C section covid era experiences

Crybabygeeks

Hi all. I'm due for elective c section in two weeks in rotunda. Anyone have any recent experience? How long were you in for? How did you manage immediately after with lifting baby etc when your partner wasn't around? Appreciate any recent experiences! Thanks so much.

Cash_Q

If you are on Instagram check Dr Laura GP shes just had an elective section this week and is sharing her experience. Shes in galway where partners are not allowed in for surgery but her husband was allowed into the recovery room and she went home 2 days later.

RTE Ireland on Call on Wed or Thurs had a woman arriving at the Rotunda for an elective section. She said she was tested for Covid19 and result was back in 3 hours, standard there for all arriving to deliver although I'm not sure if this applies to elective section only, she didn't say but she didn't have symptoms herself, she said she was being tested to reduce the spread within the hospital.

As for help lifting the baby, just keep ringing the bell for the midwife, they're there to help you and you won't be able to get out of bed post op for a few hours at least. My daughter was born by emergency section at 8pm in 2018 and my husband was sent home at 10pm, he was back in the next morning of course but the midwives did so much lifting for me that first night. I still had the catheter in until the next morning so I just rang the bell every time baby cried and they came and helped.

jaja321

I am going for a section in Holles street and was in today for an appointment. They said it would go something like this:
- arrive around 7.30am (dropped off as husband/partner/significant other etc can't come in at that point)
- depending on who else is scheduled for a section that day - they will then determine the time of the section
- notify husband/partner/significant of time - they will be allowed into theatre and then recovery after for approx an hour but not the ward
- they are trying to get people home in about 48 hours if no complications
- in terms of any additional supports - wasn't much info only that the hospital is quieter and so there may be more mid-wives around to support (I'm not sure how the hospital will be quieter as women are still having babies and if due now were well pregnant before any of this happened - but maybe they are spreading out the section dates/times more? This bit wasn't clear to me)
- this will be my second section so I was worried about the supports available/lifting baby etc as last time it was hard even when my husband was there..but I think we just have to ring that bell as much as we need it! I might also discuss with the midwives if there are safe ways to have the baby in the bed with me or in a cot with side down so that its easier to get the baby. But let's see!

Milly33

Sorry just popping in but best of luck to you to OP and to all others at this time, it must be so hard for ye not to have yer partners there at the moment. To me it is mad that they are not allowed in but thats another ball game.

I will say after having two sections you do not have to worry about things like being able to pick up your little prince or princess once the cot is close to the bed and you have a bell for the nurses close to hand you will be fine. The section pain is normally at the bottom end of the torso so for the upper side you will have no problems.. just make sure and ask for help from the nurses if you need it and take the paracetamol when they offer it even if you have no pain at the time

Crybabygeeks

Thanks everyone . Feel ok about it all now, got to roll with it

Milly33

You will be fine OP it is amazing what the body can do... best of luck to ye

acm630

Just wanted to pop in to say I'm also interested in hearing what experiences people are having...I might end up getting scheduled for a C-section in the next month if baby doesn't turn around. Best of luck to you!

seamus

jaja321 wrote: »

(I'm not sure how the hospital will be quieter as women are still having babies and if due now were well pregnant before any of this happened - but maybe they are spreading out the section dates/times more? This bit wasn't clear to me)

They're probably spreading out the sections more - they used to be all scheduled at the start of the week. But that 48-hour turnaround is also a factor. It's normally 72 hours, though women are often given the choice of staying 120 hours (five days) if they feel its necessary.

As a result, faster turnarounds means less women in the hospital at any given time.

My wife was in for a c-section at the very beginning of all of this, so the experience is no doubt very different now, but as others say the golden rule is to ring that bell. The general advice for post-op is that you shouldn't lift anything heavier than a baby or a kettle for the first four weeks, but you will find simple things like getting out of bed a bit of a struggle in the first 24 hours.

Take all the drugs they give you and give yourself time to heal. I know a number of women who've burst stitches or otherwise injured themselves by doing too much too soon; cleaning bathrooms, doing the hoovering or even pushing other kids on swings. Even if you feel well enough one day to do something, don't. Wait another week. For the first month, you're caring for a baby and nothing else. The house won't burn down or become a cesspit because your husband has to cook and clean.

I obviously don't know what the theatre experience is like on the table, I can only speak as the partner. What helped me is to remember that the people doing what they're doing, have done it a couple of hundred times already this year. What seems strange and scary to us, is part of their day job. They will be honest and they will tell you if there's a problem. So if they're not saying anything, then everything is going fine.

Best of luck!

screamer

I had a section almost 4 years ago. I was very sore after it and 2nd night I rang the bell all night and no one came. I had to drag myself around trying to look after the babies as I had twins. They said there was an emergency that night, fair enough but I left the next day as I couldn’t cope with 2 babies and barely able to get out of the bed. Make sure you have decent support to help you all through a section is no bed of roses.

Milly33

Oh dear that sounds horrible... We have all such different experiences,

Crybabygeeks

Baby boy arrived safe, well and very calmly with my planned section last week. My experience couldn't have been more different than the emergency one... Dr was amazing, staff were brilliant, my recovery whilst uncomfortable is going well.

Also home in 48 hours which is great.

For anyone going in, enjoy it and take all the meds and help offered. It really is a completely different experience and a very positive one hopefully for all.

Cash_Q

That's great news crybabygeeks congratulations on your new arrival, hope you're getting a bit of rest here and there

Milly33

Yeah congratulations to ye and delighted to hear that it went well for ye...Such great news

acm630

Delighted to hear it, congratulations!!

jaja321

Last appointment at Holles Street this morning before scheduled section next week. Consultant said that largely women's experience on wards afterwards is more positive. Womem and getting more rest. More staff around (redeployment of staff as hospital not operating at full capacity) More support between women on wards. Breastfeeding rates up too.

Also said that on general women are coming in more rested too and labouring better..not squeezing every last hour at office before having babies. Very interesting.

So lots of positives there. X

Cash_Q

Very interesting. I can well imagine the wards are more restful. I can only comment on the Coombe which I can hand on heart say I'm so happy with my experiences there, but the amount of visitors allowed in when I was there in 2018 was mayhem. Partners there well past the 'quiet' times, kiddies visiting times were crazy with countless people beside the bed for hours on end and then the actual visiting times each evening were mad too. Of course I had my fair share of visitors in but it was definitely excessive at some of the bedsides and while I hope my husband will be allowed to visit by September, I hope they restrict it to partners only for a while.

jaja321

Cash_Q wrote: »

Very interesting. I can well imagine the wards are more restful. I can only comment on the Coombe which I can hand on heart say I'm so happy with my experiences there, but the amount of visitors allowed in when I was there in 2018 was mayhem. Partners there well past the 'quiet' times, kiddies visiting times were crazy with countless people beside the bed for hours on end and then the actual visiting times each evening were mad too. Of course I had my fair share of visitors in but it was definitely excessive at some of the bedsides and while I hope my husband will be allowed to visit by September, I hope they restrict it to partners only for a while.

It was crazy in Holles street in 2017 too. I actually felt sorry for some of the mums. And it's not fair on others either. Consultant said in Holles st. that they're never going back to old way again. It'll be partners only when things resume and even then hours more restricted. Honestly others do not need to be there..plenty of time when mum and baby get home.

Cash_Q

jaja321 wrote:

It was crazy in Holles street in 2017 too. I actually felt sorry for some of the mums. And it's not fair on others either. Consultant said in Holles st. that they're never going back to old way again. It'll be partners only when things resume and even then hours more restricted. Honestly others do not need to be there..plenty of time when mum and baby get home.

Good to know, wonder will the coombe follow suit. It is very hard to try to tell family to stay away but if its hospital rule then theres nothing they can say!

Crybabygeeks

Rotunda was extremely quiet while I was in there. I do think though that if they are to permanently restrict visitors, then they have to offer more support from midwives to Mums. After a section in particular, it's hard to look after a baby all day and night with no opportunity to hand baby over and rest. I left after 2 nights as felt that I would rest and recover easier at home with help at hand

shesty

Rotunda seems to be much stricter than many other hospitals - under normal circumstances, only 2 visiting slots of 2 hours each per day, very tightly monitored, 2 visitor passes given to the dads on arrival at the hospital and you need one of these to get up to the wards.Kids are only allowed in the afternoon slot, partners the only ones allowed to be there all day.Security do rounds to remove people who overstay their welcome.

Cash_Q

shesty wrote:

Rotunda seems to be much stricter than many other hospitals - under normal circumstances, only 2 visiting slots of 2 hours each per day, very tightly monitored, 2 visitor passes given to the dads on arrival at the hospital and you need one of these to get up to the wards.Kids are only allowed in the afternoon slot, partners the only ones allowed to be there all day.Security do rounds to remove people who overstay their welcome.

This is the same structure as the Coombe and security do the rounds too, but it is a hell of a lot of people coming and going with 6 beds in a ward. Definitely sneaky dads staying past the quiet times but they're not actually the worst.

As I said I'm guilty myself of having plenty of visitors, baby was 24 hours old and we had my parents for one hour then his parents for another hour. At 48 hours old we had 4 of my siblings first 30 mins, 4 of his for 30 mins, then another 4 for the final hour (mix of partners there too, he doesn't have endless siblings!), so 12 people in one evening. I refused any further visitors for the rest of my stay but the beds around me had a frequent turnover compared to my 4 nights post partum, so there was a constant trickle of new visitors to the ward. I found that afternoon slot the worst because there would be multiple kids were there with multiple extended family members and the kids were just running riot around the ward, mostly toddlers who had no interest in a baby. I know its important for the toddler to see their mam and sibling in hospital but really they dont need to stay past the point of boredom. Maybe I'll feel different when I'm missing my little girl while on the ward but really I'll be useless to her after a section for the first few days.