Your labor wishes are written down, and then your OB asks at the 36-week visit what you would want if the birth turns into a cesarean. In 2024, 32.4% of US births were cesareans, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, roughly one in three. Use this guide as your c-section birth plan template: requests sorted by moment, plus the questions to bring to your OB.
You can ask for a clear or lowered drape, skin-to-skin in the operating room, delayed cord clamping, and your partner at your side. Whether each happens depends on hospital policy, anesthesia, and how you and your baby are doing, so settle them with your OB before 37 weeks.
Key Takeaways
- A gentle c-section is the same surgery with family-centered preferences added, such as a clear drape and skin-to-skin in the OR.
- Some requests are policy questions you can settle in advance, like who joins you and which drape your hospital uses.
- Others depend on the day: skin-to-skin in the OR and delayed cord clamping need you and your baby to be stable.
- Plan for a cesarean even if you expect a vaginal birth. Most unplanned cesareans are not emergencies, per Cleveland Clinic.
What is a gentle c-section?
A gentle c-section, sometimes called a family-centered cesarean, is a standard cesarean with the room organized around you and your baby. The surgery and its safety checks stay the same. The changes are about what you can see and how soon your baby reaches your chest.
One published protocol comes from Bern University Hospital in Switzerland. Its gentle cesarean offered skin-to-skin in the operating room once mother and baby were stable after a pediatric check, and kept them together unless there was a clinical reason not to. An extended version added a transparent drape so parents could watch the birth.
In a 2023 survey of 193 women who gave birth there, the transparent drape made no statistically significant difference to birth satisfaction, bonding, or breastfeeding duration (Christoph et al., 2023). Early skin-to-skin in the OR was linked to women feeling their expectations were met, and most women who had the clear drape would choose it again. The authors call the results preliminary: the response rate was low and the sample small.
Treat a gentle c-section as preferences to agree on with your team. The research does not present it as safer surgery.
Your c-section birth plan template, by moment
Copy the requests that matter to you. Each is phrased as a question, because hospital policies vary.
Before surgery
- Your support person. Ask when your partner or doula can join you. Cleveland Clinic describes the usual sequence: your support person comes in once the drape is up, as long as you are awake and not under general anesthesia.
- Anesthesia. Ask which type the anesthesiologist expects. ACOG lists epidural, spinal, combined spinal-epidural, and general anesthesia, and says the choice depends on your health, your baby's, and the reason for surgery.
- The mood in the room. Ask whether you can bring a playlist and keep side conversations quiet during the birth.
In the operating room
- The drape. Ask for a clear drape, or for the drape to be lowered as your baby is born. The next section compares the options.
- Narration. Ask the anesthesiologist or a nurse to talk you through the birth.
- Monitor stickers and the IV. Ask whether the heart-monitor stickers can go off the center of your chest and the IV in your nondominant hand, leaving your chest and one arm free for your baby. The anesthesia team needs access to both, so this is their call.
Baby's first minutes
- Delayed cord clamping. ACOG recommends waiting at least 30 to 60 seconds in vigorous babies; at a cesarean, your baby can rest on your abdomen or legs, or be held near the level of the placenta, until the cord is clamped. Our delayed cord clamping guide covers timing.
- Skin-to-skin in the OR. ACOG's committee opinion on breastfeeding says skin-to-skin contact is feasible in the operating room and is associated with less need for formula supplementation. It starts once you are both stable.
- Your partner as backup. If you can't hold your baby yet, ask for your partner to do skin-to-skin while the surgery finishes.
Recovery room and first feed
- Keep skin-to-skin going into the recovery room, and ask that your baby stay with you unless there is a medical reason to separate you.
- Tell your OB you plan to breastfeed before surgery. ACOG says that if all is going well, you should be able to start soon after delivery.
- Ask for lactation help early. ACOG notes that parents who give birth by cesarean may need extra support to establish breastfeeding.
Put it in writing. Bloom, our birth plan builder, has an "If a c-section becomes necessary" step with five of these choices: partner present, skin-to-skin as soon as possible, watch baby being born (lowered drape), music in the OR, and partner does skin-to-skin if you can't. Tick yours in Bloom, the birth plan builder, then download the plan as a PDF or email it.
Clear drape vs. lowered drape vs. full drape: what can you see?
During a cesarean, the team raises a sterile curtain between your head and your lower body (Cleveland Clinic). Drape options change how much of the birth you see.
| Drape | What you see | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Full (standard) drape | The curtain; your baby is shown to you after the birth | Can someone bring my baby to my face right away? |
| Lowered drape | The curtain drops for a moment as your baby is lifted out | When will you lower it, and for how long? |
| Clear drape | Your baby being lifted out, through a transparent panel in the drape | Does this hospital stock clear drapes, and can you raise my head so I can see? |
In the Bern study, none of the 39 women who had a clear drape said they saw too much: 19 said the view was just right, and 20 (about half) would have liked to see more. Thirty-seven of the 39 said they would choose it again for a future cesarean. The hospital offered it only when no complications were expected and excluded emergency cesareans under general anesthesia.
A full drape is a fine choice too, if you would rather hear the first cry than watch.
Planned vs. unplanned c-section: what still applies
Cleveland Clinic describes an unplanned cesarean as one done during labor because vaginal birth is no longer the safest option, and notes that most are not emergencies. In an emergency, delivery has to happen fast, and the procedure can take as little as 10 to 15 minutes.
Your requests fall into two groups:
- Requests that depend on anesthesia and stability. The clear drape and skin-to-skin in the OR assume you are awake and stable. With general anesthesia you are asleep for the birth (ACOG), and your support person may not be allowed in (Cleveland Clinic).
- Requests that need only people. Narration, partner skin-to-skin, and lactation help in recovery need no special equipment, so they have a better chance of carrying over.
Delayed cord clamping sits in between. ACOG's recommendation covers vigorous babies, and when bleeding risk is higher, as with placenta previa or placental abruption, the team weighs it against stabilizing you quickly.
If you have an epidural in labor, ask ahead whether it can be used for surgery. Our epidural pros and cons guide covers labor pain relief.
Keep the cesarean section of your plan short. In an urgent birth, your nurse can read five lines in seconds. Put your top two priorities first.
Questions to ask your OB (and the anesthesia team) before 37 weeks
Bring these to your 36-week visit, and ask whether you can talk with the anesthesia team before a planned cesarean.
- For a planned cesarean, and for an unplanned one during labor, which type of anesthesia do you expect?
- If I already have an epidural in labor, can it be used for the surgery?
- Can my partner or doula come into the OR, and at what point? Does that change with general anesthesia?
- Does this hospital offer a clear drape, or can you lower the drape when my baby is born?
- Can the monitor stickers and IV be placed so my chest and one arm stay free?
- Do you delay cord clamping at cesarean births, and for how long?
- Can my baby go skin-to-skin on my chest in the OR if we are both stable? If not, can my partner do it?
- Can I play music, and can someone talk me through the birth?
- Will my baby stay with me in recovery, and is there a written family-centered cesarean policy I can read?
What happens during a c-section, briefly
You receive an IV line in your arm or hand, a bladder catheter, and inflatable leg sleeves to help prevent blood clots. The surgeon makes an incision through your skin and abdominal wall, side to side (the "bikini" cut) or up and down, then a second one in the uterus. Your baby is lifted out, the cord is cut, and the placenta is removed. The uterus is closed with stitches that dissolve, and the skin with stitches, staples, or surgical glue (ACOG). Cleveland Clinic puts a typical cesarean at 45 minutes to an hour and a half, and ACOG puts the hospital stay at 2 to 4 days.
For the weeks after, see c-section scar care and postpartum recovery in the first six weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a gentle c-section?
A gentle c-section is a standard cesarean with family-centered preferences added, such as a clear or lowered drape, skin-to-skin in the operating room, and a calmer room. The surgery stays the same, and your hospital's policy decides which options are offered.
Can I ask for a clear drape during my c-section?
Yes, you can ask, and your hospital's policy decides the answer. A clear drape has a transparent panel so you can watch your baby being lifted out, while a lowered drape is dropped briefly at the birth. Ask your OB which option, if either, is available.
Can you have delayed cord clamping with a c-section?
Yes, if your baby is vigorous and you are stable. ACOG recommends delaying cord clamping for at least 30 to 60 seconds, and notes that at a cesarean the baby can rest on the parent's abdomen or legs until the cord is clamped.
How long can you delay cord clamping with a c-section?
ACOG recommends waiting at least 30 to 60 seconds for vigorous term and preterm babies, including at cesarean births. Longer waits depend on your team's practice and on how you and your baby are doing, so ask your OB what they do.
What should a c-section birth plan include?
Include who comes into the OR, your anesthesia questions, your drape preference, delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin with your partner as backup, music, and your plan for the first feed. Keep it short and put your top two priorities first.
What happens during a c-section, step by step?
You receive anesthesia, an IV line, and a bladder catheter. The surgeon makes an incision through the skin and abdominal wall, then into the uterus. Your baby is lifted out, the cord is cut, the placenta is removed, and each layer is closed.
Your next step
Take your list to your 36-week visit. Once you have answers, add your c-section wishes to your birth plan so they sit beside your labor preferences. To see a finished plan, our birth plan examples include one for a planned c-section.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice. Discuss these preferences with your OB, midwife, or anesthesiologist, and check your hospital's policy.
Sources:
- Cesarean Birth (FAQ006), ACOG, last reviewed 2025
- FastStats: Births, Method of Delivery (Births: Final Data for 2024), CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2026
- The extended gentle caesarean section protocol: a cross-sectional study, Christoph et al., Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2023
- Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping After Birth, Committee Opinion 814, ACOG, 2020, reaffirmed 2026
- Optimizing Support for Breastfeeding as Part of Obstetric Practice, Committee Opinion 756, ACOG, 2018
- C-Section, Cleveland Clinic, 2026
Prepared by the Babysential Team from ACOG, CDC, Cleveland Clinic, and peer-reviewed sources, with automation-assisted research and editorial review. It helps expecting parents turn cesarean preferences into clear questions for their care team.
