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Advice and tips for a scared mummy?

Hi Ladies,



On my 20 week scan it showed my placenta was a little low. This happened with my first son (I have two), but it moved up. I have had two normal vaginal deliveries. I had my 28 week scan yesterday and it is even lower, and curled itself round the botton and totally blocking the cervix. I have another scan at 32 weeks to check, but it looks pretty much 100% I will have to have a caesaean.



I was wondering if anyone had any tips for before, during and after the op? I dont have any experience of this with family or friends, and I am pretty scared!



Thank you x

Replies

  • I can give you tips for during the op! I work in an obstetric theatre so Im well used to seeing folk terrified. I'm also having a section in a few weeks and although I'm nervous, I know how much work goes into each and every patient so it's just a matter of keeping yourself as calm as possible.



    It helps to know what will happen so try and read up on what the procedure is when you go into theatre. We find that having music on keeps the atmosphere light and chatting to your birth partner helps in a big way. Don't be afraid to ask your anaesthetist questions, or their anaesthetic nurse, they will stay and chat with you for the whole procedure. The good thing is, once they start the procedure, baby is out very fast and after that time flies by and you're being moved to recovery!



    I'll be interested in hearing about after the op from people, as my involvement stops when the ladies go back to the ward.



    Hope all goes well for you! x
  • Hi Lori,



    I had an elective csection with my son as he was stubbornly bum down from about 25 weeks!



    I had never had a medical procedure before, I am a big baby when it comes to needles, scared of the dentist, just a big girls blouse AND I am happy to say that my c section experience was very positive, I am 9 weeks pregnant with my second and its a big deal for me to say that I'm not feeling any anxiety about having another section if that the way things work out.



    We went in at 8am, few forms to fill in, some basic tests, they rescanned me to make sure he was still breech, and then it was all systems go, our son was born at 9.50. So quick!!



    There are things about it that I would have liked to have known before, nothing bad, but much better if you know its coming... I remember putting on the gown, being taken into the theatre (my hubby was kept outside til they prepped me and this did make me a bit uneasy as I thought he would be with me the whole time), all around me everyone was preparing for the operation, there seemed to be so many doctors and nurses, again, that scared me but I focused on my midwife, she knew I was afraid and talked and reassured me the whole time. I sat on the bed and she stood right in front of me, holding my hands, she was great.



    They put the drip in my hand - that was one of the things terrifying me, it was fine, I felt nothing and they even taped it over for me so I didnt have to look at it.



    No problem with the spinal, again, felt nothing and just kept jabbering on to the midwife, didnt really notice it. They lay me down and I remember one doctor asking me to say if I had any feeling in my chest - nope - it was very weird, I kept asking him if I was actually breathing - sounds mad but i couldnt feel my chest moving up and down, anyway... then my hubby came in and everything was a bit of a whirl after that and in what seemed like 5 seconds our son was born, my hubby was handed our little boy, and after a few minutes they left the room and I was tidied up!!



    I think the pain relief must have hit about this time becuase it kind of becomes hazy for me. But I remember being in the recovery room, feeding him for the first time, cooing over him and just generally being amazed!!!



    There is no doubt that its tough afterwards, its hard work spending that first night in hospital not really being able to move around much with your new born, but in the scheme of things, its all ok by that point, your baby is with you and the operation is over!!!



    Hope this garbled post give you some reassurance that its not as frightening as you might think. Looking into the procedure is a good idea as you are more prepared for what will happen to you.



    Wishing you lots of luck, if I can do it anyone can!! xxx
  • hi, i had an emcs with ds, and dd arrived by elcs 6 weeks ago...my main tips are that u can do a birth plan requesting thinsg like OH 'trimming' the cord, having the screen lowered, to hold baby whilst ur being stitched up etc, helps to keep it as 'normal' as possible...keep on top of the pain relief, don't wait for it to start hurting before asking for more, iyswim, take it easy! and i mean really easy! u can't do any lifting other than baby for 6 weeks, no hoovering etc, let someone else do it, or just leave it, u geting well is far more important, take a pillow in the car etc to put over ur wound for going over bumps/sharp breaking, also pushing a pillow over it when sneezing/coughing/laughing etc helps cushion it, try to lay down and let air to it for 10minutes at least once a day, try to keep it dry, if like me u end up with a bit of overhang then u can put a sanitary/maternity pad against it to keep it dry, also using a pad there can help to stop ur trousers/undies rubbing...i started taking arnica too, i took a dose the night before, and on the morning with my pre meds, then took for a week after, really helped me to heal up quite quickly this time...hth, and if ur iterested in reading an elcs birth story then dd's in my other topics. xx
  • ooh alos, lucozade i like the orange one) was a godsend in hospital, especially immediately after the op and being nil by mouth for so long, helped me feel much less groggy.also when u start to move about/stand up try not to hunch over, i don't know why but i automatically do and it makes u feel much better just standing up straight...they'll prob like to keep u in the bed until the following morning, but if u really feel ready they will help u up to stand by the crib, sit in the chair etc, but don't try it too soon...with ds i did this at 18hours and was fine, dd i thought i could handle a bit more, so begged at 12hours, but it did leave me quite sore and think i would've been better off waiting, but i was impatient....don't worry about buzzing the mws during the night to change baby or pass baby to u for feeding, u'll prob feel like ur being an inconvenience (i know i did) but ur not, it's their job and why they get paid wages, they're there to help u, so take full advantage while u can. xx
  • Thank you for all the replies, it makes it sound a lot less scary! My main upset is that I had planned special things for the birth - I want the baby delivered straight onto me, and the placenta to come out before it is cut so my baby gets all the nutients etc. I understand the cord will be cut straight away, but I really want the baby straight to me and stay with me for a good few minutes at least. I truly dont want to lose this part, but not sure if they will just wave her above me then whisk her off for weighing, then hand her to my hubby. I want her handling to be gentle, not a shock, different faces etc. This is what makes me really upset. This is an IVF baby who's life was threatened at the very beginning but held on. She is so precious, and I just want her appearance to be calm and gentle. x
  • I'm sure if you impress this upon them they'll oblige you in any way they can. In my hospital we don't weigh until the recovery room so baby is born, handed to the midwife for a quick check (don't be alarmed by this as it's totally normal for them to need a quick breath of oxygen as they can be a stunned when they come out, they come round to the idea very fast though) then the wee one is brought straight over to mum and placed across her chest. In most instances we can accomodate skin to skin contact but it depends on whether there's enough room. I'm sure if this is important to you it won't be a problem, just ask before they lie you down after your your spinal then they can arrange your gown around your drip to get baby in. Let us know how it all goes!!! image



    It's brilliant for my nerves to hear all these positive stories, I can't say how many sections I've been involved with in my career, thousands perhaps? BUT no amount of medical knowledge makes you a good patient :lol: I can't wait to meet baby, suppose you have to see it as being your baby's birth so it needs to be as special as possible. 3 weeks today for me!
  • I just want to second wowbabies post about buzzing the midwives, i defo felt guilty about buzzing but did myself no favours by trying to sit up to lift my son out of his crib....definitely buzz for help!!



    Also dont refuse any pain relief post csection or the antihistimines (sp) as you will probably feel itchy afterwards with all the drugs lol!! xx
  • Just wanted really to second what all the other ladies said - I had an emcs 4 months ago. It was the one thing I did not want - the idea had always terrified me. But it was fine!! I was relaxed and calm, the miwives and other hospital people were briliant. I didn't get to hold LO til I was stiched up but that was because he was in distress and they needed to check him over. Sure it would be fine for you though!!



    1. Stay calm and just focus on the outcome!!

    2. Don't feel bad buzzing the midwives.

    3. Take the painkillers.

    4. REST REST REST!! I overdid it in my first few weeks as OH only had 2 weeks off work so was on my own alot for the rest of the time. Call upon any help and support you have to be around you those times. I couldn't even carry LO up to bed in his moses basket.



    Hope you feeling OK about it and look froward to your BA!



  • Thank you ladies, I am so pleased I posted as I am actually feeling quite positive about making plans and talking to the hospital about options now. I'll be sure to post my BA and BS on here too,



    Lorraine xxx
  • hi, they can't deliver baby straight on to u, as it's a cs delivery they do need to check baby over (they tend to be quite mucusy and a little startled, being curled up happily one second in ur tum and then suddenly out in the big wide world with no warning)but as soon as the checks are done (apgar score etc) u can hold baby...with ds i had an emcs and didn't get to hold ds until he was well over an hour old and we were in rceovery, with dd i ahd a planned cs so stated on my birth ^plan that i wanted to hold her asap, they delivered, showed her to me (u can have the screen lowered at the moment of delivery, which i had requested but a minor hiccup during delivery meant it didn't happen)then did the necessary checks and OH trimmed the cord down, then bought her over to OH to hold for 5 mins, then asked if i wanted htem to weigh her there and then so that there was no need to take her off me again later, so they did that and then laid her onmy chest for the remainder of the op, so got to hold her from 15minutes old, which meant that once we were in recovery she was all mine for skin to skin and establishing bf, rather than being weighed etc in there, worked far better that way round than with ds who was given to OH to old through the op and then weighed in recovery etc, although if i had said no to the weighing i could have held her sooner, but then that would've meant that bf/skin to skin in recovery woudl've been later, iyswim?...u can take ur own music etc...the best advice i can give u is write a birth plan and give it to the anaesthetist when u go into theatre, they will endeavour to ensure all ur wishes are met where possible, anything that u REALLy want, say it to them as well, but usually the anaesthetist comes to see u before the op and asks u stuff like that anyway.
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