Was your partner present in theatre when your spinal was put in before CS?

[mears]

Either for emergency or elective CS?

In my unit the partner comes into theatre after the spinal has been put in and the woman is all covered with draped.

If there is an epidural in place, the partner again does not come in until the woman is prpared and draped.

When did your partner come into theatre? If he wasn't there for the spinal going in, did you feel left alone?

Should partners be present the minute a woman is admitted to theatre.

Experiences please.

My Dp was getting changed when my spinal was put in, but I didn't feel alone. The anaethetist talked to me and introduced the other members of the team.

IIRC we had a conversation about the US elections who was going to be a nominee. This was in Feb07!!!

I think the surgery nurse also approached me with the dry bic razor too before he came in

Yes, my Mum was there throughout.

She sat in a little chair against the wall to my right.

She's had 4 sections herself so I think it was very interesting for her.

Although there was a lot of faffing and the anaethetist couldn't insert the needle (the Consultant did in the end) I felt extremely safe in their hands.

I has a spinal but for a forceps delivery, not a cs, they wouldn't allow dp in until the needle was in even though I was crying and begging, I was told 'the sooner you calm down and keep still, the sooner you can see him'.

It felt truly horrific at the time, I am terrified of having drugs administered and just wanted him to hold my hands, it was the most frightening part of my labour.

Mintyy - that sounds really odd. My surgeon was a beautiful young Doctor. She spoke to me at times - explaining when I'd feel tugging etc. After she stiched me up she leaned over and said "Everything looks really healthy in there."

Mind you - that sounds a bit odd, doesn't it?

Yes, at my elective - only time he left my side was briefly to get changed before theatre.
They did find him a stool after ascertaining that he has fainted at the sight of blood before.

Very very professional and kind team, fantastic and very funny anaesthetist, surgeon introduced himself and gave a couple of 'progress reports' during the op, and the midwife was also fab.

If partners can be there at any / all other times throughout childbirth, don't see why spinal should be exempt.

DH there throughout. Was encouraged to hold my hands and talk to me to keep me calm. Would have fallen apart had he left. I suspect they knew this. I was sobbing and saying 'sorry' to everybody, unborn baby included.

DH held my hand while the anaesthetist did his thing.

Yes, yama, it was odd. The day after the c/s a young woman appeared at my bedside and asked to check my stitches. She said "I did the operation on you yesterday" and I said "oh really?!". I had never clapped eyes on her before. I realise its a treadmill and there are lots of electives to get through in a day but I do think it would have been nice to say hi to the people who were delivering my precious baby .

I don't actually remember which I think is because I was so focussed on getting through the needle bit that I was in a bit of a 'zone'. If he wasn't there he certainly arrived very soon after as I have no memory of being along in theatre. Mine was technically a em CS but much more like a scheduled as I was very early stages of labour (DD being breech).

Find it peculiar that your other half wouldn't be allowed in if you wanted the support.

I had an emergency cs with epidural already in place. Dp was asked to brace me while they did the epidural and so just came to the theatre with me when I was taken in.

Can't quite remember with ds1 (em c/s) - think they just had to crank up the epidural I already had in place. Sure he was in the room when I had the original epidural though (hmm, that's an interesting point...)

With ds3 (planned c/s) dh def not allowed in until I was fully prepped. Even when I started to get a bit scared and ask for him they wouldn't let him in. Nurse came and calmed me down. Dh could have done it much quicker. Can understand drs/anaes don't want to be observed, but felt it contributed to my stress levels not having dh there.

mears, my clients have found that with good midwifery support and knowing in advance their partner cannot come in, they cope ok.

I do think where possible that partners should be there for the spinal if they can. but not in the way ! it can be difficult, especially if the spinal is tricky to site and the partner is getting anxious .. would be worse having to ask someone to leave during rather than not letting them in at all I think

as an aside, i always feel sad sat outside theatre when a client has a c.s , waiting for news. especially an emergnecy c.s where you have been with someone for hours and then don;t get to be with them for the birth.

DH was with me for my first (emergency c-section) and second (elective c-section) all the way through. IN fact if he hadn't been there at my first one I would have fallen off the operating table on to my head while they were preping for the spinal. I got flattened by a contraction and he caught me

I definitely needed him there for the second one too as like a complete numpty I started freaking out when I lost the feeling in my legs (um, what did I expect?). He helped me to calm down.

For me it was vital to have DH with me, he kept me calm both times.

Panic not Aitch - I am not planning my own CS! smile

I have just recently had a conversation which has made me challenge what we do 'routinely' and wonder whether it is really necessary.

Are health professionals being too territorial when it comes to women being admitted to theatre. What valid excuse can there be really for not allowing partners in. Just because 1 man in a blue moon faints, does that mean all should be excluded? But then.... it is an operating theatre we are talking about.

I know there are already a lot of posts but adding my experience.

For my 2nd section, elective, DH wasn't allowed in the room until I'd had the spinal. I was terrified of that more than anything and when they told me he couldn't come in, I nearly turned round and went home!! However, the MW and anaesthetist were fantastic and really put me at ease. When DH did come in he looked all worried but i was fine by then!

Mintty - that happened to me too - I never saw the doctor who delivered DS. I remember her walking out of the room without so much as a word, all I saw was the back of her head! Thought that was odd!!!

I had an emergency cs with dd2 - already had an epidural in and so was topped up - dp was getting his scrubs on.

With ds1, I had a planned cs - dp held my hand (which I gripped very tightly) when I had my spinal - it made the world of difference him being there.

Doctors not introducing themselves are completely ignorant in my opinion. I would not allow that as a midwife.

Hubbs aalmost missed it, and arrved just as they made the first cut. I would have liked him to have been there a little earlier as i had an argument with the anethatist(sp?) and we almost came to blows.

Mintyy - yes it was nice to meet her at the time.

I had a male theatre nurse and he was great. He had tears in his eyes when dd was born and said that it didn't matter how many births he witnessed, that it always got to him. Ahh.

Yes my DH was there, I had to lean over and cuddle him while my midwife held my hand and my obstetrician talked to me at about how excited she was about delivering my baby. This was at the Portland and I would have been terrified without support.

Yes, my dp was there throughout (for emergency CS). Do you think female partners are more likely to be included, mears? I ask because when one time when I was a birth partner, along with friend's husband, the anaesthetist encouraged me to come over and watch the epidural being sited (I did - it was fascinating!) but told my friend's dh to go and sit in the corner.

Men in labour wards do often get treated as inept idiots, don't they? Mind you, he had already tripped over the IV stand twice

Dh wasn't present for the spinal in either of my cs. He was called in when I went in to the theatre.

I must admit I didn't really think to question it.

This was ten and eight yrs ago

My dh was was involved all the way, and held my hands (well, probably me pushing my nails into his skin!) whilst it was administered. It was an elective, btw, and my first. I really wouldn't have wanted to do it without him.

My first DD was born at home, but I had a retained placenta and needed a transfer to hospital for a manual removal with a spinal block. I am TERRIFIED of hospitals and although the staff were very anti there was NO WAY I was being left on my own.
DD2 was an em CS as her heart rate had dropped- she was very short corded. Again I was no way being left alone for the spinal, particularly as I was very panicked and off my face on gas and air and feeling very sick.

The only time he left me was with DD1 was after the spinal when he went to collect his scrubs and theatre shoes - which had a dead wasp in

I'm in Spain and your partner is not allowed into the theatre at all. They are also not allowed in during the assisted parts of a delivery.

I felt sad that dh wasn't with me when ds was born by Emergency section as he had been with dd.
We didn't have a special first moment together. they let me kiss ds and whizzed him out to dh to have a look, not even a hold and then whizzed him off to God knows where.

We lost ds for about 5 hours, each thinking the other had him.