10/05/2026
Continuing this evening with an empowering gentle C-Section birth story 💜
Also sometimes referred to as a 'family-centred' C-section, this alternative approach is "designed to create a more intimate and personalised environment for the family while also ensuring the safety of the surgery"
https://csectionuk.com/blog/what-are-gentle-c-sections
With thanks, as always, to the family for allowing me to share.
"For me, it was a really ‘measured’ experience and I felt in control as I had specifically asked for a gentle c section at a very early stage of pregnancy.
I’d read an awful lot about the pros and cons of C sections generally, and one of the big things was the criticism that the baby doesn’t get exposed to the pressures that it would otherwise experience if birthed naturally as well as healthy bacteria.
Allowing the baby to squeeze itself out of my tummy at its own speed went some way to countering those things. Also, I wanted to enjoy the birth, and not feel in any way rushed which the gentle C section enables.
I was asked if I wanted any special lighting or music. It was lovely.
Whilst it felt incredibly personal (they positioned mirrors so that I could see my daughter emerge), it was wonderful to ‘share’ it with the people in the room as everyone was fixed on my tummy and I could see the smiles and hear the ‘ahhhs’ as each limb worked its way out.
It was all at my daughter's pace which I felt much more comfortable with, as c sections are normally very quick and some people say they are a ‘shock’ to the baby.
My consultant, Andy Simm did a radio interview where he said a lot of traditional surgeons sometimes take offence to the word ‘Gentle’ as it infers that a normal c section is somehow ‘rough’ which it isn’t; it’s just different.
I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It was just amazing."
💜
