How long did you stay in recovery after c-section?

[sarah13xx]

I’m having an elective c-section soon and I know my partner is allowed in with me until I leave recovery to go to the ward when he has to go home. Just trying to establish how long we will have after baby arrives before I’m moved to the ward and he will have to go.. is it about 30 minutes to an hour or longer? Just thinking how I want some time to bond with baby and feed him but he will also have to make phone calls to family to say he has arrived. Will all be a bit of a rush if it’s under an hour 🙈

Can you say what hospital you're having your baby at? Lots of Trusts around the UK have relaxed their rules and Government guidelines are backing this up. Also, When are you due?

Me personally, second time round I was there for about 1.5 hours, maybe a bit more. My blood pressure had gone through the floor though.

First time round, I was there for nearly 5 hours as the drip I needed to have wouldn’t go through for some reason. But I think that was unusual.

4 hours with my first and 2 hours with my second :)

@Cbd333 it’s in Scotland, I’ll say that 🙈 not a very big hospital so might give it away if I say! End of July I will be in. The consultant told me the other day that would be the rules and he would get a 30 minute visit at night if the section is in the morning. Would love it to be longer 😕

@SomeCatsLikeCheese that’s reassuring thanks, maybe a bit longer than I’m thinking. Suppose it depends how it goes!

@Goldenoodle thanks, must be longer than I was imagining then!

24 hours until I discharged myself

You're about 30-45 mins in theatre after baby is out (getting stitched back up) before moving to recovery, then another 1-2 hours in recovery I think. It will depend on how well your body is handling it all! Could he leave the phone calls until you're headed up to the ward since it's such a short space of time?
Good luck!

@sarah13xx google your local maternity voices partnership and message them, and the hospital. Unless you're in a very high covid area, the visiting restrictions should now have been relaxed. You may not want this hassle but I work in maternity services and it was really only because of pressure from local mums that our trust management relaxed the rules. Good luck!

If you're rushed put the phone calls off. Maybe a picture and a smiley face to the grandparents then he can call when he leaves.

We are also in Scotland and a friend recently found dh was allowed in ward more than she initially expected, you might find that is the case too.

@sarah13xx do they mean recovery or the high dependency ward? Also in Scotland and it's been almost 8 years since my last but I didn't go to recovery at all. Went from theatre to a ward with one other patient and at least one midwife in the room at all times. Was there for around 10 hours before being moved to a side room.

Hope they mean the high dependency ward and you get your partner with you for a good few hours.

I think he’ll probably be allowed to stay after too - but otherwise, you could do your bonding and feeding and being together in recovery, and he could call people to say baby has arrived once he’s left?

It’d keep him busy and give him some phone company when he’s left, and give you more time together to bond, if that worked for you too.

I’m due in December, and I’ve been told that restrictions will probably relax before then but will likely go back to what they are now... postnatally were currently allowed one person from 9am to 9pm, but no other visitors.

I was in recovery about 40 mins before being taken up to the post natal ward.

Hi 👋
I’m a recovery nurse and the hospital I work at we recover ladies who have had sections. This isn’t always the case though in our trust the other hospital the midwives do it. But anyway. Where I work if everything is fine you are in the recovery room for 20-30 minutes. Then elective sections would usually go straight to the maternity ward. Visiting times for partners is 1-8 up there though atm I think.

Good luck

I was in theatre for about 45 mins total, fairly evenly split for before and after baby is out. Then was in recovery for about 30 mins, then moved to the ward - this was in England pre-Covid. If partner will not be allowed to ward with you I would use whatever time you have with him there to just both take turns for a cuddle and take some photos. Phoning everyone can wait.

@KEG05 aw thank you, I think something I’d watched must have said half an hour and that’s why I thought it was quite quick! Didn’t realise so many other hospitals had relaxed restrictions though, sounds like others on this post are allowed partners in for much longer visiting hours. My friend has just given birth at the same hospital and her partner was asked to leave as she went to the ward and only got 30 minutes to visit that night ☹️

@Sunflower40 thank you! Selfishly I want him to phone my mum ASAP but I could probably just call her after he’s away if I’m feeling okay! Sounds like a lot of hospitals have relaxed these restrictions a lot but mine haven’t yet 😕

I’ve had 3 c sections and time in recovery has varied from 1-3 hours. The longest was because baby was really cold when he was born and then he was feeding really well so they let us stay there until our room was ready so I didn’t have to go onto a ward to then be moved again and hour later.

@TakeYourFinalPosition that’s sooo much better than my hospital! I’m not in a really high Covid area I wouldn’t say but I’ve spoken to two friends who have given birth recently, one naturally and one section. The one who was in the labour ward had to have her partner leave quite soon after baby arrived and only got one 30 minute visit the following day and the one who had a section had time with him in recovery then he had to go and was allowed back in at night for 30 minutes. I really don’t see the difference if partners are coming and going compared to staying for the set visiting hours, doesn’t really make sense x

@Gem176 I’m not entirely sure, the way it was explained to me you’re taken there after theatre to be kept a closer eye on then when they’re confident you’re okay you get taken to the ward 🤔 not sure what it’s officially called though! X

@Checkingout811 that was nice of them! I was kind of imaging around an hour, I suppose it depends how it goes during it x

It all depends on how well it goes and if there is room for you on the ward. I was quite quick with my first, but ages with my second because I had to wait for a free bed on the ward. I had long enough to have a nap afterwards!

Let DH put off the phone calls until after he has been with you both. We didn't ring people straight away.

*imagining

@Bellbottomstovetop if he was staying the whole day I wouldn’t be in any rush to do phone calls but I was just thinking if he’s away til the next day or like 12 hours later we’re not going to have told anyone. Unless he just phones people when he gets home. I’m sure I won’t be caring less about that when it comes to it x

I agree about putting off the calls. We sent out texts to parents to say mum and baby were doing well. I think DH then spoke to his once he'd left the hospital that evening.
Recovery time does seem to vary, hopefully you'll have longer than 30 mins!

Both my sections were emergencies but I was in recovery roughly six hours both times (also Scotland). They didn't have any postnatal beds.