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The natural caesarean: a woman-centred technique
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Posted date:
July 1, 2008 |
3 Comments
Jenny Smith, a founding member of the Jentle Childbirth Foundation has jointly written a paper on Natural caesarean along side, F Plaat and NM Fisk. Here’s the abstract from the article, the full article can be seen here.
Although much effort has gone into promoting early skin-to-skin contact and parental involvement at vaginal birth, caesarean birth remains entrenched in surgical and resuscitative rituals, which delay parental contact, impair maternal satisfaction and reduce breastfeeding. We describe a ‘natural’ approach that mimics the situation at vaginal birth by allowing (i) the parents to watch the birth of their child as active participants (ii) slow delivery with physiological autoresuscitation and (iii) the baby to be transferred directly onto the mother’s chest for early skin-to-skin. Studies are required into methods of reforming caesarean section, the most common operation worldwide.
3 Comments for The natural caesarean: a woman-centred technique
Kathleen Keys
I have just watched this film on You Tube.What a very lucky mother, I thought it was wonderful, and only wish natrual ceasarians were availble when I gave birth in 1969 and 1972.
I know childbirth was different then.Ceasarians were not so frequently performed, a great percentage were emergencies, and elective ceasarians were only for mothers with a pre existing condition eg placenta preavia.
Both of my babies were born by emergency ceasarian, both under general aneasthesia, and I never saw either of them until they were two days old.No husbands or partners allowed to be present.
I will not go into the reasons for my emergency ceasarians it would take too long on here, but during the first one my baby and myself almost died.I spent my second pregnancy in fear, it was a blessed relief when I awoke from the second one to find we were both still alive, even though I was not allowed to see my baby then.
I am so pleased things have changed, I was born too soon for all of this!.
I am a retired nurse who did midwifery training at Queen Charlotte’s in1966.It is good to hear about this hospital again after all these years.
Keep up the good work, I may be a grandmother now but I am behind you all the way.
Kathleen.
Melissa Spilsted
I am a HypnoBirthing Educator and Clinical Hypnotherapist from Australia.
I just want to let you know how grateful I am (on behalf of many of the women I teach) for the consideration, time and effort you have gone to in developing a more family friendly caesarean.
Sometimes, caesarean section is the safest way to birth – and I believe that all families deserve to be able to look back on their birthing day with joy.
There are long term positive effects for both the parents and baby, when the birth is gentle, joyous and empowering.
I have devised a program of preparation for the parents (similar to the preparation that parents undertake when using HypnoBirthing for a natural birth) and deep relaxation techniques and self-hypnosis, to be used during the spinal block and procedure. Parents that I have taught who have had a Family Friendly Caesarean and used these deep relaxation techniques have had absolutely beautiful births!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge – it is gradually spreading across the world and making a difference to many people’s lives.
Melissa Spilsted DCH, HBCE, BA, BEd
HypnoBirthing Australia
This is a start. For women who have no choice but to have a C-section this is the very least the staff can do. But the fact that the article says that C-sections are the “most performed operation” is disgraceful. Only about 10% of women need C-sections in general. That number might be even lower if the women were given true support and education and hands on care by a childbirth attendant who trusts birth. Childbirth is natural. Intervention is not. We are fight or flight animals and when we feel frightened we often stop labor completely. Women need to feel safe while giving birth. Safe and nurtured and comfortable and that is very difficult in a hospital.
Am I suggesting home birth? Yes, I am. For low risk mothers that is the safest place to be. For those women who must be operated on, it is vital to allow immediate skin on skin contact with the mother. Delayed cord clamping is another way to avoid traumatizing the infant. I am glad to see that there is an effort being made to help these women whose births are being taken from them, often for very dubious reasons.