Elective C Section at Pembury

Hiya I’m also in for an elective c section next week at t wells to! This is my second my first was 4 years ago, during Covid so this one will be different!! I had a very positive experience and not bad word to say so I hope it’s the same this time! X

Had an elective c-section in October and overall experience was good. I was first on the morning list, got to the hospital at around 7am, I was in theatre around 8ish and my little girl was born at 9ish. Midwife will ask you to bring a hat and a nappy in theatre. You can play your own music if you want to so bring an extra phone. You can also take Pictures & videos! Spinal block doesn’t take too long before it starts working. They use a cold numbing spray and pain felt like a really bad pinch. I just felt tugging and pushing around which felt stronger just before they took baby out. Once baby is out, midwife will do checks weight etc. They will give you a screen so you can see baby as they do it. They will also give vitamin K injection if you want then they will give baby back to you for skin to skin. Your birth partner will be with you the whole time

Once they’re finished you go to Recovery for monitoring where you can start to have sips of water. Once a bed is ready they move you to the postnatal ward. I was on the ward around lunchtime. Food wise you’d get given a menu and someone has to go out and get it. My advise it go as soon as because the good food goes quickly 😂 or you can always get take aways! You get given the option if you want to self administer your pain medications or they can do it for you. I chose to do it myself, they give you a sheet and you fill it in every time you take your meds. Definitely take them regularly. You get given paracetamol, ibuprofen and Oramorph (Morphine) 6 hours post your C-section they will remove your catheter and advise you to start mobilising. I made sure I took some pain relief at least an hour before. They will want 2 urine samples afterwards to make sure you can pee.

I took some ready made formula with me just incase as sometimes milk/colostrum can take a while to come. If you are planning on breastfeeding and finding it difficult you can ask to be seen by the infant feeding team before you get discharged. The following day they will do overall check of baby and a hearing test. If they’re happy then you can go home. Thankfully I only stayed for 1 night & was back home after lunch time x