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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

How long did your c-section take?

36 replies

TheFSMisreal · 05/01/2018 21:37

I just saw an article about c-sections and it said from start to baby being born would be 5-10 minutes. Is that normal? Mine took 45-50 and I was in the operating room for over 2 hours. I know he got stuck so it took them a bit longer as they has to use forceps but surely 5-10 minutes can't be the norm. Can it?

OP posts:
namechange987 · 05/01/2018 21:39

I went in to theatre at 7.12. She was born at 7.32. And that's not taking in to account prepping me, doing the spinal etc. It was an emergency c-section and it was at 28 weeks so small incision and easy to come out.

BootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCats · 05/01/2018 21:40

It was about that long for me. I didn't realise they'd actually started until they lowered the curtain and I saw dd being lifted out! Shock

Stitching took 20-25 minutes.

Littlelambpeep · 05/01/2018 21:40

I think it was 20 mins. Both times. One emergency, other not.

BootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCats · 05/01/2018 21:41

(Mine was a planned c section so I guess they were able to be well prepared!)

eggofmantumbi · 05/01/2018 21:41

Mine sounds similar to yours OP 45 minutes and a struggle to get her out!

RaeCJ82 · 05/01/2018 21:42

Mine was very quick. The bit that took the longest was the anaesthetist making sure I was fully numb. From the start of the incision to DD being born was definitely under 10 minutes.

Xennialish · 05/01/2018 21:44

Usually 5-10 minutes at the most from the start of the surgery ie the first cut to skin to baby being born, unless you have had a section or abdominal surgery before or have a lot of abdominal fatty tissue (I have put it like that because you cannot always tell from general raised bmi who will). 40-50 minutes is very extreme though. Are you including the spinal, catheter etc? You may find a debrief useful especially if planning another and to make sure your notes are summarised and shared if you move hospitals in between.

Katheen80 · 05/01/2018 21:44

Took 4 minutes to get her out and then about fifteen more to stitch!

RainbowWish · 05/01/2018 21:44

Both mine were around the 40 minutes too OP. Maybe That they are counting from the first incision to baby coming out. But it's very misleading to first timers.

Cyclingforcake · 05/01/2018 21:45

I think they are talking about the length of time from the start of surgery to the baby being born not the the length of the whole procedure. From scalpel to baby usually takes 5-10 mins but can be done in 1min in an emergency. But the anaesthetic time and stitching up time will mean you spend 1-2 hours in theatre.

DeadButDelicious · 05/01/2018 21:51

Getting her out was about 15 minutes or so, sewing up and putting my PICO dressing on was around 30-40 minutes. I think. I couldn't tell you for certain. It was pretty straightforward no complications.

CheesecakeAddict · 05/01/2018 21:56

From being taken to theatre to being stitched up it took about 45 mins. Until baby came it was 10 mins

TheFSMisreal · 05/01/2018 21:57

I mean from first cut to birth. I had an epidural already and had been pushing for over an hour beforehand. Although they nearly knocked me out as I could still feel the pain. I can't believe it's usually done so quick! And they let you see the baby come out? I didn't even know that was a thing

OP posts:
trilbydoll · 05/01/2018 22:03

My elective probably was almost that quick. And he stitched me up twice as quickly as my emcs. Presumably all the messing around with forceps / ventouse tired the surgeon out Grin

eurochick · 05/01/2018 22:11

My elective was probably about that.

CatchingBabies · 09/01/2018 15:06

First cut until baby out is usually around 5-10 minutes. If you've been pushing prior to the section then baby is lower in the pelvis and harder to get out, sometimes forceps are used. I've never known this take longer than 15-20 mins from first cut however. It's the stitching up afterwards that takes the most time.

Randomlywondering · 09/01/2018 15:09

The pre surgery prep took a while with the spinal going In, making sure I was numb etc. Cut to first baby was probably a few minutes, second baby was out 2 minute later. I was then thoroughly distracted by the babies and couldn't tell you how long it took me to be stitched back together!

choccybiscuit · 09/01/2018 15:20

Yeah mine took a while. From first cut, maybe 20-30 mins? All in all I was in the theatre for two and a half hours. They said an hour in the beginning. My womb was very thin as it was my third section.

SnowFairyDust · 09/01/2018 15:21

Very quick, definitely less than 10 minutes, but I was in theater for about an hour altogether.

Figrollsnotfatrolls · 09/01/2018 15:26

Ds was less than ten mins. Maybe your internal organs were particularly interesting op and needed some spectating!!??

GrumpyOldBagFace · 09/01/2018 16:02

First was out in less than five minutes. EMCS and poorly baby.

Second an ELCS but was complicated by all the scar tissue left behind and an "interesting" looking blood vessel that had attached to my uterus. They had to call for a second OB and a second anaesthetist and set me up for cell salvage. I went down to theatre at 11:45 and the baby was born at 1:12.

Despite all of that, the second was a lovely, calm experience and the baby was fine. I got to cuddle the baby while they stitched me up.

skankingpiglet · 09/01/2018 16:13

If we are talking first cut to baby out then DD1 (ELCS) was probably around 10 minutes. In total I walked into theatre at 8.30 and was eating toast in recovery before 10.
DD2 was a cat1 EMCS and they apparently had 7 minutes to get her out from when her readings crashed. I don't know exactly how long it took to get her out from first cut as I was under a GA, but they said she was out well within that window. Those "7 minutes" included disconnecting all the bits attached to me/bed in delivery, pushing me into theatre, getting (another) cannula in, and knocking me out as well as getting DD2 out, so the cutting and removing part must have been very quick helped by not needing to cut into my uterus as the baby was already partway out into my abdomen. So it can be much quicker than 5-10mins if necessary!

GrumpyOldBagFace · 09/01/2018 16:16

Skank, did you have a rupture Shock

Thissameearth · 09/01/2018 16:17

Knife to skin to time of birth was sub 10 mins - so quick! Maybe 20 mins prepping me, 5 or so mins stitching then 20 mins in recovery.

Thissameearth · 09/01/2018 16:20

I'm pretty sure I had a form with knife to skin time and blood loss etc and knife to skin was 4 mins before her time of birth - planned section. That's absolutely amazing @skank surgical capabilities are amazing very fortunate