Ladies who had c sections

[CoconutGirI]

I'm considering a c section .
While it's really not my choice , i unfortunately I'm suffering from health complications and I'm now being investigated over an undiagnosed heart condition so fearing c section might be the way to go.
My worry about surgery, and what I wanted with a natural vaginal birth is holding my baby straight away skin to skin contact. Are you able to hold you baby skin yo skin after its born via section? Or are you expected to wait until your stiched up?

You hold your baby right away, they take the baby out, wrap em up and hand them straight over. Then it takes about 40 mins to get stitched up, so that whole time you’re with baby apart from a few mins when they need to do some checks

Ten years ago since I had my youngest DC but I've had three sections and I've held all three in theatre

Yes, with DS they gave him straight to DH who put a nappy and hat on him and then he went on my chest and had a little feed while they were doing their stuff to me. We swapped him between us till I was all stitched up. That was a year ago.

I had a crash c-section and I didn't get to hold my baby until I'd come round from the GA and then only for a couple of minutes before she was taken off to NICU. I have an extremely close and loving relationship with her 23 years later.

Then I had an elective and as far as I can remember, was able to hold him immediately as I was conscious and he was in good health.

I honestly don't understand why people stress about skin to skin so much!?

In my case, I wasn't given the baby until I was all stitched up and in recovery. But mine was an EMCS so probably different however there was no actual risk to life so I've no idea why he hasn't handed to me but 3am after a 5 day induction and an hour of pushing it never really occurred to me to a) ask or b) be bothered! I think in an elective it's pretty standard.

I held my c-section baby right away, and then the nurses took him for weighing, health check, etc. That part of the experience was exactly the same as my vaginally-delivered baby.

I had both my c sections under general anaesthetic (the first emergency, the second planned). That meant it was an hour or two before I could hold them (longer for my second, who got taken to nicu before I woke up).

It didn't affect me bonding with them, or breastfeeding. I breastfed dc1 till she was 2.5y and I'm breastfeeding dc2 now.

I often come on these threads because I think "the golden hour" is majorly overrated and often sets mums up for feelings of disappointment/failure if they can't achieve it. It's nice to have I imagine but really, don't worry if you don't get it.

What's one or two hours when you've got their whole childhood to cuddle them! - that's my view.

I really recommend general anaesthetic btw.

I had an EMCS but held my baby straight after she was weighed (slightly annoying but hey ho) , ask for the lights to be less bright and music if you want that (I cant remember what its called) i only knew you could so that by seeing a birth teacher beforehand.

Depends on situation I would say. I had an emergency c section with my youngst child and I couldn't hold baby. At all.

I was feeling so poorly because of a reaction to medication used during surgery. No danger for me luckily but I would have dropped baby if I had tried to hold her the first hour or two so my husband held her wrapped up in a towel in OR and it was fine. They sat next to me all the time so I could see and hear baby.

Hi OP - I was given the baby straight away. The whole thing was brilliant including the recovery and I would op for a C section again all day long.

I was diagnosed with a heart condition in my 2nd pregnancy (which was recent)

I wanted elcs anyway (had one with my first)
It was a great experience similar to first.

We did delayed cord clamping skin to skin immediately. I held my baby/ had my.baby held to me while being stitched.

Be sure to discuss with consultants

• risks/ post birth complications to baby if you are on beta blockers
• risks to you of needing general anaesthetic (mine was 15% apparently... it was good to know and meant i was prepared it could happen rather than it being a surprise)

Recovery was excellent and im typing this holding my lovely baby! 💕

Why do you recommend GA? I had mine with an epidural as I really wanted to take full part in the birth and hold my baby straight away. For me that was truly paramount.

my first was an emergency C, so no, he was whisked away for tests to check he was ok. At that time there was no skin to skin straight away either. My second was a planned c section and yes I got to hold him straight away and they had changed the policy to allow skin to skin.

i loved both my c-sections. Recovery was really straightforward. The pain killers they give you are excellent, I had no pain. In fact they are too good. I totally over did it physically with my second after the birth, so do make sure you rest properly for a few weeks after, just easy, gentle, short walks.

A planned c-section is the bees knees as you have no labour so you aren’t even tired or shattered and can just get straight on with enjoying your baby.

Maternity wards are noisy and light, so take an eye mask, and ear plugs and ear protectors so you can sleep.

One thing to watch out for, if you are in pain and your milk does not come, don’t let them fob you off. .This happened to my friend. A tiny bit of placenta had been left in her womb and that made her body think she was still pg. she got really ill before she was taken seriously.

Yes, I've had 2 babies, one VB forceps in theatre, the next a sort of emergency section. I was booked for an elective as baby was breech, but waters broke before so while it was termed an emergency section, it was super chilled, no rush to get baby out as he wasn't distressed or anything.

Yes we had skin to skin after my section. He wad put immediately on my chest, then taken away for a quick check, but put back a few min later. DH helped me support DS2 while I was being stitched. DH got skin to skin in recovery afterwards.

If you put it in your birth preferences then they should help facilitate that where they can

Yes, baby is born quite quickly and whilst they sewed me up I had skin to skin, immediately after they were born. I had a complication during the C section (aesthetic started working on my lungs, which they calmly resolved and I passed the baby to my husband). But I had the baby back in recovery and was helped to feed him. So even when things ‘went wrong’, it was still a positive experience.

I actually had faster skin to skin contact with my CS than in my first natural delivery.

I had a planned c section but an unplanned general anaesthetic after my spinal didn't work so unfortunately it was about 2 hours before I had a cuddle .
It hasn't affected my bonding though compared to my first child that I held straight away that I really struggled to bond with .

I had a vaginal delivery with the first and a planned section with the second and didn’t do skin to skin with either as with the first he was rushed off to be worked on and with the section I was too busy being ill so they took her out to my husband ( we had agreed he wouldn’t be present as he faints ) . It also took much longer to sew me up after the vaginal delivery than the section . My point being that there is only so much planning you can do and then you have to go with the flow .

I held mine for a few minutes but then they took him off me again because was shaking so much

Two elective CS here for health reasons, each time baby was handed to me straight after delivery, while stitches were done, and then checks etc done after that as far as I remember.

I was offered to hold straight away but to be honest I found it hard. I remember shaking and feeling like I might drop him.

As soon as a got to recovery we tried again and he fed immediately and did not impact our bonding in any way.

This baby was my second and actually think a combination of covid lockdown and c section recovery meant I spent a lot of time sitting down and holding my baby. My second boy now three is still very much a mummy boys!

Everyone is different. I'm glad yours worked for you, I didn't say anything bad about epidurals.

For me, general anaesthetic worked great. Holding my baby straightaway wasn't paramount for me, as I already explained. The discomfort and distress of being awake during a major operation, was more of a problem for me, as I have a phobia of medical operations.

I'm not sure why you've jumped on to quote me? I'm just giving the op my view of an alternative method to consider.

I had an elective section and asked for it to be as "gentle" as possible. They lowered the drape so I could watch him be born, took him quickly over to the side to be checked and weighed and then he was immediately tucked in under my hospital gown on my chest and he lay there for 40 mins til they finished stitching me up. The cord was left a few minutes before being cut too.

With my first vaginal birth it was over 3 hours before I had any skin to skin as I was rushed to theatre to repair a significant tear. I found the CS very healing in comparison, I got to experience everything I didn't the first time round.

Not 'jumped on you at all' - you advised GA without any indication as to why. We are all different, but I can imagine most mums to be want to be part of the process and be there, conscious, when baby is born and hold baby.

FAir enough if it wasn't for you.

I don’t think you get to choose general anaesthetic?

Yes, you can. It's in the nice guidance. At my hospital they double checked with all the ELCS mums in the morning which one they wanted - this was just a few months ago.

My surgeon told me the risks are 50-50 (just different in nature). But that most mums prefer to be awake, like @fleurneige .

We are not all the same, as I'm sure @fleurneige realises.