C-Section Birth Plan: How to Make It Gentle, Grounded, and Yours

Let’s talk caesareans. Because when people talk about birth plans, they’re usually imagining candles, birth pools, maybe a playlist… not sterile gowns and operating lights. But here’s the truth: a c-section is still a birth. A real one. A powerful one. And you absolutely deserve to feel informed, supported, and in control of it—whether it’s planned or not.

We’ve supported so many women through caesareans over the years, and we’ve seen just how positive they can be. Calm. Beautiful. Empowering. Yep, we said it.

💛 Yes—you can 100% have a birth plan for a c-section
Just because your baby’s coming out the sunroof doesn’t mean you have to throw all your preferences out the window. You’re still giving birth, and you still get a say in how it goes.

Here are a few things you can ask for:

Here are some things you can ask for as part of your c-section birth plan:

✅ Skin-to-skin in theatre (yep, it’s possible!)

✅ Delayed cord clamping

✅ Music of your choice playing during the procedure

✅ A calm voice talking you through what’s happening

✅ The screen lowered so you can see baby being born (only if that feels right for you)

✅ Your partner announcing baby’s sex or doing first cuddles

✅ Microbiome seeding – swabbing baby with your vaginal flora to help mimic exposure during vaginal birth

✅ Maternal-assisted caesarean – where you help lift baby out (if your care team supports it)

✅ Gentle caesarean techniques – slower delivery, dimmed lights, quiet voices, and immediate skin-to-skin

 

🌿 A few things that can actually help in the moment
If you’re heading into theatre (or just want to be ready in case), here’s what we’ve found helpful:

✨ Your Birth Weapon™ – we’ve had mums take this into theatre to hold during the spinal or while being prepped. It’s grounding and calming when things feel a bit out of body.
✨ A familiar scent or song – something small and personal can anchor you emotionally in a clinical space.
✨ Asking someone to narrate – sometimes it’s hard not knowing what’s happening. A kind voice talking you through it can make a huge difference.
✨ Your support crew – whoever’s with you, make sure they know what matters to you. Whether it’s your partner, your midwife, your doula—let them be your advocate.

🌀 Recovery deserves planning too
This bit’s no joke. You’ve just had major abdominal surgery and you’re expected to parent a brand new human straight away. Be gentle with yourself. Say yes to help. Rest as much as you can. Set boundaries. And have a few things on hand to support healing:

→ Your Birth Weapon™ – perfect for afterpains, grounding moments, and scar care. Lots of mums use it for gentle scar massage and desensitisation as the area heals (especially helpful if touch around the scar feels strange or uncomfortable).

→ Magnesium spray – for body aches, sleep support, or those tight shoulder days where you just need to breathe deeper.

→ C-Section scar strips – these little strips are designed to help reduce redness and support smoother healing. Easy to use, gentle on skin, and so handy in those early weeks.

 

✨ It’s still your birth story
If your birth involves a c-section—planned, emergency, or anything in between—you are not less. You are not less brave, less strong, less of a mother. Your story matters. Your experience is valid. And you get to make it your own kind of powerful.

Want to hear a real story that’ll hit you right in the heart?
Our latest episode of The Birth Chapter is with Alice. Her first birth was an emergency caesarean where her husband didn’t even make it into theatre. Her second? A planned home VBAC that turned into a classical c-section after a long and intense labour. She talks birth trauma, healing, and what it’s like to sit with it all. It’s raw, real, and so beautifully told.

With love,
Jess & Mikaelah x