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"Natural" C Sections

JAM85JAM85 member
edited May 2014 in C-sections
I apologize if this has been asked before, I am new since my ECV failed today and I am officially booked in for a c section next Friday for this stubborn frank breech baby. I had a very crunchy birth planned- med free, doula, etc so this is quite the departure and I have been trying to reconcile my expectations. I did some research and found that now doctors and progressive hospitals (which mine is) are allowing for for family friendly CS so no arms strapped down, taking the curtain down a bit to watch her being born, and then immediate skin to skin on the upper chest if everyone is good while they stitch you up. This is really important to me that I get to preserve the skin to skin part- does
Anyone have experience with this type or CS or maybe their hospital does it anyways?
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Re: "Natural" C Sections

  • emberlee3emberlee3 member
    I think my hospital does it if you wish.  My arms were free.  I was really drugged up because the epidural made my blood pressure crash, so I kind of felt like death during the whole c/s.  I could not have held DD if I had tried.  I was just praying for it to be over.

    I don't mean to scare you because I think what happened to me is uncommon.  DD latched right away in the recovery room and everything post-c/s was fine.  Good luck!
    DS born 8/8/09 and DD born 6/12/12.
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  • harmonicbabe26harmonicbabe26 member
    edited May 2014
    My arms were not strapped down. Look a few threads down, that seems to be a consensus among others who had a cs. You still have to keep them out to the sides to have your blood pressure checked and meds delivered so it's not like you're going to be waving them around. As for the curtain - I'm trying to thing about this in logistical terms, how would you see anything if you're laying flat on your back anyway? You can't be lifting your head off the operating table to look, I'm sure that would cause some unwanted movement in your abdominal muscle wall and would mess with the cutting and stitching... Just trying to think about this logically. MH stood next to my head the whole time and was giving me an exact play by play of what was happening on the other side, including the fact that K peed all over the docs as soon as she came out haha.. I touched DD in the operating room but got skin to skin and latched her on in recovery about half hour later. i don't feel like I missed on anything by that. Do you really think that such a short amount of time matters or that you will forever feel not bonded with your child? Well I can tell you from perspective of being a mom for 2 yrs now that it's not true. People freak put over such little details... When your kid is 18yo going off to college do you think he/she will blame you for not having skin to skin with him/her within the first minutes and hate you forever?... Ps. My DD was frank breech too and we also tried ecv. :)
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  • RedDDDRedDDD member
    I also had a breech baby and two C's.  My arms were not strapped down either time and I was able to hold my baby almost right away.  Im sure they can lower the curtain for you to see a little more but I guess I wouldn't recommend that.  The only thing I will say is plan on the unexpected (even if you were having your "crunchy" birth :) ).  My first C was a very rushed scary emergency and my second, though planned and scheduled, was more nerve racking.  Don't be hard on yourself if you choose to do something different or if you allow them to take the baby away for a second to do vitals etc.  My second C I felt pretty comfortable knowing what to expect but for some reason anxiety got the best of me.  I had tears pouring down my face and my heart rate started to get pretty high so they gave me some anti-anxiety meds to slow my heart rate down and make me a little more calm.  I was glad to have a minute or two with my husband to calm my nerves and THEN take my baby to enjoy.  So long story short just be kind to yourself if you decide to go a route you didn't expect.  GL!  

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  • redrockmamaredrockmama member
    Hi, I was planning a homebirth until I found out I have placenta previa. I am still hoping it resolves and can go forward with the homebirth, but my midwife explained family-centered c-sections to us and I felt a lot better. I was in the OR when my niece was born and it was terrible. My sister got to see her for 2 seconds before I went to the nursery with her. She didn't get to see her again or hold her for 3+ hours. I know that isn't necessarily the norm now, but it was relieved to find out that with a family-centered c-section it would be very different, skin to skin with either myself or my wife, the option to breastfeed immediately, we all stay together unless there is some sort of medical emergency. I'm sure you've found a lot of info online, but there is a great video of a family-centered c-section if you haven't seen it yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5RIcaK98Yg

    Good luck, it's been difficult for me to reconcile such a different birth experience as well. I'd love to hear how it goes. 


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  • RedDDDRedDDD member
    To be clear....I delivered in a major inner city hospital and I held my baby almost right away.  I didn't request to hold her immediately but I could have.  They got her weight etc and then I held her for a while before my husband went with her to the nursery while they stitched me up and sent me to recovery.  I was in recovery for an hour (standard practice I believe) and they brought her to me and then I had her immediately with me in my room once I was transferred.  One of the things I remembered hearing from a class a took after I delivered for new mamas was you have to be at peace with how your baby decided to come into this world.  Every delivery is different and most times there are aspects that do not go as you planned.  This is the first of many tests as a new parent on how to learn to roll with it and accept things as they come and not to dwell on the fact that it didn't go as you had hoped.  In the end you have your beautiful healthy baby and your family and what could be better then that :)
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  • JAM85JAM85 member
    Thanks ladies! @redrockmama that is the video I saw that made me feel a lot more at peace about a c section. I am confirming tomorrow how they handle sections and what id like, but for
    Me at least holding her as soon as a can is important to me as long as she and I are doing well and can do that. If I can't then I want DH to have her. They don't use the nursery at all at my hospital except in rare occasions so she will be in the room with us until we move so I know that. The watching her come out wouldn't involve me moving at all- they just lower the barrier so I can see her being pulled out and DH cutting the cord then put it back up. I've seen a live c section too from the other end and honestly doesn't bug me at all but I doubt if see anything given my head level and the fact that I will still have a sizable bump in my way! I am worried she will come out and her legs won't come down from frank breech though!
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  • KellyAnne82KellyAnne82 member
    RedDDD said:

    To be clear....I delivered in a major inner city hospital and I held my baby almost right away.  I didn't request to hold her immediately but I could have.  They got her weight etc and then I held her for a while before my husband went with her to the nursery while they stitched me up and sent me to recovery.  I was in recovery for an hour (standard practice I believe) and they brought her to me and then I had her immediately with me in my room once I was transferred.  One of the things I remembered hearing from a class a took after I delivered for new mamas was you have to be at peace with how your baby decided to come into this world.  Every delivery is different and most times there are aspects that do not go as you planned.  This is the first of many tests as a new parent on how to learn to roll with it and accept things as they come and not to dwell on the fact that it didn't go as you had hoped.  In the end you have your beautiful healthy baby and your family and what could be better then that :)


    :::slow clap:::

    I too, had that dream of a natural birth and due to my little one being quite big (10lbs 6oz, 22.5 and a 16 inch head), my midwife/doctor practice chose a csection. The whole thing was surreal, but not bad. It's how I met my daughter. Whenever I start to think about how i didn't get the birth I wanted, I think realistically about what would've happened to me and my baby if not for surgical intervention. All mamas are brave-no matter how we bring our babies to the world, right?


    Good for you, JAM with being assertive for what feels right for you! Good luck and congratulations!


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  • emberlee3emberlee3 member
    JAM85 said:
    Thanks ladies! @redrockmama that is the video I saw that made me feel a lot more at peace about a c section. I am confirming tomorrow how they handle sections and what id like, but for Me at least holding her as soon as a can is important to me as long as she and I are doing well and can do that. If I can't then I want DH to have her. They don't use the nursery at all at my hospital except in rare occasions so she will be in the room with us until we move so I know that. The watching her come out wouldn't involve me moving at all- they just lower the barrier so I can see her being pulled out and DH cutting the cord then put it back up. I've seen a live c section too from the other end and honestly doesn't bug me at all but I doubt if see anything given my head level and the fact that I will still have a sizable bump in my way! I am worried she will come out and her legs won't come down from frank breech though!
    This happened with DD, and it was so cute.  Her legs relaxed in a week or two.
    DS born 8/8/09 and DD born 6/12/12.
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  • RedDDDRedDDD member
    Congrats!

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  • heatherwhite1984heatherwhite1984 member

    Keep us posted on how that goes - I want to have a natural c-section next time around.

     
     
     

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  • aerotigergirlaerotigergirl member
    Congratulations on your LO's arrival!

    Your experience sounds very similar to mine with DS. We'd hoped for an unmedicated delivery, and learned once I'd labored to 10cm without medication and was ready to push that he was frank breech. He was delivered via c-section a few minutes later, and his legs were folded up next to his head the first time I saw him, too.

    Glad to hear you are both safe, and don't be ashamed to need a little time to process through any feelings of grief you may be dealing with as you let go of the original birth experience that you had hoped for. Many people will remind you that "all that matters is a safe mom and a safe baby," and while that is obviously the most important outcome you shouldn't be made to feel like your feelings about your experience are unimportant or invalid.
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