124: Gentle Cesarean Birth & Vaginal Seeding

Nearly one third of babies in the U.S. are born via cesarean section and this is the most common surgery performed. Cesarean sections are a routine procedure for Obstetricians that haven’t changed much over the last few decades. In the last few years the idea of a gentle cesarean was introduced which is challenging some of the routine practices of a conventional cesarean. A gentle cesarean, also called a family centered cesarean, family centered birth, or natural cesarean, involves little tweaks to the routine procedures to make a cesarean birth more mom and baby friendly. This episode goes through the components of a gentle cesarean and how they can differ from a conventional cesarean. Also included is the evidence on the risks and benefits of vaginal seeding and how your baby’s gut microbiome can be influenced by their birth. If you know you will be meeting your baby via cesarean this episode will give you some options to the conventional cesarean and how to discuss these with your doctor. If you are planning a vaginal birth this is great info for your back up plan so you can be prepared on all your options no matter how you meet your baby.

Show notes: http://pregnancypodcast.com/episode124/

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