A woman has described how she was left “sobbing with joy” after assisting in her own Caesarean section to give birth to her baby girl.
As per The Mirror, Leila El Alti, requested the innovative procedure for her third child after she was “traumatised” by the experience of giving birth to her first two children.
If a mother wants to be involved in the process, she has to wear scrubs and effectively become part of the operating theatre team carrying out the C-section.
It was carried out at University Hospital Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, which is part of the NHS Lanarkshire health board.
Speaking at a meeting of the board on Thursday, Ms. El Alti described the moment she pulled her daughter from her womb as “the most magical experience of my life.”
“I’d recommend it to any woman who feels they would benefit from having such an active and empowering role in giving birth by C-section,” she added.
Ms. El Alti further stated, “I felt euphoric for weeks after Aurora was born in March, and my joy was not just for myself; my having done this successfully has hopefully opened the door for other women to also have this wonderful experience as a valid birth option.”
She also explained that she had given birth to her first child, a girl, while living in Sweden, where she said she was “coerced to have a very traumatic induction.”
Ms. El Alti even claimed that the experience had left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and that she waited five years before having her next child, a boy.
By that time, she had moved to the UK and said that giving birth for a second time only added to her trauma, as she faced “resistance” to elements of a birth plan intended to take account of her PTSD.
When she became pregnant for a third time she said she knew she wanted a maternal-assisted C-section, and discussed the option with staff at NHS Lanarkshire.
She continued: “I was delighted when the NHS Lanarkshire team agreed to the maternal-assisted option and my other needs and wishes, and we had multiple discussions and a full simulation session using a doll – a first for the clinicians.”
“When she was being born, the lead obstetrician brought Aurora’s head and shoulders out and I then completed the birth by grasping her under her arms and lifting her on to me. The team was also marvellous in accommodating a list of my requests, which included no announcement of the baby’s gender, lights dimmed after I lifted her, and a quiet moment to speak to Aurora so that my voice was the first one she heard. But I ended up uncontrollably sobbing with joy,” Ms. El Alti recalled.
“My recovery was very easy compared to the previous C-sections. Aurora and I had no complications and we were able to go home the very next day. Aurora is a healthy and happy 10-month-old who is the light of our world,” she concluded.