Whether you're about to become a mom for the first time or are giving birth to baby number four, you may have heard about the latest birthing trend: the gentle Cesarean section.The latest birthing technique is becoming a popular option for women who have to undergo a C-section delivery instead of an unmedicated birth. But what exactly is it and how does a gentle Cesarean affect your vagina?
According to Fit Pregnancy, it is important for women who are choosing to opt for this procedure to understand that a gentle C-section is still major surgery. What makes a gentle C-section different from a traditional C-section, however, is the care that is given to mother and baby during and afterwards in an effort to make both more comfortable.
"A gentle C-section is a change in the attitudes toward C-sections," Dr. David Garfinkel, attending physician at Morristown Medical Center, and senior partner at One to One FemaleCare, said in the aforementioned Fit Pregnancy article. "Where the care team — the obstetrician, anesthesiologist, and nurses — aims to make the C-section experience in the operating room as similar as possible to the labor and delivery room."
The gentle C-section has also been called the "family-centered" C-section because doctors provide a clear drape in order to allow the mother to see her baby being born and they also only strap down one of the mother's arms so that she can hold her baby immediately after the birth with the other arm. For women who have had both traditional and gentle C-sections, they favor the new procedure overall.
"As a mom who had delivered by Cesarean, I never thought I would have the experience of actually watching my child as he was born," Rebecca Cook told HealthHub. "This family-centered approach provided me with that opportunity."
Meanwhile, recovery from a gentle C-section should be fairly similar to recovering from a traditional C-section, according to Healthline. Because it is major surgery, you should make sure to get plenty of rest afterwards. You should also not lift anything heavier than your baby and focus on good nutrition in order to speed up your recovery.
When it comes to how the procedure may affect your vagina afterwards, you should make an effort to notice any changes in bad-smelling discharge of heavy bleeding. If you notice either is happening, then it is best to call your doctor.
According to Baby Center, many women who undergo a C-section feel powerless and disconnected during delivery. In fact, those same women tend to be less satisfied with the childbirth experience and are more likely to have postpartum depression, difficulty with bonding, and breastfeeding problems. But since the gentle Cesarean allows women to view the birth and experience immediate skin-to-skin contact, this facilitates bonding and successful breastfeeding. It is a more enjoyable result for pregnant women and, even though doctors do not want to encourage C-sections as an option unless absolutely medically necessary, this "family-centered" approach may be best.
