I want to hold my baby as soon as she is born??

Can anyone tell me the logistics of getting to hold your baby flesh to flesh :dance:as soon as they are born?? Discussion of CS with my doc reveals that he thinks it is too hard to hold baby, because of the position of screen, sterile enviroment, and coolness of theatre. Has anyone got to hold there baby straight away and how was it done? I just imagined I could have her laid across me and both of us covered?? Maybe not that easy!!
Anyone give me a step by step way to make it happen??
Thanks, hope someone can help.

Where I had my boys (1 emerg and 1 elective cs) with elect cs DS2 was put next to my face for a min for me to see and touch him then was wrapped up as theatre is cold and then I held him well suported also by DH with his face against my face, once they were stiching up skin layer DS and DH were taken to another room and then I was transfered there as well for skin to skin contact and first BF so within 20 mins of baby being born, but with me during this time and not seperated for massive length of time. DS then stayed in bed with me skin to skin all the way back to the ward, once BF was complete he was wg and dressed, but by this time he was 1 and 1/2 hrs old.

However it depends on hospital staffing levels and how many mw they have avaialble when I had DS2 I had 1 mw take me down to theatre, 1 mw in waiting bay and then in cs then another mw and a nurse in recovery (nurse did obs mw was there for BF assistance and because mw needs to be there fir baby to stay, then ward mw came back to pick me up.

Other hospitals have 1 mw take you down and recieve baby at cs and need to go within 20 mins back to ward to care for other patients or pick up next cs patient.

Good luck

I promise you you can hold your baby straight away. I have pictures of it on facebook of when DD2 was born (july 09) if you want to have a look. just seach for ryatha and when you request my friendship, let me know who you are.

What they did was ... DD2 was taken out and checked out by the paed on the baby station. DH cut her cord and she was semi wrapped up. Then they brought her over to me and was unwrapped and placed naked onto my stripped chest. We had about half hour skin to skin contact where she breast crawled and had her first BF there and then. A warmed blanket was placed over both of us and DH's hand stayed on her back as well.

It was wonderful and very easy thing to do. It was a bit cramped with the screen and all the wires but it just involved a couple of people helping (ie nurses and the anethetist) to help keep her in the right place. If you want more info, just let me know.

Feeb I have had the experience of a quick check over then a baby tightly wrapped come back to me for the next to me kind of experience then back in recovery first BF skin on skin..this time i feel the need for that skin on skin experince bonding of yours ryatha...(me ancient as far as technology goes and not enough hours in the day so no facebook for me!!!, unfortunate cause I would love to have a look)
What were you wearing, did they let you go in to theater naked?? I really wanted a VBAC and the doc I was seeing was happy to let me, but forgot to tell me he was leaving??? so now I am trying to get someone else to agree to let me try, but he is reluctant and would prefer me to elective CS...if I agree to that, or if it comes to that? there is no way I want to be any further ripped off, they will jsut have to find the way for me.

Did either of you video the birth???

Thanks girls.

No sorry I wanted to but DH was not happy to, but took lots of pictures. If you look on youtube I am sure there is plenty thought it will just take time for you to filter through them to watch good ones.

Highly unlikely if you end up in an emergency c/s that you will get immediate skin to skin. They will take her to be looked at by the paed and they full around with them and wrap them because it is cold n the theatre. Also the way you are hooked up etc it can be logistically difficult .
Depending on the types of gowns etc also if you go in an emergency situation then you might not be able to get it off readily for skin to skin.
Having said all of that, you can have a c section these days where you can actually assist in pulling th baby out and have the immediate contact.

So you choice is risk the emergency cs or plan for a mother assisted cs or plan an elective cs around the notion of having skin to skin breast crawl etc.
Good luck :)

My c-section was an emergency but I had a birth plan which requested all the skintoskin immediately, and as I had my own midwife with me they organised it. My hospital was pretty good in agreeing to all of it, it was a bit difficult, you'll see in the photos, but worth it.

Pam - I could probably email a couple of the main photos which show how we managed it in theatre if you want me to. PM me to let me know

I got skin to skin straight away but not for a super long time. Mine was an 'emergency' c/sect (no panic involved, just that I had been labouring and there was just no way he was in the right position to come out). They took him out and laid him on my chest (others were supporting him as I couldn't hold him securely) with a blanket loosely over both of us where I got to look at him, touch him and talk to him. They took him to check him out a minute or so later when they did actually wrap him because it was cold (I was cold too!!) but they put him back on my chest for the remainder of the time. We then went down to recovery and I took him and DH with me and once there he was unwrapped and laid on my bare chest to do the breast crawl and attempt to BF. Oh, and I don't remember if I was wearing a gown or naked going in to theatre but I know as soon as I was laid on the table I had a bare chest..... so they either untied it and pulled it down or I went completely naked.

So I think it is completely viable to have that skin to skin contact (as long as your bub doesn't need emergency treatment!) and I am sure I could have asked them to unwrap DS and put on my chest, I just wasn't thinking clearly at the time. But if that is what you want then they should comply, otherwise get your DP or support person to unwrap baby and place on your chest with the blanket over. Just make sure that they are clear on your wishes and stay strong. My m/w tried to send my ds away with DH even though I had explicitly told her that he was coming to recovery with me. They will take advantage of your vulnerable state to suit themselves if they can. I do recommend having someone there to help hold them though - that spinal block/epi could affect your strength.

I had pretty much the same experience as Feeb. And was told that it was normal for my hospital to do it, for a muber of reasons, but mainly that was as it is too cold in the theatre, and I had both arms hooked up to machines and drips, and to be honest, I dont think I would have been capable of holding my baby in theatre... I got bad shakes at one point.

I had both boys on naked on my chest within 30 min after surgery, as they prioritise c-sect in recovery and get you back to the ward asap. (My hospital only has funding for a mw in recovery three day a week...). In fact, I got up to the ward before DH and DS the first time. I also did a breast crawl with both of them. DS2 has his the minute I got my hands on him, but DS1 it took a few days for me to do it, and it still worked. I feel I got my "bonding" with both of them from this...

I suggest that talking it through with the hospital might be a good way to gauge their willingness for you to have that skin to skin in surgery. Good Luck!!!

My DD was in breech position so I had a scheduled cs.

I too was concerned about getting skin to skin asap after birth. I mentioned it to my ob and he simply said "of course!" I think it depends on the hospital and certainly whether there are risks to either you or the bub arising from complications with the cs or otherwise.

Absent those complications I see no reason why you wouldn't get your skin to skin if you made the midwife aware that you want this.

My DD was brought to me after the initial check over by the paed, clearing of fluid in nose etc (i think they may have weighed her first as well). I remember thinking are the bringing her over yet but not being worried, knowing that they were just doing what needed to be done! Surreally I laid there feeling relieved (cause I could hear her crying - god that still brings a tear to my eye!!!) and started to concentrate on the tugging sensations I felt as my ob and the assistant removed the placenta and did the suction. All of a sudden I was exhausted!

Then they brought DD over and my gown had suddenly disappeared (I can't remember that happening) and she was laid across my chest. She had a little beanie on and was wrapped in a blanket but the blanket was opened at the front so we had skin to skin.

The sheet screen was still up (it was lowered when DD was pulled out of the womb so DH and I could see her arrival - I didnt know they were going to do that so that was amazing!) but whether it was cramped or not I didnt notice. You are really only focused on one thing - your baby!

I am sure it was only a few minutes, but I really can't remember! However long it was I know I was happy with the time spent and felt that connection with her straight away.

I was very thankful for this because she was taken to ICU after the birth due to excess fluid, breathing irregularities etc but was with me again in our hospital room within two hours of being taken away.

Make your wishes known and I am sure that if it is safe for you and bub there will be no issues with you getting to hold your baby!

Thanks girls...I guess I will write it up into my birth plan, I think if you say thats what you want!!!!, versus what you would like!!!! you are more likely to get it. We have had lots of problems this pregnancy and I really feel that need to get her straight away or within a few minutes unless of course there is a problem which I accept..
Last CS was good except she was wrapped, otherwise they had her back to me within minutes and DD and DH got to stay with me the whole time...I would prefer that skin on skin straight up, but if not I can accept that my last experience was pretty good overall.
Thanks again...Pam :)

Simply demand that your baby be with you. You are paying this dr to provide you with a service, demand that they provide you with the service you require or seek a different care provider.

I was put in a gown that had ties on teh shoulders. When bubs came out, my midwife grabbed him and put his butt to my face before taking him away to give him a quick checkup then she bought him back, and put him on my chest, and held him there. I had no feeling from the neck down, so you need someone to hold bubs.

While I was in recovery, the midwife kept encouraging bubs to attach to my breast and had to hold him there for me, because I could not move my arms for about two hours afterwards.

Bubs wasn't measure or anything until we got back onto the ward. He travelled back to the ward wrapped up on my chest, with the midwife walking next to the bed, holding him in place.