Anyone had a 'natural Caesarean'?

[SpeedyGonzalez]

Just been reading about it here. Interesting stuff.

It sounds like mine-I had skin to skin straight away as they stitched me up and I breastfed in recovery.it felt more natural than my first vb somehow

Yes but the consultant has left (the country?) and there isn't anyone else doing it iirc, but I might be wrong.

It doesn't mention the most important aspect that the mother has first gone into labour spontaneously. Hell for the planning side of things.

oranges - that's brilliant. And how weird that it seemed more natural than your vb - how so?

AW - you mean Nick Fisk has left the country? What a pity for the UK!

Some surgeons will do it on Em-C sections, apparently - just been reading a convo in which a mw had asked a consultant about this and he said it wouldn't make a difference if the c-section was an emergency. I'm sure there will be some emergency conditions which necessitate speed more than others, and which would prohibit this 'natural' approach, but presumably if one consultant is prepared to do it, others may as well, if the know about it.

The idea is that the baby benefits from the hormones released in labour, and during delivery the chest is squeezed as if coming down a birth canal. They also rub a swap from the mother's vagina on the baby's face.

And baby is kind of pushed out from the top rather than pulled out from the bottom iyswim

AW - yes, I had wondered about that hormone release thing, there seem to be so many aspects of natural birth like that one which CS born babies are deprived of.

Found a paper written by Fisk + colleagues here - with piccies!

How DARE he bugger off to Australia to further his career?!

I had the curtain lowered, skin-to-skin straight away and breastfeeding the minute we were in recovery, so fairly 'natural', for want of a better word. This was routine, I didn't have to ask for it. 2008 at UCH in London. The midwife in the operating theatre was fabulous. The anaesthetist was great too and told a member of theatre staff off for standing in my line of vision to my baby when they took her a few feet away to be weighed and checked!

I did, I spoke to the consultant at length about it prior to my section and he was happy to do it

midwife was wonderful with it all too

Whilst I think it all sounds great, and I would def be pushing for all (bar the dimmed lighting) I think the the term "natural caesarean" is misleading, inaccurate and rather silly. Plus runs the risk of totally alienating already sceptical obstetricians.

Speedy - it felt more natural than a vb becaue with the vb, the midwifer ordered me to hand her his clothes and dressed him before took ds away and placed him in a cot while I delivered the placenta. I was too dazed to protest. I only got to hold him after a more senior midwife came in and asked why on earth the baby wasn't with the mother. So no skin to skin. I then had to go to theatre to be stitched under spinal for a very bad tear, so was whoozy and numb after the birth and seperated from my baby for ages. I also got much more support after the c section than a fourth degree tear so felt more able to cope with feeding and holding the baby.

i'm as sure as i can be - given the drugs and exhaustion and crying etc, that that's how my emcs went.

they asked about music - we said we weren't bothered
they offered to put the screen down - i said no i did NOT want to see!
ds cried of his own accord
ds went straight to me, after agar test which took seconds, and dh for a cuddle and skin to skin
bf as soon as i felt ready in recovery

ds was only out of our sight for the time it took to do the agar tests, oh an vitamin k i think.

that was in southmead hospital, bristol, april 2009

maybe it's more standard practice in some places especially if the c section is not a urgent emcs if that makes sense

mrsflux It sounds like they have a very good policy where you gave birth.

The natural c/s though (although the article mentions music etc) isn't so much about that. It is about trying to mimick the biological process as best as they can for the baby. So a trial of labour is undergone, and the contractions push the baby out by squeezing him, and then his face is smeared with the mothers vaginal fluid and given straight to the mother all gloopy whilst the placenta is still attached.

Oh I see.

Well I did start labour in so much as I had contractions but I never got to pushing as didn't dilate enough.
He may well have been squeezed fir some time as he was big and I'm small and he got stuck!
Not sure about the placenta bit though! That bit is icky and I'm not keen on the gunk whether it's vb or cs!

I don't suppose it really matters Mrsflux. Sounds like you had a fab experience.

Actually I hated it!
The loss of control and helplessness were awful. Took me a long time to get over it. Will defo be having a elcs next time.

Oh. Okay. Make sure you research c/s birth plans then. There is a lot of control you can have over a elcs.

You know also that you can go over your notes with someone from the hospital if you want the details of what happened etc.?

I haven't but one of my friends has with her third ELCS. She has no cervix (due to cancer) so she really felt she had missed out on the whole natural bitrh experience, and the doctor who performed hers was only too willing to let her do this. It was in 2008, North East area.

I've had one EMCS and two ELCS, and with all three DH got handed the baby after they did the apgar tests. I don't think I could have held them either, lying horizontal and strapped to drips, blood pressure monitors and goodness knows what else. It's never bothered me as I had lots of cuddles in recovery, except with DS3 who had to go in an incubator.