The Empowering Cesarean

Empowerment - making one stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.

Let's get one thing straight from the start - noone can empower another person when it comes to the humanistic experience of empowerment. Empowerment is, by definition, one finding ones own strength. So, I cannot empower you... but, you making a choice that feels good and resonates within you can be empowering to you. It is your power of making that choice that feels good. 

I am a huge advocate of low intervention, no pain medication birth. In healthy and low risk birth, less intervention (medications, tools, equipment, etc..) means less inherent risk. But just because I believe in that truth does not mean that it is going to be true for every birthing journey. Every birthing journey doesn't stay healthy and low risk, not every birthing journey couldn't benefit from weighing the pros and cons of an intervention and erring on the side of the intervention. So, that is where we start.

Women can have very empowering births in whatever way that they birth. My years as a birth worker have taught me that truth. The number one deciding factor that makes or breaks the case for a woman's fulfillment of a birth experience and decreases her chances of seeing it as a trauma is choice. When a woman is provided with choices, and is given the space to be a partner in her healthcare and birth planning, she is able to look forward to her birthing time with joy and not fear, fulfillment and not trauma.

If you find yourself planning for an upcoming cesarean, here are some options that are specific to you:

• Feminist Breeder 
• ICAN’s Family Centered Options 

• Sample Cesarean Plan 
• Medical Paper on Facilitating a ‘Natural Cesarean’ 
• Best Cesarean Care Plan – most information is for a planned cesarean

• Gentle Cesarean 

• Kangaroo Care after Cesarean 

• Family-Centered Cesarean

 In addition, you can talk with your provider about using a clear drape or a drape with a window in it, see if your hospital offers the TAP block for post-operative pain management, and talk with them about having a photographer in the OR with you to document those first moments.

Knowing your options, and finding a provider who will have an open dialog about these options, helps to ensure a happy and healthy mom in all birth experiences.