please answer a few of questions

[pulpfiction]

I have a couple of questions about giving birth

1. If they have to cut you do they numb the area first. If so how?

2. If you need stiches because of tearing. Do they numb the area? and How do they do this?

3. Are you automatically given a shower or bath after the birth? Would imagine you would need one!

4. I've heard you are wheeled to the maternity ward after. Why is this?

1. If you don't have an epidural or a spinal I think they're supposed to inject a local anaesthetic.

2. As above, but I've heard of people just using gas and air for stitches.

3. I was given a kind of bed bath think where they brought in soap and flannels and told me which part to wash!

4. If you've had a spinal or an epidural you probably won't be able to walk. Not sure why this is without - probably a bit tired and shaky! Also, there is so much blood loss straight afterwards you would probably leave a trail down the corridor even with a matenity pad in.

1. If they have to cut you do they numb the area first. If so how?
   I believe they do - I have absolutely no memory of this although I did have an episiotomoy first time round but by that stage it was the least of my worries. I think they give you an injection or of course you may have had a epidural by that point.

2. If you need stiches because of tearing. Do they numb the area? and How do they do this?
   Yes, injection and you can use gas and air while they stitch.

3. Are you automatically given a shower or bath after the birth? Would imagine you would need one!
   Not automatically afaik, but you can request one (I did). They don't "give" it to you though, I was just shown to a shower room and left to get on with it.

4. I've heard you are wheeled to the maternity ward after. Why is this?
   Why is this - do you mean why are you wheeled or why do you move off the labour ward?
   You are moved off the labour ward because there are very few labour rooms (generally) and they are often needed by another woman who can't move down from antenatal until you vacate the room. However if the labour ward is not busy you are often allowed to stay longer.
   Why are you wheeled? Because you are bloody knackered and sore and it can be a long way! They don't wheel your bed, they put you in a wheelchair. But I guess you could walk if you preferred. Personally I was delighted to be pushed.

"2) As above, but I've heard of people just using gas and air for stitches."

I think people usually mean they use gas and air AND injection. Because even with the injection, you can feel quite a lot (not pain, but a tugging feeling - like when you have a local anaesthetic at the dentist) and the G&A takes your mind off the unpleasant tugging.

I don't think they would ever stitch you on only G&A, although I stand to be corrected if this is true!

Can't answer 1 and 2. I refused episotomy, and thankfully didn't tear, I fully recommend massaging of bits in preparation.

3. Midwife ran me a bath both times, with DS (2nd) she ran it and left the room then freaked a bit when she came back and I was in it. You are supposed to wait for someone to help you up apparently. I was desparate for the bath in both cases, even though I had been in the bath for parts of labour.

4)I walked both times back to the ward, with DD I carried my own bag (Dh was phoning people, with DS I wasn't allowed to carry anything as had lost a lot of blood and was a bit giddy, still walked though.
I had had pethadine with DD and gas and air with DS.

Oh - if you have a dodgy epidural that didn't work make sure you tell them to give you local anaesthetic before they start cutting and stitching you!

Theyoungvisiter, I got wheeled in my bed!

Theyoungvisiter I've always wondered about that one. They didn't bother giving me a local before I started screaming while they did my stitches so when people talk about gas and air I wondered if they meant only that.

1. If they have to cut you do they numb the area first. If so how? With ds1, they'd given me a spinal block so I was numb from the chest down instantly. He was delivered by forceps.

2)If you need stiches because of tearing. Do they numb the area? and How do they do this?
I needed stitches after both my children, in both cases the gave an injection of local anesthetic (sp?) But I also stayed on gas and air after ds2

3. Are you automatically given a shower or bath after the birth? Would imagine you would need one!
   With ds1, because I'd had the spinal block I was restricted to the bed for a while as couldn't feel my legs. A m/w did come with a bowl of water to wash me down there but only after I requested it. Ds1 was born at 11:38am and I managed to have a bath at 5am the following morning, but I had to take him with me.
   After ds2, because I was only on gas and air, they frog-marched me to the shower about an hour after he was born.

4. I've heard you are wheeled to the maternity ward after. Why is this?
   They put you in a wheelchair to take you to the ward. You are holding your baby in your arms and the reason for this I believe is that they say it isn't safe to walk whilst carrying yhour baby. I kept getting told off for this and they said if I wanted to walk around the wards with my baby (I was so bored just laying in bed) I had to wheel him around in the cot. You are not allowed to walk holding them.

Oo lucky person who got wheeled in their bed!

Our hospital has special labour ward beds with like built in stirrups and stuff, so they don't allow them off the labour ward.

However if you were very weak I imagine they would transfer you to a trolley.

I have heard of that thing about not walking with your baby but it definitely wasn't enforced at the hospital I gave birth in. You were allowed to cart them anywhere you liked and no-one batted an eyelid. Maybe it depends what kind of birth you had? I imagine after a section perhaps they are worried about your stitches?

With my second I had a home birth and obviously no-one was going to wheel me OR the baby anywhere after that grr grr. I had to hobble my own way down to the bath

withorwithoutyou!!! Ouch! Bastards indeed.

I have a couple of questions about giving birth

1. If they have to cut you do they numb the area first. If so how?

Yes, if you hadn't had an epidural etc they'd give you a local anethestic injection.

2. If you need stiches because of tearing. Do they numb the area? and How do they do this?

Yes, I had stitches with DD, was given local anesthetic injection plus gas and air too.

3. Are you automatically given a shower or bath after the birth? Would imagine you would need one!

Yes, was lucky to have ensuite shower room each time, had a shower in delivery room.

4. I've heard you are wheeled to the maternity ward after. Why is this?

I imagine if you had an epidural you might not be able to walk. I walked around within a hour or so each time so walked to ward with DD. With both DS and DS2 went straight home.

1. Yes - (unless you've had an epidural and are numb anyway)

2. Yes - they put in a local anaesthetic, but its advisable to use gas and air too. With my stitches, I think they started to stitch outside the area that had been numbed, because I clearly remember feeling the needle go in, and sucking madly on the g and a! Sounds horrendous, but honestly, after pushing a baby out, stitching is a doddle.

3)Yes, I had a bath after my births

4. Its usually a wheelchair I think, because you're pretty knackered and also may feel faint if you've lost quite a bit of blood. But I think if you were more comfortable walking, that would be fine too.

don't know 1 or 2 as I only had a tiny tear and a graze

3 - I had a shower, there was one in the delivery room

4 - It was quite a long way from the delivery room to the postnatal ward, I was holding a newborn baby for the first time in my life, felt wibbly like I'd just run a marathon, and was exhausted, I was very happy to be pushed! (they put me in a wheelchair on the way to the delivery room from the ward (I was induced) too though and that wasn't good at all - dd was already coming out and I couldn't sit down!)

3. I walked into the ensuite shower about 30mins after delivering the placenta.

4. I didn't have a wheelchair I walked, the baby was put in her cribb on delivery ward and the mw pushed her while I walked beside.

Bath?! with help?! Pah ... i was left after the birth and had to make my own way to the shower ... after my husband fixed it. Thankfully i only had to waddle [with towel jammed] to the ensuite. I then had to walk to special care to find DS. Perhaps it is different everywhere?

1. and 2. - I think you have your answers.
2. Yes, Auxiliary Nurse ran a bath for me, after making me tea and toast - pure heaven!
3. I was taken in a wheelchair after dd2 because it was a long way and I was a bit shaky. But for ds1 I had a spinal block so was wheeled in my bed.

1. Not sure I was numbed as I had an epidural when they cut me, but pretty sure they did before they stiched me, even though the epidural hadn't stopped working.
2. Before they stich they give an injection, you cannot feel it at all (this is from 2nd time when I tore but no epidural). You cannot feel anything to do with the stiching either - I napped during mine
3. First time I had an epidural and had a big blood loss so was given a wash in the bed and had a catheter so didn't shower or bath for a day or so. Dh did help me wash myself abit though, but the bed bath people did a good job clearing up all down my legs etc. 2nd time I had a bath within an hour or so.
4. I was never wheeled, You can I guess if you ask, or obviously if you need it because you are feeling very weak etc. They may insist I guess incase you faint or something - I was wheeled to have a lung scan at 34 ish weeks pregnant just because I was pregnant I pushed my own wheelchair back though

1. If they have to cut you do they numb the area first. If so how?Injection if you havent had an epidural

2. If you need stiches because of tearing. Do they numb the area? and How do they do this?I just had gas n air with ds, but with both girls they gave me the injection it was just one little stitch

3. Are you automatically given a shower or bath after the birth? Would imagine you would need one!yes, yes, yes unless you have had a general, or are very shaky, with dd1 i had a bed bath, with dd2 i had a jelly leggged shower, with ds i had a lovely bath while dh sat next to me holding ds

4. I've heard you are wheeled to the maternity ward after. Why is this? only if you need to be, if you want to carry baby then definatly

Having seen my DD give birth they give the injection to numb you before cutting but they do it during a contraction so you don't even notice. of course they numb before stitching you just feel tugging.
I was helped to have a bath, but it depends how you are feeling if you are faint or exhausted. If you are okay to be alone you will be.
I was wheeled with my 1st and 3rd but danced down the corridor with my 2nd. Just because I could.

With DS I had forceps. No idea how I was numbed but I was.

Was stitched up in theatre due to pph whose origin they coujdn't determine. Unusually had an epidural after birth.

No chance of me having a shower - was given bed bath later on.

I was wheeled to the ward in a bed - there was no way I would have managed walking or wheelchair.

With DD more straightforward - no stitches afterwards and had a shower in the delivery suite. No idea how I got to the ward but I don't think I walked.

I had a couple of stitches (no cutting) and I was given a local anaesthetic and could carry on using gas and air.

I was allowed to have a shower and went about an hour after birth (on reflection I am not sure how safe I actually was in the shower). From the shower I then walked to the ward I was on, when I got there my DH had taken the baby to my bed - he can't remember whether he carried her or if she was wheeled in her cot!?!

I was in a hospital midwife led unit.

I had a forceps delivery - spinal anaesthetic so the stitches were a breeze. Bit bizarre to realise a man is sawing away at your ladybits without you noticing.

3. No I had to wait for ages for a shower. Because of the spinal I couldn't feel my legs and couldn't stand up for 12 hours. Then because I was in the ward for the women who had had more intervention, the midwives seemed to be busy dealing with all mums who had C-sections (I felt fine).

4)wheeled up in a bed (see 3).