If the concept of a maternal-assisted caesarean – when the birthing mother reaches her gloved hands down to lift her baby out of her abdomen and on to her chest – is news to you, and perhaps slightly shocking, it shouldn’t be.

Innovative, interventional radiology treatments are making childbirth safer for women who have C-sections that are complicated by extreme bleeding and for those who suffer from the pregnancy condition of “invasive” placenta. The results of two studies detailing the effectiveness of minimally invasive treatments for pregnant women were released at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 34th...