Family Centered Cesarean in Atlanta

I recently watched this video I created in 2013, and I had forgotten just how amazing the experience was...

I had wonderful doula/birth photography clients who wanted to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). Their first daughter had been born by cesarean, and they were not sure that it had been a necessary surgery. They knew there was a better way to birth than the fear filled experience they had been through.

So this time they hired a doula/birth photographer (me!) and they sought out caregivers who trusted birth and used interventions sparingly. They found the amazing Midwives of Intown Midwifery.

When labor started and they were ready for my help, I met them at home. We later went to Atlanta Medical Center, and at one point mama got into the waterbirth tub for pain relief. After about 24 hours of labor, baby's heartbeat began causing some concern.

It was at this point that I began to see things happen in a hospital that I had not seen before. Intown Midwifery's back-up doctor at the time, Dr. Bootstaylor, arrived in the room and sat quietly. He didn't take over the room but seamlessly became a part of the birth team. He offered his observations to the family. Without inducing fear he talked about the evidence and how he interpreted it.

The entire birth team (mama, dad, Midwife, Doctor, and Doula) had a calm conversation about birth options. It was obvious that the goal was for eveyone to be on the same page, and that Birth matters--not the method of delivery, but how mom and partner feel about their birth experience.

My clients decided they would have another cesarean section. For the first time in my career as a doula and birth photographer, I was allowed into the operating room to continue the support I had been giving and document the birth of their baby. In Atlanta, most Doctors allow one support person into the OR, which usually means the partner.

On the way into the OR, Dr. Bootstaylor handed me his cell phone and asked if I would also videotape the birth. At that time he was the only Doctor in Atlanta doing surgical births this way. He knew that the Family Centered Cesareans that he performs are very different than what most cesareans are like, and that this family would have both experiences to compare.

Below is the video I then created for Dr. Bootstaylor, to educate the public about birth options.

A couple of updates:

In 2018 I joined forces with two other women to create The Birth Story Collective. If you are interested in birth photography in Atlanta, or Birth Doula services, you can head over to www.thebirthstorycollective.com

Also, Dr. Bootstaylor is no longer in practice, and Family Centered Cesareans are once again rare in Atlanta but many aspects are available if asked for.