How i had a gentle c-section
Dr. Karlie Causey DC, MS, CCSP, CSCS
About 36 weeks into my pregnancy with my second son I had sort of a weird feeling. As I was feeling around my abdomen I could swear that I felt my sons head under my ribs. If you’ve been pregnant before, you know it is hard to tell he difference between a baby head and a baby bum, but I just had a feeling.
I asked my friend who is a midwife to have a feel and she actually thought it was his bum. But since you’re reading this article you may have already guessed… it was his head.
My little guy was breach and I was BESIDE MYSELF. I had done everything “right.” In fact when I posted about it online I had multiple people recommend I find a Webster chiropractor (ironic, since I AM a Webster chiropractor and had also been seeing one :) who could help align my pelvis to allow my baby to flip. I did all the woo woo things. I did all the medical things- including 2 external cephalic versions (ECV’s) where they try to flip the baby externally. No go. I finally had to concede that this little dude wasn’t flipping and got my c-section on the books.
I feel SO FORTUNATE to have had a great experience having a c section and I want to share with you some things that might alleviate your stress or anxiety, as well as help you have the best experience possible.
Talk with your doctor-express concerns and ask ALL. THE. QUESTIONS.
Since I was initially working with the midwives, I didn’t actually have an OB that I knew who would be doing the surgery. I asked to have an intro call with my OB prior to my surgery and that made a world of difference. She was able to sooth a lot of my worries and anxiety and assure me that it would be as natural a process as we could make it. Remember, you are not an emergency c-section, so if for some reason you don’t click with the OB they assign you, you can as for someone else or to be rescheduled. It is YOUR body and your surgery.
2. Have a conversation with your anesthesiologist.
This one is important in case you have any allergies to pain meds. I got SO ITCHY from some of the meds and almost scratched my skin off in the recovery room and needed a high dose of Benadryl. If I were to have another c-section, I’d ask them to start me on the Benadryl right away to avoid that terrible pain and irritation. If you know you react that way to pain meds, they can help fix the problem before it even occurs. I also wanted to know when they were administering meds and what it was. If you don’t need that much info, no worries, but know that if that will make you feel more comfortable you can ask.
3. Prepare with as much info as you need.
For me, I wanted to know EXACTLY what to expect. I personally love @MommyLaborNurse’s info- especially one you know you’re planning a c-section. She walks you through a lot of this stuff and for me that helped take away the fear of the unknown.
4. Ask about having music in the operating room.
I was allowed to have my phone next to my head playing the birth play list that I had originally planned to use during labor. This made for a really special moment for me, as there was a beautiful, meaningful song on when I first heard my son cry, and I’ll forever tie that song to that moment
I have heard that some hospitals will dim the lights for you (to make the experience feel less medical) as well as drop the drape to let you see the baby. While they wouldn’t dim the lights for me (which makes sense- it is surgery after all) they did allow me to see my baby come out which was amazing.
5. Make clear your wishes after the baby is born.
One of my greatest fears was that it would be hard-to initiate breast-feeding after my c-section. (For this reason I did start expressing colostrum the week prior-more about that in another blog post.) It IS possible to initiate breast feeding on the operating table, but you want to make it clear in advance that this is what you want. It is a little more difficult since you are laying flat, instead of recumbent as you would with a vaginal delivery but it is more than possible. You may also want to let you partner know that they might need to assist you with holding the baby in place etc depending on how much room you have.
The second concern I had was about not getting my baby to me as soon as he came out. I made it clear to my birth team that I wanted all medical procedures that could wait to be done back in our recovery room, so that they could get me the baby asap. Basically, get him out, make sure everything is all good and get that little guy to me! Sine there were no complications, it only took about 2 minutes to get him to me once he was out (which still felt like a long time!)
If delayed cord clamping is important to you, make sure you also make that clear. It is standard for most hospitals to wait a little bit now before cutting the cord, but if want more than 10-30 sec, you might want to make that clear.
My prayer is that in giving you some of this info in advance you’re able to be fully present and comfortable with the birth process that you’ll be having. I never would have “asked” for a c-section but in many ways I wouldn’t trade it for the world now.
Questions? I’d love to hear them?
My goal is ALWAYS to help pregnant and postpartum women feel strong, confident and physically stable, so let me know how I can help!
Reach out on IG at Drkarlie or email at Drkarlie@karliecausey.com.