C-Section Moms - Caesarean mothers in words and photographs

Caroline Oblasser (PhD) is the author of several books. Her first daughter was born by Caesarean which was not planned, daughters number 2 and 3 were born at home.

Introduction by Marsden Wagner 6
Critical Comment by Gretchen Humphries 8
Debra Pascali-Bonaro: Understand all the Choices you have! 10
The author’s preface 12
The Caesarean section: Fantastic or traumatic? 13
60 Caesarean mothers in words and photographs 21
At a glance: Page layout and captions for the photographic part 22
Caesarean mothers with one section 23
Caesarean mothers with two sections 89
Caesarean mothers with three sections 131
Caesarean mothers with four sections 149
Photo report of a Caesarean section 157
A “Caesarean section” (simplified theoretical description): 158
Possible conclusions 179
Caesarean surgery: Preparation, procedure, aftercare 180
Appendix
Questionnaire for Caesarean mothers 184
Questionnaire for obstetric experts 190
My personal Caesarean questionnaire 194

162 Caesarean mothers, 60 of them featured in words and photographs, make this photo book a special and very personal reference guide. It cannot and will not give a definitive presentation of the phenomenon “Caesarean section”, but rather a presentation as critical and as comprehensive as possible. All women remain anonymous within the book. There are no faces, exact dates of birth or names. Where necessary, I neutralised data that were too personal or would allow specific conclusions to be drawn. Nowadays, in these rapidly changing times influenced by outside factors like the media, I find it necessary and meaningful to make available to all the valuable and complex Caesarean experiences of those personally concerned and involved. This is available to all who • want to deal with this way of delivery consciously • have experienced one or more Caesarean sections themselves and are curious about other people’s experiences • want to understand the effect of the Caesarean on mother and child. The Caesarean photo book would not be a “photo book” if it did not show • what the Caesarean scar, which is, to some extent, trivialised as a “bikini scar”, looks like after one or more Caesarean surgeries. I want the research to give the Caesarean section a manifold “face” and help it out of its sometimes simplified predicament shaped by modernism. May the Caesarean again become what it is supposed to be according to almost all the participants of this photo book: A surgical measure, which saves the life of a mother and the life of her child in an emergency. Salzburg, April 2014 Caroline Oblasser