRTH. And I hope it will be an exciting, peaceful and positive birth experience!
Thanks for reading!
