What happens on the day of the pre op and actual elective cesarean?

[Justasconfusedwithnumber2]

I've read the leaflet now I have been booked in but what actually happens at the pre op? And on the day, in all of the videos I have watched, the couples waiting for their place in the order of the day are in private rooms. I was expecting to just be sat in a waiting room tbh. Can anyone fill me in? Thanks

I would imagine it differs by hospital and according to the facilities. I would just ask at your hospital.
I was surprised at the length of the preparation even though I had been in hospital for some days already (I had an elective section preterm for vasa previa). I was scheduled for 11am, my OH was told to arrive at 8:30, they picked me up from my room at 10am and I was with the anaesthetist for 45 minutes. Went in on time and the baby was born at 11:29.

I have had two planned c sections.

At the pre-op I can only really remember doing MRSA swabs. I don't remember anything else about it!

At my hospital they asked for 7.30am arrival and we were shown to a bed in a room of 6 ish beds with curtains around them. I was given a hospital gown and DH was given blue surgery clothes and hat/shoe covers to put on. I think I had blood pressure etc checks. A midwife went through my maternity notes and birth plan page to confirm everything with me, and we waited.

First time I was first on the list, which was about 9.45 ish. I walked down to theatre in my slippers (bum hanging out of the open-backed gown as twin bump was enormous ). In theatre kick off slippers under the bed (very surreal!) and then the anaesthetist introduced himself and gave me a spinal block. DH there throughout. Lie down and they give the spinal a few mins to work (it's quite quick) and then they did the c section. After the twins were born they were handed to me/DH to hold. Eventually DH and the babies were taken to the recovery room while they put me back together (it takes less than 10 mins to get the babies out, but more like 45 to repair you afterwards). Then they wheeled me there too.

Second time I was second on the list. Same procedure really, but didn't go to theatre until 11.30 ish.

My pre-op involved some blood work & lots of form filling. Nothing exciting!

On the day, we were told to get there by 10. They settled us into a bay on the post labour ward. The anaesthetist, midwife & dr all came to introduce themselves & go over last minute things. Then I walked through to labour ward for 1:30. It was very surreal & staff can obviously spot who’s in their way for an elective as everyone I passed wished me luck.
They put the spinal in and settled me on the bed. Then The theatre team all introduced themselves & cracked on. Ds was out by 2:15. I had skin to skin while they sewed me up. Then we went through to recovery for a bit where we kept on with the skin to skin and ds latched for his first feed. After a bit we were taken back to our bay on the ward where I had tea & toast and was encouraged to get up as soon as I could.

It was a very lovely & calm experience. Much nicer than my emcs with ds1. I went home after 24 hours and recovered well. The only issue I had was wind pain. I never had it the first time, so didn’t bother getting any wind-ease in. I really regretted that decision in the middle of my first night home! Stock up ready.

Good luck!

I was in a normal ward. taken down, just about to be given spinal - stopped because an emergency C-section came in. Back to war. Same thing happened three times. Eventually went down, had spinal, babies delivered (twins) then in recovery, separated form babies immediately (which I hated) I was zonked and the nurses bathed and dressed them instead of offering skin to skin. Woke up, wheeled to ward, finally reunited with babies and then, same as everyone else, just lolled in bed, being happy and dazed at these new tiny lives.

Our electives aren't done on maternity here, they're done on the gynae ward.

Pre-op just had MRSA swab, was weighed (to my horror ) and given prescription for two tablets to be taken the night before (one was omeprazole, an anti stomach acid tablet and I can't remember what the other was).

On the day I had to be there by 7am, having not eaten or drunk anything since midnight. Was put on a small ward with three other women who were having the same operation as me. Just had to sit and wait whilst the staff had a meeting to decide who was going first (was decided on medical need, I was last!) and then we just had to wait. It was so boring! I watch three ladies go down and come back with their babies then it was my turn at lunchtime. I was given my gown, asked to use the toilet, DH gowned up and I walked myself into theatre. All done and dusted 45 minutes later and was taken back to the ward for recovery.

Mine was a really nice experience compared to my first birth which was a horribly traumatic induction. Recovery was fine, bit sore for a few days but I was on my feet after dinner (slowly!) and shuffling between the chair and the bed.

Following with interest as hoping for a planned section for my second baby! X

Pre-op was very swift, we just sat in a small room and a nurse took a blood sample and blood pressure. That was literally it.

On the day of surgery we had a lot of waiting around. They told us to be in for 10am so we arrived promptly but had to wait till 4pm before going into theatre. You get dressed in your hospital gown and sexy mesh knickers about an hour or so before surgery and your birth partner gets changed into scrubs. The consultant comes for a quick chat to make sure you know what to expect, risk factors etc and you sign forms.

Worst part about the surgery is the spinal. I’d had two before but I was already in labour in an emergency situation when I needed them before so didn’t really care or think about the spinal. It’s pretty nasty, seemed to take them ages to get it in the right place and I found it painful. Once that was done though it was all good. You wait to become numb then the action begins I guess. It feels like someone is doing the washing up inside of you, I was absolutely certain I was going to vomit a few times but thankfully didn’t. Baby is out literally 2 mins after they cut you open and then you’re too focused on the baby to care about anything else .

It will be fine, I promise. Just take it easy during the recovery period, don’t over exert yourself.

Oh and I imagine it’s different hospital to hospital. At our local hospital we waited behind a curtain in a ward with three other beds/women behind curtains. Some may give you a private room.

Thanks all. I'm just surprised they use beds whole you wait as they are in such demand. In envisaged a plastic chair somewhere! Did you take two bags as they say on the leaflet? Seems daft reading your experiences not to take on everything you need from the off? The leaflet says I should only take gown, slippers and pads, everything else has to wait til after the delivery

As you can’t take anything into the theatre it might be that they don’t have anywhere to store your belongings until you come out and are allocated a bed, so if that’s what they say I would follow it.

The bag thing must vary by hospital. I've only ever taken one bag and I have had 3 sections In 2 different hospitals.
One hospital I waited in a labour suite, the other in the post natal ward which was empty. Otherwise as described by pp.

I've had four sections, three elective. In my hospital, you wait in a room with other couples, sitting on couches, no beds. There's normally about 3 other people waiting to go down an normally have their partner with them. When the previous woman has gone into theatre, you go in the bathroom and get changed into the gown, then just sit and wait.

The doctors and midwife will keep calling you into a private room to do checks on you while waiting.

We could drink clear liquids (including black currant juice) up to 6am. Arrive at hospital at 6.45. Gowned and told to wait. I was first on the list due to GDM and from that I was taken down to theatre. DH with me but not allowed in for spinal block. Cesarean started. Baby delivered and then Back to recovery before going to ward.

The first 3 on the list sat in the ward and the other 3 were told to wait in the day room. By the time I was going up to the ward, the 3rd person was walking down to theatre,

Pre op was 48 hours before for some bloods for infection markers and full blood count.

Hi on the day your booked the you will wait in a room then the surgeon will introduce his self then you will get ready an go into theartre you sit upright to get epi dural in spine then you lay down and they lift your legs up to put a ibrufen in your butt to help with after pain in recovery its weird cause cant feel anything . Then they put a screen up between your stomach an face and begin cutting its not a big cut get the baby out and all done. You can ask them to play your music if they allow it. Hope this helps .

Pre op- swabs, bloods, urine, weight and tablets. Then a session with a physio as a group then one to one with the anaesthetist, signed consent forms.
Day of- arrived at 7.30, seen in order of arrival. We were the first ones there so went to theatre about 9.00 for the spinal block, DD born just after 10

I've had 3 ELCS. With all of them, I've had to get there for around 7am and have been allocated a bed on the ward - which is the same bed I went back to after the baby was born and I was in for the duration of my stay. It's nice that way as you can get settled in and put your things where you want them.

I've only ever packed one bag with all of mine and baby's things in, but kept a second bag with additional bits in the boot of the car so that we had spares ready and close at hand if I ran out of anything.

In the hospitals I've delivered in (3 different ones!), the only things I took down to theatre was a nappy, vest and sleep suit for the baby. I walked down in dressing gown and slippers.

Just be prepared for a long (and hungry) wait - with DC2 (who was my first ELCS) we arrived at 7am, but I didn't deliver until around 4.30pm because I was last on the list and a few EMCS had to be slotted in too. I was luckier with my other 2 though, second on the list with DC3 who was born at 11.20am and first on list for DC4 who was born at 9.40am.

Thanks all, I will do as they suggest and pack two bags but bring it up at my next mw appointment as she will presumably know any specific rules for my hospital. I am packing today and it all of a sudden feels very very real 😬 3 weeks time I will be there!

A lot (and I mean a lot) of hanging around, because in my trust they schedule electives round emergency work, so they only ever schedule 2 a day per theatre. So bring loads to read/iPad to watch.

Yes, you're in a room in my trust. Nik by mouth, arrived 8.00 am. By midday was really flagging due to thirst/hunger, so they put me on IV saline. Finally down to theatr about 5.00pm.

Spinal was fine - they numb you then site the spinal block. For me it made me very sick, so the anaesthetist had IV anti emetics all ready to go (it's a known side effect).

CS itself was a lovely experience. I was totally out of it afterwards - I remember my time back in the delivery room as being about 10 minutes but it was apparently about 3 hours, and my friend described me being like "something out of trainspotting" (pethidine via epidural appears to have quite spectacular effects on me). I remember falling on a dried up cheese sandwich like it was manna from heaven.

On epidural for pain relief and catheterised overnight - both out the next day, was fine on paracetamol after that. Everything healed really quickly and with minimal pain and scarring.