Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : October 29, 2014 4:17 PM IST
When it comes to birthing, most expectant mums want to experience the bliss of a normal delivery and labour, no matter the pain. However, there are times when all that meticulous planning and inclusions made in your birth plan can go for a toss. This is because labour is unpredictable and at times a mother might have to go under the knife to deliver her baby and ensure her safety.
A C-section might not be an expectant mother s preferred choice of birthing, but health conditions, fetal distress and many other factors during labour might make it an absolute necessity. Admittedly a C-section is way different from natural delivery. However, there are ways in which you can create a calming and soothing birthing atmosphere for your baby when wheeled in the operation theatre.
Keep the lights dim
Your baby s birthing experience leaves a long-lasting impact on her mind. Hence, it is necessary that you give attention to every single detail of the birthing room to ensure a smooth transition from the womb to the world. Anything that s unnatural is traumatic for your newborn including the harsh surgical lights in the OT. Ask your doctor or the healthcare staff to dim the lights a bit after the birth. Apart from that, ask them to pull the curtains of the windows, if any, to make the room calm and quiet. By doing so, you would be replicating the surroundings like that of your womb that had been a haven for your child for the last nine months. Here is how you can plan a birth without violence.
Play soothing music
During pregnancy, music plays a key role in lowering one s stress levels and also helping to bond with the unborn child in the womb. Experts believe that listening to soothing music during pregnancy also helps to stimulate hearing of your baby. If you have practised music therapy during pregnancy, bring your music with you to the labour room and the OT. Playing similar tunes that you played during pregnancy will help your baby connect with the world better and reduce the stress of a surgical birth. Here is all that you need to know about what happens after a C-section.
Be an active participant of the birthing process
In a conventional setting, during the C-section the mother is given anesthesia to numb the lower half of her body, and a drape is pulled to keep the mother from viewing the ongoing operation. But with certain considerations, many doctors, especially the ones who support the process of natural birthing, may lower the drape so that you can get a glimpse of your baby while birthing as it would have been in the natural birthing process. Apart from this, sing lullabies or keep talking to your baby to show your active participation in the birthing process. It might help you know how to write a perfect birth plan during your pregnancy.
Slow down the birthing process
A normal delivery can take any time between four to 24 hours, and a C-section is just the opposite. In this surgical process, birthing takes just a couple of minutes. However, if you have planned for a C-section make sure that you ask your doctor to make the birthing a slow and steady process. Remember many babies born surgically suffer from breathing problems after birth. This is because during the normal delivery the amniotic fluid is squeezed out of the lungs of the baby that helps in breathing when out of the womb. But in a cesarean section where the baby is airlifted immediately after the surgical cut, some amount of amniotic fluid can remain in the lungs that could cause breathing difficulties later. So to avoid such complications ask your doctor to go slow with the process. Once the head is out, let your baby remain in the uterus for a few more seconds that could help clear the lungs for better breathing.
Demand for a breast crawl
One major disadvantage of a surgical birth is that it inhibits an immediate skin-to-skin contact of the mother and the baby. However, in the recent times more doctors are encouraging to have a breast crawl or an immediate skin-to-skin contact with the mother to encourage bonding and stabilize the baby s heartbeat and reduce the trauma of birthing. However, care should be taken that your baby s legs don t reach or hurt the site of operation. Here are a few important reasons why dads should practise kangaroo care.
Opt for breastfeeding
Most people believe that a surgical birth makes it difficult to start immediate breastfeeding. However, your baby can enjoy a host of benefits if you can initiate breastfeeding within the first thirty minutes after birthing. Talk to your lactation consultant to know how you can feed your baby lying on the operation table. In case you are allowed to enjoy a breast crawl, your baby might be lucky to have her first supply of breast milk immediately after the birth. Here are eight reasons why breastfeeding is good for your baby.
Delay cord clamping
In a C-section, everything is done at a fast pace from birthing to clamping of the cord. However, recent studies have indicated that delayed cord clamping have a lot of benefits for your baby to enjoy and it reduces risk of anemia while providing your baby with nourishment and oxygen during those initial moments after birth. Ask your doctor to clamp the cord of your baby once it stops to pulsate to reap the benefits of delayed cord clamping. Here are few benefits of delayed cord clamping.
Image source: Getty Images
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