The first successful gentle caesarean birth at the Mount Isa Hospital has created a new option for mothers in the North West region to have a more personalised and satisfying birth experience.

Midwifery Group Practice Manager Suzanne Weir said being able to offer another option for women having a caesarean was a positive for the region.   

“While a caesarean section is a major surgery, a more patient-centred approach can be taken to make the experience as calm and joyful as possible,” she said.

“A gentle caesarean brings elements of vaginal delivery into the operating room, like letting the mother watch the birth as the baby is being born or holding her newborn right away.”

North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS) midwife Toni Nancarrow-Gerchow had envisioned a natural birth, but after experiencing placenta previa during her pregnancy, her baby would be born via caesarean for the safety of them both.

"I wanted my baby to be birthed calmly and joyfully, so a bright busy operating theatre was far from this. I started reading about gentle caesareans and the possibility of still having a calm and joyful birth seemed realistic,” she said.

“Despite there being some logistics to work through, the team was incredibly supportive of my wishes. I was able to have a calm, quiet space in the operating theatre and immediate skin to skin with my baby.

“The theatre staff, the anaesthetist, the obstetricians and my midwives were so kind, supportive and excited to be involved in my baby’s birthday."

Toni urges every birthing woman to consider what’s important to her and her family and to advocate to achieve as much of that as possible.

"How your baby is born and how you feel in that sacred time is so important. It’s easy to feel like it’s not the special day you wanted when things aren’t as you hoped they’d be, so make your wishes known and explore your options."

Mount Isa Hospital is committed to providing a positive birthing experience for mothers and their families and will work with expectant mothers to tailor their birth plan to their individual needs and preferences.