Tips for a positive caesarean

At work this week I attended some really beautiful positive caesarean births, including a maternal assisted caesarean! It got me thinking about my own planned caesarean and how important some aspects were in my overall experience. If you are planning a caesarean then you could consider and discuss some of these with your care provider:

Skin to skin: Ask theatre staff to place ECG dots on your back if possible to allow for skin to skin in theatre and recovery. If baby is born in good condition then the weigh and measure can wait until you are back on the ward. If skin to skin is difficult to achieve and baby needs to be wrapped for warmth then you can ask for cheek to cheek contact. Talk to your baby, they know your voice!

Music: You can ask if it’s possible to play your birth playlist or a specific song/artist. I’ve also seen parents sing a special lullaby to their baby after they were born while skin to skin

Delayed cord clamping: Ask if it’s possible to delay clamping the cord for at least a minute (if baby is born in good condition). Longer periods are difficult due to theatre being so cold and baby being exposed without skin to skin can make them cold too. But one minute of delayed cord clamping still confers great benefit!

Photos/video: Ask if there is a staff member available in the theatre to take some photos/video. Some of my favourite photos of my sons birth were snapped spontaneously by my midwife. Make sure your phone camera is easy to access (ie camera open with no passcode)

Maternal assisted: Some hospitals offer maternal assisted caesareans, find some videos online to see if it is something you would be interested in. After witnessing one this week I have to say it was pretty magic!