A Belly Birth can and should still be respected, intimate, and empowering.
As you can see from one of our previous blog post, Twin Cities Hospital Cesarean Birth Rates, almost one-third of families deliver via cesarean, and that is pretty consistent across the country. Whether your surgical birth is by choice or a medical necessity, at How 2 Mom we believe that your birth should still be respected, intimate, and empowering. But how?
The goal of a family-centered or gentle cesarean is to make the delivery as natural as possible, providing the mom, baby and support person with active roles in their delivery and as close to a vaginal childbirth experience as possible, with a heavy focus on mom and baby to allow for immediate family bonding.
At How2Mom, when hired as Birth Doulas, we discuss the risks of cesareans and what options are available to you in the event that your birth ends up in operating room. We also often get hired for repeat or planned surgical births, and most families who hire us are surprised to hear about the options that are available to them in a family-centered cesarean.
In this blog, we will discuss a handful of unknown belly birth options you can request and share with all of you our How2Mom Belly Birth Outline below.
Clear Drape
Obstetricians can utilize both a solid and clear drape in the OR, switching the solid for the clear just before delivery to allow for the mom and family to see the birth of their baby.
Delayed Cord Clamping
Delayed umbilical cord clamping increases hemoglobin levels at birth and improves iron stores in the first several months of life, which may have a favorable effect on developmental outcomes. This process can also lead to a decrease risk of placenta retention for the mom. Unless there is a medical emergency where the baby needs to be transported to the warmer immediately, delayed cord clamping can and should be done if requested.
Immediate Skin to Skin & Breastfeeding in the OR
As a Birth Doula, it breaks my heart because in my opinion this is the EASIEST option available to woman, but sadly the most under used because we just don’t know it’s an option! Unless there is a medical emergency where the baby needs to be transported to the warmer immediately, immediate skin-to-skin and the opportunity to breastfeed in the OR can and should be done if requested and wanted by the mom.
Transverse Abdominis Plane Block
Also referred to as a TAP Block which is performed at the very end of a surgical birth is used to decrease pain caused by the major abdominal surgery. It is performed by injecting local anesthetic in the plane of the transverses abdomens and oblique muscles to numb the nerves of the abdominal wall. We hear amazing results from clients who experience a significant decrease in pain, which can also be a benefit if you are looking to avoid narcotics in your recovery.
Vaginal Seeding
Vaginal seeding is the process of collecting vaginal fluids on a cotton swap and then transferring the vaginal flora to the mouth, nose and skin of the baby. The goal is to give your baby all the same bacteria that they would receive while passing through during a vaginal delivery. This bacteria is connected to a healthier immune system, digestive track and respiratory system.
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We truly hope this information and blog post was helpful. There is no “wrong” way to birth a baby and if you find yourself making the courageous decision to birth your baby by belly, I hope you now know you have options, and you too should feel respected and empowered while birthing your beautiful baby!
Testimonial of How2Mom’s Doula Services: Mariah
From our first video call with Stephanie I was immediately drawn to her warm personality on top of her knowledge and knew she would be
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