Anyone had skin to skin with baby whilst being stitched up after an ELCS?

[snowmummy]

I'm having a c-section in about 4 weeks and I'd really like to have skin to skin straight away in theatre whilst I'm being stitched up. Has anyone asked for this and got it or were there objections?

No, but I was busy trying not to be sick and having oxygen/adrenaline at the time. :o Actually it never occurred to me. It's bloody cold in there !

Yes, tbh thought it was standard practise for an elective?

Yes, my second section was a 'natural' section (ridiculous phrase, but that is what the hospital called it!). They lowered the screen so I saw her being born, then they did whisk her to be checked for about 30 secs (but in my eye line) before returning her to me and letting us have skin to skin until it was time to go into recovery. Dh carried her ito recovery, and I breastfed as soon as we were settled.

It was lovely, and made the whole experience much nicer than my first section.

This was at UCH in London in two years ago, btw.

I did.
Talked to consultant before hand. They handed DD straight to me, I had a hug, DH had a hug, DD wee'd on him. I had another hug with DD.
THEN I asked how much does she weigh etc. Then they took hre to weigh and measure. Probably about 1/2 hour after delivery.

Was not allowed to sit up at all though, had to remain completely flat, even my head.

I had skin to skin - and even attempted breastfeeding - as soon as DD was passed to me after being weighed etc. Anaesthetist (sp?) even took a photo of the 3 of us which I treasure. I held onto her until I had to go to recovery. DH held her while I was away and then I BF as soon as we got back to the ward.

It was lovely

I did, although I insisted they did all the checks first.

TBH I found it jolly tricky holding DD with one arm (the other was hooked up to all the machines) but I managed it for a few minutes. Then got XP to take her off me as I thought I was going to drop her.
I was more comfortable holding her when I was in high dependancy as I could get comfy on the bed.

My consultant was fine with me doing skin to skin, they showed me the placenta too.

There's a little pic of our skin to skin on my profile, bottom pic I think.

I wasn't sure whether it was usual or not. From your replies, it seems not so that's good news for me. Thanks for the replies

I had it pretty quickly. For the first couple of minutes DP held her snuggled against me and she nuzzled in and latched onto the side of my face and then I got to cuddle her in recovery and she got a proper latch going and had a good old go at the colostrum for the next 2 hours.

I had a crash section but still got skin to skin. I'd made it clear that I wanted to find out the gender myself etc. I also started breastfeeding etc whilst in recovery. I did that thing where you let the baby find it's way crawling to breast. I forget what it's called but the natural rooting instinct. It was all quite lovely actually.

If because of various reasons you can't have skin to skin as soon as your baby is born then don't forget your DP/DH could always have skin-to-skin, that is what happened in my case.

Not quite. They checked him, then dh had him. He was laid on my chest in a towel with dh supporting him during stitches, then once I was off the drips and operating table, ready to be wheeled to my room on the bed, the mw stuffed him down my gown

I had an EMCS and had noted clearly in my birth plan that I wanted skin to skin but DS was taken away to be measured, cleaned and weighed, then I saw the midwife starting to dress him so I shouted across the theatre several times that I wanted skin to skin but no-one seemed to hear me which was quite surreal.

In the end I got heard and DS was wrapped in a towel and placed under my sheet on my chest so I got a bit of skin to skin. I was shaking so much from the side effects of the spinal that I was worried I would drop him so had to hand him over to DP whilst I was being stiched up. In recovery I got him back under the sheet again and cuddled him until we were back on the ward. After that I don't really remember what happened.

I had it after my EMCS - DH held DS first and cut the cord then he was handed to me.

Unfortunately I was shaking so much from the morphine that I didn't want to hold him for long in case I dropped him but it was enough to say "hello my son" and obviously cry at the wonder of it.

The midwife who had been with me through my (failed) labour also took photos of him being lifted out of me - you can't see the incision or anything, but it is as good a photo as I would have wanted of him coming out naturally.

I feel quite broody again even thinking about it and he's only 4 months old!

Thanks all. The reason I ask is because I really want to breastfeed - I have failed to do so with my first two children - and skin to skin is recommended to promote this. I will make my wishes clear when I go in and see what happens.

I had skin to skin and breastfed after an emergency section.

Yes I've had an emergency and ELCS, both had skin to skin once the baby had been checked over and was crying. Both times baby was on my chest (cpvered with a blanket) as I was transferred upstairs to the ward. All good stuff

TheDoctorsWife46 how did you manage to do the crawly-breastfeeding thing - how was there enough room on your front? DD1 was ELCS for breech, the consultant had said when I asked him that there wouldn't be enough space to put DD on my chest, he claimed it would be claustrophobic. She was handed wrapped up to DH, who knew what I wanted and immediately put her on my chest (not skin to skin but at least face to face!) - not claustrophobic at all. If DC2 ends up being another section, I'd like to have skin to skin but I remember there didn't really seem to be an awful lot of room before the screen started, just essentially my boobs and then the screen. How did you fit in baby crawling? Or do I have an unusually short upper body??

Yes for both my electives, but not after the emergency (DH held her). The babies were delivered and checked over (2 or 3 mins) then handed back and positioned skin to skin under my gown and I was helped to hold them. It is worth mentioning it beforehand though so that they know what you want. All 3 times I didn't bf until in the recovery ward, (about 30 / 40 mins after the birth) where all of the midwives were very helpful.

Yes for both electives. I went in with my gown on back to front so it could be opened. The babies came straight to me within seconds of birth and had a cuddle and a suckle. They were not weighed etc for a good 10 mins.

zimbah ermm have to try to remember through the haze of it. Initially she was with me at my face as you say, but then I was moved to recovery and I was naked to my scar with DD on me, I had an independant midwife who luckily was respected as such in the theatre. she was the one they handed DD to and she pretty much went into midwife mode from then. i have video of melying naked, iodine all over me, DD crawling and mewing like a kitten across my chest.

My midwife is extremely pro breast feeding and so she sort of took over for me. I couldnt have been more grateful. It wasnt immediatley after DD was lifted out, but it was extremely quickly after. And Midwife and DH were with me in recovery whilst we did the breast feeding bit. We stayed in there for well over an hour bonding.

In regards to the weighing, she was weighed etc after I had had a kiss and face to face cuddle etc.