By DR. MITCHELL KRAMER, MD
That moment when a child is born and placed on its mother’s chest for the first time – there really are no words to adequately describe it. While women who deliver vaginally typically get to experience this intimate connection, women who deliver via Cesarean section previously could not. Then came what’s been called the “gentle C section.”
During this kind of birth, the covering that is typically placed over the mother’s abdomen is removed and through a clear screen she can see her baby as it’s born. With gentle C sections, mothers can also experience skin-to-skin contact almost immediately with their newborns.
Bonding with a newborn is vitally important. It helps to promote successful breastfeeding and can also help to lower a woman’s chance of having postpartum depression.
Another aspect that can help a mother and her baby bond is when a mother rooms with her child during her hospital stay after birth. This process, called “couplet care” or “rooming in,” can allow the baby and mother to start to get to know each other’s schedules and needs.
Both of these birthing processes – couplet care and gentle C sections – are available at Huntington Hospital. Expectant mothers who deliver at the hospital will stay in the hospital’s newest unit featuring all private rooms with en suite, full bathrooms in a spacious layout. Their experience will be enhanced with amenities such as a special, congratulatory surf and turf dinner and plush bathrobe.
Huntington Hospital also has a team of four midwives who provide care to women from menstruation through menopause and beyond. The certified nurse midwives have each been educated in nursing and have a graduate degree in midwifery.
Expectant mothers should consult with their obstetricians and the hospital they plan to deliver at if they are interested in options such as gentle C sections, care from a midwife and couplet care as not all hospitals offer these options.
Mitchell Kramer, MD, Chairman, Obstetrics/Gynecology Department, Huntington Hospital
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