No Skin-to-Skin in OR?

Gabbabridge · May 2013

I met with my OB yesterday to prepare for my scheduled C-section next week (baby is breech). She said I wouldn't be able to do skin-to-skin in the operating room because they'll be stitching me up. When I then asked if the baby could do skin-to-skin with my DH, she also said no, no skin-to-skin until we get to the recovery room. If everything goes smoothly, LO will be in the same room with us the whole time and I can hold him/her (team green) and we should be in the recovery room within an hour of the surgery. Just want to make sure this all sounds normal, or do some hospitals allow skin-to-skin sooner?

HarrietNJMommy · May 2013

I've never had skin to skin in the OR. Only with my 4th c-section was I allowed my baby in recovery (they changed the rules). With my first 3, I was not allowed to see the baby until AFTER I was out of recovery and in my room.

GL!

NicoleWI · May 2013

I had a c section for a breech baby on 12/12/12.It went great. They told me that DH would get baby 1st and could do skin to skin if he wanted. I encouraged that but he didn't do it. There actually wasn't a lot of "down time." baby born close to noon; they did the usual weighing, checks, etc. I was holdIng and feeding baby by about 1:15.

rockyrollgirl · May 2013

They held her by my head so I can talk to her and kiss her, but I wasn't able to do skin to skin until in the recovery room.

tracy41 · May 2013

If your hospital OR is anything like mine it's not the greatest loc to be attempting skin to skin. After all the weighing and checks they did swaddle him up and let dad hold him against my cheek so I could wrap an arm around him. But we didn't get skin to skin until the recovery room.

Neener73 · May 2013

I did skin-to-skin as soon as I got to recovery, which was about 25 minutes after DS was born. As soon as DS was checked and cleaned up (less than 10 minutes), the nurse gave him to DH and DH took him to the recovery room. At that point, DH could have done skin-to-skin contact if he would have wanted to.

EmR22 · May 2013

Mine have been the same as others. No skin to skin in OR but in recovery. Honestly while they were stitching me up the baby was checked, weighted etc. My husband held her to me to kiss but honestly you are laying numb on a table, with your arms out for IV and and blood pressure monitoring while shaking. It would not have been the most ideal situation for skin to skin but I got her right away in recovery which didn't take long to get to. Hope all goes well!

isacdimi10 · May 2013

With my first 2 children as soon as baby was out and I got to touch their hands they were shipped off to the nursery. Until I was out of recovery NO ONE except the nurses were allowed to touch baby and baby couldn't come out of the nursery.

At a separate hospital for #3 they let my DH sit next to my head the whole time holding him but I wasn't allowed to do anything more than use my free hand to stroke his head until they were all cleaned up.

Ooglybear · May 2013

My hospital was really pro-BF and I wasn't allowed to do skin to skin until I was moved back to my room (they didn't have a "recovery" room). After LO was weighed/measured/etc, DH got to hold her swaddled, and he held her up against my chest.

tig594 · May 2013

EmR22:
Mine have been the same as others. No skin to skin in OR but in recovery. Honestly while they were stitching me up the baby was checked, weighted etc. My husband held her to me to kiss but honestly you are laying numb on a table, with your arms out for IV and and blood pressure monitoring while shaking. It would not have been the most ideal situation for skin to skin but I got her right away in recovery which didn't take long to get to. Hope all goes well!

This. My surgery took a little bit longer since I had my tubes tied and my uterus didn't want to start contracting back like it should have. Aria's daddy was in scrubs so no skin to skin there. I watched her being cleaned up and weighed and daddy then got her and held her by my face so I could snuggle and touch her with my hands as best as I could being all spread out and mostly numb. Recovery was in my own room so I was with her within an hour of surgery. Someone in the OR took pics for us, though, which was really really nice of them.

WhitWed · May 2013

Our hospital doesn't allow skin-to-skin in OR, but they will lay your baby on your chest (well, more like upper chest since it's above the curtain) after being cleaned up, measured, etc. for a couple pictures and then DH/SO can go to the nursery with them and hold them/bathe them. Once in recovery we can do skin-to-skin and breastfeeding. With my first c/s I was in recovery in less than an hour after my surgery. So it wasn't too big of an issue.

Gabbabridge · May 2013

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experience. It sounds like my hospital's approach is very typical and that is comforting for me to hear!

sn2bmamaofthree · May 2013

My first cesarean I had no complications and did skin to skin probably about 30minutes after my sons birth while in recovery. My daughter had some unexpected issues during the cesarean and that ended up being a different story.

capulet · May 2013

After my first c/s everything was kind of haywire for a couple of hours. After my second, which was planned and under much more controlled circumstances, I was able to have skin-to-skin and nurse DS in recovery, which was maybe a little more than an hour after he was born. Your hospital sounds pretty normal to me.

aandg · May 2013

rockyrollgirl:
They held her by my head so I can talk to her and kiss her, but I wasn't able to do skin to skin until in the recovery room.

This was my experience also.

Ardmhs83 · May 2013

This does sound normal, but some OB's out there are more "natural" c-section friendly. Some do allow it, you just have to find the right one early on. I don't really think you would have the time to look and switch if you are scheduled for next week. I also had DS scheduled b/c he was breech as well and I was allowed to have him in the recovery room, but I didn't really know much about the skin-to skin stuff, so I never asked. We went on to breastfeed fine though .

I plan on VBACing next time, so skin-to-skin is a def as long as everything goes well. However, when I am doctor shopping this time I will find a doctor who is comfortable with a "natural c-section," just in case it happens again.

**Make sure you get an ultrasound right before they wheel you back...babies can still flip pretty late. Sometimes even experiencing labor for a little bit can cause baby to flip. Have you tried any acupuncture or seeing a chiropractor? They can really help baby possibly flip. I didn't do any of this and regret not trying and just scheduling the section b/c of being breech. C-sections are no cake walk. Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just asking if you have tried this stuff so that you could possibly avoid the surgery.

RayRay007 · May 2013

I had skin-to-skin in the OR, but I also had my MW with me who just made it happen. It might take you 20-30 minutes to get to the recovery, and you DH should have baby during that time (usually waiting for you in recovery). I don't see why he couldn't do it while they waited for you.

ETA: I just remembered I didn't exactly do skin-to-skin in the OR, but we did try bf'ing in the OR before DH took her. And then we cuddled skin to skin in recovery.

magdalina.h · May 2013

My hospital/nurses give me the baby right away. I'm going to try to nurse in the OR while they stitch me up.

Gabbabridge · May 2013

Ardmhs83:
Have you tried any acupuncture or seeing a chiropractor? They can really help baby possibly flip. I didn't do any of this and regret not trying and just scheduling the section b/c of being breech. C-sections are no cake walk. Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just asking if you have tried this stuff so that you could possibly avoid the surgery.

Oh goodness, yes. Acupuncture, moxibustion, chiropractic, spinningbabies, ECV consult, you name it. Our LO just wants to be bull-headed (he/she will be a Taurus, after all) and start dictating things right away!

babyonthebrain2010 · May 2013

I did not have skin to skin, but the second time I was allowed to actually hold baby while being stitched up. It was after she was bathed and wrapped up, though. I Was able to hold her and try to breastfeed in recovery, neither of which I was able to do with my son two years earlier. Same hospital, same doctor, I guess just looser rules? With my daughter they also lowered the curtain as they were taking her out of me and held her up for me and DH to see, same as with a vaginal birth (only we weren't allowed to touch/hold her). I didn't necessarily miss these things with DS, I didn't get the chance to even hold him until 3 hours after he was born and we never had any bonding or breastfeeding issues, but it was nice to experience them the second time around.

kreeper611 · May 2013

With my first, I didn't do S2S until about4 hours after surgery. I held him wrapped up then he went to the nursery and I went to recovery. The hospital now is trying to promote bfing more so I was able to do S2S while they stitched me up. They cleaned her, put on a diaper and brought her over. Then I nursed in recovery.

Ardmhs83 · May 2013

Gabbabridge:
Ardmhs83:
Have you tried any acupuncture or seeing a chiropractor?  They can really help baby possibly flip.  I didn't do any of this and regret not trying and just scheduling the section b/c of being breech.  C-sections are no cake walk.  Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just asking if you have tried this stuff so that you could possibly avoid the surgery.
 Oh goodness, yes. Acupuncture, moxibustion, chiropractic, spinningbabies, ECV consult, you name it. Our LO just wants to be bull-headed (he/she will be a Taurus, after all) and start dictating things right away! 

Awe....yep my DS was the same way!! Still is! Lol. Good luck hon, just try to push for what you want as long as everything is going well.

Gabbabridge · May 2013

Thanks, again, everyone!

cmhicklin · May 2013

I got to do skin too skin in the recovery room, but I can't remember how long of a wait it was. DS was having some issues, so they had to monitor him for awhile. Even when they brought him (I think at least an hour later, maybe more) my arms and hands were still very numb. He was nice and cozy on my chest, under my hospital gown, but I made sure DH had his hands on DS the whole time. And then the LC helped me BF because it took a LONG time for me to get feeling back into my arms and hands.

stemms8810 · May 2013

EmR22:
Mine have been the same as others. No skin to skin in OR but in recovery. Honestly while they were stitching me up the baby was checked, weighted etc. My husband held her to me to kiss but honestly you are laying numb on a table, with your arms out for IV and and blood pressure monitoring while shaking. It would not have been the most ideal situation for skin to skin but I got her right away in recovery which didn't take long to get to. Hope all goes well!

All of this. I didn't have skin to skin until recovery but I wouldn't have felt physically ready on the operating table. There is so much going to you that's it's probably not a good idea anyway. You will have plenty of snuggle time after your surgery is over.

AudreyB113 · May 2013

I was not allowed skin-to-skin until in the recovery room-about an hour. However, I was so glad that they let my DH do skin-to-skin with our son in the delivery room. It was a beautiful moment!

bripratt2 · May 2013

YES YOU CAN. If you Make sure they lower the drape thing below your boobs you should be able to. Make sure yo put it in your north plan.

bripratt2 · May 2013

YES YOU CAN. If you Make sure they lower the drape thing below your boobs instead of putting your boobs in the sterile area you should be able to. Make sure yo put it in your north plan.

brchance · May 2013

I had an emergency c-section and my midwife was in the room - i had stated in my birth preferences that if a c-section was necessary - that i wanted skin to skin in the OR. they were very accommodating - they put the sensors on my back and near my shoulders so that my chest was clear - I did not have a gown on - only a cap on my head.

Baby was removed - cleaned - and then put on my chest without being bundled or capped - and had a towel over her and she was against my bare chest - she went immediately for the breast and i was able to have her latch while i was getting stitched up. she was handed to my husband for a minute as they transferred me off the table - and then gave her back to me and we were wheeled into our room - no separate recovery room - about an hour later a midwife came in to weigh her. it was a great experience - given the circumstances.

lnvazquez · May 2013

We spent 10 hrs in recovery and I didn't get to hold LO until we were in our room. I really feel like I missed out on a lot bc of my emergency csection.

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