New Idiots guide to Elective C/section

I had an elective cs nearly 2 years ago. Mine was also very similar to alohas, but a few things were done differently, guess it depends on the hospital.

My catheter was put in before I went to theatre and therefore I went on a trolley, I didn't walk. The anaesthetist was great and really put me at ease and it was pretty painless having the spinal block done. At our hospital your dh/p isn't allowed into the theatre until the block is done.

I don't remember being told when the cs had started and my dp watched it over the screen as he loves a bit of blood and guts. My dd was taken to the resuscitation table immediately after the birth for her checks but then handed to me. Like aloha, I couldn't see dd properly, so dp took her.

Went to the recovery room and had the first breast feed. I wasn't in there that long and then went straight to the ward. All the cs babies on my ward had little electric heaters over the top of their cribs to keep them warm, which looked pretty strange.

Everything else was pretty much as said before. I didn't want to get out of bed at all and would have kept my catheter in as long as possible. It is so much easier not having to go to the loo.

Which reminds me, the nurses used to come round and give you a quick clean up with a jeyes cloth and stick a pad between your legs. Wasn't as embarrasing as I feared though.

Hope it all goes well for you.

I can't possibly compete with aloha's very comprehensive posting, but just thought I'd add that some of the things she described were different for me, just in case you get worried that it's not all happening exactly like that. For example, I didn't have to wait, went straight in at 9 am (though obviously that was just chance), and had my spinal block sitting up in the room just outside the theatre, not lying down. I also had to take some pills the night before, something to do with digestion.
I was made to get up the next morning, it was pretty sore. I had patient-controlled analgesia (morphine drip that I could administer myself) for 24 hours, and then just the usual ibuprofen/paracetamol. I've said this before on another thread, but when you finally get something to eat, take it slowly! Do not do as I did and wolf down an enormous breakfast, I had more pain from that (trapped wind) than the operation itself
Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I had an elective section on the NHS a couple of months ago and it was pretty much as Aloha described ie loads of hanging about beforehand (so nervous I could hardly breathe even though it was my second section!) then the op and some time in recovery before being taken to the ward. Don't be alarmed if you look down at some stage after the op and see that you are wearing a huge pair of inflating wellies - they keep your circulation going post-op and are the business for squeezing fluid retention out of puffy pregnancy ankles.

With both my sections I found the aenesthetist (sorry, spelling) pretty invaluable - not just for giving the spinal but for keeping me informed about what was going on down below (s/he is usually standing by your shoulder and can provide a running commentary! ). If your partner isn't squeemish he might want to watch the op over the top of the screen - it's not for the faint hearted but I would have loved my dh to be able to see our children emerging into the world - so I could pester him to describe it to me for years to come .

I don't know if it was just the policy of my hospital but DH was allowed to come and go as he pleased all day (and I was in a ward not a single room) but there was an unwritten rule about partners going home around 11pm, although I didn't see any partners being asked to leave. The same rule applied to any siblings - as long as they weren't making too much mayhem while other women were trying to rest.

Totally second what aloha says about painkillers and big knickers - and for an NHS ward you might want to add earplugs to your list - those wards can be bloody noisy even in the dead of night.

Finally - when they try to make you get up for the first time you will probably feel terrified (oh my God - what if my stitches pop and my stomach bursts open and spills its contents onto the floor????) but you will feel SOOOOOO much better once you are out of that bed. Also - learn to love your catheter and beg to keep it in for as long as possible - after nine months of continuous peeing it is a complete joy to have your bladder emptied by artifical means. I would have gone home with that catheter still up me if I had been given any choice in the matter

Aloha you should write an idiots guide to babies
Impressed

Oh, you need to lose the top couple of inches of pubic hair as that's where they make the incision. You have to keep very still when they put in the spinal but that's easy because you aren't in labour.

er....wow!

Hi, of course you need the same stuff - you are still having a baby

What will happen is that you will probably have to wait quite a while - I waited all day and got very grumpy cos I wasn't allowed to eat.
You will walk into theatre and get up on the bed yourself which feels funny. Then you will have your drips put in and then you will lie on your side as the anaesthetist puts in the needle for the spinal block. This didn't really hurt me a they numb the area first. Just a pricking on the skin - no deep sensation at all for me. Very quickly you will feel an odd sensation heavy, cold, tingling sensation in your legs and lower body and then you will go completely numb. This, for me, was by far the freakiest part of the whole experience as I am slightly phobic about going numb (eg after pins and needles) and then you will be without sensation or movement from the chest down. You will be wedged slightly on your side so you aren't flat on your back, a catheter will be put in (you won't feel or notice this) . Then the team will erect a screen over your body at about chest height so you can't see what's going on. The section will happen when - and only when! - you have no feeling at all. It's incredibly quick. the surgeon will tell you when they are starting teh op and about five or ten minutes later you will see your baby. You can ask for your baby to be delivered on to you, or to be given to you immediately. I wish I'd asked for that but instead he was given a check, a weight and a wipe while I was desperate to hold him. I held him immediately but at first you can't sit up so to get a better look at him I gave him to dh, who held him, while I kissed him and stroked him (baby, not dh! Though I did kiss dh and we both were teary). I was stitched up while this was happening - again, absolutely no feeling. After this - I suppose about half an hour - 45 mins in total, during which you can talk, breastfeed, cuddle your baby etc, you are wheeled into a recovery room. I started to get sensation back in my legs after about an hour from the moment the block went in, but you will still be on drips/catheter etc. A few hours later was wheeled to my room by which time it was about 10pm - this wasn't for medical reasons, more that the room wasn't ready! I think on an NHS unit you are more likely to be allocated a side room if there is one, but it's not guaranteed by any means. The next day you will been checked over same as anyone else and encouraged to get out of bed. You'll be bent double at first, and shuffling, like quasimodo, but you will straighten up pretty quickly. You will still be on a drip or two - I think mine went on day 2/3. You will be given painkillers and you should take them as they will make your recovery much quicker. Take nice toiletries and a bit of makeup to make you feel more human, esp for visitors. Get your dh to bring food! Hospital food is vile. Bring mags, fruit, drinks, a radio with headphones etc along with a few nighties, some thin ultra nighttime towels and enormous soft knickers which won't squash your bump. Make them cheapies so you can chuck them out afterwards without any guilt! I couldn't find a comfy pair of disposables personally. Your milk may take a day or two longer to come in after a section. Your baby will be fine on colostrum - babies are born with fat on board to see them through the first few days. If you are worried ask to see the hospital breastfeeding counsellor rather than be pressed into bottle feeding if this isn't what you want. Five days is nothing - I was in for more than five weeks - though that was before the section rather than after it, I hasten to add. Don't feel you have to stay in for the full five days if you feel really well and are desperate for your own bed. I was fine after three. Take in your own pillow and a breastfeeding pillow if you have one as it will help you get comfy. Hospital pillows are bad things. Make sure you can breastfeed in your nighties - they should be front opening ideally. I had a private room (paid for by insurance) so dh could visit at any time which was just wonderful for me. I think NHS wards are very strict, but others know more than me about visiting post birth.
Any questions, ask away!