For those who have delivered their baby by C-section, did your medical team communicate with you much during the delivery?

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What did they say to you? Who did most of the communication? What do you wish they had told you?

Comments

  1. indicatprincess Avatar

    I was induced so I was made aware a CS may be necessary a few weeks ahead of time. My provider went over the process, risks and benefits. I was really well informed of the process. I always knew it was a possibility.

    I was on day 3 of induction when I was told “your baby is coming today, one way or the other”….which meant my epidural went to about 27 hours.

    Tbh I wish we’d skipped the induction and gone straight to the CS.

  2. independentfish23435 Avatar

    I had an emergency c section- was induced and babies heart rate dropped. I had 4-5 nurses standing there talking about a c section- I had to ask what they were talking about about. All I got told is “everything is fine we are going to take you for an emergency c section” and I panicked as they rushed to get me to the operating room! It all happened so fast- I think they tried to communicate as much as they could in a scenario like that!

  3. Why_So_Slow Avatar

    I had an emergency C-section. It was relatively quick and looked standard.

    The surgeon came for debriefing the next days and described all the complications that happened during the surgery, which were extensive. I appreciate her very much, for how calm and collected and in control she was.

  4. RiaZorelle Avatar

    Mine was pretty quiet, mostly just “almost there” and “you’re doing great.” The nurse and doc mostly handled the chat. Wish they’d told me more about what to expect afterward like recovery tips so I wasn’t so surprised!

  5. chookiex Avatar

    Honestly I wasn’t listening lol

    I had an elective caesarean so everything was super calm. After the spinal block I had the shakes so I remember letting the nurse know that the hand motions weren’t voluntary and that I felt a bit nauseous.

    I only realised it was go time because the nurses were unclipping the drape. I was like wait what’s going on, then I heard an ehhhh followed by a WAHHHH and there was my baby girl.

  6. Diligent_Section_314 Avatar

    I had a scheduled c-section. Prior to the surgery, my doctor communicated the whole process to me and asked if I had any questions, but during the surgery it was eerily quiet. No one spoke. There was a curtain up at my chest, my arms were strapped down like a T, and my husband was sitting in a chair next to my head. I truly felt nothing, no pulling or tugging or pressure as some have said they felt during their c-section. It happened pretty fast which I am so grateful for. They told me when my baby was born. The only sounds came when my baby had been born and she was crying and the pediatric team was taking her vitals and bringing her to me. My husband was also talking to me the whole time so maybe I was just distracted from that.

  7. Puzzleheaded_Age6550 Avatar

    I had my daughter 38 years ago via c-section, at a military hospital. It wasn’t planned, but not an emergency. They kept me informed, until she was out. Then she didn’t breathe right away, so I heard them really working, low murmurs, except for the “come on, baby, come on!!” Everything sort of stopped for a few minutes. Finally I heard her cry, and a couple of minutes later she was brought to me to see, all nice and pink and wrapped up in a blanket.

  8. Fiireygirl Avatar

    I had two scheduled c-sections for medical reasons. There’s not a lot of communication during the procedure. Just “we’re starting”, and “you’re going to feel some pressure”.

    Full disclosure, I’m a surgery nurse, so I’m familiar with the setting. But ultimately, I need them to focus on the task at hand and communicating to the team behind that blue drape, I can ask questions later.

  9. Bookzalot Avatar

    Yes and No. The anesthesiologist did and kept me calm through the entire thing. The doctor said two things which was more than enough:

    1. “We already did the pinch test and the procedure has started. “

    2. “Ok, here she comes.”

    Next thing I hear is my daughter crying. From when I got on the table to baby felt like less than 10 minutes.

    We had twins. Baby B was probably 2 minutes later.

    Longest part of the entire thing was closing me up. I had two completely natural births prior to this and I have to say, the C section was absolutely fine. I was quite nervous about the lack of control but I was in a room full of professionals and treated like a human with dignity. I have zero complaints or regrets about the entire thing.

  10. egy718 Avatar

    Had an emergency c-section due to baby’s heart rate dropping. I was in labor for about 8 hours, had only just gotten nearly fully dilated. My nurses were amazing and answered every single question I had in as much detail as I needed, including a step-by-step of the procedure and the sensations I would feel. I was warned about nausea and they explained what they could do to combat it. Really great communication.

    During the operation, my doctors talked about cars lmao. Afterwards I was told that if the doctors get quiet or start talking about the patient, you know they have to concentrate due to some potential complication. So turns out it was very reassuring being able to hear their conversation haha.

    One thing I wish I’d been given an option for is to have seen my placenta. I didn’t wanna do anything with it, but it would have been cool to see! Didn’t even think about it until after the fact.

  11. shit0ntoast Avatar

    Yes! My baby was born 5 months ago. My doctor told me 15 minutes before I was in the OR that I’d need a C section (I’d been induced 12 hours earlier so was just hanging out in my room waiting for labor to progress).The team that prepped me for the trip down the hall was very communicative and the team in the OR was great with that as well, constantly letting me know what they were doing and what to expect in the moment as a result. Everyone was so kind and the c section went very smoothly.

  12. whatthewaaaaat Avatar

    I’ve had 2 C-sections, one was an emergency and one was scheduled. For the emergency one, the only thing the doctor/surgeon communicated to me was, “does this feel like a dull pain or a sharp pain?” And then the anesthesiologist who was near my head would ask me how I was doing, telling me I was doing great, etc. They had lots to focus on besides keeping me updated.

    For my scheduled C-section, it was sooo relaxed. Nurses were asking me questions about my older son, what name we had picked out for our new baby, asked me how the pregnancy went, etc. It was really casual and relaxed. Of course they asked me medical questions like the above, or if I was feeling nauseous or things like that. Then once my husband came into the room, the doctors and nurses started chatting amongst themselves and also “ok almost time to meet your baby!” But there was nothing like, “ok we are cutting into your uterus now.”

  13. Cheeky_Kerry Avatar

    I had an emergency C-Section bc my son was breech, born 32 years ago. Since I was healthy, they never did a sonogram. They had a guy who was a nurse in training. They warned him in advance that if he felt woozy, he should immediately sit on the floor. As the C-Section was progressing, I heard everyone saying SIT DOWN! And down he went.

  14. Sp1d3rb0t Avatar

    I had a semi-emergency c-section. I was really scared and worried and kept asking questions and asking if my husband could come hold my hand. They didn’t answer any questions but said he could come into the suite so he scrubbed in and gowned up, but when he got into the room, just before he could grab my hand, the doctor kicked him out. I was like, begging for a nurse to hold my hand but no one was available. I heard the doctor say, “Well, she’ll never wear a bikini but I guess I’ll give her a nice low cut anyway.” The nurse told me I’d feel “a little pressure” when the doc scooped and scraped the placenta out. (“A little pressure” my fat white ass!!! 😮‍💨😬💀) Then my kid was in my arms and I didn’t hear anything else anybody said lol

    The section that wasn’t an emergency was way different though. They explained everything and spoke to me and answered questions. Doctor also wasn’t an asshole because it was the doctor I chose instead of the one I ended up with when my fantastic (and fantastically, necessarily ignored) natural birth plan didn’t work out.

  15. sezburger Avatar

    2 emergency C sections in Australia. 100% the best heath care a person could ask for. The nurses, midwives and surgical team did everything in their power to help me and reassure me everything was going to be ok. My second labour was very life threatening but I never felt scared and I knew I was in good hands. They talked me though everything. The midwife intern even took photos of us during delivery to capture the moment.

  16. Lucibeanlollipop Avatar

    They were kind of busy. Surgery is a pretty high level skill set. I could have asked questions during, I suppose, but I didn’t really have anything to contribute, other than showing up.

  17. msm2485 Avatar

    I had an emergency C-section, hadn’t had my epidural yet. After being told it was happening, and panicking a bit, the anesthesiologist came in to do the spinal block. She told me that she’d be there the whole time to ensure I stayed numb enough basically. After going to the operating room, she stayed right by my ear and told me step by step what was going on. She told me when they were making the incision, that I might feel a bit of pressure. She told me when they were pulling my baby out, and that I might feel more pressure. She told me when he was out, (I didn’t know the sex at the time), announced he was a boy. The nurses took him immediately to check him out because he had been having heart rate issues. She told me what they were doing to him, and I don’t even remember if she explained what was happening to me at the time (I didn’t much care to be honest, I was worried about my baby). For me, she was the best part of my delivery. She did a great job of keeping my informed which I think helped me remain calm.

  18. UnusualStep1476 Avatar

    I didn’t not want to be communicated with unless it was something I really really needed to know. The first time I just used headphones because I was so anxious and the second time i had a C-section they wouldn’t let me use my headphones so I just focused on my husband.

  19. mandiexile Avatar

    I’m American and had my daughter in Germany at a German hospital. They basically said NOTHING to me the entire time. I also had my arms strapped down when they were doing the c-section. I threw up in the middle of it and almost choked on it. I didn’t get to hold my baby until 2 hours later. She was fine, but my husband at the time and my mom got to hold her before me.

  20. kodiak_attack Avatar

    My anesthesiologist was the one who talked to me the entire time. The doctor did talk some, but the anesthesiologist was right by my head so I could hear him. He told me everything that was happening and kept me distracted.

  21. dessertisfirst Avatar

    My doc explained everything to me prior, risks etc. Made sure I was nice a numb before starting (had to up my spinal block dosage). I don’t remember much while it was actually happening bc it was after 18 hrs of hard labor. I wish I had just scheduled the c-section instead of trying to deliver vaginally. The exhaustion ruined the entire experience for me.

    If your baby is measuring big, SCHEDULE THE C-SECTION. My babies were 8.13 and 9.9. Idk what I was thinking trying to deliver them 🤦‍♀️

  22. melouwho Avatar

    It was an emergency. It was so quick. What I remember. I was septic and had a fever of 107. I passed out as soon as they pulled her out. It seemed like from time they discovered fever to her out was 5 min

  23. KimmyWex1972 Avatar

    I had a c- section and when they were getting ready to deliver they drew the line on my tummy where the incision would be I said ‘um I can feel that’ and they went oh… you probably need more meds then. Glad I spoke up lol.

  24. veronicaAc Avatar

    My anesthesiologist soothingly communicated with me the whole time. My husband was just stunned speechless during all 3 c-sections.

    My doctor and nurses were busy making sure the operation went smoothly.

  25. allfurcoatnoknickers Avatar

    I’ve had two ELCS and there were med students in the room both times (They asked and I said it was fine) so not only were they explaining everything that was going on, they were also explaining it like they would to a 5 year old – and involving me to! So the anesthesiologist would ask me what sensation I was feeling – or not feeling – and then they’d explain to me and the student why.

    It was great. Also, you’re awake, so ask questions! I was asking my OB was she was going and she explained everything.

  26. Prize-Confection2037 Avatar

    No not really. There was a time when there was extreme pressure on my lungs I felt like I couldn’t breathe for a good 30 seconds. It was worse my second one. He warned me about the pressure but it was definitely scary!! I wish I would’ve known before hand. The whole thing is sort of a blur. I do remember after the baby is out you lay there for awhile while they get you all stitched up!