If you've had a planned c-section before....?

Question

What is the process once you enter the hospital ??(preparation,etc)I know how a csection goes as I've had one before but it was an emergancy csection.
And how do you choose the date?

Is it harder to recover from your second csection as opposed to the first???? Mine was 4 yrs ago.

Answer 1

They will let you do a planned one up to a week before your due date. In general the OB will set up a date around your due date when he has scheduled surgery days. i.e. My doc has said the 9th of november unless my water breaks early(happened with my son with no labor) since that is his day to be at the hospital instead of doing appointments at the clinic. If you are at a large clinic and willing to let someone other then your regular OB do the c-section you may have more options as to what day your baby arrives.
I wouldn't say the surgery will be harder or easier to recover from. It will depend on whats going on in your home(4 year old running around) and your current physical health compared to what happened 4 years ago.
Other then that the procedure will be about the same. They stick an IV in, put a spinal/epidural in and place a catheter in your bladder. Then wheel you in to OR and place a screen up and have the baby.They will likely take a bit more time getting those things done compared to the first time around but thats about standard for all c-sections. The only difference would be emergency c-sections happen all hours of the day or night based on mom and baby's health. A planned c-section is based on when they have a spot open in the OR. Should be at a reasonable time of day instead of on baby time.

Answer 2

My second c-section was somewhat planned. Based on the problems with my first, he wasn't optimistic I could fully dilate the second time even induced, which he was correct on. So, it was Plan B. When we picked the date, he gave me choices based on what he had going on with other patients. The hospital stuff is just like going in for surgery, except I was awake-they gave me a spinal and put up a sheet so I wouldn't see all my guts laying on top of my stomach.

Be aware that the hospital staff may not let you hold the baby until you fully recover from the spinal. They won't take any chances that you might drop the baby from your arms being numb. That was the hardest part of the whole ordeal-waiting to hold my precious boy!

The recovery was much easier the second time because I knew what to expect and I knew NOT to eat for 2 the second time around! I gained 30 pounds with my second son and lost 50 of it.

Answer 3

Choose the date relatively close to a normal due date and a date that your doctor will be on duty rather than one of his or her associates. You want the baby to be full term, but not past the regular due date so that the baby is oversized. (That just means a bigger incision.)
You will likely be asked not to eat or drink anything for a certain number of hours before the procedure. Once admitted, you will be given an epidural to numb you from the waist down. Then you'll be prepped for surgery; shaved, have IV needles and catheters inserted.
When you are taken to the delivery, most likely you will have your arms strapped to pull-outs on the table to prevent your hands from pulling out IV's and a tent will be placed over your mid-section so that you can't see the actual delivery. You will be given gas with a mask to relax you.
Once the baby is delivered and you have had a chance to see him or her, seditives will be given so the doctors can finish and close.
Re-covery is similar. It's a little harder to rest with another child to care for, so expect to be a little more tired. When friends and neighbors offer to help, thank them and ACCEPT the extra hands--cooking some meals ahead, grocery shopping, cleaning, baby-sitting while you sleep between feedings, and baby-sitting so you can give your older child some undivided attention. This is their gift and they won't mind if the house is a little dusty or disheveled. Good-luck.

Answer 4

I think they just moniter you a little bit to check for any changes they didn't expect, ask a few questions to make sure you haven't eaten for like 12 hours or anything, then once your surgery rooms is ready and your doctors are preps they wheel you in and do the surgery. It seems like they keep it a little more mellow. The doctor usually helps set a date that works okay for every one and is early enough that your baby will be full term without you going into spontaneous labor. They may give you a short range of days to choose from or simply pick one.

Answer 5

Recovery shouldn't be noticably different.

The main difference from the first is that they will likely give you a spinal block (where you likely won't feel anything from the waist down for about 6 hours), where as they either strongly pushed an epidural or put you to sleep for the first (i.e. you can expect to be awake for the planned C-Section).