Did anyone watch their babies being born by CS?

[leogaela]

DS was born by emergency CS. I am pregnant again (with twins) and definitely want to try for a VB. However, this time if I end up having a CS I want to be more prepared for it and have some kind of birth plan. One of hte things that bothers me with the birth of DS is that I was totally univolved in his birth, found the whole experience very distressing and confusing and then suddenly was presented with my baby. I'm wondering if I have to have another CS will I feel happier to see the babies being taken out of me. I'm not particularly squeemish, don't want to see the cutting just the birth part.
Has anyone done this or wish they had?

I didn't (2 sections, one emergency, one planned) and I know what you mean about being 'presented' with the baby, particularly with dd (emerg) they showed her to me for about a second then whipped her away to check her and then presented her all wrapped up later... With ds I asked for him to be immediately held up properly for me to see (providing he was ok), which he was, dh got to tell me what sex the baby was and I remember vividly seeing my son, my husband's huge grin (we really wanted a boy!) and all the smiling eyes of the theatre staff. It was a great moment That time I really didn't feel left out. I think if you can make plans and requests for what happens if you need a section you might not feel so uninvolved and distressed. To be honest I'm not sure about the watching the birth thing for me but of course that is up to you!

Good luck and congratulations on the twins!!

I saw DD being born by CS ....
It is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to see the 'cutting' part as you are lying down with a huge bump in the way and with the spinal block you can only lift your head up, not your shoulders off the table IYSWIM ...
I could see the reflection through the doctor and nurses protective glasses so I just didn't look too much in that direction.

It was fantastic, I saw DD come out of my body ... unlike with DS (emergency c/s after 55 hours so I was buggered) who was 'just a baby' being held up over the screen

It was as close as I will ever come to 'experiencing' childbirth ... and was the most amazing experience of my life.

Just ask for there to be no screen ....

DwM - I think we had similar experiences with the first births, except my labour was more like 55 minutes than 55 hours so I'm only talking about the cs bit. Its a good idea to insist on seeing the baby properly if possible, before its rushed off.
Ghosty, despite my already huge bump I handn't considered the bump obscuring my view! I'm really glad to hear that seeing hte baby being born was a good experience. Dh is squeamish so will have to be positioned so he can't see.

My ds was born by emergency cs and after 28 hours of labour, i was so knackered and in so much discomfort that i couldn't have cared less how he was delivered. I just wanted him here safe and sound.

My 10 month old dd was born by elective cs and i saw her being born... and it was quite breathtaking! We had the screen up but at the point that dd was going to be delivered, the screen was lowered and my dh and i saw her being lifted out of me. Ok, she was a tad gunky but neither of us are squeamish and it was a most memorable experience.

Let your delivery crew know that you think you'd like to see your twins being born, so that they can be prepared to lower the screen, but if you change your mind, then it's up to you.
Good luck with whatever you decide!

My dd was born by 'emergency' (but really not rushed) section. They lowered the screen just before lifting her out, so I saw her coming out of me...it was amazing. I remember saying 'omg, its a baby!' and crying

I also had the choice of music for the section, and dh stayed with dd and held her every minute that I couldn't. When I was wheeled back to my room, she was on the gurney with me, skin to skin and cuddled up. It was very peaceful, and happy.

The other differences between my two births was that with DS I was wheeled into recovery while DS was off somewhere with DH ... so I didn't get to hold him for a long time (or put him on the breast ) so I had a lot of 'bonding' problems.
With DD I she stayed with me while I was being stitched up (she was being held by DH) and then she came with me to recovery where I was allowed to breastfeed her straight away - about 15 minutes after she was born ... it made all the difference ....

Congratulations on your twins! When are they due? I have had 2 cs and both were filmed by my dh. There was the curtain in front of me which was lowered at the point when the baby emerged so I feel I did see it. Have watched both cs on video which was interesting to see but not for a long time now. Am preg with twins too, due June but will arrive in May and will definitely video the cs.

I'm so glad I asked this question. I have now definitely decided if I have to have a cs I want to see the babies coming out, although I am pretty sure I won't be able to get dh to film the birth for me!

shouldknowbyfriday - congratulations on the pregnancy !!!! come and join us in teh multiples section on the 'D'ya ever wonder how life still carried on like this?' thread.

Ghosty, same for me, ds was whizzed past me and taken off for a bit when he was first born, then put on my shoulder all wrapped up while I was being stitched up (my arms were numb from the anaesthetic so I couln't touch him) then taken away again with dh while I was taken to recovery. then put on my (very numb) breast some time later. I didn't actually see him naked until he was 3 days old when I sat watching dh give him his first bath (i'm getting upset thinking about this now).

Oh sorry, I'm 24+2 today, so 40 weeks due date is 12 March. By the way, you could go to 40 weeks or more with twins, there are several MN mums who have done.

I had an Emergency C-section with ds 3 and they lowered the green cloth so me and dh could see them taking him out of me...! Still had my issues with it all though...but seeing him come out was kinda cool anyway!

I've had an appointment with the consultant this afternoon and asked about hte possibility of seeing the babies taken out if I have ot have a cs. She said that its not possible because of the risk of infection . I'm not sure if I can argue with it if it is the policy of the hospital, but if I do end up having to have a cs I will ask again.

I don't understand how lowering the screen would cause a risk of infection ??? How strange. Why don't you print off this thread and show the consultant at your next appointment?

Leogaela ... I still get teary when I think of my first few days with DS (well, weeks actually) - he will be 7 next Thursday and I always bawl my eyes out on his birthday He is such a gorgeous boy and we have a good bond now ... and I have had to work on my 'guilt' over the years .... but whenever I look at him there is still part of me that thinks, "How on earth did that wonderful small person come from me?" Very surreal actually ....

Ghosty, I also think that there must be a way to keep everything sterile and let me see what is going on. I'm going to think some more about it and discuss it again with the consultant.
A big hug, and congrats to your ds on his birthday next week :9! Birthdays are definitely proud and emotional times for a mum!
I have been really focused on the positive things, until I got pregnant again and the psychological negatives have started to rear its ugly head!

Hi ladies. I work in theatre and have been involved in LOTS of sections.

The green/blue screen we put up creates a 'sterile field'.Ofcourse this prevents infection. And only staff that are scrubbed up (ie sterile) can touch this.

From experience not many mothers want to watch the actual operation, and it is difficult to see anything anyway lying down (which has already been said here). The screen also protects the mother, birth partner and anaesthetist from getting splashed with anything! When the waters are broken it can really gush out!

If you ask, the scrub nurse will certainly lower the drapes for you to get a better look at your new baby and in most cases they show you the baby straight away.

I would say it is normal practice for the midwife to quickly check the baby over, wrap them up with a blanket and then you can have your first cuddle!

I hope everybody who has a section finds it a positive experience, I really believe it can be.

Good Luck and try not to worry! xx

hi
I was so ill prepared for my CS that I had an aweful time. If I had had the choice, I would love to have seen my son born. When I discussed this afterwards the doctors fobbed me off with excuses as to why it was not practical, everything seem to be for their convenience forgetting what I as the mother was going through. Would recommend expectant mums read National Childbrith Trust article "As unexpectedly good birth - make your caesarean birth a positive experience" Winter 2005. You may find it useful. The article also lists the following website www.caesarean.org.uk

i wasnt given the chance and was on my own but not under i have a cracking picture the aenthetist took as she was taken out if anyone gots a strong stomach

iwas suppossed to have an elective section but my waters broke naturally after48 hours i was induced.after5 hours cj's heart rate dropped and i decided i wanted a section i had spinal aenthesia and after remarking on the mucis a choice of what was on the stereo!!!

i know i kept knocking the screen with my arm as i was shaking due to drugs and they kept putting it back up couldnt see anything due to the angle i was at we sked for dd to be taked to her dad after necessary tests and i held her in recovery til we got to the ward i had an incredibly positive experience due mostly to the lovely women on here that prepared me for what would happen

like i said b4 the aethetist took pics as she came out somaybe that maybe a good alternative?

I asked for this, and got it, fabulous compared to the inhumanity of 2 previous emergency c/s

Interesting article Twilighter, its so true isn't it that there is so much push for women to be more in control of a natural birth but nothing is being done to improve cs births. I wonder how insulted my consultant would be if I gave her this article .

hi there
I am from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As our health service is not that brilliant, most people who can afford it prefer to go private... and as is typical of most private practices, c-sections and electives are pretty high. I had one because of low amniotic fluid and found the whole experiecne to be brilliant!! So i still don't know what a contraction feels like, but as childbirth pain was one of my biggest phobias in terms of having a baby, i was more than happy to have a c-section! i am not sure if it is the same everywhere, but my doctor said i could see everything he was doing in the reflection of the overhead theatre lights... for those of you who want to know... my husband and i chose not to look though! aside from the anxiety over our baby, i was happy with everything else. an abdominal wound is a lot easier to keep dry and infection free compared to an episiotomy, so it healed very fast, and any pain from the wound can be countered with painkillers...

That sounds fabulous Twilighter. I was at QC as well and they did offer to drop the screen so that I could see DD being lifted out of my body (it was another consultant - not Professor Fisk). It was an emergency section, but noone was in danger at that point if you see what I mean, so they didn't really rush it. I was a bit traumatised by the time we got to the point when DD was born so shouted "noooooo" when they tried to lower the screen (despite being assured that I wouldn't be able to see the wound over my bump), but I think that if I ever have a planned section I will do a lot of things differently and that is one of them. I think it is great that people are thinking of ways to make c-sections a more positive experience. I thought having one would be terrible, but can see that it could be a lovely experience if done in the "right way" for the mother in each case.