Remarkable pictures show Carley Valikoula, 36, reaching down, putting her arms around her unborn daughter, Leilani, and literally pulling her from her womb herself, instead of leaving it to doctors.
Carley, of Karratha, Australia, who needed emergency caesareans for her other children, Thomas, now eight, and Jacob, now five, said: “I had what’s known as a maternal assisted caesarean section, and I would 100 per cent do it again.
“A caesarean section is definitely not the easy way out. It’s very hard to do, and I’d never judge someone for having one. I’ve had three, but it was always really important to me to try for a vaginal birth.
“I didn’t like the thought of my baby being taken away, patted down and handed around all these medics until eventually, I, the mum, got to hold them. I wanted to be able to pull them up onto my chest right away.”
Following a textbook pregnancy with her eldest, Carley and her husband, John Valikoula, 44, a supervisor at an engineering company, were shocked when her waters broke at just 36 weeks in September 2010.
When her labour barely progressed for two days, doctors decided to perform an emergency caesarean, fearing things were moving too slowly and posing a risk to mum and baby.
“I was really disappointed,” Carley admitted.
“I’d been excited at the idea of a natural birth. I never thought there would be any issues, or that I’d be in the position of needing an emergency caesarean.”
In 2012, Carley fell pregnant with Jacob and was once again determined to attempt a vaginal delivery.
“This time, I planned it all from the start,” she explained.
“I found a doula – a type of birthing partner – an independent midwife and even a photographer, as I wanted a home birth.”
But, when Carley went into labour in January 2013, once again things moved slowly after her waters broke.
After 24 hours, medics decided the safest course of action was to whisk her to hospital for another emergency caesarean.
“My team were all gutted for me, but I made my peace with it. I know that, while I wasn’t sure I could handle another caesarean, it was the best thing to do for my baby,” Carley said.
“The actual surgery side of things didn’t bother me, but I wanted that moment where my baby is born and I pull them close to me right away.
“Of course, every woman must do what’s right for her, and I would never take issue with somebody else’s choice. There are various reasons a person may opt for a caesarean section and it’s certainly not the easy way out.”
Carley had read about maternal assisted caesarean sections – where the mum pulls the baby out herself – online during her pregnancy with Jacob, but as her procedure had been an emergency, it had not been possible.
After he was born, the idea played on her mind. In 2016 she fell pregnant again, but sadly miscarried at 11 weeks. Six months later she discovered she was expecting Leilani.
“I decided this time, I wouldn’t try for a vaginal birth,” she said.
“I just wanted my pregnancy to be a nice experience and to know what I was expecting.
“I was worried that my waters would break early and I’d need another emergency caesarean – meaning it couldn’t be maternal assisted – so, in the end, I opted for an elective caesarean instead.
“It meant I knew from the start what was going to happen.”
Initially, Carley planned to have Leilani at a hospital in Perth, Australia. But, after discovering they did not allow photographers into theatre, she found a private obstetrician instead.
“I want other women to understand their birth rights, and feel empowered to ask for exactly what they want,” she said.
“It can be hard to do, but remember that any choice throughout birth is completely yours. Find that right person to help and be steadfast in what you want.”
In March 2017, at 39 weeks pregnant, Carley arrived ready to welcome little Leilani into the world.
Heading down to the operating theatre, she recalled being nervous – but supportive John was by her side the entire time.
As they made their first incision, doctors put up a screen. Around five minutes later, they lowered it to enable Carley to deliver her daughter.
She recalled: “I’d had an epidural, so I couldn’t feel any pain – more just pressure and a tugging feeling.
“I had surgical gloves on, and the doctors guided my hands down, then I put them under Leilani’s arms and lifted them above my head.
“It was amazing pulling her out myself. I was smiling away and John was crying. It was incredibly emotional.
“I wanted her on my chest right away, but there was a blanket there as the theatre was so cold. Luckily, someone quickly whipped it out of the way, so we could get that skin to skin contact.”
Usually, doctors cut the umbilical cord very shortly after the birth – but, in Carley’s case, they delayed it, keeping her placenta in a bowl.
She said: “We weren’t sure if it was going to be possible, but I’m so glad we got to delay cutting the cord.
“With my other pregnancies, as they’d been emergency caesareans, it was all very quick and John wasn’t able to cut the cord, which dads often do.
“This time, though, he could, which meant the world to him.”
Carley, who loves being a mum to her three happy, healthy children, hopes that by speaking out, she will encourage other women to ask for the birth experiences they want.
“Delivering my daughter was an absolutely amazing moment and I’m so glad I did it,” she said.
We previously told how mum Sarah Toyer said delivering her own baby by caesarean was the "most incredible thing" she had ever done.
Meanwhile these four mums discuss how they've embraced their post-C-section scars and pouches — like Beyonce.
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