Deem

Medical team in surgical gowns and masks assisting with childbirth in an operating room

My first birth ended in an emergency C-section, and what followed was a traumatic experience that I struggled to process. For a long time, I felt the need to distance myself from it.

When I became pregnant again, I knew I wanted this birth to be different. 

Living in the Netherlands, I discovered that some hospitals offer what is known as a maternal-assisted cesarean (MAC), allowing the mother to play an active role in the birth of her baby. I longed to feel involved, connected, and truly present this time around. Thankfully, I was considered a suitable candidate, and my request was approved. As a mother, you really have to stand up for what you want during your birth, and therefore also discuss the option of the MAC, even if they aren't familiar with it.

Dare to speak up and make this open for discussion, and otherwise choose a hospital that is willing to think along with you and listen.

A mother assisted c-section, with a medical team standing around the women, lying in a hospital bed

From the very beginning, I felt seen, heard, and respected. The entire team made me feel included in every step of the process, allowing me to be an active part of my baby’s birth. 

What could have been a clinical experience instead became a beautiful celebration, filled with laughter, love, and connection. 

Having Eva Rose with us was amazing. She´s so sweet, gentle, and caring.  I look back at the photos with so much love and warmth; the most wonderful experience ever, captured in the most precious way. I feel the emotion every single time I look at the photos.

The postpartum experience was completely different, too. This time, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy, empowerment, and connection with my newborn. I felt so much better, both physically and emotionally.

This birth didn’t erase the trauma of my first, but it gave me a new experience to hold on to – one where I felt empowered, supported, and deeply connected to my baby. It reminded me how much it matters to feel heard, respected, and included in your own birth story.

Masked surgeons assist a smiling patient during a cesarean delivery in an operating room.

Gallery

Smiling couple sitting together on a hospital bed before a planned c-section
The father pushing a hospital bed with his wife, before a planned c-section, through a hallway in the hospital
Black-and-white photo of masked surgeons assisting a smiling mother during childbirth in an operating room
Black-and-white photograph of surgeons performing a cesarean section in an operating room.
Medical team in surgical gowns and masks assisting a woman during childbirth in an operating room
Surgeons in protective gowns deliver a newborn baby by cesarean section in an operating room.
Medical team holds a newborn baby over a mother during a cesarean delivery in an operating room.
Medical team assisting a mother during childbirth as she holds her newborn baby in a hospital delivery room
Medical team smiling and talking to the mother during a planned c-section
Newborn baby receiving a stethoscope examination in a hospital delivery room
Black-and-white photograph of a newborn baby wearing a knit cap, wrapped in a blanket.
Black-and-white photograph of a newborn baby
Black-and-white close-up of a mother holding a newborn baby during skin-to-skin contact.
Newborn baby wearing a knit cap and sucking its fingers while wrapped in blankets. He is lying on his mothers chest
Newborn baby breastfeeding in a hospital bed.
Black-and-white close-up of a newborn baby sleeping on a parent’s chest.
Sleeping newborn baby wearing a knit cap, resting against an adult’s chest in black and white 
Ellies birth story →
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