meeting anethatist re CS - what do I need to find out?

[babyc]

Hi, am meeting anaesthatist tomorrow to discuss my CS - not for ages but at risk of prem labour so have to meet him/her now. Any ideas on what is good to find out or ask?

Bump

How soon can you have your catheter out? You will recover so much quicker if you are walking within 12hrs but some hospitals suggest staying in bed for 24hrs (probably covering their backs insurancewise). Esp if your baby goes in NICU/SCBU (fingers crossed not), you will want to be visiting ASAP.
If you think you might need to express breastmilk ask if they'd let you home if you think you would get more sleep there than on the ward.

Thanks, have just been but have 3 months to go so will ask at next appointment, esp re breast milk. Doctor said I might need to keep epidural in for 24hours so might have to stay on the labour ward rather being moved to a normal post birth (don't know what the correct name is!!) ward. And that will mean no walking - so will check that next time.
thanks x

You can still walk about with your cathetar in, although it is not very glamourous!

assuming no problem, ask to have skin to skin right after agpar are (is?) done. ds was taken away, washed and dressed before i'd even seen him and there was no reason at all for it.

ask a lot of questions re breastmilk and feeding. how will it happen? how can you physically recover, express and feed? if you are together what help is available in the hospital to get breastfeeding established?

I would ask whether you can control your own pain releife. I was offered a little device to top up my own epidural after the birth and this made the whole issue of pain control so much more bearable as was within my own control. The epi came out after 24 hours but was nice to be relatively pain free for 24 horus without having to ask for and wait for pain relief in busy ward.

oh yes do ask about pain relief. it does differ a lot, i got paracetamol, my friend got a morphine shot thingy.

ooh, I like th sound of the device to top up epidural - think i will have to have it in for 24 hours as I can't take most opiate based drugs so pain relief otherwise would be tricky. Will definitely ask at next appointment about how soon I can see baby and hold him - think I might like him cleaned first, although I'm sure I won't care on the day!
Any tips on how to prepare for CS are welcome ,I know it is ages but I feel better knowing what to expect and plan for.

I would prepare dh in advance that you may not want to hold baby /put baby immediaterly to breast and not to want to act like a mum at first. I half expected a round of applause after my first cs ( 24hr labour and then emergency cs) and they expected me to want to hold the baby and nurse???? I just wantetd someone to cuddle me and help me recover and I would see baby and nurture it slowly when i could. In actual fact failure to nurture and hnelp me recoevr contribued to my pnd.

Not that this is relevant to you but in all my subsequent css ( I had a further 4) I never wanted to immediately nurture and nurse baby but wanted to admire him/her from dh's arms and certainly when baby cried to just lie there serenely and smile whilst dh tended to baby . I found css quite stressful and painful and consequently difficult to give of muyself until at least 5 days after op after whcih i was fully ready to be a mum first and a patient second.
tys

I had a section under spinal block - as soon as I was wheeled into recovery I was given dd to hold, skin to skin (she's been given to her dad while i was being stitched up) and it was hospital policy not to wash the babies as the vernix (think that's right!) is considered very good for their skin so they allow it to be absorbed rather than washed away. Honestly, you won't care on the day!

The section itself takes about 45 mins. My catheter came out about 20 hours later and i was encouraged to get up and mobile as soon as possible. Take it steady and don't be afraid to ask for help with feeding, lifting etc. I was much stiffer than I expected to be. Expect that you might be in for 3 to 5 days so take plenty of choc, loose comfy clothes, BIG knickers (granny type waist high ones that will sit well away from your scar) and I found a good pillow from home really useful to help keep me in a 'propped' position, more comfy at first than lying down. Hospital pillows are poo.

I wonder if you could have a mobile epidural so you could walk when you're ready?

Planned CSec can be lovely, mine was and I recovered far quicker than I did with a forceps labour. I only didn't want to hold my baby because I felt quite spacey and tired and the op table is at a steep slant so I was convinced I'd drop him!

Take peppermint teabags (even if you hate them) to help with any trapped wind which is common after abdominal surgery. If your DH is suitably dressed he could pop the baby up his top for skin-to-skin.

Re breastfeeding, don't leave until you've seen an actual BF counsellor. They literally have a degree in breastfeeding and have experience with every aspect, as opposed to the short courses midwives do. The pain caused by a bad latch in the first few days can make you give up completely so do keep asking for help from experts.

Ooh yes chocolate! With my latest baby I convinced my DH that it was a recognised treatment for the baby blues so I got a bar a day for 2months! It actually does help as BFing sends your blood sugar levels crazy to begin with and of course the good stuff (G&B Maya Gold!) gives you lots of natural endorphins. And you deserve a little blast of chocolatey joy anyway.

Thank you, really hadn't thought about knickers or a pillow. I know I won't care about the goo from the baby on the day - which will be so unlike me!
I think dh understands that I might want to watch from afar as he saw me after a previous op when all I was doing was throwing up (don't do morphine or things like that well).
Hopefully baby will stay in place until planned date so will get my mum down to help too, but just concerned in case I go early, which is a possibility apparently.
Will get a little kit together after xmas, just in case, so I won't worry if there are any surprises.

Buckets - just saw your post after I posted - like the idea about dh getting some skin to skin contact - will make sure he is wearing a shirt (and takes a spare!).
I didn't know there was such a thing as bf counsellors, will check that out too. Not looking forward to the abdominal pain, but thanks for the warning

If the hospital doesn't have one, you can contact one here even if you're not a member. (Would recommend joining though as you will make lots of new mum friends at their antenatal classes).

ask if DH/DP can be there when you get epidural in ( assuming you want him)

ask if they can lower the screen so you can see baby coming out ( you don't see yourself, just the baby). made me feel that I had given birth to him IYSWIM

i asked for baby to be given to me straight away and not taken away unless for medical reasons ie not for washing weighing etc. they just wrapped him and plonked him down next to me on the bed. it was fab. i coudln't really hold him but just to see him & talk to him was lovely and a distraction from the sewing up bit

tho i guess you wont have that option if your baby is premature

ask if the MW can put in the catheter after the epidural

i also Bf my baby in recovery and it was great. there was no one else there, just me and dh and he slipped the sheet down so baby coudl have plenty skin to skin contact

i hate hospitals but have to say that the team in theatre were lovely. and it was an emergency section

oh, they took my catheter out after 16 hours and i went home after 24 hours

Dh made sure i took my post op meds on schedule and i didnt have much pain. but i hated feeling so disabled

agree re large black cheap knickers from primark/matalan. not paper

and buy in plenty night time pads as you will still bleed afterwards ( i 'm sure you know that but soem women dont)

Kristingle & Buckets - thanks for the info, its really helping me get my head around it and if I do go early I know I'll feel a lot better having given it some thought. Think they mentioned cathater after epidural, and fingers crossed the hospital are just being over cautious re prem birth, I'm sure he won't move until he is supposed to - positive thinking and praying!
Will have a think about seeing baby coming out - thing dh might pass out so he'd have to turn the other way!

Don't worry your DH won't be able to see anything yucky either although he should be able to cut the cord if he wants.
Recoverywise I've had an emergency and an elective CS and found the recovery better than my vaginal birth! With the 2nd one (elective) I was carrying my 20m old a week later. Was even shagging again less than 2wks after (was over a month after my VB!)

Ask if he inserts the epidural with you sitting up or lying down. I've had 4 c-sections with differing result re epidurals/spinal blocks. Epidurals can be topped up if they're not working, spinal blocks can't. Epidurals are only as good as the person who puts them in. The best one I had was the one inserted whilst I was sitting. None of the aneasthetist (sp?) wanted DH in the room whilst it was being done - it is a very technical/difficult procedure.

Do not be afraid to tell them if it is hurting/not working as much as you thought it would. I've had 4 and 2 of them didn't work that well (one was a trainee aneasthetist).

Get up and moving as quickly as possible - it is the best way.

My DH also watched the last two being lifted out and me being stitched up - said it was fascinating.

Good luck.

Have a look on Youtube, I'm sure there's lots of video footage about if you want to get a visual idea of what will happen.