Previous C-Section Moms: How long until you HELD your baby?

lorist202 · September 2011

It took about 15-20 mins. to close me up, and then baby and I went to the recovery room together. At that point, I held the baby for a few minutes, but I was a little shaky and weak from the meds, so I preferred to regain some strength before holding him again. I focused on feeling better, and upon release from recovery 3 hours later, he and I snuggled in our room. I wasn't anxious to hold him until I felt completely safe to do so.

Mama Jan · September 2011

I held them both in the recovery room. I had to ask over and over again because they kept telling me "We really want you to just rest right now". But I was persistent otherwise I think it might not have been until I was in my actual room.

In minutes? Probably 30-45min by the time I actually got to the recovery room and then convinced them that I wouldn't rest if they didn't bring me my baby. There was quite a bit of time being stitched up and everything so that is why it was on the longer end.

Once in my hospital room, the baby was there with me so I held them as much as I wanted.

juliane2004 · September 2011

I held DD when she was about 16 hours old.

I held DS when he was about 27 hours old.

They were both in the NICU (her for low blood sugar, him for fluid in lungs).

byrne15 · September 2011

I don't really remember..(i had general anesethesia), but there is a picture of me holding ds in the recovery room soon after i woke up which was about 2 hours after he was born.

pettycrocker · September 2011

As soon as they closed me up (about 30-45mins) , I went back to the regular room to be with her.

genekelly · September 2011

I had some complications as did baby. I needed a transfusion and LO went to the NICU so it was ~10 hrs before I was able to hold and feed him.

craxyrae · September 2011

I got to hold him as soon as I was wheeled into the recovery room. We got to BF right away. Not sure how long exactly as I was a bit out of it, but as soon as they had me stitched up, I was back with DS and DH in recovery.

biblionerd · September 2011

As soon as they pulle dhim out and took him to the side of the room to tend to him DH went with him. They were maybe 10 ft. away. Then they finished with him and DH brought him over and held him while they finished stitching me up. As soon as they were done, maybe 30 minutes total?, I held DS and we were rolled to recovery together. I didn't put him down for a while once we were in there.

You have control as to whether your baby is separated from you. If you do not want to fight a hospital policy, then find a different hospital. It was important that I was not separated other than for an emergency, so I asked ahead of time.

faith194 · September 2011

DH held DS while I was stitched up. I have no idea how long it took from birth to recovery. . .Maybe 45-60 minutes? As soon as we were in recovery, I was able to hold him and attempt to bf(very awkward, as I was hooked up to all kinds of machines just keeping track of my bp and hr and an IV with pitocin).

azzyberry · September 2011

Ms.Jade:
azzyberry:

I've had two c/s at two different hospitals.

The first c/s was unscheduled after several hours of labor. DS was born at 12:04 AM and I didn't get to hold him until about 3:30 AM. After he was born, they held him up so I could see him and then they took him to get checked out and to get cleaned up. DH was with him and assisting with bathing, etc. the whole time. I stayed in the OR so they could stitch me up which took about 30-45 minutes and then they wheeled me into recovery for about 1.5 hours. When I finally got to my room, they had DS there waiting for me and I got to hold him.

The 2nd c/s was scheduled and it was a completely different experience. When DD was born they wiped her down and did the newborn screening stuff in the room and then they wrapped her up and gave her to DH. DH held her next to me while I was being stitched up. As soon as they had me stitched up, they sat me up and I got to hold her. I held her while they wheeled us into a private recovery room where baby and DH got to stay with me the whole time and then they took us into our post partum room.

How long was that?

Sorry for the late response. It took about 30-45 minutes but DH held her right next to my head the hold time so I got to be with her, I just couldn't hold her until they were done.

fivesgirl · September 2011

I was able to hold him about 45 minutes after he was born. I was wheeled into recovery and then my husband brought him in. It was hard to hold him though because I was shaking so bad.

ghdst1 · September 2011

They gave me DS as soon as they were done stapling me up. He rode with me on the gurney back to the recovery room where I was able to immediately feed him.

I don't know in time....They took him out, gave him to hubby, I was able to see him, then they took DS back to finish up test etc, hubby left to go back to recovery, they finished me up, and I got DS.

HTH!!

ejagk · September 2011

I was wheeled back to my room with my LO next to me and as soon as I was in the room I held her. It was a matter of minutes (don't know exactly how long, but less than an hour).

Brilanea · September 2011

4 hours.

I had an emergency c-section after baby's heart rate dropped during delivery & I lost a lot of blood during the surgery so we both were under separate watches for what seemed like forever (more me than her, her heart rate was fine soon as she was out...I was a mess).

sabrina69barnes · September 2011

I didn't hold DS1 until he was an hour old. I was allowed to before then but I had been in labor and had been given a sedative so I was exhaused. His dad held him and passed him around to family in the recovery room. I was pretty much the last person to hold him. I finally held him when his dad's sister said I should try to breastfeed but I was really drugged and wanted a nap.

I held DS2 as soon as I was sewn up and was moved to my bed in the OR.

Annie984 · September 2011

3 hours even though we were both perfectly stable. Some nurse in the nursery was on a power trip and didn't want to release him to my recovery room (which was a newly instituted hospital policy), and then they wouldn't transfer me out of recovery because it was the blasted shift change. I cried and cried. It was awful.

I wish I would have been more forceful in my demands, but I almost never take any meds, and I wasn't my normal spunky self with whatever they pumped into me.

BallSox · September 2011

Soon as I got to recovery (less than 20 minutes?). It seemed like no time passed between him actually being "born" and I was in recovery holding and nursing.

BlackDiamond3201 · September 2011

lelekay:
MH got to hold him next to my face in the OR while they finished. I got him immediately upon going to the recovery room which was about 20-25 minutes later.

Me too. With both c-sections.

oliverncherie · September 2011

About four hours for me, but I had an extended surgery to remove fibroids.

emilie5 · September 2011

It was about 15 mins. As soon as I was stiched up, I was able to hold my DD. I held her as I was rolled out of the opperating room.

saminohio1977 · September 2011

I held him as soon as I was done being sewn up-which was about 45 mins as I was being wheeled into the recovery room.

RoxBride · September 2011

It was about one hour after birth when they brought her to recovery. It would have been sooner but she was early and incredibly skinny so needed to be warmed, and I was okay with that. Honestly, I had a bit of the shakes, so I would have been comfortable holding her, really holding her, until I was in recovery, cleaned up, and propped up and not shaking anymore.

Ritzy19 · September 2011

As soon as I got to the recovery room, so pretty much right after my CS.

boxergurl · September 2011

My LO was born at 10:11pm and I was back in my recovery room and she was brought to me sometime after 11pm. I'm not sure of the exact time, but it was within an hour to an hour and a half.

Emma53104 · September 2011

Our daughter (emergency c-section) - I didn't get to see or hold her for almost 5 hours. I went into shock about 10 minutes after she was born. She went to the nursery with DH and I didn't see her until I was out of recovery that evening. DH was allowed to hold her right away, and he brought her to me so I could at least see her and kiss her.

Our son (scheduled c-section) - I was holding him on my own in the recovery room less than 45 minutes after my surgery. Immediately after I'd been stitched up and moved across the hall to recovery. I was allowed to hold him for as long as I wanted to (our hospital has no nursery - it's all rooming-in, so he never left our room)

psychgalbride · September 2011

I was able to hold DD as I was wheeled out of the operating room so less than 30 minutes. I had placenta previa so it took some extra time to remove my placenta. I was able to nurse her immediately after we got to our recovery room.

I had a scheduled C/S at 37 weeks for placenta previa.

kjennnn · September 2011

It is honestly a bit foggy, but probably an hour or two later, only b/c DS had to go to NICU bc he swallowed meconium. Dh did get to bring him over to me to kiss while i was getting sewn up. After NICU they brought him to recovery and I tried BF'ing. He would have stayed in recovery with me the whole time but other issues sent him back to the nicu

julianne0407 · September 2011

Besides when I got to hold LO immediately after the c-section, it was maybe 2 hours later that I got to be with her for an extended amount of time.

FishNchips1 · September 2011

I held her after an hour of recovery.. No one was allowed to hold her until I came to the room...

caprocornia · September 2011

About 4 1/2 hours. I spiked a fever before my c/s; they took her immediately so she could be placed on IV antibiotics and be monitored.

tusshie2004 · September 2011

I held DS as soon as I was in the recovery room. I held him skin-to-skin for a long time and started to learn how to BF him as soon as possible. I was pretty loopy from all the drugs, but I remember it perfectly. He was the sweetest little boy. DH held him for most of the first night and I nursed him every 2-3 hours until I stopped feeling loopy from all the meds.

missfire · September 2011

Less than 5 minutes, before they were stitching me up, judging by the time stamp on our camera. I got to hold each baby, but only one at a time, with the arm that was not tied down. My doula helped support the baby I was holding, so it did require assistance. Then DD was tucked in the crook of my arm as I was wheeled out and then stayed with me. After I held DS, he had to be taken to the NICU for observation for a few hours and DH stayed with him. Didn't anyone else get to do the one-armed hold at least?? This thread is sad to read. OP or others, if you are preparing for a scheduled c-section, and you want to hold your baby right away, talk to your doc ahead of time and fight for it. Remind them as you are getting prepped. As long as your DH or a nurse help support the baby, there's no reason not to. Your shoulders are above the drapes and sterile field. I don't mean to pressure anyone toward this, but it was important to me and I thought it was ridiculous that I had to fight for it at all. I wad in a breastfeeding-friendly hospital and it still wasn't typical. I had asked to be skin to skin and breastfeed but that didn't happen.

RayRay007 · September 2011

I didn't read all of the other replies, so I'm sure I'm saying the same thing as someone else, but as soon as the NICU team was done looking her over in the OR my MW brought her to me. I couldn't very well hold her, but my MW held her to my breast, I was able to put one arm around her. I'm guessing that was about 5-10 minutes after she was born. And then DH took her to the recovery room and I soon followed, where I was able to hold her again. Probably 30 minutes after she was born.

mrsmikeyray · September 2011

I didn't hold her for a while. I was very loopy after my c/s, it was a good experience but all the drugs kinda did me in. We all went back to recovery together, DH held her for a bit then our parents and siblings came in. I made a big deal about holding her first before I had her but I can't really remember everything after she first came out. So I'm not totally sure.

disneyfan0511 · September 2011

Over three hours - but DD was taken to the NICU. If she was healthy it would have been within 30 minutes (after I was done being stitched up). DH got to hold her right away.

okami.mami · September 2011

Luc went to the NICU just after he came out. I got to kiss him before he went. I went 6 hours before I got to see him and hold him. I had a bad reaction to the mag-bag (overdose-like reactions) and couldn't even function for a few hours after I left recovery. Everybody got to see him before I did!

aandg · September 2011

She was put right next to me after she was evaluated by the NICU team. A nurse helped support her while DH and I touched and hugged her.

I got to hold her as soon as I got into the recovery room.

zubenescamali · September 2011

18 minutes after she was born i got to hold her for about 5 minutes. then she went with DH and i was taken to recovery. i didn't see her again until i got back to my room. my timeline is very foggy but based on photo time stamps it was a minimum of 3 hours, probably more like 4-5. baby was fine, I was fine, there was absolutely no reason for that length of separation. still angry about it. and it did affect bonding.

jenifairies · September 2011

In the recovery room. I couldn't tell you in minutes because i fell asleep (they put morphine in with the spinal block), but it didn't seem long at all to me. it had to have been a pretty short time, because i was nursing.

bella213 · September 2011

My son went to the NICU for other reasons, so it was a few hours before I held him. The nurses wheeled me from recovery so I could see him. I am hoping this time is different.

Want a personalized experience?

Previous C-Section Moms: How long until you HELD your baby?

Re: Previous C-Section Moms: How long until you HELD your baby?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards