Our Doulas Will Always Support Your Cesarean Birth

The doulas at Carolina Birth and Wellness support all birth choices, and all birthing options, including cesarean births. In fact, during our birth planning consultation, we make a cesarean plan just so our clients feel knowledgable about all the possibilities. From this knowledge, our clients feel confident heading into birth because they understand plan A, as well as plan Z, and all the permutations in between.

The most important aspect of a cesarean birth is that it is a birth. The idea that a cesarean is anything less than a birth is false and incredibly offensive to birthing people that have had one or more cesareans. Shaming women and birthing individuals based on their birth choices must end, and it must begin with acknowledging: a birth is a birth, period. And as doulas, we support our clients during birth, no matter the means of birth.

Customizing Your Cesarean

We are very lucky to live in an area where all of the local hospitals are working with families to make cesarean births more customized to the wishing of the birth person, a process called family centered cesarean births. Please note: these options are only available in non-emergent births, and not all of our wonderful hospitals offer all of the following. We recommend that you speak your physician prior to the birth to understand what options are available to you.

You may be able to request a spinal block instead of an increased level of an epidural
The anesthesiologist sometimes will allow both the support person AND the doula into the operating room.
Dimming the lights and playing music may be available
Limiting conversation to topics only related to you, your baby, or your birth may make the operating room seem more personal
A clear drape is available at some of the hospitals so that you may see your baby be born
Delayed cord clamping and having your partner cut the cord may be an option
Immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding can be available if medically safe for all parties
You may be able to have a free hand to touch your baby
Your support person can provide skin to skin with your newborn if you do not feel comfortable doing so while on the operating table
With having your support person and doula in the operating room, you may request one of the two follow the baby if he or she must be taken out of the room and the other person stay with you while your medical team finishes the procedure.

Planned Cesarean Births

Doulas can be extremely helpful during scheduled cesarean births as well. Planned cesareans can be incredibly empowering to birthing individuals for a variety of reasons, and we will support any reason.

By actively making the choice to schedule a cesarean, the birthing individual is taking birth into her own hands, and that choice can be very empowering for those with a history of sexual or birth trauma. It may be one of the few times in her reproductive and sexual life she is able to make the choice for herself.
And for those of you who have had an emergency cesarean prior, the act of picking the day and time can help regain some of the power that may have been lost in the last birth experience.
Or, simply, a birthing person wants a cesarean, no other reason. And that is completely okay with us!

And remember, just because sometime is planned does it mean that it will happen as planned. Your doula can arrive at the hospital at the time of check in and stay with you and your partner until your baby is born, no matter how long that turns out to be.

As always, we are not in the business of judging, because your birth plan and preferences are uniquely yours! We would love to support you during your first, or tenth cesarean.