A TikTok video circulated on social media shows a mother holding her newborn baby in front of her during a caesarean section through a plastic curtain. Some users claim that the curtain is a measure due to COVID-19. This is untrue: bright curtains are used in c-sections to enable the mother to see the birth of her newborn and provide a faster bonding experience between them, while maintaining a sterilized field for surgery.
An example visible here: “This is how babies are now terrorized from birth. They have become really nuts. Absolutely abnormal …. what kind of person can do that ….. #SaveOurChildren #EndLockDownTotally #fakevirus #savehumanity #coronavirus” .
Another report here in French reads: “Here we are !!! The first contact between a mother. And her baby It’s awful. # COVIDIOTS ”
The posts contain a TikTok video by Melina Tesi (@melinatesi) that was removed by the platform, according to the creator. Another angle of the moment can be seen in another video she posted here: bit.ly/3w2RjJt
Tesi, who was contacted via Instagram message by Reuters, gave further context about the scene: “It’s called a soft c-section (sic), it’s a way for moms not to miss the first seconds as the baby does not enter the world “. According to Tesi, she also experienced her C-section with a bright drapery five years ago. “It was the same protocol, not much was different this time”.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Tesi added about sharing her video with misleading allegations on social media, something she also addressed in an Instagram post here.
THE CLEAR DRAPE
A caesarean section or a ‘C-section’ is a surgical procedure in which a baby is born through incisions in the mother’s womb (here, here). In an ordinary C-section, an opaque curtain is used to provide a sterile field of work, as outlined here by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Because of this curtain, the mother cannot see the moment of birth.
A video by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston shows that the bright cover, similar to the one visible in the TikTok clip, has been used as an alternative to youtu.be/m5ivEYQQ380?t=28 since at least 2013.
Dr William Camann, director of the Obstetric Anesthesia Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, originally suggested the use of the bright curtain as part of the ‘soft C’ section. Camann, who was contacted by Reuters by telephone, said the concept of the ‘soft caesarean section’ was about trying to make childbirth a good experience for parents, no matter what type of birth they had. ‘By using a clear curtain, he explained,’ you can see the baby once he is born, there is a much better bond and a connection between the parents and the baby. They can not touch it immediately, but they can see it. ”
Tracey Abney, a doula or birth assistant and owner of Rocket City Doulas in Huntsville, Alabama (rocketcitydoulas.com/), told Reuters via Facebook message how to use the bright drapery in a ‘soft c-section’ “The clear drape is attached to a typical blue and surgical curtain,” Abney explained. ‘As the doctor starts the birth process and makes incisions, the opaque / sterile curtain is up and down. Just before the baby is born, the blue curtain is lowered so that the parent giving birth can see their baby. This is what happens during this video. ”
Videos by St. Luke’s Birthing Center in Duluth, Minnesota illustrates this youtu.be/zt_IvmkDHQw?t=132 and youtu.be/zt_IvmkDHQw?t=217.
“This was done many years before COVID-19,” said Dr. Amos Grünebaum of the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra / Northwell Health in New York told Reuters by telephone. “The curtain protects the mother and prevents the wound from becoming infected,” he said. ‘It also increases the bonding time between the mother and the baby. It is a birth that is softer and mother-baby-friendly than not having a clear drapery. ‘
A gentle caesarean section can also include playing music in the background and providing contact between the mother and baby as soon as possible. “It’s really a change of attitude in terms of how things are done inside the operating room,” Camann said.
Further reading on the soft caesarean section can be found here and here.
VERDICT
Misleading. The use of bright curtains during C-sections was an alternative to COVID-19. It is intended to allow the mother to watch her baby be born and provide an earlier bonding experience while still protecting the mother from the risk of wound infection.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work here.