At The Healthy Mummy, we are strong advocates for all types of birth experiences. We’ve shared stories of mother’s who’ve birthed in water, without pain relief, with pain relief and through c-sections. All inspiring. All amazing.
When we stumbled across this video of a birthing practice now being referred to as the ‘natural c-section’ our minds were blown! In a natural c-section, a small incision is made but only the head of the baby is delivered by obstetrician with the baby left to wriggle the rest of its body out slowly and gently. 
It is thought that this new method can give baby a slower and calmer entry into the world, while also allowing a c-section mother to experience something similar to a ‘natural’ delivery.
The British mother who featured in the viral video shared that; “If you are unable to give birth ‘naturally,’ having a natural cesarean is the next best thing.”
If you’re planning a c-section or your birth ends up that way, there are a number of things you can do to make sure you have the best experience possible.
- Be involved in the decision making process – Ask to be informed every step of the way so that you know what’s happening. Depending on the situation, your birth partner should be able to be with you during birth (the only exception to this is if you’ve had to be put to sleep for the birth) and they will be an enormous source of support.
- Ask for skin to skin after birth – Provided all goes well, there’s no reason why you can’t have skin to skin immediately after delivery.
- Find out if photos and/or video are allowed in theatre.
- If your birth partner would like to cut the cord, find out if this is possible. Announcing the sex (if you haven’t found out) can also be a beautiful experience for a new parent.
