The Gentle C-Section

Baptist Health Corbin: The Gentle C-Section

Misty D. Thompson, DO, describes the gentle C-section, which allows parents to experience immediate bonding with their babies, for a more natural-feeling birth.

The Gentle C-Section Health Talks Transcript

Misty D. Thompson, DO, Obstetrics & Gynecology
A gentle C-section is a totally different experience. When someone has a natural delivery, there’s an opportunity for instant bonding between mother and baby. The baby can be placed directly on her chest. In a C-section, usually mom’s arms are tied down, and once the baby is delivered, it’s handed to a nursing team who evaluates the baby.

Megan Jones, McCreary County, Kentucky
You get to see your baby for just a brief second, and then they take it away. You watch your baby go out the door.

Dr. Thompson
Here at Baptist Health we’re trying to change that, and now we’re offering something called gentle C-sections for those who choose to do that. Basically, as soon as the baby’s born, as long as baby’s stable, we place it directly on mom’s chest, just like we would for a vaginal delivery. There’s an opportunity for dad to cut the cord. Skin to skin between mom and baby is best. The mother can start breast-feeding immediately, just as if she had a natural delivery.

Jones
Within moments of her coming into the world, she was on me, and you don’t get to experience that with a regular cesarean. The gentle C-section, it just allows you to have a more natural-feeling delivery.

Dr. Thompson
We are trying to make this experience as natural as possible, and with a gentle C-section, that is as natural as you can get without having a completely natural birth.