C section

I had an emergency c section so I don't no how long you have to wait for a planned one, but I can answer the rest. They take you down to delivery then they have the surgeon go through the whole procedure with you get you to sign consent forms and let u ask any questions, then the anesthetist goes through the spinal procedure with you and let's u ask any questions. They then might put a cannula in ur had and then get you dressed into nothing put a hospital gown. They then wheel u into theatre and then you hop on a bed whilst the do your spinal, they give u a local injection first which I barely felt and then test the area to make sure it's numb before they to the spinal which I didn't really feel at all. My husband was allowed in the entire time from the minute I was wheeled in. Once spinal was done you lay down and then they start prepping the area they test you a few times with a codl metal stick to make sure ur numb up to the ribs. Because it numbs ur diaphragm some people feel like they struggle to breathe

The not eating for 12 hrs before you go in and then the waiting was annoying for me cause I was absolutely starving but I was the first to go down so didn’t have to wait that long. The surgery was pretty chill, didn’t take long from having the spinal to baby being born and then she was just my focus that I didn’t really notice anything else. Recovery wise wasn’t bad either, had a catheter put in whilst waiting for the spinal to wear off and then I had to do three big wees before they could let me home. I was in hospital 24hrs after my surgery. My advise is get good pillows that you can proper yourself up at home comfortably with as you’ll be tender. Take things easy and don’t rush to do things :)

I had an emergency section so can’t advise on the wait but I had my baby at 03:30 on the Thursday morning and was discharged at about 6pm on the Friday For your recovery: -don’t overdo it and do too much too soon! Ask for help when you need it -that being said, going on short walks can be really helpful -don’t lift anything heavier than your baby -wear big knickers after (I used frida mom shorts for the first 10 days or so and then big M&S cotton pants after) -keep your scar clean and dry -take the laxatives even if you don’t think you need them, it’ll help! -hold a cushion or pillow on your scar if you cough or sneeze -I found it easiest to sleep on an incline with lots of pillows behind as I struggled to get up from laying down -peppermint tea and chewing gum can help with gas after the procedure

So top tip is place ur hand on ur chest and you can feel ur chest rising and look at the monitor so you can see that ur oxygen levels haven't changed. The spinal works really quickly. They put these weird things on ur legs to squish them to prevent blood clots but u can't feel them they stay on for about 6hrs after surgery as well. They then start the surgery, you can feel them tugging occasionally but not much else it was really quick was over in about 45 minutes. They asked me if I wanted to see my baby get pulled out of my stomach, I did not, then asked my husband if he wanted to cut the cord. They then pulled him out showed me my baby over the sheet before they checked him over wrapped him up and gave him to my husband. They both sat next to me whilst they checked my uterus was contracting back down and then stitched me back up. Once surgery was done they told my husband to take baby and him into the recovery room whilest they transfered me back into a bed and sorted all my monitors out.

I had a planned section at Macclesfield, it was pushed forward 3 weeks though. I was in hospital from the Friday, had a scan in the Monday that prompted him coming in the Tuesday, I had to fast from 2 am Tuesday but was allowed slips of water. I had it at 1pm on the Tuesday and went home on the Wednesday. I went down to theatre at 12:45 and was in recovery by 2:30, my baby was born at 13:59. I was back in the ward by 3pm (there was no rooms available) The most uncomfortable bit I found other than the after pain was getting the anaesthetic before the spinal, it’s more pressure? The section itself was calm and relaxing, I only felt pressure after he was born and they were sorting me out. Recovery, accept support and help, don’t over do yourself, I rushed into getting back walking the dogs etc and had prolonged my recovery, having plenty of water/ drinks, snacks, I found that my appetite dropped significantly so was easier to snack little and often.

They take you into recovery you stay there for 30 minutes and check for sensation every 5 minutes then take you back into the delivery room where I finally got to hold and see my baby for the first time and left me there for 3 hours before taking me upto maternity ward. You get feelings back in ur legs after about 6hrs. For recovery try and get up and walking about as soon as you can. Don't over do it accept all the help you can, ask for peppermint oil capsules they r a God send worked better then the morphine, ask for pain relief when u need it. I stayed in for 2 nights but they were willing to let me go after 1

I had period nappies instead of knickers, I just found these more comfortable, on my scar. Agreeing with above with the laxatives, the first bowel movement took me over an hour, with crying 🥲 same sense with pain relief!! I was SO itchy and sweaty when I got into recovery, don’t be afraid to keep asking for help, they gave me antihistamines however thrrr is a injection (I think) they can give you, a fan didn’t help with the sweating, a cold flannel and a dry towel helped the most

C-section UK on instagram has loads of helpful info on c sections, including what to expect and recovery x

Hey I had an emergency c section but seems like your questions are well answered above. I just wanted to say I was at Royal Stoke and in terms of the C-section everyone was amazing, the anaesthetist, the midwife in surgery, the surgeon and all the support staff. I have a very neat scar apparently and had very minimal bleeding. Sending lots of love and hope it goes well!