Has anyone had or know about 'natural caesarean' at UCH?

[duzida]

Hello, I'm booked in for an ELCS at UCH next month after having an EMCS there a few years back. Head midwife is encouraging me to write a birth plan, which I hadn't really thought about for a C-section. I've found lots of good suggestions here on MN (like asking for skin to skin in theatre if feasible)

I've read here and elsewhere about 'natural caesarean' at Queen Charlotte where your body just pushes it out of a magic hole in your tummy as nature intended they make the incision slowly and sort of let the baby pop out a bit more slowly than usual, since there's not the usual hurry of an EMCS (when the baby/mother might be in distress).

Anyway, I just wondered if anyone knows whether this is ever done at UCH? I don't know if I want to ask if they're just going to laugh at me, so tired and emotional by this stage of pregnancy. I also feel like they're doing me such a big favour by letting me have an ELCS that I shouldn't ask for more - which is ridiculous of me, because they think ELCS is medically the best plan for me. But I am looking forward to a CS which, with luck, will be a lot less rushed this time. I wasn't under GA last time but so woozy and tired that I missed a lot of it.

Anyone had one/been offered one at UCH or any other London hospital? and if so, were staff all OK with it, and what was it like?

Interested to see responses op as I'll be having a c/s at uclh in July. Can't help much I'm afraid as had a vaginal delivery there last time.

Good luck!

bump?
but it sounds as if no one has had one of these at UCH, which is also a valid answer!

I had an ELCS performed by a UCLH consultant about ten days ago (albeit privately). He didn't offer me a 'natural caesarean' - I got the impression that for him it was a strictly surgical procedure and was done as he preferred, which was fine by me. That said, during the delivery there was a cd of (quirky) love songs playing, the screen was lowered at delivery, and my husband was encouraged to be with the baby straight away. I didn't have skin to skin in theatre, but I was able to cradle my baby across my chest, the anaesthetist took some lovely shots of the three of us and I fed in the recovery room. It was a very relaxed and straightforward process.

I imagine it wouldn't hurt to ask, but it would probably depend on the particular surgeon and how she or he likes to do things.

Hi ghislaine did you take your own cd? Hadn't really thought of music.

Hoping the recovery goes well!

No - although it was suggested by the midwife when I booked in for delivery. I asked my husband and he wan't keen. I think the baby was born to the sounds of "God only knows how much I love you" by the Beach Boys which was recited at a dear friend's wedding so that made me feel pretty warm and fuzzy anyway (or maybe that was just the spinal!).

I had my youngest at UCH in 2008 and they performed a 'natural casaerean' without me even requesting it, which was a nice surprise after my first emergency section .

They lowered the screen as my DD was being born (wasnt gory at all as I didnt see the underneath where the incision was, just saw them lifting my DD out and up). They then let me have skin-to-skin with her immediately, only took her off for me a minute or two to weigh her and check breathing and kept her in my line of vision the whole time. Then I was able to hold her, with DH's help, until they wheeled us into recovery, when I was encouraged to have skin-to-skin and BF straight away.

It was the best day of my life

I felt very well looked after at UCH, after horrendous first birth experience at the Royal Free.

Good luck!

thanks for this feedback, it makes me feel a lot more confident and I think I'll send in my birth plan to head midwife as requested and see what they can do.

Even though I had an EMCS there last time and was a bit knackered and out of it by the time we got to theatre, it definitely wasn't a horrendous experience - I was lucky. I just want to see/know a bit more this time, without actually watching the gory gory bits.

Ghislaine, now I think I might like the Beach Boys in theatre...DP will laugh but hey, it's my party.