New Idiots guide to Elective C/section

[wiltshire]

As the idiots guide to bringing home baby was so bloody fantastic. I would like to have one for this as well. I will outline what is supposed to happen next week and would love to hear any views/experiences/tips for this as well. Also I know that this has been done before but in my labour bag, do I need to pack my robe/nightie/slippers/baby clothes or not. As I am not doing labour I am not sure and don't want dh taking home bag with stuff in it that I need.

Thursday 25th

Go in to get bloods/general wellbeing for op done

Friday 26th

0800 Go to hosp. Op scheduled for 0930 but I have been warned that any emergencies will precede me (fair enough). I am opting for a spinal anaesthetic.

Thats as far as I get. Will I be on a ward or a room, when will I will be able to get up. Will I be able to hold baby. How long before I am back in my hosp bed. You see, I am going to be in this place for 5 days. What will happen. I hope you are not all too fed up with me to help with this.

If you are lying around for a while post-op you may get a lot of blood pooling in your uterus. When you get up, it can flood, soaking whatever protection you have on.

Think someone has mentioned it already but this really affected me..I was shivering througout the whole process due to the affect of the block. No-one told me why it was happening (I felt freezing!) ..I think they finally told me near the end "Oh..that is normal!!". Next time I will know to expect it! (doesn't happen to everyone)

Thank you all once again, for your brilliant postings. I feel so informed & calm about this whole thing now and I have to say it is truly because of reading comments on this site.

God you're probably so bored with this by now you are thinking Oh no! Another posting! But just as a slightly different story - I was booked for an elective, but went into labour naturally a week before. I was so stupid I didn't even know I was in labour. Just thought it was the baby engaging (she never did engage - just decided to come anyway!). But my husband (bless him) insisted that we should go to the hospital "just in case". I remember lying on a bed with a midwife meddling about when she looked around the room and said "Where's your bag?". I said, oh I know what first babies are like, you'll just be sending me home like all the other lunatic primas. She looked at me with great amusement and said (add your own Caribbean accent here) "Oh nooooo. You in labour honey!" THAT'S when it started to really hurt To cut to the chase, they still did my CS, though holding still for the anaesthetic was a bit hard (I was 10 cm dilated when I arrived- how could I have been so thick???) Best tips for C section - get up as soon as you possibly can. It makes it so much easier if you get up while still on pain relief. You can actually straighten up! Also, start eating dried apricots or whatever "gets you going" ASAP as the hospital may insist you have a bowel movement before they let you go home. And don't take slippers that you need to bend down to put on. On the plus side, my C section was a joyous and wonderful experience. And a final warning - my baby cried while she was still inside me, just after they opened me up. Apparently it can happen, but it gives you one hell of a shock! Good luck with it.

This thread is a very good one ... I love reading about other people's experiences ... but I do have to say that all hospitals have different ways of doing things ... For example:
a) Aloha ... LOL at 'bedside phone in ward' ... what phone? ESH had no phone in the ward ... we had to walk to the nearest payphone ... just outside the ward ...
b) Janinlondon if ESH had not let me out before I had a bowel movement I would have been there for a mighty long time. DS was born on a Tuesday - I came out on the Friday - first BM on the Sunday .... ouch ouch ouch

You're right Ghosty - I know plenty of people who've lied about it just to get out, and a lot who were never asked at all. And let's face it, they didn't ask me for proof!! Yeuch!

Well, Kings may not be the Portland but they do have phones - all run by a private company making huge profits mind you!

fabulous advice on here, as usual
I couldn't wait to get my catheter out after my second c/s and even offered to rip off my plaster on my wound (in the shower, mind) because those bothered me first time. walking early is good, but VERY SLOWLY, preferably after painkiller top-up. eat as much fruit/veg as possible, helps the bowels get back to normal (mine - 2nd or 3rd day, can't exactly remember but not painful at all). get a room to yourself if you can, I found hospital noise unberable and bagsed a room when I was down in labour ward! very best of luck