March 10, 2015
Cesarean sections are one of the most common surgeries in America, with one in three babies delivered this way.
But for the majority of women, and at the recommendation of medical professionals, this isn’t the ideal method.
Despite the general opposition to C-section delivery - experts estimate that fewer than 3 in 100 women request the operation for their first delivery over vaginal birth – the high prevalence of C-sections remains for a variety
of reasons.
So, when forced to have a C-section, the next best option is to make the surgical procedure as relatable to the natural birthing experience as possible. A new approach has caught on in England and is now making its way to the U.S.
These refined, “family-centered” methods of the cesarean section procedure were the focus of a recent NPR article, titled “The Gentle Cesarean," and the techniques include putting the baby directly on the mother's chest for skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth and allowing the mother and loved ones present at birth to watch the procedure.
Disclaimer: Video (below) and The Cam Family blog post contain images that may be too graphic (bloody) for the squeamish.
For its article, NPR interviewed Kristen Caminiti, of Crofton, Maryland. Caminiti is the mother of three children and delivered all of them via cesarean section surgery, though the third was through a family-centered approach at Anne Arundel Medical Center, a community hospital in Annapolis, Maryland.
Caminiti wrote about the "perfect" experience on her personal blog, The Cam Family:
During the surgery they dropped the drape and raised the head of my bed so that I could actually see you coming out. I didn't have to strain my neck to see you using a mirror. I saw it happening directly in front of me and so did Daddy.
We saw your little head pop out and immediately were in love. We marveled at your dark hair and watched in awe as they slowly pulled you out completely and then immediately transferred you to my chest where I was waiting to snuggle you.
Then, while they sewed my belly up, Daddy and I got to revel in just being with you and snuggling. It was perfect.
Read the full NPR article here.
