When's first feed after c section

[RainbowFlowers]

I'm most likely having an elective c section with my second birth. I'm 33 weeks pregnant. My first ended with an emergency c section, baby went to ICU for the first two nights so wasn't with me.

With an elective c section with no complications when does the baby need their first feed? Are they with you straight away? Or do you get to sleep after the op? Or do you even need to sleep?...since u guess Elective ones are in the morning.

I'm wondering about this as since my DP is unlikely to be allowed to stay with me due to lockdown, I'm trying to work out how I'd manage.

Thanks

(I'll report this to be moved to childbirth)

Hi, your baby is put on your chest for skin to skin straight away in theatre while they are stitching you up. Then you are wheeled just outside to recovery for 1-2 hours. Here, you will be helped to breastfeed your baby straight away. Then you'll be moved to a ward. Good luck!

Got dc2 latched on within mins of getting into recovery, so about 25 mins after he was born. Dc1 was brought straight to SCBU so not the same situation. You don't need to sleep after it really, before dc1's emcs birth I was awake from the previous morning and still didn't sleep until 8pm the night he was born.

All babies should be offered a feed within the first hour after birth. Some babies may take a little longer to initiate feeding, but you would be offered skin to skin either during surgery, after or both - whichever you prefer at the time. Skin to skin helps in the initiation of feeding, particularly if planning to breastfeed.

Try not to worry, the midwives will guide you as required.

I had skin to skin during both sections and was feeding both within the hour.

I was in surgery for about 4 hours after my ELCS due to (very unusual!) complications. No idea if she latched on while I was on the table, I can't remember. DH had her while they were operating and she was fine. Latched on as soon as I got in to recovery.

My section was in the afternoon, and my babies (twins) were passed to me as soon as they were born (one was, one needed scbu) and I fed them for the first time whilst in the recovery room afterwards. They were with me from recovery onwards, so I tried to sleep when they did etc. The mws actually took the babies from me on the second night for a few hours as they knew I was beyond exhausted which I was so incredibly grateful for.

I've had 2 sections. First I was so panicked they gave me a shot to knock me out after the birth but was feeding on the trolley bed before I got to the ward. Second was planned section, I was physically too shaky to hold her but I managed to in the recovery room and started feeding.

The baby might not sleep in the same way after a csection as they’re not so tired, so best to manage your expectations with this. They also try to get you up and walking, to have a shower, at the end of day 1, which can come as a shock if you’re not expecting it.

Do make sure you tell the midwives you want to feed within an hour as it makes all the difference to successful latch. If I hadn’t pushed for this with my 3rd and 4th, they wouldn’t have done it as they wanted me to rest (low BP).

All three of mine have been within 30-45 minutes of them being born. Maybe less.

Scissorbike described how it was for us, too, both times.

And the TOAST in recovery. Amazing

Newnameguy - YES! The toast.

Cuddles in theater, while they stitch you up. Then feeding in recovery, just after weighing and dressing, so 20-30 minutes after birth.

You have spinal block which numbs from just below boobs, so can still feel arms and upper body for holding. The drugs don't make you sleepy, and you don't have the exertion from labour, so you'll be fully alert.

Both mine fed beautifully in recovery. Within an hour of delivery. Everyone was really supportive and my experiences were very positive.
Congratulations and good luck OP

I don't think mine was within the hour, as I felt too shaky. I think it was more 2-2.5 hours. But she wasn't crying or anything so 🤷‍♀️

Wow thanks everyone. This had made me realise how many complications I had with my first birth. I was out of it for the first few hours then in excruciating pain. Then needed sleep. I had been up for 3 nights prior to the emergency c section and then got sepsis after/during the birth.

Your experiences sound so calm and the thought of having skin to skin that soon after is amazing!!

Skin to skin cuddles immediately and feed within the hour in recovery though no reason why couldn't have done it in theatre. Baby wasn't measured it weighed until after I'd fed.

I didn't need to sleep after and didn't until that evening, as I'd slept the night before. I had very minimal blood loss in surgery so I wasn't tired.

Baby three weeks old.

The nurse helped latch him on in theatre. I was utterly amazed. Couldn’t feel a thing below my boobs, but here was this tiny human being lain across my chest and hooking onto my nipple.

Really was a phenomenal moment.

Baby was quite sleepy for the first day and it’s important to feed as much as you can. I’d expressed a few syringes of colostrum in advance and was glad of being able to squirt them in his mouth to get his strength up to feed properly (he had low blood sugar on his first test and they wanted to see it go over a certain number). In fact, a midwife in recovery helped me squeeze more -she did the syringe and I squeezed the boob.

Good luck - I was really glad I’d insisted on a section in the end after four days of failed induction!

I didn't get to hold my baby until 45 minutes after having my c section, she was taken to another room with my husband (she was healthy, apparently standard protocol as they stich me back up) so first feed was 45 minutes after x