Maternal-assisted Caesareans

Hi everyone, I know that there are always going to be personal and medical reasons why some of us choose to have an elective caesarean as I am one of those people. And although I am hoping for a VBAC next time around I wanted to find out what I could do to make my birthing experience better next time should I end up needing another caesarean - as my CS with my DD was under a general anaesthetic, which resulted in breastfeeding problems and bonding issues and PND.

I have found out about maternal-assisted caesareans and I just wanted to share this option with you all as I know that not many people know about it. Basically once the OB delivers the head and shoulders out of the incision the mother can reach down and pull bub onto her chest. And aside from bub being taken away brieftly for any medical checks, the mother gets to have skin on skin contact with her baby whilst being stitched up and whilst in recovery.

I have dissussed this option with my OB and should I need another caesar my OB is happy to let me have a maternal-assisted caesarean.

I am all too aware though that many hospitals are still very old school when it comes to allowing mums that precious bonding time whilst in theatre and in recovery.
It has been proven that having that initial time with baby decreases the chances of breastfeeding problems and PND. So if you do have an elective caesarean be sure to discuss your options with your care provider so you can have a positive caesarean experience. Even if the thought of pulling your baby onto your chest doesn't appeal, I think we should all have the right to have that instant prescious skin to skin contact with our babies.

Just thought I would share this with you all and I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

This is a great story about a maternal-assisted caesarean by a woman from the gold coast. Sorry Kelly if there is a problem with having this link here, Just delete the reference to it.
http://www.birthrites.org/OliverBS.html

I am going to go out onto a limb here! I think it further disempowers women. It's seems to be a way to normalise something which shouldn't be regarded as normal or a 'choice'. It cons women into thinking that they are getting an experience equal to a natural vaginal birth - and it's not.

I think it's a wonderful idea for those that *have* to have a c/s. It would be so much better for a bub that has to be born by c/s to be able to hve that first contact with mum before anyone else & get the skin-to-skin which we all know is so important. Sure it's not the most ideal birth as we know a vaginal birth is best for bub the majority of the time, but for those that need to use it I think it's great.

One of our members actually did this not too long ago, she started a thread here if you want to check it out.

Samantha, for some women its not exactly a "choice" and it gives them a good opportunity to have "as close" to a natural experience as possible under these circumstances. No one is kidding them selves into thinking maternal c section and vaginal birth are equal or even similar- it is just a chance to give some women who may not have a "choice" a little flexibility in how they can possible make a c section less about the clinical surgical side and more about bonding.

I had to have an emergency c section with my daughter, who sadly died. I am now pregnant again, however as my daughter died, i am pregnant sooner than i would be if she was alive and well,due to it being a very quick emergency c section and as there hasnt been much time between my last c section and this birth there is a high risk of me having a vbac delivery- i have been advised to have another c section- i.e this is not exactly a "choice" i have made on a whim, it is for saftey and medical reasons, and i would gladly welcome something like a maternal assisted c section to inhance what would other wise be a very clinical delivery.

I'm sorry if i have taken your statements too personally samantha, but maybe this isnt the thread to go out on a limb with out thinking about how ppl in my situation may take it.


Thank you charli's mumma for giving me some info that i can now take to my dr and request the possibilty of a maternally assisted c section.
SB

I can understand where Samantha is coming from, this is often discussed in birth circles... and I will tread very lightly here.

Caesareans are already at a dangerous level - waaaaay more than the WHO recommendation of 15%. So to make a c/s more enticing in a HEALTHY pregnancy I think is dangerous - its a wonderful option for someone who does need a c/s, it gives them more connection and feeling of birthing their own baby. But it is scary to think it may encourage or make people think more highly of c/s because they can do that, where they are not informed and understand that c/s is not a choice to be made lightly and as many c/s women will tell you - its definitely not the easy way out. It can involve a painful recovery, you lose mobility, you can get infections and all that bizzo. So I think thats what we need to be careful of... and I dont think Samantha meant it in that no-one should be able to do it.

How wonderful Charli'smumma that you can have a maternal assited c-section. I have had three c-sections - for medical reasons - and my last was my best birth experience. While I didn't help pull Aston out (don't think I could do it - but that's just me) he was laid skin to skin within 2 mins I reckon. He was put to my breast, still covered in vernix... and stayed there while they stitched me up, in recovery, being wheeled back to my room - me and him skin to skin with a blanket over us both - snuggled and cosy and warm and safe - it was beautiful. I still get all *****ly when I think about it. I felt like it was just me Dh and Him, and there was noone else around... which is insane really - because I was in a theatre lol... but everything else around us just faded away... One of the theatre nurse took photos and video for us - there was a midwife with us, and in recovery I was lucky enough to have a theatre nurse who was studying to be a lactation consultant!! and all of this in a public hospital.

And while I agree that babies should be birthed how they are supposed to be, for those of us who can't do it that way - for whatever reason - having a protocol that allows for the best possible circumstances for a mother and baby to bond, feed, and feel good about their birth experience is fantastic. This is something that has only happened in recent years, as my first two births were entirely different - my DD (12years ago) I was in recovery for about an hour and half, and send her father with her to get weighed etc, so that one of us was with her... I had my first cuddle about 2 hours after she was born. DS1 was an emergency c-section - and after seeing him briefly after he was born, I didn't see him again, other then holding a photo of him for ten hours, which was when I first got to breast feed him as well. The nurse who was looking after me was too busy to wheel me up to special care!

Anyway - things have changed and for the better!!

Hello Everyone :)

Thankyou for your replies so far. I just wanted to make it clear that I do not think that a maternal-assisted caesarean is a good alternative to a vaginal birth. Nor did I start this thread to promote it that way. A vaginal birth is the safest, most natural way of bringing a baby into the world and it is all I ever wanted for the birth of my DD. Unfortunately what I got was a horrid birth experience. Well I don't even consider my daughters comming into the world a birth experience actually. If you read my birth de-brief you will understand what I mean.

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ad.php?t=59214

Boy, what I would give to even know what a contraction feels like and to be able to birth my own baby and hold and bond with them straight away.

I will be doing everything in my power to have a VBAC for my next birth. But if for medical reassons I have absolutely no alternative but to have another caesar, then to me a maternal-assisted caesarean is the next best thing.

I just wanted to make this option known to those who, like me just may never have the option of having a vaginal birth.

I aploogise again if i got a bit too offended- sorry samantha, kelly has said what i wanted to say in a much more diplomatic matter!!

I think i am a little emotional today as this was a discussion i had today with a mid wife, so i was a little raw on the topic- sorry again!! :)

I am pro vaginal birth, but support c section when the need is there, i actually would prefer a vbac, and may still argue my point to my dr and attempt one, as i want the natural experience, however right now i am being encouraged to have the c section, and i was delighted to see that with this option i may get that bonding magic i feel i would be missing by having a c section.

Sorry again!!

No need to apologise for having an opinion Starbright! We're all entitled to them and I certainly not offended. I'm sorry for the loss of your baby, that's an awful thing to happen.

The thing is (and I'm talking in general here), c-sections are carried out far more than necessary. We know that, everybody knows that. With VBAC's in particular, most Dr's and Obs are already scared of them and would just rather do a c-section again. Or, they say they are pro-vbac and slap a whole lot of restrictions on you, such as: no going over due date, time restrictions in labour, ctg monitoring, bung siting - the list goes on. Just like a watched kettle never boils, a watched woman never labours! :) To be honest, when women use words or phrases such as 'have to have' or 'allowed', alarm bells ring for me immediately. These are not the words of people who are actually having a say or control in the decision making process. Your care provider should be providing you with all the options, not just the ones that suit them. Nobody ever has to do anything and quite frankly you should never have to 'argue your point' (sorry to borrow your phrase, starbright), to birth your own baby.
So, to cut to the chase :), maternal assisted c-sections concern me because they are a way for Dr's and Obs (and knife happy midwives!), to persuade women into having another c-section. It's just another tool in their belt, so to speak, and a rather alarming one at that.

SamanthaP, I totally see where you are comming from. The caesarean rate is alarmingly high. In fact the caesarean rate at the hospital where I had my bub is nearly 50% because 6 out of the 8 Obs insist on repeat caesareans, which is totally disgusting. My OB is one of the 2 who do do VBAC's and the student midwife who I was the follow-through for has confirmed to me that my OB uses less medical intervention than any of the other Ob's at that hospital. I am also exploring other care models for my next pregnancy/birth such as public hospital midwifery care.

Yes you are right, unfortunatley there are a lot of care providers out there who are knife happy, and mums-to-be really need to research their options when it comes to birthing their baby. Sadly some mums do not realise there are options, especially if it is their first pregnancy.
But also, there always has been and always will be very valid medical and even psychological reasons for a woman to have a caesarean section too, and just because these women didn't push their baby out doesn't mean that they do not deserve to have that precious bonding time and skin to skin contact with their baby as soon as it is born. Caesarean mums deserve to have support and a caring atmoshpere from their health care providers.

Samantha, If you have read my birth story and you can give me any suggestions to help me get my VBAC next time I would love your feedback as I can tell you are passionate about vaginal birth and wold have some great idea's.

Starbright, I too am really sorry to hear about your baby girl. I just wanted to tell you I have read that if your pregnancies are 12-24 months apart then risk of uterine rupture for a VBAC is about 2.6% or less. 2.6% really isn't a very big risk when you consider all of the risks involved with having major abdominal surgery such as a caesarean. Over 24 months apart and the risk is less than 1%. At the end of the day you need to decide what is best for you and your baby and either way you go, I wish you a lovely birthing experience :)

First of all I think there is a need for an apology...calling a birth 'horrid' is not nice and not necessary.
Our birth was not horrid by any means - after 2 previous c/sections which were terribly frightening and disempowering it was beautiful, it was magical and it was the best I could give myself and give my child.
I fought (and believe me I had to fight!) and succeeded at getting the best birth experience that Jacob and I could have.
Here's our birth story...
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ad.php?t=42442

BTW...I just have to say that I'm a little disappointed that the word horrid has been left there even though the poster apologised if they offended anyone.
I'm also disappointed with you Kelly, you immediately jumped to their defence yet your lack of support during my struggle to achieve a maternal assisted c/section and congratulations at achieving a great birth for Jacob and myself was very obvious to me.

MamaDuke - sorry to disappoint! I am sorry you felt I did not support you in your search for a maternal c/s... I dont get time to get around to everyone's posts I am afraid - very busy mum of 2 children here, and doing the job I do, I tend to support those who are having struggles in the system and the majority are vaginal birthing women because its so easy to get a c/s if you want one - hardly balanced choice available .... and I don't congratulate very many people at all on the birth of their children because it would be unfair not having the time. I think you're placing some unfair expectations on me!!!

I was trying to clarify what the discussion in the birth world is saying and yes I upset people all the time because I talk about the other side of the story... things other people may not have considered, in the hope it can provoke thought and discussion. I think no matter what we do, be it birth, life, kids etc, two options / opinions are better than one, and people can take what they like/agree with and form their own opinion. Rather healthy I think.

As I said, I think it's a wonderful thing for someone to be able to do who needs a c/s, it would mainly be possible for elective c/s as emergency ones are done so quick and with urgency so I doubt you would get an Ob to agree with it in an emergency caesar. So it is for a small amount of women who have elective c/s, and for that I am worried it will encourage more to have elective c/s for that sole reason rather than give a healthier option a go. Not saying I am for or against it, these are my concerns.

If it's any consolation whatsoever, I did read your story Mamaduke, your disappointment in the Ob saying no, then delight in finding Dennis to do it (DoulaRelle told me about it) and I was ecstatic for you - you can ask Relle. I even had a quick flick though of your photos. In January I went overseas so was physically in another country and not on the internet. Trying to catch up from that holiday has been a nightmare, I have a barrage of things to do...

At the end of the day, I am not dissing the idea at all and I agree that perhaps Samantha you could please edit the word horrid to something else. No-one reported the post or expressed displeasure in it, so if you don't like something, report it!!! That's what the report button is for and we work quickly and more efficiently when people use it too.

LOL Mamaduke, note the sentence says 'I think...' - it's my opinion and I'm certainly not going to edit my opinion to make it more palatable for someone else. We're all grown-ups here aren't we?!

Charli's mumma the best thing you can do is to find caregivers who believe in you and your body 100%. Surround yourself with the right people and right environment and the birth will follow. :)

Thanks your your post Mummaduke. I have to say that yes, I was a little offended by the work "horrid" being used that way too.

And Kelly, I fully support your views on the unneccessary rise of Australia's caesarean rate. I guess I was just a little taken back by the mixed responses to my post because, this is the caesarean section support forum after all and I assumed that the main aim of this forum perhaps was to offer support and understanding to caesarean mums. Like I have said earlier. I just wanted to post this info to give mums, who are seriously staring down the barrel of a caesarean a choice.

Personally I do not think that a maternal-assisted caesar is everyones cup of tea. A lot of the responses I've had from family and friends is "awe yuck, I'd rather just be knocked out!" And I don't think that having the option there would easily sway the decision of the majority of mums having a healthy pregnancy against having a normal vaginal birth. Some women yearn to birth their babies and pull them up onto their chest and some simply just don't. The women who just simply choose a caesarean because they have no great interest in birthing their babies probably aren't too keen on the blood and guts factor of a maternal-assisted caesarean anyway. But those women who do yearn to birth their bubs naturally, but for good reason cannot, would most likely view a maternal-assisted caesarean as a wonderful opportunity.

Vaginal birth versus caesarean birth aside, a caesarean can be an emotionally crushing experience. After I woke out of the anaesthetic in recovery my baby was placed on my bare chest straight away. I only have one person to thank for that and that person is my student midwife. She made sure this happened for me as she knew how upset I was about having a ceasar let alone when it turned out to be an unconcious one. Had I not been a follow-through for Cassie, I probably wouldn't have even seen my baby for some time afterwards. Many caesarean mums are disadvantaged in this way and the consequences of many hospitals current procedures is proven. Emergency caesar mums should at least get to hold their bub skin to skin in theatre and in recovery but so often this is not the case. A lot of protocols and attitudes need to change.

I have to admit, I accidentally posted here without looking at which section it was posted in, so that was my bad!

I agree many protocols need to change but hospitals are all about money, policy, litigation and what's in their best interests which is hard.

Charli'smumma,
I think it's great you are researching your own personal birth options and I think that is the key - birth is very personal. I had an emergency c/s with my first daughter, but had successful vbacs with my other 2 daughters. From my experience c/s left me feeling somewhat detatched from the situation, but I did what I thought was best in the situation and my recovery was horrible. Although I didn't "bond" with her straight after the birth I was not going to beat myself up about it and since then we have had plenty of time to bond and have very close relationship 6 years on. Although I don't think maternal assisted c section is for me I can fully understand why you are researching these avenues. As i can see you are trying to make what could possibly be a negative situation for you into a positive one. Good luck to you and fingers crossed for a successful vbac for you.

Quote:
And Kelly, I fully support your views on the unneccessary rise of Australia's caesarean rate. I guess I was just a little taken back by the mixed responses to my post because, this is the caesarean section support forum after all and I assumed that the main aim of this forum perhaps was to offer support and understanding to caesarean mums. Like I have said earlier. I just wanted to post this info to give mums, who are seriously staring down the barrel of a caesarean a choice.

Hi Charli's mum - I've had a c-section (under a general also) with my first baby, so I have indeed stared down the barrel before... I also know my c-section was probably unnecessary and set me up for so much angst, tears and heartbreak when contemplating the birth of my second baby.

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LOL Mamaduke, note the sentence says 'I think...' - it's my opinion and I'm certainly not going to edit my opinion to make it more palatable for someone else. We're all grown-ups here aren't we?!

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Yes we are all grown ups and we're all women too...as long as we continue to disregard each other's feelings and desires we'll never get anywhere in this world. It amuses me that we expect the medical profession to respect our wishes & feelings yet we can't even do that for each other.

Kelly - thank you for your explanation. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I haven't disregarded your feelings, Mamaduke. I just expressed mine - does that mean you are disregarding mine? ;) Why are your feelings more ok then mine? If we all thought the same it would be a very boring world. Support doesn't always have to be given mindlessly you know. If this is the only option for you (and I mean the only, not just because your Dr said so), then go for it. But it does concern me and I do think that it could be used as a way to further marginalise and disempower women. It's a bandaid solution to a really deep-rooted problem.

for the sake of Charli'smumma - I just want to stick my hand up ladies and remind you that as Charlismumma already stated - she started this thread to give women who HAVE to have c-sections the opportunity to explore a possibly different avenue for them. She was sharing knowledge, and knowledge is power...

Different strokes for different folks... makes the world a far more interesting place. :D

Well said astnatlaur. After reading through the whole thread i was about to post something similar :)

I have had 2 CS's emergency and elective and did not know that this option was available although i dont think it would be for me the more knowledge the better so thanks for sharing charlismumma.

Let's get back to topic folks and can we please be respectful of people's choices, either way? I love helping people where I can too, but it's much more effective/useful where advice is being asked for. Perhaps we could start a maternal assisted c/s discussion thread in the general labour forums? I also love a good debate but everything must be done tactfully and respectfully - we lose all credibility when we stop using respect.

Continue on ladies...

I have to say I think maternal assisted c-sections are a great idea. What a way to empower the woman and child through the birth process when the means to go naturally aren't possible!

I'm actually glad to read of the 'negative' side of them of though as I really hadn't considered how they could increase the possibility of elective c-sections. It's given me some food for thought.

Currently maternal assisted c-sections seem to only be available to women who have a scheduled c-sec though so I'm all for these women pushing for a change... so that one day if any of us discovers we need one in an emergency hopefully the whole process will be different and maternal assisted c-secs will be available for all!

I'm only new to this section and I have to say that I'm a little disappointed to find the heading of "caesarean support" a little misleading...

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of "support"...

I thought Charli'smumma had a great question - sad to see that actual answers got overlooked in exchange for judgements...

Maybe we need to have a "caesarean" section for general questions/comments as well as a "caesarean support" section for people who don't want to be judged for the circumstances/decisions surrounding their birth...

Lily

Lily, that is exactly what this section is for & steps have been taken to rectify the situation within this thread.

Kelly posted an apology when she realised which section this was in as well -

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I have to admit, I accidentally posted here without looking at which section it was posted in, so that was my bad!

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I've also posted saying let's move on, any more off track / unsupportive posts will be removed. So can we please move on and stay on track with the OP please.

Wow, there's been a lot going on in here since my last post.

Thankyou for the positive feedback guys. I think after much tooing and froing from post to post the reason why I posted this topic in the first place is now pretty clear to everyone. YAY:clap:

And if there is even just one person out there who has been inspired by this thread to make their necessary c-section a better experience, then this whole topic has been well worth posting.

Take care guys.

Hi Charli'sMumma & also to MamaDuke

Congrats to both of you on being able to convince your obs to agree to this type of C/S.

Do either of you have any advice or info that you think might be helpful in convincing an Obs to agree to this type of C/S?

I soon to have my 25 week appointment with my obs and will be raising the topic with him then. I am pregnant with my third child, and for medical reasons will be having an elective caesar. I am hoping for a MAC/S as my last experience of an emergency caesar was quite distressing.

Is there anything you recommend that I do (or don't) say in trying to get him to see things my way?

I have a different obs this time, as my previous one has moved. To complicate matters further, it is most likely that the new obs will be on leave around the time of the baby's birth, so yet another obs will probably end up delivering my baby.

I barely know either of these men (haven't even met the 2nd one), and I have yet to develop any real rapport with them. So I am assuming that I will have a VERY difficult time convincing them to allow me to have a 'different' type of caesar.

Any relevant information you could provide would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks, Nicole
Mumma to DS (born sleeping Apr 2005) and DD (born June 2006)

Hi Nicole,

Congratulations on your pregnancy and good on you for wanting a MACS.

I actually wrote my OB a letter explaining how traumatic my previous caesarean was for me and that my first choice for next time was a VBAC but that I'd done some research and should I need another caesarean I wanted a MACS. I also printed and enclosed Paula Becktons MACS story (which I have the link for in my original post in this thread) and I told my OB that I hoped she would be supportive of my wishes for this type of c section, should I need one.

I know Mummaduke will tell you that if your OB doesn't oblige' then go find yourself another one who will!

Where abouts are you located?

I guess that the things that are against you are 1: that you don't have a rapport with your new Ob and 2: that you may not even have him delivering your baby - but all you can do is try, so approch him about it and see what he says.

I've actually made a few different choices since I started this thread. I am now going to have midwifery care in a public hospital for my second pregnancy. One of the reasons I have chosen this is because I know it'll be my best chance of having a VBAC, which to me is the most important thing. I know that this may take away the option of me having a MACS if I end up needing another caesar but I have spoken to a midwife at the hospital (I'm not even pg yet BTW :)) and I asked that if I have a caesar could I have the screen lowered so I could see my baby being born and could I have bub placed on my chest in theatre and the midwife didn't seem to have a problem with that. Some hospitals may argue that it's too cold in theatre but really, if your bub is skin to skin with you and has a warmed towell or blanket on them then they would be as snug as a bug. I guess what I'm trying to get at is even if you cannot find an OB who will agree to a MACS, I can't see why they wouldn't agree to the other things I've just mentioned. I also asked the public hospital if I could have bub with me in recovery but they said that depends on whether there is the availability of having a midwife in recovery with me.

Hope this helps

best of luck to you :pray: and keep us posted on how you go!

Tamara

I'm very new here and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate this post about Maternal Assisted Caesarians. I also had a Caesar under a general for the birth of my daughter. I did not meet her until she was 3 hours old and she had already been bathed. This resulted in me developing severe PND and unfortunately we both spent the next 3 months in hospital (most of which I don't remember).

Sadly many of the comments here are why I suffered such severe PND. I so wanted a natural non-medical birth and instead got the most medical intervention possible. Many women are so ready to shout from the rooftops about how Caesarians are "not normal" and "Vaginal Births are Best" which to be frank I think you have to be living on another planet to not actually know. I'm sure the percentage of women who choose a caesar because they are "too posh to push" is very very small and in fact most women do it because they have no choice. Most women would LOVE to be able to birth their babies vaginally, and making them feel "abnormal" for being put in a choiceless position shows a lack of insight and empathy.

All power to the women here who have fought to be able to have some form of "choice" in what is such a difficult situation. I for one will be fighting to have a maternal assisted caesarian for my next birth as once again the chances of me having a VBAC are slim. I am so excited that I might actually be able to participate in my own child's birth - thank you for bringing this information to me. Not only are you inspiring, but your strength and determination might just help to give some power back to some very disempowered women.

Lellabella, :hug: to you sweetie. And welcome to BB.

I'm so happy that you have found this thead so helpful. I hope you have a truely beautiful birth experience next time.

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask :)

Tamara

When I was pregnant with my angel I had already started to write my birth plan. My plan involved trying to make things progress as naturally and calmly as possibly. It wasn't until my DH started asking questions like "what if something goes wrong and you need a c-section" that I even started to consider that things might not go exactly the way I'm hoping for things to go when I give birth.

So that got me thinking about alternatives. My DH and I have written a seperate birth plan in the event that circumstance prevents me from having the totally natural birth that I'm hoping for. And in that plan it requests a maternal assisted c-section. If I can't experience reaching down and bringing my child to my chest in a vaginal birth, then I want to at least have the option of doing something similar in a c-section. We also still want the baby's cord not to be cut immediately (a tough ask during c-sections I've heard...) and we want DH to still have the option of cutting the cord too.

I, like Ren, did not even consider the implications of increasing elective c-section rates from introducing maternal assisted c-sections as an option. I now can see how this could unfortunately make elective c-sections more appealing for those that may not even require it. But there is no way that I would want that option restricted just to the mothers that aren't able to birth their baby's vaginally due to medical reasons.

I'm pro-vaginal birth, but I'm also pro-choice...

Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to update everyone on the surprise early edition to our little family!

At 35 weeks 4 days, I woke up at 3am with niggling stomach cramps. It felt like Braxton Hicks only a bit stronger and more regular. I tried to ignore it but it wouldn't go away. By 6am I realised that I was gripping the bed-head and focussing on my breathing as each contraction hit... time to take this seriously! So off we all headed off to the hospital, toddler still in her PJs and with no brekkie in her belly.

The only thing they could do at the hospital was just wait and see. If the contractions tapered off then it would be just a false alarm. If they got stronger then obviously it would be the real thing. So I ended up labouring all day. By late afternoon it became apparent that the baby wanted out NOW.

A caesar was hastily arranged for that evening (due to my previous medical complications, another vaginal birth was not advisable). I hadn't yet had a chance to discuss my wishes for a "Maternally Assisted Caesarean" with any of the hospital staff, as the birth was still meant to be more than a month away. Everyone in the operating theatre was on a STEEP learning curve as I explained to them how I hoped things would run. Thankfully they were all really receptive and worked together to improvise a way to make it work.

7.20 pm My "Maternally Assisted Caesar"...
My arms were scrubbed down with a sterilising solution, then a sterile gown was placed on me. The body section was cut off the gown so that I could have skin-to-skin contact with my baby. Then sterile gloves were placed over my hands. (They didn't have any long gloves available in the theatre, thats why they had to improvise the "gown-arms & short-gloves" solution.) There was no screen placed in front of me - I was able to see everything as it happened. The obstetrician made his incisions, and used forceps to deliver the baby's head. She let out her first cry as her face hit the air. Then he told me it was time for me to birth my baby. I brought my hands down and grasped her tiny body. I lifted her out of my belly, out into the world and onto my bare chest. It was AMAZING. No-one else had been able to see whether the baby was a boy or a girl, as I had placed her straight onto my chest. They all kept asking but I kept it my little secret for a few minutes before I told anyone :) The paediatrician allowed her to stay on my chest for ages while they stitched me up. It was such an amazing, wonderful way to birth my child. I am still buzzing from the experience.

My little girl is now 3 weeks old. She came home from the Special Care Nursery a week ago and is breastfeeding beautifully! Despite giving me a big shock coming so early, everything has turned out wonderfully!

(I have some photos but cant for the life of me work out how to include them in this post... I'll blame that one on sleep deprivation)

P.S.
My baby was born in a private hospital in Geelong, Victoria. I was pleasantly surprised how little resistance I faced when I proposed the idea to my Obs at 25 weeks. A HUGE thankyou to all the women who have gone before me in having a MAC/S. I believe the info you provided was pivotal in convincing my Obs that this was a reasonable request. I would be happy to share more specific details with other women wanting to do something similar if you contact me directly.

Your post brought tears to my eyes - what a wonderful birth experience you had. Congratulations!!

Ethansmumma. Congratualtions on the arrival of your little girl.
Oh what a fantastic story. Well done :hug: Would love to see some photos

I know this is an old thread - I just came across this 2007 article from The Age and thought I'd share as its about maternal assisted cesareans...mods, if the link is an issue please feel free to delete,
Delivered safely by caesarean with his mother's hands - National - theage.com.au

Eutra-Philia, I just read that article, cool! The reference to the Qld Mother is paula beckton who is the woman in the article thats attached to my original post in this thread :)

that is cool!! :) If I ever need to have a c-section, I hope I have the option of doing it this way :)

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I know this is an old thread - I just came across this 2007 article from The Age and thought I'd share as its about maternal assisted cesareans...mods, if the link is an issue please feel free to delete,
Delivered safely by caesarean with his mother's hands - National - theage.com.au

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That OB is my OB, I will ask him at my next appt if he's done any more since this one.

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That OB is my OB, I will ask him at my next appt if he's done any more since this one.

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I'd love to know if he is still doing them, or they've become more common :)