This is a guest post from natural mama Abby Deliz. Abby is a mother of three children (Luke, 8; and Landon, 7 months), and she is also a Master’s student at Claremont Graduate University. Abby has contributed several other wonderful articles on this site on the topic of c-section recovery.For women who wanted a natural childbirth, it can be disheartening – and even traumatic – to end up having a cesarean section. This was surely my experience, especially after my first child (an emergency cesarean) and my third (a planned VBAC birth after two cesareans that ended in another surgery).C-sections come with plenty of negatives – a longer hospital stay, weeks of recovery time, and lifting and driving restrictions. Emergency cesareans often come with added emotional trauma and increased rates of postpartum depression and anxiety.A cesarean mama might feel that her birth experience didn’t measure up to what it was “supposed” to be, to what her friends experienced, or to what she heard about in the media.

She might have been completely unconscious when her baby was born with her arms strapped down and loved ones out of the room. Baby might have been 10 feet away, surrounded by doctors, or even taken to the NICU.Mama might not meet her newborn, let alone breastfeed him or her, until hours later.No. The answer is simple. You can make your surgical birth experience almost everything you dreamed of when you planned a natural birth. It’s thankfully a new trend we’re seeing in some hospitals and the practice is called Gentle Caesarean.A gentle cesarean can be part of your birth plan if you know you’ll need a c-section, or it can be part of a back-up plan if your intended natural birth and/or VBAC fails.The best part about a gentle cesarean is that you can pick and choose which aspects will create your ideal birth atmosphere.A gentle cesarean (sometimes called a family-centered birth) includes many features, but its overall purpose is to invoke a peaceful, calm atmosphere that closely mimics what happens during and immediately after a natural childbirth.

When a baby goes through the birth canal during a vaginal birth, he or she is exposed to a plethora of microbes – in baby’s mouth and on the skin. These bacteria help build a healthy microbiome for your baby, which could reduce his or her risk of inflammatory illnesses like Crohn’s disease, heart disease, infections, and much more.The absence of this bacteria transfer in cesarean babies might explain why some studies have found that cesarean babies have higher rates of asthma, allergies, obesity, and other health concerns.Does a cesarean mean that your baby has to go without the benefits of these microbes?With a gentle caesarean, your doctor or midwife can collect a vaginal swab and wipe it on your baby’s skin and in his or her mouth to contribute toward a positive microbiome. Another option is to take a swab of our vagina and wipe it on your nipples before baby breastfeeds.While this is a relatively new practice, (indeed, I missed out on it with my three kids – a shame since I suffer from Crohn’s and its related enemy, arthritis), research is currently underway to study the efficacy of the practice.

Include your wishes for a gentle cesarean, even if you are planning a natural childbirth, in your birth plan, and keep several copies of it handy – in your hospital bag, your car’s glove compartment, and your purse. ikea ritva white curtainsEveryone involved in your birth (obstetrician, midwife, doula, neonatologist, pediatrician, anesthesiologist, and operating room nurses) should also have a copy and be willing to abide by it. country curtains ashford silk in blueFind a doctor who is open to the idea and ideally familiar with the concept of a gentle cesarean. ready made curtains tunbridge wellsIf you are facing a doctor on-call with whom you are not familiar, make sure you have an advocate with you who is willing to voice any concerns you may have. bagh print curtains bhopal

It is well within your rights to take the extra time prior to surgery (barring any emergencies) to put in place a birth team who is willing to make this work for you.purple curtains 46x90Read up on your hospital’s policies and procedures beforehand so that you are aware ahead of time of any obstacles that may get in the way of your gentle cesarean. dritz curtain grommets whiteHospitals sometimes have regulations in place that are different than your doctor’s practices, and hospital rules override even your doctor’s wishes. verona ceiling mount curtain rod blackHopefully, you can have every aspect of your birth that you desire, but if everything does not go according to plan, take the time to grieve!

Even in the best of circumstances, we all have our “Mama Wound”.Remember, this might just be another day for them, but this is YOUR birth experience – something that you will remember and reflect upon for the rest of your life. Make your wishes known! This is not the time to be shy.A gentle cesarean is the best way to get through a surgical birth with compassion, peace, and grace, and it is often extremely healing for mamas who have been through a previous traumatic surgical birth.If you had to have a cesarean, did you take any specific steps to make it a gentle one? Share with us in the comments below! We have 188 stores located throughout the UK. Use the options below to find your nearest store.The legacy of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud informs the lives of people throughout the world even to this day, though it's a phenomenon to which most are unaware. The Century of the Self, written and produced by Adam Curtis, is an exhaustive examination of his theories on human desire, and how they're applied to platforms such as advertising, consumerism and politics.

This four-hour odyssey is divided into four distinct segments.The first episode concerns Edward Bernays, Freud's nephew and one of the most influential pioneers in public relations. Appealing to what his uncle believed were the aggressive and prurient forces hidden inside of all mankind, Bernays manipulated these inner desires to promote group thinking - first in drumming up the patriotic support of U.S. citizens during World War I and later in the realm of advertising. The Engineering of Consent. Perhaps the darkest illustration of Freud's philosophy can be found in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The film's second segment recounts the efforts of Bernays and Freud's daughter Anna, who collaborated alongside the American government to devise methods for suppressing the barbaric potential of the human mind. It was only through these activities, the government believed, that a harmonious democracy would be possible. There is a Policeman Inside All of Our Heads, He Must Be Destroyed.

Segment three takes place during a vastly different period of American history: the 1960s. As dissenters of Freud began to come to prominence, so too did a younger generation who were determined to fully embrace and flaunt their inner desires. Following on their lead, corporations and their advertisers morphed their message from one of conformity to a celebration of the individual. In so doing, they showed that the tenants of Freud's theories could be successfully manipulated regardless of the temperature of the times. Eight People Sipping Wine In Kettering. The final section takes us full throttle into the universe of politics. During the 1990s, in a desperate measure to regain the White House, the Democratic Party enlisted the assistance of Matthew Freud, a public relations expert and the great-grandson of Sigmund. With a determined reliance on focus groups, the party recalibrated their campaigns to fulfill the innermost desires of the American people. Shortly thereafter, Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States.