A Letter to my Doctor on the Day of my Cesarean Birth

Now that the Align Birth Doulas have hospital badges at St. Mary’s and UPH-Meriter Hospitals in Madison, WI, we have the honor of attending cesarean births with our clients who either choose that path or find themselves in the operating room due to health risks.

As a result of our increased presence in the OR, our doulas have been discussing the downside of a surgical birth - a family feeling like they are no longer an active, in-control part of their birth experience, but a bystander listening as birth happens TO them.

During prenatal visits with clients, we discuss the ins and outs of birth - what are their hopes, dreams, goals, fears, and preferences. In the birthing suites we help ensure that the whole birth team - from nurses, to doctors, to midwives, and students - are aware of the family’s plan and preferences. We are so fortunate to witness so many providers honor those wishes and work together for an empowering, beautiful experience.

But what we see is that between the triage room and the operating room, doctors are forgetting what this experience is about.

In a cesarean birth, most doctors seem to forget that the person they are operating on is not only awake and able to hear every discussion, but also trying to experience one of life’s best gifts - the birth of their child.

With input and ideas from the amazing Align birth doulas, I wrote the below letter for families to share in place of or alongside their birth plan to remind their doctor that this should and can be a beautiful memory to treasure forever.

For a free copy of this letter, please email me at emilyk@aligndoula.com