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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that the way c sections proceed needs to be reviewed?

110 replies

newmum953 · 30/12/2011 14:53

Just wondered if anyone had any ideas that would further improve the c-section experience? (For instance, I would really have loved there to be no screen at all but have no idea whether this is done - to lower the chance of infection or if it's so that the parents don't have a reaction to what they see or a combination of both?)

OP posts:
valiumredhead · 30/12/2011 21:31

Dh was VERY keen to see over the screen and made a move to do so and the surgeon told him to sit down in case he fainted - I was worried he would too and I was so terrified at that point I needed him up my end! I have just remembered how good dh was actually in calming me down.... he might be on a promise if he plays his cards right Wink

It was terrifying though, I really thought we were both going to die as I had severe pre eclampsia. Couldn't do it again, so we only had the one child Sad But any birth can be terrifying not just CS's.

valiumredhead · 30/12/2011 21:31

I didn't have a suppository!

YonderRevoltingPeasantWhoIsHe · 30/12/2011 21:35

Worried I can actually see why someone might feel violated - sorry to keep bobbing back up!!

When I had one of my renal surgeries they catheterised me during it and didn't really explain beforehand that that was going to happen - I had just assumed they would be cutting into my side and when I woke up and realised that the male surgeon had been mucking about between my legs I have to say I felt quite grossed out that that had happened whilst I had been asleep with no knowledge.

But surely you can just ask people - surely that is best?

4madboys · 30/12/2011 21:35

is the suppository the pain relief one? my sister had that after her normal delivery (well forceps) she said though it wasnt pleasant the pain relief it gave her was great!

worriedsilly · 30/12/2011 21:38

Yes I can too Yonder, very easily- which is why I wonder if doing it in private would be better.

Yes suppository for pain relief - very very effective it is too it seems. Delivers the pain relief just where its needed. I had some after a normal deliver because I thougth my bottom had fallen out.

pumpkincarver · 30/12/2011 21:40

yeah pain relief. I took oral painkillers instead and was fine. Tbh it was 1000 times less painful than vb, even afterwards.

4madboys · 30/12/2011 21:41

i never had one, but my sister had her baby on christmas day!!! Grin and after a forceps delivery with no pain relief (too quick) she was VERY glad of ithe suppository!

ShowOfHands · 30/12/2011 21:49

worried, you mentioned some women feeling drowsy in theatre. This happened to me during the 2nd cs. Was suddenly exhausted and couldn't keep my eyes open.

I know my bp went through the floor at one point and I had drugs to fix it. I also shook A LOT and my temp plummeted and took a while to fix.

Any idea why/how all these things happened? Just curious.

Bearcrumble · 30/12/2011 21:49

I wasn't asked re catheter but it must have been done on the table once the spinal was working and I'm happy about that - would much rather not have the discomfort of feeling it be put in.

No idea about whether I had the suppository or not - am guessing I did.

With regard to shaving, a midwife asked me if she wanted me to do it the day before the caesarian but I said no and did it myself by feel alone in the shower on the ward. Luckily I didn't nick myself.

I'll be having my second in around three months (no option for natural birth because of bicornuate uterus) and will probably ask for skin to skin as soon as baby's been cleaned up a bit as I didn't get to hold DS for about 12 hours - they wouldn't let me go through to the SCBU until I had been checked over by a midwife and it took that long :-( Luckily I was with it enough to ask to be shown how to hand express so was able to send colostrum through to him before I saw him.

I don't think I will want the screen lowered but we'll see when we get there.

Backtobedlam · 30/12/2011 21:49

Ive had a couple of cs-one was under GA and personally I preferred that to the elcs. Nothing was explained beforehand, cs hadn't really been talked about at my antenatal classes (Id planned a water birth) however, when it all happened I couldn't care less about my dignity, consent etc. I just wanted baby to be ok and I was happy to hand the reins over to the professionals and let them make all the decisions.

The elcs I was more informed about, and I much preferred having catheter done whilst in theatre. I was so so nervous beforehand where as everything was going on in the theatre so I just chatted to the midwife and anaethatist and didn't pay too much attention to what was going on at the other end. I did get skin to skin contact in theatre but only briefly as started being sick, and tbh I wanted it all over with as quick as possible so I could get back to my room and start caring for my new baby. None of this affected bf at all.

This thread has shown though how everyone has completely different wants and expectations, there is certainly not a one size fits all, so it's down to us to speak up, and the medical profession to treat each case as individually as they can.

StarlightMcKenzie · 30/12/2011 22:01

The screen thing is a BIG problem for me. I have had a number of operations whilst awake and always insisted on watching which has been accepted. Unless drugged heavily I would absolutely freak at a screen. It has been my biggest fear of CS to the extent that I pack a large mirror in my hospital bag for Dh to hold up so I can watch.

worried, is there ANY way around this in favour of the woman's mental health and risk of PTSD/PND?

Oblomov · 30/12/2011 22:06

I had 2 cs for both my births. One was elcs and one was emcs. Both were great. feel happy with them. But I was totally 'out of it' with both. I can't remember a thing.
But not everyone who has had a cs, has had a bad one, you know.

ShowOfHands · 30/12/2011 22:11

My 2nd cs was an extremely positive experience. DH was invited to watch. He loved it and gave me an excellent running commentary including the immortal line 'God you look just like a lasagne'. Cheers dh.

StarlightMcKenzie · 30/12/2011 22:15

Lol

IShallWearMidnight · 30/12/2011 22:20

Interesting re peoples catheter experiences, I had a yucky first labour ( ending in an EMCS), went along with everything 2nd time around, but with no 3 I had some more confidence and requested that they wait till I was numb before they did the catheter. Midwife was very bemused "we don't do catheters for CS" she said. "oh?" I said, you did the past two times here".
Definately much better experience without a catheter!

Original poster
newmum953 · 30/12/2011 22:42

NoodleBugs: I had a similar situation maybe? I also had long labour and it was very badly managed but everything was fine at the birth stage.
RIZZ0: true about the pace. If it wasn't for the anaethetist and his running commentary, Dh would have missed the birth moment for his camera. We didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Wierdly, I felt elated after the birth. I had expected to feel beaten down but instead I felt really happy.
ShowOfHands: :)
I didn't receive any suppository in theatre.
Comedy moments: Anaethetist got excited and started showing me pics of his kids on his iphone! When I was wheeled into surgery there were a whole lot of builders right outside the window doing building work. Hence I asked for the blinds to be drawn - I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have wanted to see that LOL

OP posts:
ScroobiousPip · 30/12/2011 23:32

Just read all of this thread and this thing that leaps out is the need for choice - wherever reasonably possible - in order to give women as much feeling of control as is possible in a c-section environment.

Worriedsilly - your trust's 'standard pathway' idea is very worrying because it seems to want to remove control over procedures from the woman. Who will presumably be told, you can't be cathetered until you're in theatre (and got a million people looking up your fanjo), you can't have the screen lowered, you can't have skin to skin until recovery, you must have a suppository etc etc.

I've never had a c-section but i love the idea of a little ticklist that can be filled out with the mum (except for emergencies, of course) - catheter now or in theatre? shave yourself, pre-theatre or in theatre?, skin to skin? etc. It could be part of ante-natal classes, along with a talk about what to expect when having a c-section. for example, i had no idea that a catheter was required, or that the theatre table would be tilted or that a suppository might be inserted while in theatre - if either of those had happened to me without advance warning, i can imagine being quite distressed. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.

WidowWadman · 30/12/2011 23:58

"It could be part of ante-natal classes, along with a talk about what to expect when having a c-section. for example, i had no idea that a catheter was required, or that the theatre table would be tilted or that a suppository might be inserted while in theatre - if either of those had happened to me without advance warning, i can imagine being quite distressed. Forewarned is forearmed and all that."

Every single bit of that was talked to me about before the surgery when signing the consent form. I specifically had to consent to the suppository, too. Both times, EMCS and ELCS

neverputasockinatoaster · 31/12/2011 00:00

I've had 2 C sections. My first with DS was an emcs after failure to progress despite induction. My second was a semi elective after failure to progress.... I refused to be induced.....

I was very glad of the screen, I lay with my head sideways in case I could ee reflections in the lights! For my emcs it was nearly midnight when I went into theatre, it was all very calm and the anaesthetist (I can't spell!) was lovely, very gentle and calm and matter of fact! DS was shown to me and then taken off to be checked. My mum was with me and she held him while I was sorted out. I was encouraged to BF and do skin to skin in recovery. As it was so late I stayed in recovery until the morning and, by the time I went up to the ward I had my legs back and the catheter had been removed. For my second the anaesthetist was a horrible bully who hada go go at me for being lazy and fat and I was on the verge of calling to ask for him to be removed when I happened to mention what I do for a living and suddenly he was all nicey nicey. Horrible horrible man. DD was shown to me again. The worst bit about DD cs was the recovery room, it was cold and crowded and I was left for ages because I wasn't making a fuss unlike another woman who managed to get her whole family brought into recovery!
I just kind of went with the flow really, I'm like that in stressful situations. I was scared and chose to trust the HCPs as they knew what they were doing and I didn't!
If there was to be a next time? I'd let the HCP lead the way!
With regards to the catheter? I was so wrapped up in looking at my babies I didn't notice! It didn't even cross my mind!

CocktailQueen · 31/12/2011 00:33

I hated my elective CS with dd because I felt so sick and woozy and my BP was really low - I had to keep having injections of something into the back of my hand to make my bp come back up.

I felt 'out of my body' for the whole thing so I didn't enjoy dd being born at all. I certainly couldn't cuddle her while in theatre as I was too woozy.

We had skin to skin cuddles in recovery and she crawled across me to latch on :) which I loved - the best bit of her birth!

I bf her with no problems for 23 months and my milk came in on cue on day 3.

I didn't care when my catheter was done. TBH they are professionals and would be seeing all my bits so I wasn't aware of lots of people being around.

BUT it felt like hours between dd being lifted out of me and her crying and being handed to dh - I thought something was really wrong with her as she wasn't crying. It felt like ages to me but dh said it was only a few minutes, but for some reason I felt that I couldn't say anything to the surgeon - dh had to talk for me!!- so i would have appreciated some news about my baby.

CocktailQueen · 31/12/2011 00:38

Ps I did NCT classes and we had HUGE bit about CSs, mainly about how dreadful they were and to be avoided at all costs... how there were dozens of people in theatre and it was a terrible environment to bring your baby into, there would be probs with bfing and bonding etc etc....

It was terrifying, esp. as I knew from my 12 week scan that dd was breech and she didn't move my entire pg.

Found out during my CS that I have a bicornuate (heeart shaped) uterus and she was stuck in one side of it and had the cord wrapped round her neck three times so was unable to move to become cephalic.

Better a CS and a live baby and mum than a natural birth and dead baby/mother, I said.... but the NCT has other ideas Xmas Hmm

CocktailQueen · 31/12/2011 00:40

bearcrumble - re bicornuate uterus - I have one and had a VBAC for ds! My second baby. he was in a totally different position to dd during my pg and had a natural labour with him. So it is possible!! :)

Spermysextowel · 31/12/2011 01:59

I've had 2 CS; first was an emergency, 2nd was planned, tho I had a small battle to get hosp to accept we'd just be in for a re-run otherwise.

Birth 1 was a nightmare; ended up back in hosp 2 weeks later with an apology & an admission that severe blood-loss had not been my fault.

Spermysextowel · 31/12/2011 02:12

I don't remember the catheter/shaving thing from either. First time I maybe was too out of it: 2nd time I remember the surgeon saying 'that looks a little untidy, maybe we can do something here'. What a lovely lady!

Spermysextowel · 31/12/2011 02:15

Erm, that was re the initial Caesarian scar, not the state of my pubic area.