I had to phone the ward at 8am and see whether there was a bed available. There was, so they asked us to come in in the next half hour ? but at least before 9am. It is very strange to know the day your baby is going to be born. Once we got to the hospital we were shown to the recovery room ? space for two beds but one was missing ? and I was asked to undress and put on a hospital gown (which was a bit draughty down the back!) I remember there was a very annoying fluorescent light in the room which kept blinking off and on, which was not very relaxing when we were both rather apprehensive.
Then a nurse came and introduced herself and said she would be scrubbing in for the caesarean. She also said the anaesthetist would come to see me too. She put TEDs (anti-embolism) stockings on me and checked I'd shaved enough (!) and also talked me through some of my worries. Then the anaesthetist came to see me and went through the spinal procedure, and associated risks, with me at some length. He was very calm and kind and patient, which helped a lot. Finally another medic came in (I'm not sure what role) who went through the yellow consent forms and ALL the possible risks. This was where things got a bit scary as there was talk of bowel perforation and emergency hysterectomy and so on.
I signed the consent form. We were then left waiting for what seemed like ages, but eventually DH got his blue scrubs. However, while putting them on he managed to pull the cord completely through the waistband of the trousers, so he had to go off to get a second set.
Finally we were off. Walking to theatre was very surreal. The operating theatre was very cold, and I was very very nervous by this point, so I was shaking and trembling. One nurse stayed with me throughout the spinal and held my hand. One of the others kept chatting to me ? we ended up talking a bit about my work, which was strangely comforting and 'normal'!
They started the operation by putting an IV in my arm ? badly. When I asked if it was meant to hurt they realised it had ?tissued? - ie perforated the vein ? and redid it at a different location. (See my profile for a picture of the bruises that resulted!). Then they did the spinal ? firstly spraying my back with a very cold spray, which made me even more shaky ? and the injection was VERY sore. They did about four injections in total, and all of them hurt a LOT more than I was expecting.
I slowly started to feel my legs go numb and they quickly turned me round on the trolley so I was lying down before they went completely. They sprayed me with another cold spray to check what I could feel and where. I had a momentary panic where I thought, ?even if I wanted to, I couldn't get up and leave now because I can't walk.?
The surgery itself was disconcerting and uncomfortable, but not painful. I started a random conversation with DH about West End theatre ? just to have something to focus on. At 11.07 (only about five minutes after the spinal) DD2 was born. They lowered the screen and also held her up ? a mauve and white squished-up bundle. She cried ? loudly and reassuringly ? and then they took her to the rescuscitaire room next door ? and DH went too. After what seemed like ages, the midwife came back quickly to tell me all was ok (DH had asked her to come back out as he knew I would be worrying). DD2 had mild positional talipes in one foot, but her Apgars were nine and nine.
The sewing up was probably more unpleasant than the birth, although less pushing and shoving involved ? and then I was lifted back onto the bed (very undignified with two dead legs!), DD2 settled in beside me for skin-to-skin, and wheeled back into recovery. I don't remember much about recovery except getting DD2 to feed for the first time.