skin to skin immediately after ELCS

[redwellybluewelly]

Was assured this would be possible by my (senior) consultant, told yesterday by the midwife in ante natal ckinic this is just not at all possible because baby needs to be dried to prevent hypothermia.

Also consultant said that weighing and measuring can take place on the ward or in recovery. Same MW yesterday told me wwe couldn't leave theatre without full details of baby on the system.

I have major major trust issues with this hospital, my consultant assured me that if I went for an ELCS I would (all being well with baby ans myself) not have my baby taken away at all.

Wondered if others had been able to have immediate delivery onto chest? Oh and I know about the gown back to front to ensure access!

I had skin to skin after my emcs. Baby was wiped first at my request. Then put under my gown and a blanket placed on top. He stayed there while I was stitched. Then he was weighed and dressed while I was transferred to a bed, and given back to me before I was moved to recovery.

2nd time round DS2 had breathing problems and I only got a brief hold with him already wrapped before he needed to go on the breathing machine and go to NiCU.

Sadly I didn't get any cuddle time in the theatre after my elcs. Baby and DH were taken out while they stitched me up. It was devastating. He was 40mins old before I had a cuddle. Please make sure you get your views clearly understood by the staff in the theatre. Doesn't matter what your told in advance - it's the practices of those caring for you on the day that makes the difference. Good luck and stand your ground!

I've been told baby will need to be checked over straight away so I won't get skin to skin.
I didn't get it with DD either after forceps - was in theatre so not sure if that's why it if it was because of retained placenta and haemorrhaging. She was at least an hour old before I got to hold her.

I had the shakes so didn't want to hold him but he never left my eyeline. The checks were done next to me and my husband held him until I felt better in recovery.

I had a little skin to neck contact with mine straight after ELCS but to be honest I always felt a bit yuck straight after so welcomed those few minutes of drying and wrapping to gather myself.

I've had 3 ELCS and all 3 were latched on and feeding in recovery, really calm environment and a nice memory - that's not to say all three remained latched on for very long!!

Good luck and don't forget to left the staff in theatre know you want contact as soon as possible.

Personally I couldn't have held ds as I was unfortunate enough to have a bad reaction to the anaesthetic and was very shaky. Dh held him the whole time instead. They did take ds to be weighed and wrapped up initially though.

DD wasn't delivered onto me, i think there was a bit of cleaning up first buti had her in my arms quite quickly. Unfortunately i reacted to the spinal block really badly and was shaking so violently the aneasthetist had to hold me down. Then when they gave me dd i started to throw up and had to hand her back.

Think DP got a good cuddle in theatre though.

Make it clear what you want but know that even if it isn't staff, nature might get in your way.

Good luck, don't forget it won't make a blind bit of difference how the baby was born even a few weeks afterwards.

cross post with Fairylea

Friend has just had this. It's what they call a 'natural c section'. She did her research beforehand and discussed with consultant at pre-op appt and was fully supported.

rocky I wanted a natural c section but they laughed at my request, this is as good as the senior consultant could offer

And I recognise its only ok as long as baby and I are ok

And that baby will probably be fine away from me for a bit - my mental health however probably won't be, I really do have major outstanding issues from DC1's birth.

And thank you everyone for your replies

I had emergency cs under general anaesthetic last year so didn't get to see my daughter til she was around 12 hrs old. Have been told I'd have to have elective cs if we choose to have another, under local anaesthetic this time if all well, & I know I'll insist on being passed the baby straight away as I missed out last time (unless of course something is wrong). It's really helpful to see what other people have written about requesting it. Still not sure whether I can put us through another pregnancy & section but hate the thought of her being an only child!

Consultant or midwife - is either going to be there at op?

I would try to ask the people who will be, and if you can't, ask if your request is pinned to the front of your records ( as well as the fact that Consultant has OKed it)

I wanted skin to skin and would have been able to have it, but like others on the thread I had the shakes so couldn't hold dd until in recovery. I had a lovely day then though of skin to skin and it was really relaxed. Plus dd was seriously covered in vernix when she was born so actually I was quite happy for them to clean her up a bit first!

The dr won't be able to deliver the baby onto your chest for reasons of keeping a sterile field. They have to give the baby to someone who is sterile. Now whether that person can then put baby onto your chest will depend on the hospital and even the individual Drs.

Having had DS2 under general and being presented a weighed, dressed and named baby when I came round, I was really determined for it to be different with DS2. Admittedly everyone had done what they thought was best but i really struggled with a lot of it, eg DH knew it was the only name we had for a boy so I was woken to "we have a x" but I felt left out of it and had expected to confirm the baby looked like an x, but DH thought it was already decided and it was even on his cot label!

I initially refused a section with dS2 but ended up with no choice at 42+2 when they wouldn't induce.

I wrote a detailed birth plan even for a planned section. They hadn't seen one before but I wanted to make clear my wishes.

Ds2 was shown to me then checked briefly and wrapped in a towel and handed to me and DH while I was sewn up. I insisted he was not weighed or dressed until I was out of theatre and could be with him. Despite my birth plan they wanted to weigh him but I stuck to my guns and made them wait until I was able to be with him. They all waited around for him to be weighed as he was big!!

When I got to the recovery room with him and he was weighed I got skin to skin and stayed like that for a long time. It really did make a significant difference to my experience and my bonding with DS2 was a lot easier than with DS1. Breast feeding was also easier with DS2 although that could be co-incidence, who knows.

My message is stick to your guns where you can but accept some things like the fact they will want to check the baby over before handing to you.

Ok. Spent three hours in AN clinic today, consensus was "well we could have done so much more for you if we'd known sooner"

Which led to me bursting into tears and asking exactly what or who I should have spoken to - even my CMW has been shocked at how unwilling delivery and PN ward have been. So. We got to talk to the anaesthetist who completely supported maternal skin to skin as prevention against hypothermia (covered with a blanket) but did also say that skin to skin simply wasn't possible. Flat refusal. Talked about sterile field and baby needing checking.

So it comes back to the consultant, who seemed to think there were no issues with this option

They won't be operating on your boobs!

Why can't baby be put across your chest? It doesn't have to be sterile above your tummy.

Put big note on front of your records that Consultant has said it's OK. Good luck