> I would be surprised if  family centered C-sections like you describe
> exists anyway in the country.
> Our hospital if very family centered with LDRP's but they do not
> breastfeed until they are out of the OR. Most OR rooms are not that big
> to accommodate more than the father. Who would be watching the other lay
> people to make sure they didn't contaminate the field?  The mother has a
> screen up between her and the surgical field, how would you keep the
> field sterile. Another thing  OR's are usual cold and yes I know putting
> babe next to mom hopefully would keep the baby warm.  I can hear
> anesthesia screaming now.

But you might also be surprised by what you can sometimes achieve. I have 
photos of my friend, a doula and LLL Leader, helping a newborn baby to his 
mother's breast while her incision is being stitched up. Dad took the 
photos. The baby nursed; when he stopped, Dad put him skin-to-skin against 
his chest while they waited for the repair to continue.

I have been to a number of Cesarean births as a doula, and find that I don't 
really need someone watching me to make sure I don't contaminate the field. 
Usually the woman's partner and I are directed to a certain spot (usually 
close to the mother's head) and we just stay there. There is plenty of room 
between the mother's breast and the incision site in most cases so there's 
room for the baby to go to the breast. If the room is cold, you can cover 
the baby with a heated blanket while he or she is at the breast.

While some Cesarean births are the result of a medical emergency, not all of 
them are. Some are planned well in advance, others are done because labour 
is not progressing. But even in an emergency situation, once the baby is 
assessed and determined to be okay, he can come back to his mother to nurse 
and be close. You just have to find people who believe that's important.

Teresa Pitman 

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