Comments on: An Attached C-section

By: helena

helena — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:35:44 +0000

as a 21 year old mum to a 4 year old and bump i’d love to know the significance of the other mother in your story’s age? would anyone ever casually refer to “old mums” as such?

i’m constantly shocked by the way people react to people like me, especially within a community based on respect the way attachment parenting is.

sorry i cant stand to leave the “poor young mum” trope unmarked

thanks for the thought provoking article, as i begin to prepare for my second birth i’m glad i found a perspective ive never thought of before, c-sec always scared me because of how much i hated the hospital staff taking my baby from me for the min or two it took to apgar and weigh her, hearing its possible to maintain attachment through what will be our worst case scenario is such a comforting thought.

By: Marybeth

Marybeth — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 03:26:02 +0000

I am an attachment parent–who chose a c-section.
Yes–not a typo–chose one.
I wanted a birth that was drama and trauma free and in my mind part of attachment parenting is to get the Mother and Baby off to the best possible early start.
I am in medicine and I live in an academic medical town–the emergency c-section rate is around 35-40%.
I decided being petite, 38 yrs old and w/ a mother who needed 3 c-sections for her children, I wasn’t going to roll the dice.
It seemed crazy and all largely unnecessary to me to have a baby possibly in the NICU or me w/ serious perineal tears, recovery and/or emotional challenges all to walk this earth saying ‘but I had a vaginal birth!’.
I am ever-thankful for the choice to have done it my way and for what was best for our family.
We had an unbelievable start–baby at my side just like your story, nursing in the post-op area and just a very healthy Mom and Baby.
Bonus chip: w/ a c-section you get 5 days in the hospital–what a great way to establish breastfeeding, get good lactation support, time for bonding and just good support in general.
I always find it interesting when women judge my story as bad and their vaginal birth as good when they were in labor for way too many hours, a distressed baby, NICU infant situation, poor latching b/c of prolonged separation. That’s a good start for bonding and maternal/infant attachment? Not in my mind.
If I thought my choice was good, I left feeling it was great for me and my family. I had a very calm, content, happy baby and I attribute much of this to our solid start.

By: Sherrie

Sherrie — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:40:01 +0000

I enjoyed reading your story. I too had an attached c-section. The primary difference that I had was that my daughter had to be taken to a nursery down the hall to have all the preliminary tests etc done, but the hospital staff welcomed my husband and allowed him to stay by her side the entire time. She was in my arms and nursing within an hour and only left the room one more time with my teenage daughter and a nurse to get a bath. I wanted a natural birth and was heartbroken and terrified to have a c-section, but my doctor, and the hospital were respectful of my desire to remain attached to my baby and did everything they could to ensure it went smoothly. I am thankful for their support and to have an extremely close-knit supportive family.

By: NYCmommy

NYCmommy — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:34:41 +0000

I also had a c-section with my son. Although he had to go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a few days because he had a fever when he was born, the hospital was incredibly supportive and helpful with getting me to him to breastfeed and letting my husband stay with him when I had to rest in my room. It wasn’t the optimal way to start our bonding but my husband got an amazing opportunity to bond with our son in the first few days and I realized that the first few hours don’t make a real difference when you are attached and devoted to your baby. We are so close now, my baby sleeps with me every night and I carry him around the city during my errands. I miss him every minute I’m away, even if it’s just before I get into bed with him. Thank you for talking about your c-section and I hope your story and mine will make women feel less “bad” about having a c-section and also that true bonding will still occur even if we are healing from such a major surgery ( I did have more pain than you described but thank goodness for pain medication that doesn’t get into breast milk!).

By: Different Story

Different Story — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 01:05:11 +0000

Your story sounds wonderful; however, I physically could not change a diaper. I was simply unable to do so from so much pain. It took me five full days to be able to sit upright enough to change my baby boy’s diaper. One can still believe in & follow attachment parenting, but not be physically able to do so after a c-section.

By: Fiona

Fiona — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:13:03 +0000

This is common practice where I live in Vancouver, Canada and I’m shocked that it’s not elsewhere. My c-section baby (also a high risk birth) never left my side. In fact, with the help of my midwife, she nursed while the OB stitched me up! In my experience it was easy and it made perfect sense!

By: rania

rania — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:47:39 +0000

Beautifully said! thought i was reading my story … and i live thousands of miles away in Athens, Greece! ”Attachment Parenting” was at the heart of our culture …a very familly/children’s needs oriented community and now over the past 30 years we seem to have caught up – and overtaken even – on all sorts of negative super modern scientific birthing/parenting practices … So i found myself fighting and arguing for something that should have been the obvious outcome : rooming in with my baby girl and breatfeeding her on demand ,even though i had a c section, …i’m so glad i did i know exactly what you mean !