Fuerteventura General Hospital records its first C-section delivery with father present

The baby’s birth was marked by humanization, family accompaniment, and the newborn’s wellbeing.

The General Hospital of Fuerteventura, attached to the Health Department of the Government of the Canary Islands, attended on Thursday, January 29, the first cesarean birth in which the father was present in the operating room throughout the procedure. This follows the protocol for accompanying pregnant women in scheduled cesareans that the hospital developed last year, in line with the guidelines of the Canary Health Service, which permits a parent’s presence under clinical‑safety conditions and provides emotional support to the mother.

The delivery proceeded normally and concluded with the birth of a healthy baby girl at 09:21 a.m. in a calm, cared‑for environment. The newborn, 53 cm tall and weighing 3.6 kg, showed excellent adaptation to extra‑uterine life, staying with her parents from the first minutes and promoting early contact and emotional bonding. Both mother and baby are in good condition after the procedure.

Throughout the process, the father was able to accompany the mother from the initial monitoring to the postoperative recovery phase, sharing a unique and meaningful moment for the family and helping create an atmosphere of calm, confidence, and emotional support.

The medical team consisted of eight professionals—including an anesthetist, obstetricians, a midwife, a pediatrician, nurses, a nursing assistant, and a porter—who ensured clinical safety and the family’s wellbeing at all times. The procedure also incorporated humanization measures for the scheduled cesarean, strengthening family presence and accompaniment.

Within the humanization process advocated by the Initiative for the Humanization of Birth and Breastfeeding Assistance (IHAN), the hospital has been promoting skin‑to‑skin contact for newborns in cesarean deliveries since 2018.

Continuing this humanization effort, the Management of Health Services of Fuerteventura has developed its own protocol for accompanying pregnant women in scheduled cesareans.

Benefits of Parental Accompaniment

• Reduced anxiety and stress for the mother, which can translate into lower use of analgesic medication.
• An improved birth experience, allowing the companion to participate actively.
• Strengthened family bonding by placing the newborn with its parents from the first moment, facilitating attachment and the initiation of breastfeeding.

When Is the Father’s Presence Allowed in Cesareans?

The presence of a parent in the operating room is permitted only for scheduled, pre‑planned cesareans, in pregnancies between 37 and 42 weeks, when there are no maternal, fetal, or anesthetic risk factors. In such cases, the companion may stay throughout the procedure and into the postoperative recovery, always under the guidance of the medical team and complying with clinical safety standards.