C Section Anxiety

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I have a c section booked for next week and the anxiety is really getting to me. I feel sick and it is giving me a bad stomach.

Any tips on dealing with the anxiety? And trying to sleep in the lead up to surgery!

I didn’t have a section but I knew a week before going in to be induced so understand the anxiety somewhat.
I kept reminding myself that I’d have my baby in my arms in a week. I done breathing exercises if I felt overwhelmed. And I literally slept at any point I could. If your not sleeping in the night catch up in the day, darkest room and white noise on your phone. White noise used to knock me out like a light!
Good luck!

I've had two and yes it is anxiety making, but not any more than a vaginally birth I would have thought! No tips - but as I had no control over anything I put my trust in the medical staff and that helped.
Well one tip: have a shower and wash hair/shave whatever you normally do, and try and have a bowel movement just before you go in because it will be hard to for a few days after.

I can't offer any advice for the anxiety. But I just wanted to offer reassurance that it's straight forward, calm and is over very quickly. I've had two, and the toughest bit is just before.

I fully understand your anxiety, but I had an ELCS and honesty immediately after I was just so happy I didn't have the uncertainty of labour. Would it help to Google the process (not the actual operation as such, but what will happen between you arriving at hospital, to leaving with your baby)? I was surprised how big the theatre was, and that it had huge windows all down one side (not at all like the Holby City theatres, which was what I was going off!). When I first went in there were only a few people whilst I had the spinal and laid down. My big fear was waiting for them to get going, but I when I asked the anesthetist when they would start she explained they had started a few minutes before! I thought they were still faffing with the sheets. Baby comes out so quickly, and then you'll be distracted whilst they finish up. Post-section, remember to take your painkillers every 3 hours (call the midwives if they forget) and you'll be grand.

I was more scared than I’ve ever been before mine. But it was so much better than I thought. The waiting beforehand is about 5 million times worse than the actual process. It’s so quick as well. So just remember, than no matter how scared you are, you’ll be done in under an hour

I had an elective for my 3rd after two vaginal deliveries. It was absolutely fine. For various reasons I was very nervous of an operation and I explained this - they were so nice about it. If you're worried about specific things perhaps wrote down your questions so you can ask them (maybe even call your midwife if you have some to ask before the day). On the day it was straightforward - in at an appointed time, waited for about an hour and then walked into theatre (take some flip flops!) with my husband. They explained all as we went. The worst bit was the epidural - just felt unpleasant but was over quickly. It's worth telling your anaesthetist however you feel eg if dizzy or sick or anything as they can correct it really fast. I think once I was numb baby was out in 7 minutes. Good luck. You will be fine.

I’ve had one before but as an emergency so at that point didn’t really care what was going on and can’t remember much of it.
I think I’ll be ok once holding the baby but it’s just the knowing what’s coming without extreme tiredness and lots of drugs beforehand lol

Omg I feel exactly the same as you. I’m only 14 weeks and up in the night worrying about it. Had an EMCS last time and have gone for an ELCS this time.. was totally out of it from tiredness and gas and air last time so worried about the clarity of it this time.
I think what someone said above is going to be key for me.. put your trust in the medical staff. I hope yours goes ok.. Xx

I know deep down they’ll look after me and it’s safer than my emergency was and I was fine it’s just that horrible knot in my stomach x

Would it help for some of us to talk you through the process? I was absolutely terrified before mine (after previous emergency) and the staff couldn’t have been kinder, even arranged for me to see the theatre beforehand.

Yes please although I’ve explicitly written in my birth plan I do not want to know what they’re doing just tell me when theres a baby!

Ha ha, that sounds similar to me!

So mine was an afternoon section and I was nil by mouth from 0600, no fluids after 1000. I was given ranitidine (antacid) to take first thing and at 1200. I got up early for breakfast as advised, and didn’t drink after 1000 apart from to take medication but did rinse my mouth out a couple of times.

We got to the hospital for 1100 and it just felt like a flurry of activity. I was given hospital ID bracelets, weighed, and helped into gown and stockings. We went through my birth plan again with the midwife who would be in theatre with us, and she arranged for me to see the theatre again (she’d shown me at the pre-op the day before) so I was mentally prepared (previous birth had been quite traumatic for me).

We met an anaesthetist. We met the surgeon who was brilliant and very reassuring. They checked my blood pressure and stuff like that.

We went down to theatre faster than I expected and this was the only point where my partner wasn’t with me as he had to gown up. We were allowed our own music in theatre and to take photos as long as staff faces weren’t in them.

When we went into theatre, there were lots of staff plus some students. They put a cannula in and then did the spinal straight away. This was the part I was most bothered about and one of the staff helped me stay calm and talked me through breathing. Then they got me laid down on the table and started doing all the prep like putting a screen up, connecting IVs to the cannula, attaching monitoring disks to my chest and positioning the gown so I could have skin to skin straight away. They put the screen up, and checked the spinal had worked before inserting the catheter so I just felt a bit of pressure. Partner was sitting at my head while this was all going on.

I obviously didn’t feel the incision but very soon after they started, I could hear baby! They lowered the screen and lifted my shoulders up a bit so I could see him come over my bump - you can’t see the incision site at all if they do this. Then baby was on me and that was a good distraction! They normally weigh baby in theatre and give the vitamin K jab.

Stitching up seems to take ages and I felt quite off because my blood pressure dropped but they gave me meds for it. Once you’re all stitched up, they transfer you to a bed and wheel you into recovery. I was offered tea and water, and possibly toast but I didn’t want to eat. Baby had a feed. Once they were happy with us, we were wheeled up to the ward.

I have to say, all the staff were amazing and it felt really relaxed. I could get through another one, though we are definitely done!

Good luck!

I wasn't anxious, more excited I suppose. I did struggle with sleep though and I found some "music to go to sleep to" on a streaming site which worked a treat! Bit annoying waking up with earphones in but it worked.

The only other advise I have is trust the anaesthetist and the team looking after you. Know what to expect afterwards also. I knew my children needed to go to scbu before the procedure so I had prepared for it and been talked through the process which definitely reduced any anxiety.

@MyCatHatesOtherCats
Thank you so much. I did read if you feel unwell at all they can give you anti sickness which helps quickly.
I think I’m most nervous about the spinal although at least I won’t be contracting this time!x

It’s so much easier than when contracting! It felt really quick too. Literally just a couple of scratches for the local anaesthetic and then some pushing, as if someone was sort of sticking their knuckles into the gaps between the vertebrae. No pain.

My main advice would be to tell staff how worried you are. They do this every day - you don’t. It’s ok to be scared. If they know you’re anxious, they will do whatever they can to put you at ease - ditto if you’re not feeling right, they will do what they can to remedy that.

I was worried about mine, I hate blood and didn’t want to know what they were doing etc
The spinal didn’t hurt at all as they deaden the skin. I didn’t feel anything at all, apart from maybe their hands.

I didn’t think to communicate that I didn’t want to know what they were doing beforehand and had a blow by blow account until I said please stop....
My advice would be tell them exactly what you want or don’t want to know. If you don’t want to know anything tell them, they may play music or talk to you about other things. Think about if you want to know when they break your waters, having the baby cleaned and where you want them to put the baby after the birth (I didn’t expect them to ask if I wanted DD on my tummy). If you want to see the placenta.

It’s over very quickly, ten mins at most - at least that’s what it felt like. It’s actually quite relaxing, as it’s over so quick and baby is very chilled and of course there’s no pain during the procedure.

The spinal was actually nowhere near as bad as I thought. They put a local anaesthetic in first. Which is a tiny scratch. Just imagine you’ve backed into a rose bush or something. That’s it. And then the actually block, you can’t feel coz of the local.

I had planned c section in February with my first baby. I was an absolute mess in the lead up to it and cried immediately when I walked into the theatre room.

Firstly I don't like needles and secondly I was terrified of feeling pain or something going wrong.

I can honestly say that I got myself worked up for no reason. They put the radio on, made jokes to calm me down and I didn't even know that they had started!! I thought they were still prepping when I heard them say 'happy birthday' and then my baby cry.

The injection into the back to numb you before the spinal injection is the most painful part but that wasn't even painful. It stand for a couple of seconds and that was it.

You got this 👊🏼

Thank you everyone, some lovely comments and messages which has put me at ease a little more.
I’ll definitely tell them exactly how I feel x

I was extremely nervous. I had a complicated pregnancy and spent so much time up in the labor triage area and on the ward while pregnant and I really grew to hate the nurses there. I would tell them things that were medically needed for my case and they would argue because it wasn’t standard procedure. It was awful.

I got to my csection and it was so different. Everything was calm. Everyone was briefed on my complicated history. When I mentioned something was making me tense they instantly looked for a way to make adjustments. The one good thing about a scheduled csection is that it’s a controlled, planned situation. All
That tension from the medical staff goes away. I’d never recommend anyone choose major abdominal surgery, but it was a much more relaxed, welcoming environment than anywhere else I encountered in the hospital.

You will be absolutely fine! I am in your boat too but I have a bit longer to wait. I’m almost so worried about it that I wish it would hurry up so I can get it over with. I’ve watched every YouTube video there is. A lot of them make me feel a lot better about it and it’s such a routine thing that although the doctors will say about risks etc, sooo many people have had one and had a great experience. I hear of far more bad experiences of natural births that go wrong 🙈 Why not watch some YouTube videos? (I don’t watch the ones where you see the operation part). Jennifer Joy did one and it’s so lovely, Eilidh Wells has a really positive one and she’s done a recovery one too.

@MyCatHatesOtherCats was your partner allowed into recovery with you, if not is the last you see them at theatre then on the ward?

Sorry, @Babyontheway21 - I only just saw this. My section was pre-Covid (just) so it might have changed. I was lucky and he was allowed to stay with me throughout - he only left me to put his gown on prior to the op.

So he came to recovery with us (which was when I needed him most as my blood pressure had dropped and I felt really out of it, think the emotion had caught up with me too as I’d been massively stressed about the section) and then to the ward. Popped out to get a few bits from the shop but could have stayed more or less as long as I wanted him to once we were on the ward.

To be fair, the staff were so good that I think they would have helped if he hadn’t been there in recovery as you are being very closely monitored at that point. He didn’t stay overnight for either of my sections and you hear horror stories but for my second it wasn’t too busy and the staff were amazing. Plenty of help with breastfeeding as well as the regular checks on blood pressure, catheter, etc.

Fingers crossed I’m as lucky in June but I think Covid rules will change this... i hope not though.

@Babyontheway21 I had mine last June. Hubby was with me all the way from walking in to hospital through to bring taken to the ward. Rates were low at the time so rules were comparatively loose but he just had a band to confirm he was supposed to be allowed in.