Guest Post at Mothers of Change

I'd like to thank the great team at Mothers of Change for hosting my guest post on updating cesarean protocols. Please have a read and feel free to comment here, or there, especially if you have any suggestions for bettering the cesarean experiences

http://www.mothersofchange.com/2011/12/changing-cesarean-births.html

This post was not only a great oportunity to share information, it got me writing again, something I have been wanting to do for a while now!

One year later...

Cesarean awareness month has come to an end and I am curious to see that it has been a year since I posted about my skin to skin experience in the O.R. SEE HERE

This post by far gets the most hits of any post on my blog, with dozens of people from all over the globe viewing it daily.

Of all the hard things about my little son's birth, (which is in a couple of days!) I am grateful that there are good things too. It makes me feel a sense of purpose to have a way to positively influence births. I hope that by letting the world view us in our first meeting we will help other mothers and babies meet each other sooner.

I have hear that the first two years after a traumatic birth are the hardest. So I'm almost there. Please wish me luck.

Skin to Skin in the OR

In honour of the end of Cesarean Awareness Month, I am posting this picture of my brand new baby, less then ten minutes after his emergency cesarean delivery. As you can see we are skin to skin in the OR. I had no idea how special this was until I started learning more about cesareans. Now I know that, although it should be, having baby placed naked on it's mamas chest is not common practice. I was very lucky to have care providers that made this happen. When I see cesareans on TV ( yes sometimes I am foolish enough to watch "those" birth shows) I am saddened to see babies being excessively handled. Silly things are done, such as having foot prints taken, diapering, and tight swaddling, all before baby gets to meet their mom.

So fellow mothers and fathers, ask for your babies. Don't be afraid to speak up. If your baby is stable there is no reason not to meet them in their birth day suits. One of the most empowering moments of my crazy birth was having the chance to answer "No Diaper".

EDITED 2014 *I have received numerous requests to use this photo for educational purposes.  To this note I give permission for this image to be used for educational purposes in regards to promoting skin to skin contact in the OR during cesarean births.  The photo must be credited to cesareanparents.blogspot.com also the use of this photo must be reported in the comment section of this post.  At any time I reserve the right to revoke this permission. THANK YOU for your interest in this subject.