Day of C Section

[loverrr]

Can anyone who has had a c section give me some advice please?
I am planned to have a c section next week & struggling for childcare for older child (long story). Do you think it’s reasonable to drop older child at school, head to hospital, husband pick child up from school & bring to hospital to meet new sibling & then they head home leaving me in hospital overnight alone?
Im am mostly worried about being alone overnight if its very difficult to move afterwards?
First birth was vaginal & husband stayed in hospital with me.
Thanks!

I would say this is hugely ambitious; I was in theatre by 7.30am to be able to face a visitor by 3pm. If you don’t go down til midday or so, no way will you be able to have anyone to visit. I’d allow 4-5 hours from going to theatre to being back on the ward. I was probably 3 hours but went down first with no delays etc - I think after about 9am, delays are inevitable / I’d plan for them. You need some after school care for your older kid - probably going into the evening / night - so that your husband can be with you as long as possible. My husband went home at 8pm but I had had a wee / catheter out / eaten properly etc by then

hope that’s helpful!

That’s perfectly reasonable. I had a C section during Covid so no visitors were allowed to stay and it was fine. I actually found the recovery a lot more straightforward than I expected and I was well over 40 so not a young mother.

Good luck for next week!

I had 2 sections and both times that would have been completely fine. I was up and about after 4 hours.

My Csection was a number of year's ago so I don't know if things have changed but my hospital didn't have fathers stay overnight. DH stayed for the day but went home in the evening.

Everyone managed just fine. I didn't have much movement so whenever I needed baby a nurse/midwife would pass her to me. Most of the mums could actually do it themselves. I'd been advised to ask for baby to be passed to me rather than to stretch because 1 tiny area of the incision had bled a little bit and they wanted me to stay still. You should be fine overnight. I think most fathers who already have children are expected to go home.

I do remember having to go to the hospital very early in the morning though. Well before school drop off time. Also because of some emergency cases bumping me down the list I went into my Csection late - after 3pm. We wouldn't have been able to do any school runs that day. I do think you need to find someone to look after your older child that day.

Might be wise to have someone else available for school pick up, incase the section is delayed due to an emergency section being required by another mother to be on the unit. Good luck OP.

It depends on timings. For both of mine I had to be at the hospital at 8. Our breakfast club wouldn't be open early enough to drop off eldest, drive to hospital and be there on time.

Might be doable if husband drops you off with child in car, takes child to school and then meets you back at the hospital.

Mine were born about 10 and 11. I had visitors by 1pm and 4pm respectively, but was back on the ward and would have been up for it earlier I'd it had worked out that way.

So it's doable, but it depends what time you have the section

It would depend on what time they've told you to be there, I had to be there for 7am for my section so wouldn't have been able to drop child at school first and then head to hospital. If your the later section then absolutely do it that way but you might not be ready for her to visit you straight after school.

Thankyou all, so helpful! The letter says they will call be the day before & say whether its a 7am or 10am start time so if 7am I would have to go on my own & husband meet me there about 8. I am guessing there is some waiting around so he wouldnt miss anything do you think?

Me too, my DH was allowed in at the time of the c section, but other than that it was one hour a day at lunchtime, then on your own for the rest of the time, it wasn't what I would call enjoyable, but it was fine.

The first day while not able to move around, the nurses/midwives would come and do everything with baby, then as soon as I was on my feet, I was left to it unless there was a problem, they may not be as attentive now if partners are allowed to stay and support so you may have to let them know that it will just be you.

I'd also have a backup plan... we went in for a csection, came out 14 days later 🫠. Poor bubba went straight to the NICU so no visits from anyone for a few days except me and my husband. Pack a bit extra just in case xx

I was alone overnight after a c section in 2013.

No, unless you're going to a private hospital or you have up to date information on the public hospital you're going to from other women who've recently had a c-section or needed care. If your hospital is anything like my local, you won't see a nurse for love nor money, your baby will be shoved against a wall far out of your reach and no one will bring you food or water. If you have no choice but to be on your own, take a stash of food, water and pain medication with you in your hospital bag.

My DH was allowed there at the time of the c section but was then kicked out soon after. He wasn’t allowed to return later that day as being there at the birth was considered his visit for the day.

They then discharged me the next day without allowing any further visits as it was less than 24 hours after the previous one.

When he came to pick me up they made him wait outside at the front door to the hospital and I had to meet him there.

I was in hospital for less than 36 hours in total and other than DH being there for the birth I wasn’t allowed any other visits. It was a strange day/night on the ward as literally nobody had a single visitor. I was glad to be discharged as soon as I was as I had far more help and support at home from DH than alone in hospital.

Covid was a strange time to have a baby. We used to book private scans almost as a leisure activity to give us something to do as DH was banned from all NHS appointments and scans.

We used to book private scans almost as a leisure activity to give us something to do as DH was banned from all NHS appointments and scans.

Yep, same! 😀Anything at the hospital was just me on my own, but they may have relaxed the rules slightly as this was the second lockdown (February 2021), we had three private scans so DH could be there for it! Much nicer (and less rushed) experience though, I'm glad we did that in fairness.

I was induced and had to go in on my own at 11am for that, no one had anyone with them, but by midnight I needed to have an emergency c section, DH managed to just get there as I was being wheeled in to theatre. But was told to leave as soon as I was on my way back to the ward, unfortunately I had a reaction to the spinal block (morphine allergy) and spent the next 6 hours throwing up. He was allowed to visit later that day at lunchtime for an hour, and then every day for an hour, he was allowed to come and pick me up, but that was it.

It was such a weird time, a lot of the mums were struggling, they wanted to keep me in for 5 days as baby was a low birth weight and I demanded to go home on day 3 against medical advice, I just couldn't take it anymore, at various points in the night all the mums and babies were crying, the activity and noise, the heat was cranked up to a million degrees.. it was like SAS torture where they keep you uncomfortable and awake on purpose.. I was struggling to breast feed and no alternative was offered so baby was hungry, I couldn't wait to get out the place to be honest, me and baby slept 5 hours straight as soon as we got home.

At one of our private scans the staff said they really appreciated our bookings as it gave them some varied human contact during the more harsh lockdown times.

They used to give us several cups of tea and just chat about anything for ages. On our 2nd visit they asked if we minded if they pretended the scan wasn’t clear due to the babies position so that they could offer us a free return visit the next week. They were so lovely to deal with and our sessions with them were great for us all at a time of limited human contact. I still see one of them around town and we joke about our “unnecessary” appointments.

We did something similar for our second and third babies, who were both ELCS. The eldest were at nursery and after school club respectively so my husband didn’t leave until 5 to pick them up. For various reasons I didn’t think bringing them in would work, so we didn’t. But it might be OK for you if you are keen.

I was absolutely fine for the night on my own. Our third baby was in NICU for 48 hours, but the night with my second is one of my most treasured memories. I held him and looked at him most of the night, just the two of us. It was so lovely.

The morning was a real scramble with our second though. My husband dropped me off early in the morning and then drove off to nursery with our eldest. But we live in London, traffic was awful it took much longer than expected to drive back. I was first on the list for the section, and they had to move me to second so he could make it on time. He did, but it was stressful for all concerned. So with our third we got a baby sitter to drop off the eldest two to school/ nursery. It was a much calmer morning for us all!

It depends where you live, how far from the hospital and what the traffic/ parking are like. It might work absolutely fine, but I would make sure I build in as much margin as possible into your plans.

Very best of luck, enjoy meeting your littlest one!

I have had 3 sections and always been alone overnight, no Dads allowed. I think in terms of picking child up from school, it would depend what time you get your section at. I was quite out of it for my first one but that was an emergency one. The other 2 were planned and I was in a much better state.

you must know that is NOT a normal scenario

Thankyou so much for the reassurance & Im hoping it all works out on the day!

For my last section a nurse came and got me up at just over three hours. Hospital policy!