This new invention will change C-sections for the better

Besides being numb, being covered in blue drapes and shaking from anaesthesia, the worst part of a C-section is not being able to hold your baby right after giving birth. But thanks to three registered nurses from Virginia, that’s all about to change.

Kimberly Jarrelle, Deborah Burbic and Jess Niccoli have created a new surgical drape called the Skin-to-Skin C-Section Drape that allows mom and baby immediate skin-to-skin bonding, thanks to a flap window that the doctor can use to pass the baby through to her. The flap can be resealed immediately, so the surgical environment stays sterile while the doctor stitches mom back up.

The first time a mother holds her baby is such a beautiful moment, which is why Jarrelle, Burbic and Niccoli spent three years producing 50 different prototypes before they settled on something that would work. Despite having 50-plus years of labour and delivery experience between them, the three nurses spent numerous hours brainstorming ideas over coffee and referring to a plethora of studies.

“When mom gets to hold that baby for the first time on her chest, that experience is just unbelievable,” said Burbic to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “We were going, ‘How could we make this happen in the operating room?’”

Check out photos of the drape and how it works at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

According to the article, three hospitals have already agreed to test out the Skin-to-Skin C-Section Drape. We’re one step closer to having every mom experience the immediate baby bonding she so needs. We love that hospitals, doctors and nurses are making C-sections less like a scary operation and more like the birth experience that women imagine.

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