Positive elective c section stories please!!!

[mamaandthegirls]

I had an ecv today to try to turn my breech (and stubborn) baby, which didn't work. So I am booked in for an elective c/s for 2 weeks time. Absolutely terrified!! My last birth was a vaginal birth. Can you tell me how your elective c/s went, what happened on the day, what happened at your pre-op and how your recovery was? Thanks!

At my pre-op, they weighed me, took my blood pressure many times until they got an acceptable reading (I was very stressed) and measured me for surgical stockings. I then saw an anesthetist who went over the medications, risks etc with me, told me I could eat up until 3am recommending a carb heavy breakfast and said if I was going with a spinal I could drink clear fluids up until theatre/if I still wanted a GA to stop drinking at 7am. Finally I saw an obstetrician who took blood, retook my blood pressure, gave me a drink to consume the morning of the surgery along with 2 ranitidine pills and asked if I had any questions about the surgery. They also told me I was first on the list but I already knew that as my consultant had told me.

I was told to bring something to read/look at/listen to whilst waiting however I went into labour the night before.

As they were taking me to theatre, my dh went and got changed. He met us there, held my shoulders for the spinal. I was helped to lie down as it works very fast. Catheter put in after the spinal. Very quickly they were dropping the curtain so that we could see dd being born (you can't see much blood or anything). They popped her on my legs, letting the cord pulse, cut it and then a midwife took her and rubbed her down very quickly next to us. The anesthetist made sure my gown was out of the way and they popped her on me for skin to skin, covering both of us with a blanket. She stayed there until we were finished in theatre and then was put in a bassinet whilst they got me back into bed before being passed back to me. They did her checks, measurements and vit k in recovery. She was born at 6am, I had tea and toast at around 8am and then was allowed to eat whatever I felt like as normal.

Moved to the ward, catheter out and told I had 6 hours to pee in a cardboard bucket or it was going back in. Got up as soon as I could feel my legs.

Discharged the next day. 2 weeks later I was pushing the pram on a 3 mile round trip to pick ds up from preschool. I still have all the pain killers I was discharged with. My advice would be get up as soon as you can and try and walk tall rather than hunching.

Thank you so much for your reply! That has put my mind at ease a little bit. While having your spinal put in, can you use gas and air while it's being fitted? I'm terribly worried about it!

Similar experience as above but I didn't go into labour the night before. For me it was like going for a night to be monitored, except more relaxed, and a bit nervous! We had DS1 at home and it was so nice to be able to book childcare and know when the new baby would arrive. I walked down to theatre in my own dressing gown and slippers with DH. I didn't even notice the spinal going in because the anaesthetist got me arguing about politics and then I said "is it in?" And he said "it was in ages ago!" Honestly I didn't feel a thing except for the cold spray he put on my skin.

It was all so calm and peaceful, they put the baby straight on my chest for skin to skin and I nursed him straight away, and I was home the next day - I could have stayed in if I'd wanted but I was eager to get out of there to get home to DS1. Compared to the long labour and scary and stressful EMCS with DS1 who was then too sleepy and puffy to feed immediately, it was like a lovely trip to the spa!!

I had two lovely relaxed ELECs.

There wasn’t much pre-op, just blood pressure, the MW listened to the baby, cannula in. The epidural went in really quickly, I left some pulling but not pain and very quickly the baby was on my chest. DH was holding my hand, the baby was on my chest so the rest went by really quickly. DC2 was a bit cold in theatre so he went off with the MWs and I chatted to the surgeon about schools. I breastfed in the recovery room.

Recovery was really fast. I was walking about with DS in a sling one week after he was born and got on a flight home when he wasn’t two weeks old. I avoided lifting anything heavy for a while but I was back riding my horse at six weeks.

I had a wonderful experience. It was so much more relaxed than my previous births.
I had a fab team who chatted through everything they were doing, reassured me at the right times and were humorous at times.

My pre-op went through dos and donts and what to expect on the day. We were also given antacids to take at certain intervals before hand.
On the day turned up at 7.30 then you just wait until your slot. Mine was quite late at 3.30 so loads of waiting around and I wasn't allowed to eat (hadn't eaten since 10pm the night before!). Take a book/tablet etc to keep your mind occupied.
My spinal (not epidural) took a while to site as my vertebrae are close together apparently! There was no gas and air but they used local anaesthetic first.
Once I was all numb my DH was allowed in.
The rest was a blur but I was up and catheter was out 12 hours later and home 12 hours after that