No eating/drinking before c section

[IMissSleep]

I'm booked in for my section in 3 weeks and just wondering about the no eating/drinking before.

I'm due to go in at 7:30am. What's the deal with no water? I've been told not to eat or drink after 12am but no water??!

ouch!!!

It is not 12 hours, have a drink before midnight. Baby will be out by 8am, would you normally be drinking in the night?

Yes actually

At the moment I'm getting through a pint of water in the night!

But I was more worried about the prospect of arriving at hospital at 7:30am but not actually having the section till 2/3/4pm because of emergencies. Which I'm totally prepared for. Glad I'll be allowed a few sips

Ouch! Thanks for the tip!

For my elective section I had a lovely anaesthetist who didn't believe in starving pregnant women and so I was allowed a cup of tea and some toast the morning of the section . Prior to my emergency section I had had dinner and dessert . Luckily it wasn't a problem for me, but they were aware that I had eaten and I would have followed advice not to eat had it been given.

Our hospital has two theatres one for electives and one for emergencies. Also when given elective date your also given they time. So the rule for drinking depends on the time of section!

Rules are there for a reason when it comes to surgery and I don't think these ones are made to be broken

A couple weeks After my CS I had to have an operation due to complications. I was 15 hours nil by mouth day 1, op cancelled due to emergencies. I was 9 hours nil by mouth day 2 by time had op. It was horrid as was ebf. A huge fruit basket arrived for me during this time. By time left hospital had lost all baby weight plus another stone. Not a diet plan I recommend.

When I had my emcs I was told no food or drink from midnight on Saturday. I was starved all day on a hot antenatal ward in June although I had a drip in the evening. I was allowed sips of water with tablets but that's it. At 11pm my emcs was postponed so I could eat and drink for an hour and then had no food or drink from midnight. Thankfully I had my C-section at 9am on monday so I got my toast and jam at 11am.

I agree that the 'rules' are there for a very good reason and absolutely should not be disregarded. I would query though, whether no fluid (or even sips of water only) is appropriate from midnight. The earliest an elective section is goin to start is 0830. The majority of them will be later than that, potentially, as several pps have said, much later. Having an IV drip is not the same as having a drink and not as physiologically sound.
If I were told not to drink even water after midnight (before any 0800 surgery, but especially a section) I would query it. Not with the midwife, who will only be going on (outdated) guidance given to her, but with the anaesthetist or anaesthetic department directly. You can ask your midwife to query this on your behalf (by phoning the ostetric anaesthetist on call) or ask for an email address of the lead obstetric anaesthetist by phoning the anaesthetic department. Not to argue, just to gently query, express surprise and confirm. It is very possible that the more general up to date guidelines haven't made it through the mire of leaflets and communication to the community yet. No fluids for that long is in general (and there will always be exceptions to the rule) not good advice. The days of 'NBM from midnight' written over the beds of surgical patients (or told to those coming in in the morning) are long gone. Normal physiology for as long as and as soon as possible is the aim in otherwise fit healthy young people these days. And the less than fit an healthy too. Many obstetric departments these days are applying the principles of enhanced recovery and giving women special carbohydrate drinks to drink on the morning of surgery.
Query it, from an appropriate source. It's not good for you, or your baby to risk dehydration like that.

Just spoken to my cousin who's a midwife and I'll be allowed sips only. That's fine with me. Will just stock up on fluids the days leading up to section!

Ok OP - entirely up to you. You should (as should anyone having an elective section, although busyness of labour ward sometimes prohibits) see an anaesthetist is the days before your section. An ideal person to ask. As I said, midwives aren't the ones giving the anaesthetic, nor are the surgeons, so are not necessarily the best places to give up to date personalised information about it, any more than asking an anaesthetist about forceps pros and cons. And this issue isn't just about comfort.

I couldn't eat after 12am but I could drink water until 6am. As I had to wait a while (due to emergencies) they put me on a drip so I didn't get dehydrated.

I talked to the anaesthetist while I was fasting and he confirmed that no food or drink from midnight was right. Mid afternoon when I was moaning about being thirsty he was very sympathetic and told me that he wasn't allowed to have his lunch break until my C-section had been done so effectively he was nil by mouth too. I felt really sorry for him as my C-section wasn't postponed until 11pm.

I was very glad my morning sickness had disappeared when my waters broke. Fasting and puking all day would not have been fun.

Agree with 1944girl. Why would you risk it? On balance, isn't being a bit thirsty for half a day better than risking complications during the op? Nil from midnight, inc liquids, is the norm in my hospital and I'll be obeying it to the letter.

I'm not going to risk it. Never said I would.

Just simply asking if no water for maybe 12hrs or more was the case. Relax.
I've spoken to my consultant and small sips of water will be allowed.