C-section

[Starbuck8419]

Ok so I had my daughter nearly five years ago so I apologise this isn’t very relevant but I’ve always wondered something about her birth.

She was breech from about 20 weeks and never moved. As such I was advised to have a planned C-section which was fine by me as I never wanted to push.
She decided to come two weeks earlier than the planned procedure date.

There was no rush. We spent 11 hours in a room waiting for the OR to be available and I kept getting shunted down for emergencies.

As far as I’m aware, everything went smoothly but after she was born, I wasn’t able to hold her. They took her away, cleaned her up and gave her to my husband.
I was in a daze so didn’t really push to ask but I was absolutely fine.

Her and my fella left to go into the recovery room for a feed and I didn’t actually meet her for about 45 minutes/hour later.

I know it’s not a big deal and it was long ago but it kind of upsets me I wasn’t the first to hold her.

It’s absolute bollocks by the way about not bonding if you have a csection. Me and mine couldn’t be closer but I always wished I had been first for some reason.

Anytime I’ve asked the dr she doesn’t seem to know.

Has anyone had this before and if so, what was the reasoning?

If you were in an emergency theatre then often the place where they take the baby for checks etc is apart from the theatre itself so they will have taken the baby in there.

Luckily your husband went with her and so of course they gave her to him to hold after. Why it took 45 minutes though I've no idea.

There will be notes which you're entitled to see. Make a Freedom if Information Request and they have to give you your documentation within 30 days.

I had a 'planned but urgent' c-section a few month ago for my breach DD.

They gave her to DH first and did the most urgent checks, but I held her within 10 mins I think.

Happened here, with a straightforward home birth too.

The reason given - some midwives are old fashioned. :s

No sorry maybe I wasn’t clear. My husband stayed with me after her birth in the OR. She came out, gave a cry and they took her off to a separate room to warm up etc. A few minutes later she was wrapped up and given to my husband who was sat next to me. He then put her in a bed and wheeled her to the recovery room to feed her. I wasn’t able to give her a cuddle or her first feed for 45 mins roughly while they stitched me up.
It was only when I was wheeled back out I was able to hold her.

I’ll ask the dr again to see my notes. I know it’s not a big deal it just bums me out a bit that I never got that with her.

Thinking about it I didn't hold my dd till in recovery room after stitches etc I never really thought anything of it .. husband got to hold her so I was fine with that.

Maybe it’s a normal thing then. I mean I’m not crying myself to sleep over it or anything but part of me has always wondered why 😊

Maybe they were stitching you up internally and it took a little time?

I think it depends on the hospital. This happened to me with DS1 (EMCS but we were both fine) - he was wrapped up and handed to DP to hold, who held him right next to me, and then they were beckoned away. DS1 was apparently weighed at the end of the room and then they were sent into recovery to wait for me. No clinical reason for being separated, just procedure. No feeding, though - we had skin to skin in recovery and a first feed.

With DS2 (ELCS), we had skin to skin in theatre and he never left the room. Totally different experience and I felt much better about it.

I’m having a section on Friday & I’ve been told by my midwife, consultant & section information sheets that once baby has been quickly checked & weighed, she’ll be passed to me for skin to skin .. I think maybe you were just unfortunate last time. Unless you are unwell following the procedure, there is no reason you can’t be passed your baby to hold.. I would def raise you wishes to the midwife & consultant.

I had emergency forceps last time and I was passed baby immediately. I got to hold her for a minute or so before the midwife took her for quick checks. My blood pressure plummeted shortly after & I felt awful, so my OH held her until I felt less like I was about to pass out!

I had an emcs, DS was checked, wrapped up and handed to me pretty quickly, then taken off me checked again and handed to DH as I had the shakes, then I went to sleep. I don’t know what they did with DS then.

I think it depends on the Doctors. I've had 2 emergency sections, one in 2015 and one in 2018. Dc1 once he'd been checked by the NICU doctors (my waters had been broken 81 hours and they thought he was going to be very ill) was wrapped up and they tried to give him to me even though I'd just passed out on the operating table. I was too out of it to hold him. With dc2, I wasn't sure about to holding her because of what happened with dc1. The consultant delivering her had other ideas. She came out screaming, the dr said "oh she wants her mum" and within around 4 minutes I had a naked baby on my naked chest.

Both times, baby stayed in theatre with me throughout. The first time being held by dh and the second time in my arms. Same hospital.

I had my son 10 months ago by emergency C-section. My partner was also the first to hold my son and it's something that's really bothered me. I know in the grand scheme of things this is a minor thing and I'm so grateful to have had a beautiful healthy baby boy but I always imagined I would be the first to hold him and really there was no reason why I couldn't despite the C-section. It was only after when I was able to reflect on the birth that it hit me, and it still upsets me when I think of it.

Things have moved on a lot in the last 5 years regarding things like skin-to-skin in theatres etc - back then some hospitals were doing it but not all, while now it's much more common. If there had been a problem with your baby they'd have told you at the time, it may just have been standard (albeit not very family friendly) practice there at that time.