Walk me through your ELCS

[LadyHalesBroach]

I’m having an elcs for DC2 owing to (the car crash that was) complications in first delivery.

I don’t have a date yet but my due date is 31/12… so I assume sometime on or just after Xmas day (bugger).

If anyone has had a recent elcs, could you give me a blow by blow picture of how it went? Arrive in the morning? Check yourself in? Wheel you in, zip open, out again next day? Anyone get done pre 39w?

I didn't ask so that's probably why

@LadyHalesBroach the whole c section process was brilliant in my experience, so relaxed. Arrived at 8am, was spoken to by midwives etc, then taken into theatre for around 10.50am.

Spinal was a sharp scratch, felt a warmth over my body and lay down on table - there's always someone with you at your head to talk through things. Baby was out by 11.16am and it was the most amazing feeling to see your little one lifted over the screen. They take a little longer finishing up but you don't even notice because your little one is there ❤ Best of luck to you x

[quote SmidgenofaPigeon]@countbackfromten that’s really great to know and thank you- I feel armed with that knowledge! NCT woman was adamant that you would only have paracetamol and you’d just have to choose to grit your teeth and get on with it if you wanted to breastfeed and you were in pain, because being able to breastfeed was more important. I might drop this into my feedback form…[/quote]
I have 2DS, two sections, both ebf (DS2 still going at 2.3 as won't give up!)

In hospital I had paracetamol, ibuprofen and oramorph, would have also had diclofenac but I'm allergic to it. For migraines I also take naproxen and have had paramol (paracetamol and dihydrocodeine).

So all in all that's nonsense! I'm sorry that you were made to feel anxious - please do feed back on your experience, no one should be worried they will have to endure lots of pain post surgery in order to breastfeed. The breastfeeding network has excellent guides on drugs during breastfeeding (including painkillers) which are well worth a look.

I had an elcs in Oct 2020. I was nil by mouth from midnight but had to have a sugary drink such as ribena about 30 minutes before leaving home

Arrived at 7am and was shown to a bed. There were five of us booked in and we were told that we would be taken in order of complexity.
I was taken first due to an internal tear during a previous emergency section. DH was with me throughout and only left me briefly to get changed into scrubs. He had to wear a mask throughout but I didn't. It took them a while to get the spinal in but DD was born within the hour.

It was lovely and calm and she was snuggled inside my gown while I was stitched back up.
DH was allowed to be with me in recovery but would not have been allowed on the ward due to covid.

Unfortunately DD had some fluid on her lungs and developed breathing difficulties so had to spend a few days in the NICU. This is not unusual after elcs. Something to do with the fluid not being squeezed out as the baby moves through the birth canal.
We were only allowed one visitor at a time so I had to leave so that dh could visit DD.

My catheter was removed after 3 hours.
You are encouraged to get up and moving asap and there is little support for this.
Tips:
Make sure that you have everything that you need in grabbing distance, including the bed control.
Use the bed control to help you to get out when needed.
Our hospital encouraged you to take your own paracetamol in.
Keep meds topped up. You might not feel like you need to but the pain comes on fast and can be quite bad.
Take a small bottle of juice in with you. The water gets stale after a while and you will be thirsty.
Get an extra long phone charger.
You may have to inject yourself for ten days to prevent blood clots.
If you have to have compression stockings, I found flight socks worked better and didn't ladder.
If your bed allows, pass a dressing gown cord through the headboard and use this to help you to sit up.
First poo hurts. Push a pad over your incision so that you feel less like your insides are about to fall out.
Don't over do it when you feel well. I did and regretted it for days.

I hope that all goes well for you.

I loved my ELCS. It was such a calm lovely experience and my recovery was excellent. I was up on my feet 12 hours later. I stayed in for 4 days, this seems to be the norm for FTM CS where I am. The thing about pain relief is total rubbish! I was EBF and was automatically prescribed paracetamol, difene AND oxynorm post ELCS, but actually I felt pretty great (a bit stiff and slow, but not in pain) - so I opted not to take the oxynorm after the first day.
My staples were removed on day 4 just before I left hospital, and in terms of lifting exercise etc I felt pretty much fully normal by 2 weeks post op.
My top tips - request skin to skin asap after birth, have a long phone charger, have a water bottle with a straw that you can drink from lying down (you will be crazy thirsty while BF), and I ate tons of prunes for the first few days so had no issues with constipation.
Also depending on your hospital- certain services are easier to access on a weekday - e.g. womens physio, lactation consultants- so if you can choose a day to book your section, pick a day earlier in the week e.g. Mon - Wed.
I realise I probably had a better recovery than average which was purely luck - but I would 10000% percent recommend an ELCS to anyone!

There seems to be such a difference in experiences, If was my 2nd dc but 1st CS & because we were both fine it was standard to be discharged the next morning.

Oh my surgeon friend told me to drink peppermint water/tea to stop gas/wind.

I listened to maybe baby podcast episode with Anna Williamson before mine. I found it sooo helpful! Her due date was similar and she said the day the elective lists are closed is Christmas Day, Boxing Day and new year I’m sure. I also watched eilidh Wells YouTube videos on her elective section, must have watched them 100 times to try to picture it all in my mind 🙈

I had my section almost 3 weeks ago. I was so so worried before it. Quietly in my head I thought I was going to die during it (I always think worst case scenario) 🤦🏼‍♀️ Mine was maternal request so no medical reason for it. The consultant had given me all the risks before it, many of which were relating to high-risk sections or emergencies but they scared me nonetheless. The night before I was absolutely petrified, it just didn’t feel real. I also had a really easy pregnancy so it didn’t really feel like it was time for him to be coming out yet even though I was 39+4 on the day they’d booked me in 🙈 I was so worried I was going to go into labour before the date so I was very relieved to make it.

My hospital seems to do it slightly differently to most I think. Most hospitals tell everyone to be in for 7am then choose the order they will take people, which means everyone can’t eat past midnight or 2am. You need 6 hours at least with no food and 2 hours at least with no water. Luckily my hospital really promoted enhanced recovery so they don’t want you going without food/water for any longer than you have to. They take two people in the morning then two come in later and go in the afternoon. I was an afternoon slot so I was allowed a 6am breakfast and water until 10am. I had to just tell myself I was just going to an appointment to actually get myself in there without freaking out about the whole thing, I was just in denial. I arrived and lay on a bed in recovery for a few hours while they did some basic checks on me and check baby’s heart rate etc. I had stockings put on me and they checked my bikini area in case it needed ‘prepped’ with the clippers. I had been told not to shave for a week before it so I’d shaved the week before and it didn’t need clipped. They then shaved me during theatre at some point, I didn’t know anything about it until I got home and saw I’d been shaved 😂 The anesthetist came in to speak to me before it and I told him how worried I was, mainly about the cannula and spinal for some reason. He couldn’t have been nicer and explained how to him it was a normal Monday but to me it wasn’t so he totally understood why I found it scary! When I went in to theatre I think he had told them all that I was terrified 🙈 He didn’t tell me he was going to but he put local anesthetic in my hand before placing the cannula so it wasn’t as sore. This was genuinely the worst bit and it was only a few seconds of nipping. He then did the spinal as I sat on the bed. He got me to lean forward like I was carrying heavy bags. I was fully dreading it but other than the bee sting of the local going in first, I really didn’t know when the spinal needle was in. I think they might even have put it in more than once but there was no sharp needle feeling so I was just going by what they were saying. If anything it felt like they were pushing on my spine with their fingers but I was so worried I was going to jump or move during it due to the pain, it was nothing like I imagined. I’d heard people say the rush of either warm or tingly feeling goes down your legs when the spinal is done, some said they struggled to move their own legs round on the bed and I’d even heard people say it was so instant it was like they’d wet themselves. I didn’t find it anything like that. I wasn’t even sure it had done anything, after I moved my own legs round I started to feel a slight pins and needles feeling in my bum but there was no instant rush or anything. Very gradually the numbness came on but I wasn’t convinced they’d even given me enough at first because I could still feel them touching me and stuff. They went up and down my body with the cold spray and in all the YouTube videos I’d watched I thought you just couldn’t feel the spray further down at all but it turns out you can still fully feel someone is spraying you but it just doesn’t feel cold. It was like someone spraying me with a room temperature spray or almost like I had a layer of clothes on that they were spraying me over the top of. The anesthetist was really trying to reassure me that I was numb enough so he poked me with a pin all over, one end was blunt and one was sharp and I wasn’t able to tell him which was which so he knew I was numb. I didn’t mind the feeling or being numb at all. I think I’d built up the cannula and spinal so much that by the time they were done I felt like I was just waiting on them handing me my baby 😂 I heard the midwife ask if she was good to go with the catheter and I had really not wanted to know when that was going in but the curtain wasn’t up yet so I would have struggled to miss it. I had a sheet over me and she just lifted it up from the bottom end and put it in, I really couldn’t feel it and no one else saw me naked at that point (I’m sure they already had though) 😂 There was a bit of a delay in the obstetrician arriving who was actually doing the operation but the staff were lovely and kept making jokes so I didn’t actually think I’m about to get cut open here. When I’d met the obstetrician before it (and another doctor who was helping him) he had said they’d have my baby out in 5 minutes because it was a simple first time section and I wasn’t overweight so it would be quick to get in basically. When he did eventually walk in to the room and wash his hands, he came over, apologised for being late 🙈 and the curtain went up. The anesthetist had promised he wouldn’t tell me a step by step of what was happening and he’d only say they’d started about a minute after they had to surprise me that I hadn’t felt it. As soon as the curtain went up I felt what I thought was someone pressing down on my bikini line, not even heavily either. He then said they’d started and I was, as he’d said, surprised! He had warned me that there would be a bit where someone was up very close to the other side of the curtain doing almost like cpr to me and I wasn’t to panic. I’d heard people say it was like washing up in your stomach and I had no idea what they meant by that. I still have no idea because I didn’t feel that at all, I just felt the pressing down feeling then the cpr bit, which could only have lasted 10 seconds or less. All in all I think it could only have been 90 seconds from the curtain going up to them dropping it down again and I could hear my screaming baby! I had geared myself up for a wait of 5 minutes which is quite a long time when you’re panicking the whole time but I was in disbelief they’d managed to do that in under 90 seconds! At first I had said I didn’t want the screen down but when it came to it I said I wanted to see. I couldn’t not when I could hear him crying! I didn’t see anything other than my baby so I think any blood etc was hidden below my bump. The baby went over to the side and my husband went over to take pictures of him. Again, I wasn’t sure if I’d wanted him placed on me skin to skin because I’d heard it was like having them on your neck but they asked and I said yes at the time. They pulled one arm out my gown and lay him on my chest. He stayed there for most of the rest of the operation (which I thought would be 40 minutes to stitch me up but was more like 20)! He went off to get some checks and I think vitamin k injection right at the end. Then lifted me off the table onto a trolley which was the strangest part of the whole thing. They’d also mentioned they were going to put a painkiller in that was a suppository and I just told them not to tell me anything about that so I have no idea when they did it. They had to lift me kind of side on to take the pad away from under me then move me onto the bed. They gave me back my baby and wheeled us round to recovery for tea and toast and to call everyone and tell them the good news. I felt like the luckiest human alive getting wheeled round there with my baby. I’d somehow survived and it wasn’t even bad at all!! I will one million per cent be doing it again if I have another baby. It was the best day of my life 😊
The recovery I wasn’t really worried about because in my mind it would be too late by then if I’d already had the operation so I’d just have to put up with whatever it was like. But guess what, it was fine too! I had my baby early afternoon and by 10pm I had managed to shuffle to the edge of the bed and he helped to my feet then sit on the chair beside the bed. Standing up for the first time wasn’t painful, I think I’d had oramorph so felt fine. I had my catheter out at 4am, which again was fine coming out. I was just trying not to overthink it and tense up! The only weird bit for me was I still felt the same way I had with the catheter in, like I didn’t need to pee, but I’d been drinking sooo much water that I knew I must need to go. It was 10am or something before I tried to go to the toilet and I could only pee a tiny amount. They gave me a big version of a sick bowl when you sat on the toilet and pee’ed into so they could see if it was enough. I managed to go again about lunch time and they were happy by then that I could pee okay. I had dreaded having a uti or that kind of feeling as well as the recovery from a section but as soon as I went home I could pee completely normally. I went home 25 hours after surgery and managed to walk to the car from the ward. I took it very easy the first week and stayed in the house. The bleeding was like a heavy period and was only really bad for the first 3ish days. On day 5 the bleeding had stopped completely. Randomly this week (2 weeks on) it has restarted but is dark red and when I’ve googled it it seems to be that the placenta scab is likely to have come away at this point. I went a short walk on day 7 then a walk every day after that. This week ive managed long walks of around an hour and I stopped taking pain killers at about day 12. The pain was completely manageable and was literally only sore when trying to get out of bed. Just don’t try to sit up from lying down, I accidentally did once or twice and you could really feel the stitches holding the layers of skin together 🙈 I was really careful to roll over onto my side and push myself up with my hands after that but walking etc was completely fine even at the start.

Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to know every tiny detail before mine! The whole thing was amazing and I wouldn’t even think twice about going for another one 😊 hope yours is just as positive

It was an amazing experience. 2020.

Arrived at hospital at 8am, went straight to a private room and changed into gown. Consultant came in to do the consent soon after. I was last on the list so waited in that room until 12pm. Couldn’t eat from midnight the night before. Anaesthetic came to put in the cannula about 15 minutes before I went to theatre.

Walked to theatre with DH and midwife. Sat on the table and bent over a pillow to have my spinal. The worst part of the whole process was the cannula which made my hand hurt so much as it was a very big one.
Lay on the table and they test your leg with very cold spray to test if you can feel it. I couldn’t.

Nurse put in a catheter. Drapes go up. Anaesthetist and nurses chatting away to me and DH.

After about 5 minutes, they pull drapes down so we can watch baby being born. Consultant pulls out head and asks me to push. I couldn’t feel anything so had no idea if I was doing it or not. Consultant ends up pulling baby out fully. Drapes go up. Baby straight on my chest where she stayed the whole time. No idea how long it took to stitch up as so besotted with baby. Wheeled back to private room on ward to recover. Eat! Baby is then weighed. Started to breastfeed there.

Good luck!

Oh forgot to mention. 5 hours later they took out catheter and I started to walk. Made me do a wee but it wouldn’t come out for over an hour! It’s the weirdest feeling ever. Finally managed to do one in the night. Had ibuprofen and ?cocodamol which worked amazing. Took them for 2 weeks

Wow so much detailed advice thank you - and props to @sarah13xx for writing all of that with a newborn!!!!

@LadyHalesBroach he must have been asleep for 5 minutes 😂

Mine was fantastic. Arrived 7:30am was expecting to chill for a while and go down about 10. In labour suite in my own room. However soon after we got there a midwife came in to do blood pressure and I think she checked baby's heartbeat. Next up anaesthetist. Then they bought my gown in and DH scrubs and told me I was only one on list so we'd be going down shortly. It was about 8am at this point and I was that it was happening so fast.
Had a chance to chat to anaesthetist about sickness meds as I'm very sicky person and she reassured me everything is on tap and not to worry I just say the word and I'll get some in theatre.
Got into theatre and the worst bit of the entire operation and recovery was when the cannula was placed in and it was in wrong, when they flushed it through my arm felt like it was being squeezed so hard and was about to fall off.
They put another one in my other arm and removed the other. Spinal was a piece of cake most uncomfortable bit was her pressing around my back area hard but the needle hardly felt it.
Then I was led on table they put the drapes up said they were popping catheter in now I felt nothing. They then did their safety checks with an ice cube freezing cold up the top of body and as they take it lower you can feel pressure but no cold.
They then have to pull your gown up and cover your belly in some stuff they have to leave it for a minute to dry and then they pop the sheets on.
I didn't see any of this and felt fine and relaxed.
Op started about 9am can't really remember what it felt like not much really except the part he said I need to push down on belly high up and it felt funny lots of pressure it made me laugh.
Then they said are you ready pulled the drapes down and I and dh watched DD Enter the world.
They cleaned and wrapped her up (although I believe you can ask for them to be handed to you 'dirty') and then she was passed over and we had cuddles while they stitched me up. She was born at 9:15 exactly.
Baby stayed with me the whole time except when they were moving me onto the other bed, dh had her and then she was swiftly handed back.
We went back to the same room we started from
DD was weighed had her first feed we got her dressed etc and then went down to the ward. DH was allowed to stay all day.
My recovery was fine I did spend the whole day throwing up (did say I was a sicky person ) but even though I'd just been cut open heaving wasn't that bad and didn't cause me too much pain
I was placed on a 2 hr drip which was a nightmare as you don't have use of one hand but I drank and drank.
Midwife told me to drink tea as it helps hydrate I don't like tea but I drank it and then refused the next drip
Catheter was removed about midnight and I spend all night peeing.
Baby checks the next morning and was home by 11am.
Felt perfect was out visiting family the next day, back to driving 3 weeks later. Recovery was all I could ever of asked for and more. Mine was at 39+5
So sorry that was so long

this is all making me rather excited for it - sounds like a trip to the spa (i'm joking). Just kicking myself this is all potentially happening right before xmas or in the aptly named xmas perineum.

I was an inpatient before mine due to unstable lie but had a very good experience overall.

I was told I was 4th on the list so was given tea and toast at 6am, and could drink water right up until I was taken down. It was a long day of waiting but eventually taken down at 2.45pm.

Big cannula in my hand (probably worst bit to be fair!) Then the spinal, which was a little sharp, a bit of pressure and then a warmth all down my legs. Lay down and was draped. My BP plummeted after the spinal which was one of the side effects and made me feel very woozy, couldn't move my arms or speak properly but anaesthetist sorted me out with fluids and meds then felt fine the rest of the time. Catheter in but I had no idea as couldn't see or feel my legs, consent was always asked for every step though. Surgeons came in and started doing their thing while the theatre staff and anaesthetist talked to me and distracted me because I was nervous and tearful! My baby boy was born at 1606, he was unexpectedly massive and I had way more water than was predicted so took a while to sort me out and get my uterus to contract so lost a bit of blood and had a lot of meds to try and sort it out but staff kept me informed and calm the whole time. Had skin to skin while this was all going on, after he had been weighed, measured and had a few checks. Husband was there the whole time, and was with baby when he was away from me. Surgeons finished up, the staff took baby to wrap him up and label him. Tucked him up with me in the bed and we went to recovery. Had regular monitoring throughout, was 2 hours in recovery where they checked my pad, catheter, and obs, helped me latch baby on and got him fed. Offered tea and toast and then eventually back to ward once everything was done.

It wasn't my first choice of delivery but it was not a bad experience at all. Theatre staff are ace and felt very safe even when things went a bit sideways at the end.

Both me and baby had regular obs overnight, I had regular paracetamol, diclofenac and as required oramorph and dihydracodeine. Daily dalteparin injections 10 days post op. Wound dressing is like a thick plastic, is waterproof so can shower as normal and it stays on 7 days then community midwife will remove and check the wound.

The midwife took my Catheter out at 4am as she was in helping me feed and settle the baby so by the time I'd had a snooze, had my breakfast etc I was ok to get up and go pee normally. I was shaky getting up like my legs weren't my own but the midwife helped me and one I'd done it once, I was fine! You do need to drink loads of water, j think I had 4 jugs from getting back to the ward to breakfast time! But I peed first time, and no problems.

I was discharged after 24 hours to a community hospital closer to home for a further 24 hours of checks due to my blood pressure and some medication I'm on but normally 24 hours is enough.

I was told they won't do elective sections before 39 weeks anymore as there is an increased risk of newborn breathing issues that require a stay in neonates or SCBU so always 39+, usually 39+3/4. Only if you or baby were compromised would they do it before then and would try and give you steroids to help the lungs.

All the very best! Try not to worry, I was so nervous and very tearful but it wasn't that bad!

These stories are all so lovely and positive to read! I’m 23+3 with my first and have seriously been considering ELCS as I’m absolutely terrified of giving birth - have read such horror stories. Plus my due date is Xmas day so I quite like the idea that she would be here safely before Xmas. I don’t have any reason to ask for one - healthy pregnancy so far etc and I want to ask my midwife about it but worried they will try and talk me out of it.

@Asthenia

These stories are all so lovely and positive to read! I’m 23+3 with my first and have seriously been considering ELCS as I’m absolutely terrified of giving birth - have read such horror stories. Plus my due date is Xmas day so I quite like the idea that she would be here safely before Xmas. I don’t have any reason to ask for one - healthy pregnancy so far etc and I want to ask my midwife about it but worried they will try and talk me out of it.

They probably will try to talk you out of it as it's a major operation however it's your right to have the birth you choose regardless if it's a medical need for c section or not. As long as you make an informed decision with all the risks presented to you then your body your choice. Some hospital trusts aren't as accepting as other for maternal choice sections however if one consultant refuses they have to refer you to one that will. I had a maternal choice section due to previous bad experience with an induction and I loved it.