C section anxiety

[Bri90]

I have just been given a date for elective c section. I’ve still got 7 weeks to go and my anxiety is through the rough!

How did you all cope with anxiety/ panic attacks on the run up to and day of c section? Has anyone been prescribed any medication?

I also have a 19 month old so finding time to relax is proving difficult.

Thank you

Which bit are you anxious about in particular or all of it?

I was anxious about being awake during surgery, but it wasn’t bad at all. You are so numb you can’t really feel anything.

There was music, the surgeon/nurses were great. I said I didn’t want to know what they were doing, I think it’s common practice that they tell you everything they’re getting up to otherwise. You can watch on a screen too (no thank you!). You can have a curtain over your tummy, or not.
If you don’t want to know, they’ll distract you, chat to you, or whatever you would like.
It was a weird feeling, when they take the baby out but lasted a few mins and they were chatting away non stop so I didn’t have time to freak out!
If you are anxious tell the nurse and they’ll do everything to help you.

I didn’t have meds as sort of presumed I couldn’t with baby? but perhaps you can.
Have a think about whether you want the baby on your tummy, cleaned and on your tummy, given to a partner/family member.
Baby might not cry immediately - mine didn’t. Then only a little crying, everything was fine she was just quiet. I asked for her to be cleaned and to go to DH- I am very squeamish and thought I might pass out. I have form.

The whole experience was very calm, I would do it again in a heart beat. It seems to last about 10 minutes but probably took longer in reality.

It was seven years ago when I had DD so things may have changed! Good luck, you’ll be fine!

I cried uncontrollably throughout and had no idea why! 🫢So embarrassing! They’ve seen it all!

Well I balanced it with the thought of a vaginal delivery which would have been much worse!

I was DESPERATE…DESPERATE to get the baby out. Was in agony with pelvic and back pain, had raging pre eclampsia and felt extremely unwell so it couldn’t come soon enough.

Was the calmest, most enjoyable experience from beginning until I went home 24 hours later.
The radio on in the corner, the staff seemed as excited as we were, it was quick, calm and extremely controlled.

im not a person who worries about anything though.
Just wanted to say that it’s fine!

I am terrible with controlling my anxiety, leading to panic attack etc.
I think it’s the thought of it and the waiting around (i am booked in afternoon, no morning slots).
I guess I need to just find a way of suppressing the anxiety

I think you need to speak to a GP about your anxiety.

If it will lead to a panic attack then I’d ask your midwife or G.P and see what is available.

Have you asked your midwife/doctor if your anxiety and panic attacks might be a reason to get you moved up the list? I’ve been first both times and there really wasn’t any time to worry because it went so quickly. I arrived at hospital for 6am and baby was born at 7.15.

Both my babies were born via CS. They were both elective sections but my second baby ended up being an emergency section due to me going into labour naturally before my elective CS date.

Anyway, I will talk specifically about the elective caesarean….

I was so excited on the day….I remember checking in at maternity and thinking to myself, “I’m going to meet my baby today” and it’s one of my favourite memories. There was no fear, no uncertainty about how labour may be and I felt really calm.

I was supposed to go down in the morning but due to emergencies taking place I wasn’t actually taken into theatre until 1pm ish.

I was anxious about having the spinal/epidural but it was nowhere near as bad as I had thought it would be. I thought it would be really painful it wasn't at all. I just remember how shocked I felt about how quickly it worked! It felt like within ten seconds I had a really warm, tingling and pleasant sensation creep up my legs and I was lain down straight away.

I was then attached to all the monitors and the sheet was put across me so I couldn’t see what was going on at the business end. They would have inserted the catheter at that point but I was obviously numb so couldn’t feel it.

The anaethetist then prodded my body in various different areas with a cocktail stick to make sure I was numb where I needed to be 😂

It was all very calm, I was chatting away to my husband and the anaethetist and all I could feel was some rough tugging sensations and my body going from side to side a little but there was no pain or discomfort.

There was music playing in the background and all the gynae team were chatting away about their plans for the weekend etc whilst they were working on me and it actually felt quite surreal.

I can’t remember how long it took from the minute they started the procedure, maybe 10-15 minutes or so, not long at all.

And then suddenly they were holding my baby up and passing him to my husband.

The only downside for me was that they didn’t give the baby to me and so I had no skin to skin. I’m not sure why they gave the baby straight to my husband but as it was my first birth I thought that was normal procedure so I didn’t question it. They then began the process of stitching me up and they sent my husband to the recovery area and told him to take the baby with him. It was horrible as I felt so detached by not being able to hold, or even touch the baby and then being separated from him.

The first time I got to hold my son was when I was wheeled into the recovery room about 45 minutes after he was born ☹️

That was 10 years ago now so hopefully things will have changed, but I always advise any woman that is having a planned section to really insist that they are given the baby as soon as it’s been delivered and that the team are aware of this wish before they even start the procedure. Getting that instant skin-to-skin is vital regardless of how the baby arrives in the world.

Not being given my baby and seeing my husband cuddling him instead of me made me feel very upset.

I also suffer anxiety (I take medication for it) so I understand that you are scared but please be reassured that for me, the whole procedure was completely fine and I had nothing to be worried about.

@2024BigWhoop 45 minutes to hold the baby?? That sounds awful, no wonder you were upset! With both of mine I was given the baby as soon as they’d done their checks, which yes DH did take them for, but then I held them whilst they were stitching me up. I think this is standard now, providing everything has gone to plan. Not sure you could do skin to skin though- with the monitors on your chest, the divider to the business end and the fact that theatres are freezing cold I don’t how it would physically work. Skin to skin isn’t vital though, I’m sure it’s lovely for bonding if you can do it but they’ll also be fine snuggled up in a babygrow and blanket!

Flag it with your midwife and see if you can get some help - I was absolutely terrified and prone to panic attacks (was on beta blockers pre-pregnancy) so was referred for counselling which massively helped. I was also allowed to look around a theatre so I knew what to expect.

On the day I had an anaesthetist with me at all times, talking to me and distracting me, and checking I was feeling ok. He gave me some drugs to stop me feeling sick at one point, which worked almost instantly. Another one did the injection then vanished. It's a very calm environment and once they start work it's all over very quickly. I think they gave me some extra drugs to knock me out a bit and calm me down as it's all very foggy, but I was relieved! I was crying basically all the time from getting in the car to go to the hospital until recovery, but it was fine, they've seen it all before.

Hopefully you can get some help, but you will need to push. I flagged it at my booking in appointment.

All I can say is both my kids were sections, and I'd recommend them every time.

Procedure was a dream, it's safer for baby, no pain at all afterwards, no risks of third degree tears!

It's really the best way I think.

You'll be fine 💐

1st baby, forceps, 3rd degree tear, PPH. Months of physio. Still have problems down there! Nightmare basically.
2nd baby, C Section, lovely and relaxed, on time, calm, no effort on my part. easy recovery, tiny scar, Absolute dream.

Relax, it's the safest way to get a baby out. You will have a full medical team to do everything. Try to work out why you are afraid, there's so many unknowns with a natural birth, c sections are pretty straight forward.

Perhaps you can find some meditation apps, start now and keep you favourites for C section day.

There is so much research now on the importance of skin to skin immediately post birth and it is a huge part of maternity care now. The are numerous benefits to it relating to the initiation of breast feeding, bonding and the immediate and long-term benefits to the baby’s health that being placed skin-to-skin provides.

Maybe me using the word “vital” was a bit OTT and I shouldn’t have used it, but being snuggled up in a blanket is no comparison to skin to skin straight after birth where possible.

Skin-to-skin can be done after a caesarean birth and thankfully I got it with my second baby without even having to ask for it. Being in skin-to-skin regulates the baby’s temperature so I had a blanket over him protect him from the cold air in theatre, but apart from that he was lain naked on my chest with the ECG wires pushed to the side.

Unless there are medical reasons to prevent it, mothers and babies should be placed in skin-to-skin straight after birth, even with caesareans.

These days any “checks” are typically done with the baby on the mother’s chest and that weighing the baby shouldn’t be done for at least an hour, although I think with the way research is going, it is going to recommended that babies aren’t weighed until at least 24 hours old anyway.

But yes, it was very upsetting not being able to hold him when there was no reason I couldn’t. My husband of course loves it that he was the first one of us to hold the baby……though I always like to tease him that at least it meant he was the one covered in all the blood and gunk instead of me 😂

I had an ELCS and it is nerve wracking, but, try and remember, you know what the entire process will be, and it is very unlikely you will have any unknowns. You’ll go in, wait a bit, be told your slot, out the gown on, go into theatre, have a baby in about 20 mins, and be out in recovery overnight. It’s a very short process. Whereas with a vaginal birth, anything can happen, for any length of time.

I found I had to try and ‘turn off’ my brain, and just keep trying to remember it will be over soon, and it is just a few short hours of your life. You’ll be full of adrenaline on the day, so time is warped anyway, and you might find it whizz by. Have someone there to chat to, and have something which distracts you (quiz book, crosswords, games, MN 😄).

I had both my babies under general anaesthetic. (The first emergency, the second planned). It's an option to consider, op.

Just had my ELCS two weeks ago, as PPs say it is a very calm, controlled environment. Try to get help for anxiety in lead up if you can - maybe there are visualisations etc you can do to feel calmer. Some anxiety is normal too, it's something you haven't done before so your system can't be totally confident about it.

But really it is a lovely way to give birth, would do it again in a heartbeat. It all happens very quickly too, once you're in theatre you'll have your baby in about 10mins. And you won't be tired afterwards, you should be able to just have your baby straight away and get on with cuddles/breastfeeding in recovery.

Try not to overthink it either, it's not like vaginal birth when you should prepare, there really is nothing for you to do during the birth. So you can go in pretty much without thinking about it beforehand if that would help. The medical staff will have it all under control.

I was very calm and excited in the lead up but did start to feel quite nervous/anxious as they prepped me and did the spinal block. What helped me was squeezing my husband's hand very tightly while breathing rhythmically and strongly. Then it really wasn't long til they showed me him just out of my womb, he was crying and so beautiful.

All the best OP, I'm sure you will have a beautiful experience too xo

I was so worried about my elcs I changed my mind and had VBAC. So you can change your mind and it was fine.

Had an emergency one 3 weeks ago, honestly wasn't that bad was the weirdest thing I've experienced but I was recovered by day 6 and back out and about in town xmas shopping pushing my pushchair around. The c section wasn't as bad as the worry labour was causing me due to complications. I was happy baby was here and safe. I was very anxious and hated theatre being so quiet I asked someone to put some music on which made me feel much better.

What exactly is it that you’re worried about Op?

Contact your midwife and ask to go under the perinatal team for mental health support. I am under this team due to PTSD from my first birth and they have been great. I also requested to go in first for my second birth and I did as I also wouldn’t have coped waiting. The main women that would still need to be prioritised to go in first would be diabetic women, but you could ask to go in earlier than the afternoon if you have mental health concerns.

Interestingly this isn’t my experience. I had a planned section 5 weeks ago. My baby was still weighed and checked over before being placed on me. She was placed on me in theatre for a bit while being wrapped in a towel, but then my DH had to take her for a bit as my BP was plummeting. It can be quite suffocating to have a baby on your chest/neck area while lying flat on an operating table.

I was then taken into recovery and wasn’t allowed to do skin to skin as I was cold and they said my body temperature was colder than my baby’s. So not sure about how skin to skin regulates body temperature either.

I was then moved to the postnatal ward which was 27 degrees and my baby got too hot doing skin to skin with me for too long.

None of this has impacted bond though! (And i’m not even breastfeeding).