A woman has shared how she was left “sobbing with joy” after taking part in her own Caesarean section and helping deliver her baby daughter.
According to The Mirror, Leila El Alti requested a maternal-assisted C-section for her third child after being left deeply traumatised by the birth of her first two children.
Under the procedure, mothers who wish to be involved wear surgical scrubs and become an active part of the operating theatre team during the Caesarean delivery.
The unique birth took place at University Hospital Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, which operates under the NHS Lanarkshire health board.
Speaking at a health board meeting, Ms. El Alti described the moment she lifted her daughter from her womb as “the most magical experience of my life.”
“I would recommend it to any woman who feels she would benefit from having an active and empowering role in giving birth by C-section,” she said.
She explained that following the birth of her daughter Aurora in March, she experienced weeks of euphoria, adding that her successful experience could help open the door for other women to consider maternal-assisted C-sections as a valid birth option.
Ms. El Alti revealed that her first childbirth took place in Sweden, where she felt she was coerced into a traumatic induction, an experience that later led to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The trauma was so severe that she waited five years before having her second child, a son.
After moving to the UK, she said her second birth further intensified her distress, as she encountered resistance to parts of her birth plan that were designed to accommodate her PTSD.
When she became pregnant for the third time, Ms. El Alti said she was certain she wanted a maternal-assisted C-section and discussed the option in detail with NHS Lanarkshire staff.
She said the medical team agreed to her request and conducted multiple consultations, including a full simulation session using a doll — a first-of-its-kind exercise for the clinicians involved.
Describing the delivery, she said the lead obstetrician delivered the baby’s head and shoulders, after which she completed the birth by gently lifting Aurora onto her chest.
The medical team also accommodated several personal requests, including keeping the baby’s gender unannounced, dimming the lights after birth, and allowing a quiet moment so her voice would be the first her daughter heard.
“I ended up uncontrollably sobbing with joy,” she recalled.
Ms. El Alti added that her recovery was far easier than her previous C-sections, with no complications for either mother or child. Both were discharged from hospital the following day.
Aurora is now a healthy and happy 10-month-old, whom Ms. El Alti described as “the light of our world.”
