This is what happens in theater during a C-Section

Today, I am sharing my experience of what happened in the theater for my last C-Section.

Note: If you are squeamish, I suggest you close this page immediately. The images on this post are not for the faint-hearted. 

This post is dedicated to all those who people think that C-Sections are the easy way out!

Choosing to have a C-Section is not the easy way out because honestly there is no easy way out when it comes to giving birth. Giving birth is painful, hard work and beautiful.

I admit that I felt cheated after my first C-Section. It wasn’t what I planned and definitely not what I wanted. I tried so hard to have a natural delivery – but it wasn’t meant to be. My water broke without any contractions, and after several hours of waiting for contractions to come naturally, I had to be induced. I eventually ended up having an emergency C-Section because there wasn’t any amniotic fluid left for baby. The second time around, I went with a C-Section because I knew nothing about VBAC. I wish that I had researched it a bit more. That being said – I am not complaining – I am a proud C-Section mom.

On the 11th of June 2017, I went into the theater for an emergency C-Section because my water broke. I was 2cm dilated with contractions approximately 10 minutes apart. This was my third and last C-Section. To be honest, I really wanted to try to VBAC2 but it was too risky for me or that’s what I’ve been told because I had my last C-Section less than 2 years ago.

I layed there naked on a hard chair waiting to be cut open in front of a room full of strangers.

I was scared, excited and nervous!

Nervous about having another C-Section – because we all know that anything can happen during surgery. I was however confident that I had the best doctors operating on me and I could not have asked for a better Gynae.

With a C-Section, your baby is surgically removed through an incision in your abdomen and then a second incision in the uterus. I know that it sounds scary. It looks scary but trust me, 99% of the time you won’t even realize what is actually happening in theater. The doctors do their best to get your mind off what is happening on the operation table.

What happened Before my C-Section Surgery:

As soon as I went into the maternity ward, I was taken into a room for an examination. I had to change into the fancy hospital gown. The nurse first checked baby’s heartbeat and monitored my contractions then did an internal examination. I was then told to pee in a cup.

Afterward, I was admitted to the hospital and I had to fill out a few documents. While filling out the documents, my blood pressure was checked and then I was given a clear liquid to drink to prepare for surgery.

An IV was placed on my hand to give me the fluids and medications that I would need during surgery.

I was then wheeled into the operating room with my stem cell kit from Salveo. You can read about why I chose to store baby’s stem cells here.

I was then given a spinal block, which numbed the lower half of my body but allowed me to be awake throughout the surgery.

A catheter (tube) was placed into my bladder to remove urine, and it remained there for a day after the surgery. My abdomen was washed and cleaned and all was good to go!

I honestly felt as if I was in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. We had a nurse present from Salveo, my husband with his video camera and my birth photographer.

How a C-section is done in theater

Your gynae will use a knife to make a horizontal incision in the skin and the abdominal wall, usually along the bikini line, meaning that it’s low enough down on the pelvis that it would be covered up by underwear or a bikini bottom.

Most of the time you don’t feel anything, however, a few women have mentioned that they felt some pain. I didn’t feel any pain but I did feel them tugging and pulling in there. It was weird.

After the abdomen is opened, an incision is made in the uterus. Typically, a side-to-side (horizontal) cut is made, which ruptures the amniotic sac surrounding the baby. Once this protective membrane is ruptured, your baby is removed from the uterus, the umbilical cord is cut, and the placenta is removed.

Your baby is examined by the Paed on call then given back to you for skin-to-skin contact.

The only difference with my C-Section was the stem cell storage process which began before the placenta was taken out. I will share that experience in an upcoming post.

Dr. Allison Bryant, a maternal fetal medicine specialist mentioned in an article that the cut made to a woman’s uterine wall is an important one because the way this uterine scar heals can affect her ability to have a vaginal birth in the future.

Once the delivery and afterbirth are completed, the cuts made to the mother’s uterus are repaired with stitches, which will eventually dissolve under the skin. The abdominal skin is closed with stitches or with staples.

Typically, you will spend around 60 to 120 minutes in the theater, depending upon whether any complications arise during the delivery.

After the surgery, you will be taken to the hospital’s maternity ward to recover. At this stage, I was exhausted, high on meds but so in love with my son. I couldn’t stop staring at him. He immediately went on the breast and we spent the next couple of hours bonding skin to skin and breastfeeding.

My advice to moms who are about to have a C-Section is… Don’t stress yourself and think about it too much. Go in theater positive and enjoy every minute of it because it is your birth experience. Make it special. Every C-Section of mine has a moment that I will always remember – besides that most important moment when I first met my kids. I remember the little things like cracking jokes with the doctors and enjoying my favourite song.

Tip: If you don’t want to see what is happening in theater, don’t look up at the light.

Source for article: www.livescience.com

Special thanks to www.kistphotography.com

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