Quebec midwife delivers own baby in groundbreaking participatory C-section

Catherine Reid helped deliver her fourth child by reaching down her own womb and bringing baby Marion into the world.

"It was an extremely powerful moment," she said. "I'm familiar with the feeling of delivering a newborn, but to do it for myself was extraordinary. It was magical."

Reid is a midwife - that's how she heard about participatory caesareans, sometimes referred to as maternal-assisted C-sections. It's a procedure doctors believe is a first in Quebec.

"I wasn't scared at all… I knew it was okay and I was surrounded by trustworthy hands," Reid said. 

A key difference in this procedure is that Reid was wearing a sterile gown and gloves and kept her hands folded on her chest until it was time to pull her baby out.

When the obstetrics and gynaecology team at Montreal's Sacre-Coeur Hospital heard Reid's wish for her delivery, they were excited to make it come true, so they researched, prepared and ran a simulation. 

While it's still rare, it's not risky, says Dr. Catherine Jean, head of the department. 

"Preparing patients, preparing families, and listening to what their needs are, is the key to success in these stories," Jean said. 

They were all ready to pivot if something went wrong on delivery day, but nothing did. 

"Once I got the head out, I sort of gave a little wink wink towards the team, and told Catherine, this was her time." 

Reid hopes more moms will be brave enough to take matters into their own hands and play an even bigger role in their babies' births.