To think the gynae might have said something or anything during CS.

[Cricketsong]

Had a CS a few days ago, wheeled down and gynae was already scrubbed up ready to go. He performed the section, didn’t say ‘oh baby is out’ or anything, heard him obviously ask the team for tools etc but then stitched me up washed his hands and walked out 😂

I just thought this was really impersonal and a bit strange. I know it’s not a jolly to have a chat but to not even say one word throughout the birth seems really odd.

I thought they HAD to introduce themselves, explain what they were about to do and make sure you understand and consent,

I had a lovely surgeon - we didn’t know what baby was and he held him up and shared in the excitement saying “ahhh it’s a boy” so I could see.

Those must have been the days because that is absolutely lovely!

I didn’t have a CS with my first but did have a traumatic birth and the first midwife (who went off shift midway) came to see us both on the ward. I think she was surprised by how wrong it went after I left (and probably wondering if she should have spotted the signs).

Hi OP,
I hope you are ok, your feelings around your baby's birth are valid, and 3 or so days post partum they are going to be super raw as you hormones shift to milk production. Take care and congratulations on motherhood Xx

To the rest of you,
You know what? I would find it upsetting if a man who had had his hand up my vagina while I was paralised from the shoulders down didn't even say hello to me too. I had to awful emcs, but at least I had a small conversation with my surgeon at the time.

Sorry you feel upset about that, they’re all different. I expect he or she is the same with everyone but hopefully they’re respected for their surgery.
I didn’t have a CS but had to go into theatre to have placenta removed and it was an all female staff there and they were overwhelmingly lovely, it was quite strange to me!

I was an anaesthetic nurse, so me and the anaesthetist at the 'top end' talking to mum, and keeping an eye on dad in case he felt queasy. Midwife scrubbed with obstetrician dealing with the 'bottom end' and another midwife to take the baby. Most surgeons I remember didn't really engage with mum, just concentrating on what they needed to do.

I had both experiences. Terrible, long labour with face presentation, needed epidural. Anaesthetist swanned like actual god. Didn't introduce himself, barked at me all things that could go wrong and said do you want this yes or no. I told him to f off and not to speak to anyone like that. (i was very tired and grumpy).
The midwife ran after him. He came back in after a few minutes and to his credit, apologied. He said he had just done 24 hours straight on the intensive care ward, where people couldn't talk.
Then i had a emergency c section wherei had to have a general.
I think what I'm saying it, I'm good at chatting but not good a surgery and given the option, ii would rather havev the good surgeon. It would be nice to have both though.

Congratulations 🎉
When I had my planned section the (female) surgeon came to see me beforehand and we had a chat. Then during the actual section, once baby was out, she said the loveliest things to him. But saying that it was well documented that we had a really difficult time to having our DS and everyone was trying to be sensitive about it.

I think it’s quite normal to be a bit obsessed with the person who delivered your baby in the immediate aftermath and overanalyse things they did and said. Postpartum hormones are insane.

Some surgeons need to detach from the patient, after all he's cutting into a live human being. It's why they have those green operating cloths over any area they are cutting into even if it's a hand. They will also be planning or visualising the operation in their head and not focusing on external stimuli, like the majority of us do when faced with complicated or stressful things like driving tests, law exams, cooking for twenty at Christmas, etc.

You said others introduced themselves - did they do that in the actual operating theatre or on the ward or next to the ot?

I've ha ld 3 CS and the surgeons were friendly, chatty and made each one special.
I would feed it back to the trust - not in a complaint way, more like 'I had a great experience, however Mr X didn't look, speak or interact with me - I know they have a job to do but an introduction would have gone a long way".
The surgeon may have been having a bad day or they may not be aware that they come across as cold and distant - either way, they should have some feedback.

My surgeon introduced herself before the section, I was third on the list and she said very monotone “the other two ladies have been fine and so will you” 😂 It was fine, I’d never met her before and I kind of just wanted her to get on with it. However everyone around her was lovely and friendly which made a huge difference. The anaesthetists were so friendly and kept me happy throughout, chatting and keeping a level of normality that I still look back on appreciatively. The midwifes were so kind and gentle too and took time to explain how I would be feeling and whet was going on afterwards.

I felt a bit like a formula 1 car going in for a few new tires to be fitted in the sense that it felt like a really well oiled machine. I wasn’t a high risk pregnancy so I imagined this was like filling out an excel spreadsheet for the surgeon 😂

I've had emergency c-sections in 2 countries, both on national health services. In the first, the surgeons met me first, and whilst they weren't chatty with me, they did acknowledge that I was there and make sure I understood what was happening, and the anaesthetist did actually engage as we were prepping and a couple of times during (with anaesthetist humour 'that's them stapling you back up'), then after surgery they came down a bit later to check on me and their work.

In the UK, it was like I was just the next body on the production line. No-one but the nurse spoke to me - they even spoke to the nurse to ask her to reposition me for the spinal, not to me!

It was bizarre to my mind. And I was a bit shocked that no-one came down to check that it was all OK - how can surgeons improve if they don't check what they've done after?

tools? instruments yes @Cricketsong

I had a woman who did a lovely neat job

sweet nurse told me they were saving my tattoo
man who did sleepy drugs ( can’t spell anietheotist) was lovely

I liked that the surgeon had focus on the job and was polite and factual but not overly chatty it was 1 in the morning and end of a long labour for me so I wasn’t up for a magical experience as such I just wanted it over with quickly and safely

I was surprised by how long it all took

My surgeon spoke to me beforehand. The actual (elective due to placenta praevia) CS was lightening fast. The consultant obstetrician literally asked a junior to time him. And it took about 2 mins!
I had told the surgeon I was worried about seeing anything gory but when the moment came to lift DD out he asked for the screen to be lowered and said "watch your baby come into the world. You don't want to miss this". And he was right. The whole thing was a bit surreal and I think it helped me feel more relevant to her birth somehow.

If working silently is what’s needed for the surgeon’s concentration l’ll take that every time. Whatever line of work you do yourself, could you fully concentrate on it while chatting ? No, of course you couldn’t, but you expect a surgeon to engage in chatter while doing their job, and because they didn’t you interpret that as being treated like a piece of meat. Ridiculous.

Totally unreasonable. Everybody knows a surgeon has, in addition, to her/his main function, entertain, chat, cheer up the patient and (according to many other threads) if married with kids, come home and do all the house chores as well as bedtime, so that a sahp could take some time to unwind from the stresses of being a sahp.

DH and I sat in a room next the theatre, and met everyone involved prior to starting the procedure. Everyone introduced themselves and their roles, I got to ask any questions and any preferences. Then we all got gowned up/ scrubbed up and met again in theatre. So your experience does seem a bit impersonal.

This was experience too when I had my DC. I found it very weird. All the other HCPs were great but my surgeon didn’t utter a word to me.

He had spoken to me earlier in the day so I think that’s why I found it even more weird.

Emergency CS here. I didn’t even know they’d started the op until, rather feebly, I remember asking ‘have you started’ and was told ‘nearly at the baby’ by the anaesthetist. No talk from the two surgeons at all. It wasn’t important then, and isn’t now. They had a job to do and did it brilliantly. Never occurred to me we should talk.

I'm an obstetric anaesthetist, so I've seen over a thousand C sections. It's very unusual for the surgeon to say nothing at all! Some are chattier than others, but pretty much everyone would greet the patient when they arrive, and say goodbye when they leave. Some prefer not to give updates during the operation, but I do that for them, keep an eye on when baby's about to arrive and update the parents etc.

Some people definitely find it easier to talk and do fine motor work at the same time - I remember when I used to play the piano I absolutely couldn't talk and play at the same time, while others could chat away. If I'm focusing on a tricky procedure, I can give brief instructions/information, but can't natter. Most CSs for me (and most surgeons) are pretty routine, so apart from a few key moments I'm happy talking away. It is tiring though, keeping up the chat and focusing on all the tasks I need to do - if I'm doing a full day section list I'm shattered by the end!

My surgeon didn't say a thing to me either for my elective CS! I did think it was a bit weird, but the anaesthetist and nurses were taking loads to me so I guess that made up for it.

I had an emergency CS and I didn’t give a rat’s arse if staff asked me what’s my favourite colour and animal.

the only noise I was focused on is the baby crying and hearing it for the first time as that would tell me all is well.

Not had a C-section but once had to watch hundreds of the things to collect samples (long story..) the surgeon made the same jokes every single time and the entire theatre team had to fake laugh. Tbh I think I you got off lightly with silence!

I was just going to say this too!!

My brother in law is a surgeon and while he is one of the nicest, charismatic person ever and an extrovert, he has mentioned how at work people hardly perceive him as that.

Just last week he mentioned how at work he got called stubborn and stuck up by a patient but in reality he is that way because he has to detach himself completely.

He really has a lot of empathy but during work puts himself in the 'mode'.

I recall he once talked about a lady he was chatting with and operating on and the lady mentioned to him she had just become a grandmother and was excited to visit her granddaughter abroad after not visiting for years.

This really put him under immense pressure as he saw her as human with dreams, saw her life, kind smile and the thought of her family. He almost cried during the surgery

Since then he won't even make eye contact with his patients and never says hello or asks how his patients are before operating on them.

However he will personally see them afterwards, introducing himself as the surgeon who did the operation and will ask about their recovery / how they are doing.

My mum is also a nurse and has said that surgeons who can remain chatty / friendly with patients during operations are usually the less empathetic ones as they have no issues detaching, however the more empathetic surgeons cannot risk getting attached so avoid getting personal.