You have chosen to have a caesarean birth. Here are 7 ways to personalise your Caesarean birth, to help you plan the birth you want and deserve!
Hypnobirthing yes, you can use hypnobirthing, mediations, mindfulness and relaxations to your advantage during and in preparation for your caesarean birth. Practice your calm breathing techniques, positive affirmations for birth and your bonding with your baby techniques. The calmer you are, the more oxygen goes to your baby or babies and your recovery after Caesarean will also be improved. Hypnosis also has a positive impact on your mental wellbeing during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.
Skin to skin. Immediate skin to skin contact for baby with one of their parents helps your baby with regulating their temperature, spreads good bacteria etc. It’s all around beneficial! The good news is, that most hospitals in the UK support immediate skin to skin with mother/birthing parent and baby after any method of birth as long as it is safe to do so. So if you and your baby are well, the cord is long enough (it usually is!) then, you can have immediate skin to skin!
Optimal or delayed cord clamping. Optimal cord clamping or delayed cord clamping allows the flow of your baby’s blood from their placenta to them. This results into better apgar scores and improves your baby’s overall immediate and later health! Most hospitals in the UK will support delayed or optimal cord clamping for any type of birth including caesarean births.
Adapt the environment. Have your partner or doula there (some hospitals will support you to have two birth partners present in the theatre), choose your music. Some mothers/birthing parents chose headphones to cancel out the noises of the surgery. You can listen to your hypnobirthing tracks or have your partner repeat your affirmations with you.
Stay calm – more oxygen to baby, better recovery. Try and use anything which keeps you calm. This can be your partner, your doula, your relaxations, your music, or maybe a photograph of a loved one or pet. The calmer you are, the lower the blood loss, more oxygen for your baby or babies and your recovery time improves.
Vaginal seeding. Vaginal seeding refers to the practice of inoculating a cotton gauze or cotton swab with vaginal fluids to transfer the vaginal flora to the mouth, nose, or skin of your newborn baby. Your midwife will take a piece of gauze that’s been soaked in a sterile solution. This will then be inserted into your vagina, ideally around an hour before your caesarean birth is due to take place. Some parents choose to do vaginal seeding and some hospitals in the UK will support you with that. Another way to improve your baby’s microbiome is to focus on breastfeeding and lots of skin-to-skin.
Ask for/about gentle caesarean – family centered caesarean birth many hospitals in the UK offer gentle caesarean births or family centred caesarean births. During a gentle caesarean the baby or babies are allowed to be born in their own time. Rather than the obstetrician pulling the baby out, the uterus, aided by synthetic oxytocin, will contract the baby or babies out of the womb. This is usually accompanied by immediate skin-to-skin and optimal cord clamping.
Here is an article on a gentle caesarean birth story: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/dec/03/health.medicineandhealth
Here is a video of a gentle caesarean at one of my local hospitals in Nottinghamshire:
Knowledge. Knowledge, knowing your options, finding out what is happening during your caesarean, will enable you to plan the perfect experience for you. Discuss your options with your healthcare provider and ask them about skin-to-skin, optimal cord clamping, adaptation of the birth environment etc.
Planning your Caesarean Birth if you would like someone to walk alongside you when planning your Caesarean Birth, book a birth planning session with me! I can provide you with evidence-based information and help you plan your birth experience!
Have a look at the video below. It shows you the number of people who are present during your caesarean birth.
These are just 7 ways to personalise your Caesarean birth. I am sure you can think of a few more. Please share your ideas and experiences with us in the comments!
Tina Gibbs 