Are you scheduled for a c-section? Have you never had a c-section and you’re wondering what to expect? All three of my births have ultimately been c-section births, but my third birth was a scheduled c-section.
Hopefully your c-section is scheduled for minor reasons. I hope it’s not scheduled for something more serious. My third birth was a scheduled c-section due to a uterine window. The hospital I was delivering at would not let me deliver past 37 weeks with a uterine window, so I delivered at 36 weeks and 6 days.
My scheduled c-section has ended up being my favorite birth thus far. It was the most calm c-section I had ever had and I was the most alert because I hadn’t labored beforehand. I made special requests for this c-section that made me feel more involved and in control.
If you’re new to the c-section world, or you’ve only had unplanned c-sections up to this point, this post will walk you through what to expect with a scheduled c-section before, during, and after!
BEFORE
Before you actually lay on the operating table and the doctor starts your surgery, many other things have to happen. When you are going into a scheduled c-section with no health concerns for you or the baby the process is pretty straightforward.
Even when I went in for my scheduled c-section with my third baby who would be born “early-term” at 36+6, everything was pretty standard. The extra precautions were taken before the day of, not on the day of delivery.
When you arrive you will inevitably fill out some paperwork. Even if you pre-register and think that portion is done, there always seems to be something you have to sign.
Even if you’re not signing any actual papers, you will still be asked for all your information needed from your nurse.
There will not be any surprise questions that you need to be prepared to answer. Everything they ask you will already know!
After providing all necessary information you will be asked to change into a gown. Everything underneath has to come off! I have seen some people say that all jewelry needs to come off, but I forgot to take my necklace off and mentioned it as I was in the operating room, and my doctor said it was fine. But you might feel better taking jewelry off as well.
After changing into your gown your nurse will place an IV. This is seriously my least favorite part. My veins are pretty squiggly which makes IVs a lot harder to place. I remember with my first birth that nurse blew my vein multiple times and I had a huge black and purple bruise on my arm for a couple weeks.
Luckily, I told my nurse before she placed my IV that my veins are squiggly so she was an angel and got it in on the FIRST try. I seriously could have hugged her.
At some point during the prepping process, the nurse will check to see if she needs to shave down there. My nurse checked after she placed the IV. Since I already knew they would do this if I didn’t, I went ahead and gave my dear husband the honor of doing this for me the night before while I stood in the shower. If you choose to do this yourself it doesn’t have to be perfect in every nook and cranny. Just make sure to shave up top so that your hair is out of the way of the incision site.
After placing the IV your partner will have to get suited up as well. They will have the full surgical suit on, complete with pieces that slip over their shoes and a surgical cap. If your spouse is bearded like mine they will even rig something up to go over their facial hair!
While they were helping my husband rig something up for his beard, they went ahead and took me back to the operating room. The unfortunate part of a lot of scheduled c-sections (or even unplanned) is that your partner is not allowed in the operating room while you receive your spinal block.
My third birth was the first time I had walked myself back to the operating room and put myself up on the table. It was a little odd, but also calming because I felt in control. My first two births ended in a c-section after I had labored for some time, so I was wheeled in.
Related Post
What is a Gentle Cesarean? – What It Is & The Requests You Can Make
You will sit on the edge of the table and lean into a nurse while the anesthesiologist administers the spinal block. Usually, with a scheduled cesarean, you will receive a spinal block, instead of upping an already placed epidural. Thankfully I have always handled epidurals and spinal blocks well – it might have something to do with not seeing the needle!
After you receive your spinal block you will lay back on the table and your partner will be allowed to come into the operating room!
DURING
I would say after the spinal block is placed and your partner is in the operating room with you, things start to get serious and really rev up.
You will hear a lot of communication happening between the doctors and nurses in the room. They have to check if each person in the room has done their duties to be prepared to start the surgery so you will hear them asking each other a lot of questions.
I remember my doctor telling me that they were going to start cleaning me up and not much later she said “Okay, I just pinched you really hard multiple times. If you didn’t feel those I am going to start!”. They should give you a warning that surgery is beginning!
At the start, you will not feel much. The surgeon has to cut through seven layers for a cesarean: skin, fat, fascia, abdominal muscles, peritoneum, uterus, and amniotic sac! You might feel some pressure or tugging sensations, but that is about it.
Once they have cut through the amniotic sac it is time to pull your baby out. This is when you will feel A LOT of pressure. I had no idea with my first c-section that I would feel that amount of pressure, and with my first two cesareans I threw up at this point. It quite literally feels like they are shoving your stomach up to your throat.
BUT – you don’t have to throw up like I did – and I did NOT throw up on my scheduled c-section because I was prepared for the sensation. I told my anesthesiologist, who was amazing, that I had thrown up during my first two cesareans and was nervous that I would again. He assured me I would not this time, and prompted me on when to start taking big deep breaths. He was like my own personal cheerleader, and just when I thought I might not be able to make it he told me, “One more big deep breath and you’ll see your baby”. It’s a very fond memory of my third birth.
After that huge final surge of pressure, it is an immediate release, and you will see your beautiful baby!
It all depends on your doctor and their process, but your baby will get a quick wipe down and their cord cut either while they are lying on your chest or while being held by your doctor. If you want as much contact with your baby as possible seriously go read this post about gentle cesareans – it’s one of the reasons my third birth was so satisfying.
After the cord is cut, the nurses will take your baby to the warmer and do all the initial weights, measures, and cleaning of your baby. While they are doing this your surgeon will be removing your placenta (which you will not even notice), and closing your incision up.
I remember during my second c-section hearing a lot of counting after my baby was out. I later realized they were counting the surgical instruments to ensure that nothing was left behind inside of me (scary thought, but it happens during surgeries!).
Hopefully, your baby is in your line of sight while they are getting cleaned up. My babies were not in my line of sight during my first two births and it made the finishing process on me feel even longer.
Usually, before you are even done being closed up the nurse will bring your sweet baby to you to give them that first kiss! Your partner can hold your baby (or you might even be allowed to have them on your chest with help) while the doctors finish cleaning you up to exit the operating room.
When the doctors are done cleaning you up they will transfer you from the operating table to your recovery bed. With my first and third births, I got to hold my baby in my arms once I was in my recovery bed before leaving the operating room. I didn’t get this with my second birth since my son was taken to the CVICU, and it was one of the emptiest feelings.
AFTER
After being wheeled out of the operating room you are officially done with your cesarean, but after is a whole new world!
After you are back in recovery you will notice you have compression stockings on. These are to help reduce the risk of blood clots.
One of the first things your nurse will do to you is push on your stomach – yep. It’s as uncomfortable as you can imagine. They will do this probably about every 15 minutes, and it’s to help with clotting. I remember with my second birth, every time the nurse would push I could feel a gush of blood come out. I could tell with my second birth that my bleeding in postpartum recovery was the lightest with no clots.
Soon after you are in recovery your nurse will tell you it’s time to get up and go to the bathroom! Ask for help and take your time and you will be okay. It’s a very odd feeling at first being so uneasy on your feet, but you will slowly regain your strength after the next couple of days and learn how to get in and out of bed and walk around.
If you want to know how to speed up your c-section recovery and make recovery less painful, go read this post!
Your nurse makes you get up and go to the bathroom because you will be required to pass urine within a certain time frame. You will have a catheter placed during your cesarean and will have to pass urine once it is removed. Surprisingly, it is rather difficult to go to the bathroom after a cesarean!
If you find yourself sitting on the toilet thinking you forgot how to pee, this is normal! If you want to know a genius trick for getting yourself to pass urine after your c-section, read this post!
Your first time getting up and going to the bathroom is when you will be given the lovely mesh panties and a giant pad to stuff down in them. I talk about your different options for this in this post.
I am a huge fan of the mesh panties and I always tell the nurse I am out of them close to discharge so that I can get more for going home. Some women like Depends – I hated them. I am a mesh panty fan.
I only needed the giant pads for maybe 24 – 48 hours. Once I had showered and felt more myself, I could switch over to more regular-sized pads and was able to get out of bed more often at that point to switch them out with clean ones.
You might also be asked to have a bowel movement before you leave, or at least be asked multiple times if you have had a bowel movement. I was never required to have one in order to leave, and all three of my c-sections happened at different hospitals.
You will be given stool softeners to make that first bowel movement a little easier. I wouldn’t describe the first bowel movement after a c-section as painful like it would be after a vaginal birth, but I would describe it as difficult.
You just had your stomach muscles cut through! The pushing sensation for a bowel movement is going to feel a little different and may be difficult at first. I was always worried pushing or straining too much would cause my incision to hurt, so I never forced the issue. I would try, and if it felt too difficult I would wait. Trust me, when you have to go, you have to go, and your body will make it happen without too much effort.
Remember, you will be resting a lot, which makes it more difficult to get things moving through your body. The best way to help yourself out and get that first bowel movement is drinking plenty of fluids, eating well and including fiber in your diet, taking your stool softener, and moving as much as you can (we’re literally talking short walks here – don’t overdo it!).
As soon as you’re up and moving you might want to shower. If you feel unsteady on your feet still, have your partner help you into the shower. All hospital showers will have a bench to sit on – use it!
With a scheduled c-section you won’t get all hot and sweaty like you would if you had labored beforehand, so you should be able to get by with just a quick body shower. Use the bench and the shower wand so that you don’t risk slipping.
DO NOT wash your incision site. It will probably be covered up at this point anyway. After your incision site is uncovered continue to not wash it directly. When you rinse the soap off your body it will pass over your incision site and that is enough. Wait until your incision site is completely healed up with no pain before directly washing that part of your body during showers.
You will also be receiving your pain medication while in the hospital, and you will be prescribed more to pick up on your way home. You can always refuse any pain medication if you want, but I do recommend at least taking the rotation between acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
If you want something stronger they typically also give some kind of opioid. I always received oxycodone, but they might prescribe something different like hydrocodone or hydromorphone.
With my first two births, they automatically gave me an opioid as part of my pain management after my c-sections. With my third birth, they started with only acetaminophen and ibuprofen. For a while my pain was a 1 out of 10, then very quickly it changed and it hurt to get out of bed, whereas before that I was able to get out of bed by myself.
When I told them my pain had increased quite a bit they asked if I wanted some oxycodone . . . um, yes! I was clearly too busy staring at my baby the first time around when they told me what they were giving me for pain, so I didn’t realize I wasn’t getting an opioid. I wanted to be able to continue getting out of bed and taking walks, so I needed something stronger for my pain.
Everyone’s pain levels are different, so you may or may not want something stronger. Just make sure you understand what they are giving you for pain management in the beginning so you can use that knowledge to gauge your pain level. My prescription for oxycodone was for five days, twice a day. After my third birth, I only needed it for my first twenty-four hours home. After that it was too much, and I handled my pain just fine with acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
Usually, c-section moms are in the hospital for around three to four days if no complications arise. With my third c-section, I had minimal pain and had already had two prior cesareans, so I was asking to leave within twenty-four hours. They looked at me like I was crazy and said I had to stay for at least forty-eight. I probably bugged the crap out of them the third morning asking when we could check out! We checked in at 9 am on Friday and left at 1 pm on Sunday!
That takes care of the hospital portion of your scheduled c-section! If you’re wondering what recovery looks like once you get home, stay tuned for an upcoming post about recovering from a c-section at home!
Veteran c-section moms, am I forgetting anything?! My scheduled c-section was my favorite birth. I would love to hear your experiences in the comments!