How To Have A Gentle C-Section

TweetPin561ShareShare561 Shares Have you ever heard of a gentle c-section? It’s an alternative to a…

Having a planned c-section? Learn how a gentle c-section can allow you to have a more natural birthing experience and bond with baby sooner!

Have you ever heard of a gentle c-section?

It’s an alternative to a traditional c-section and is perfect for moms that will be having a planned c-section to deliver their baby. 

As a mother of two, I have had planned c-section’s twice, and when I realized that my hospital practices gentle c-sections, I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to  still be able to have some of the elements of a natural birthing experience.

Traditional c-sections are typically centered around a quick delivery, with not much concern for bonding with baby.  

Thankfully, more and more hospitals are placing more emphasis on the birth experience for mother’s who have planned c-sections.

Don’t get me wrong, whether gentle or traditional, a c-section is still a major abdominal surgery.

However, the overall birth experience for a gentle c-section is a complete 180 from the traditional experience.

So if you have a planned c-section and want to know how you can bond with baby sooner, a gentle c-section may be the perfect solution for you. 

You Get To See Baby Being Born

Before you panic, don’t worry, you wont see them cutting you open or anything like that. 

However, you will be able to see your baby immediately after he/she is born.

Since you won’t be able to feel anything, the nurses let you know when your baby is about to be born. 

Next, the drape is lowered so that you can look up and see your beautiful baby as soon as they enter the world.

I really enjoyed having this as an option with my pregnancies.

It made the birthing experience feel less like major surgery and more like a typical birth in a labor and delivery room.

Plus there was no real wait time between having my baby and getting to see him.

I must also add that as soon as he was born, they brought him around to me so that I could see him up close. 

I didn’t get to hold him just yet, but after all of the tugging and pulling subsided, being able to see my little one’s face was absolutely priceless.

Having a planned c-section? Learn how a gentle c-section can allow you to have a more natural birthing experience and bond with baby sooner!

Your Hands Are Free

Another major difference between a traditional c-section and a gentle one is the fact that your arms aren’t strapped down to your sides of the bed. 

Although, your arms are still spread out away from you, they are not strapped down to the table and you can move them freely.

That said, you won’t really move your hands much at all until you get your baby – which brings me to the next major difference…

Skin-To-Skin

One of my favorite things about gentle C-sections is that once your baby has been weighed, and wiped down a little bit, they hand your baby to you so that you can do skin-to-skin.

If you didn’t know, skin-to-skin is extremely important in helping regulate your little one’s body temperature, as well as a plethora of other health benefits. 

While skin-to-skin isn’t immediate, I did love being able to hold my sweet baby boy a few minutes after he was born.

Don’t worry, your hubby will be able to enjoy the experience as well!

My hubby was able to hold him while they prepped me to go into recovery after the surgery.

This was huge for me because while I was the one having the surgery, I believe that it’s important for dad’s to be involved during the birthing process also.

Having a planned c-section? Learn how a gentle c-section can allow you to have a more natural birthing experience and bond with baby sooner!

Baby’s First Photos

My hospital was so amazing in making you feel involved in the birthing experience.

We got the ‘ok’ to bring our camera into the surgery room and we were allowed to take pictures right after he was born.

The nurse even took the camera with her and took pictures of him on the scale!

It was a really amazing experience and I’m glad that we were able to have those memories.

Be sure to check with your hospital to see what their policies are on bringing a camera or a video recorder into the surgery room.

Having a planned c-section? Learn how a gentle c-section can allow you to have a more natural birthing experience and bond with baby sooner!

Delayed Cord Clamping

While I didn’t have this option when I delivered, I have heard that some hospitals are giving women the option to do a very brief, yet delayed cord clamping for their little ones.

While it may not last as long as it would after a vaginal delivery, it is possible at some hospitals to have your cord clamping delayed by maybe a minute or two after your baby is born.

Typically during a huge abdominal surgery like a C-section, they want to close you up as soon as possible to prevent any infection.

However, if your doctors are willing to work with you and let you delay cord clamping for even a few minutes, that would be amazing!

That said, definitely check with your hospital to see there if this is a viable option for you!

And there you have it!

These are the main differences that you can expect if you opt to have a gentle cesarean over a traditional one.

I highly recommend this experience if you’re going to be having a c-section, and you want to make it as a natural of an experience as possible.

If you’ve had a gentle cesarean before I’d love to hear what your experience was like!

Feel free to share your experience in the comments below!


Having a planned c-section? Learn how a gentle c-section can allow you to have a more natural birthing experience and bond with baby sooner!

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3 Comments

  1. First of all, congratulations Kermilia! This is so interesting (and a sweet relief). It sounds like the perfect, considerate alternative for women who don’t prefer a c-section. I’m so happy to hear that more hospitals are attempting a sensitive approach to such a beautiful moment of our lives. Thank you for sharing!

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