A TikTok video circulating on social media shows a mother seeing her newborn baby being held in front of her through a plastic drape, during a cesarean delivery. Some users claim the drape is a measure due to COVID-19. This is false: clear drapes are used in c-sections to allow the mother to see the birth of her newborn and provide a sooner bonding experience between them, while maintaining a sterilized field for the operation.

An example visible here “This is how babies are now being terrorized from birth. They have become really nuts. Absolutely abnormal....what kind of human can do this..... #SaveOurChildren #EndLockDownTotally #fakevirus #savehumanity #coronavirus” .

Another post here in French reads: “Here's where we are!!! The first contact between a mom. And her baby This is horrible. #COVIDIOTS”

The posts feature a TikTok video by Melina Tesi (@melinatesi), which was removed by the platform according to the creator. A different angle of the moment can be seen in another video she published here: bit.ly/3w2RjJt

Contacted by Reuters via Instagram message, Tesi provided further context about the scene: “It’s called a gentle c-section (sic), it is a way for moms to not miss the first seconds as the baby enters the world”. Five years ago, according to Tesi, she also experienced her C-section with a clear drape. “It was the same protocol, not much was different this time around”.

“It is heartbreaking,” Tesi added regarding the sharing of her video with misleading claims on social media, something she also addressed in an Instagram post here .

A Cesarean delivery or a “C-section” is a surgical procedure in which a baby is delivered through incisions in the abdomen and uterus of the mother ( here , here ). In a regular C-section, an opaque drape is used to provide a sterile operating field, as explained here by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Because of this drape, the mother is not able to see the moment of birth.

A video by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston shows that the clear drape, similar to the one visible in the TikTok clip, has been used as an alternative since at least 2013 youtu.be/m5ivEYQQ380?t=28 .

Dr William Camann, Director of the Obstetric Anesthesia Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, originally imagined the use of the clear drape as part of the “gentle C-section”. Contacted by Reuters by phone, Camann said the concept of the “gentle cesarean” is about trying to make child-birth a good experience for the parents, regardless of what kind of delivery they have.” By using a clear drape, he explained, “you can see the baby as soon as it’s born, there’s much better bonding and a connection between the parents and the baby. They can’t touch it right away, 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 the clear drape is used in a “gentle c-section”: “The clear drape is attached to a typically blue and surgical drape,” Abney explained. “As the physician is starting the birth process and making incisions, the opaque/sterile drape is up and attached. Right before the baby is born, the blue drape Is lowered down so the birthing parent can see their baby, which is what is taking place during this video.”

Videos by St. Luke's Birthing Center in Duluth, Minnesota illustrate this youtu.be/zt_IvmkDHQw?t=132 and youtu.be/zt_IvmkDHQw?t=217 .

“This has been done for many years before COVID-19,” Dr Amos Grünebaum of the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health in New York told Reuters via phone. “The drape protects the mother, preventing the wound from becoming infected,” he said. “It also increases the bonding time between the mother and the baby. This is a birth that is gentler and more mother-baby friendly than not having a clear drape.”

A gentle cesarean can also include playing music on the background as well as providing a skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the baby as soon as possible. “It is really a change of attitude in terms of how things are done inside the operating room”, Camann said.

Further reading about the gentle cesarean can be found here and here .

Misleading. The use of clear drapes during C-sections has been an alternative prior to COVID-19. It is intended to allow the mother to see her baby being 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 .

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.