For women having a Caesarean birth, there are many procedures, interventions, monitoring, care and paper work that are unique to their experience. The following is meant as a guide to give you an idea of what can be involved with having a Caesarean and what to expect from your caregivers before, during and soon after the operation.
Procedures before the operation
The operation
Recovery room
Procedures before the operation
As with any surgical operation, there are routine procedures that need to be carried out by the caregivers and particular information documented, before a Caesarean can be performed. Whether the Caesarean is planned (often termed as 'elective') or an unplanned (often termed as 'emergency'), the procedures needed before the operation will be fairly similar.
In the majority of circumstances, even if the Caesarean is unplanned, there is plenty of time to make preparations for the operation and carry out the procedures leading up to the Caesarean (including the administration of an epidural or a spinal anaesthetic, which can take up to an hour or longer).
In the rare circumstance that it is a true medical emergency, the procedures may need to be carried out within minutes, simultaneously by multiple caregivers. The woman will need to have a General anaesthetic (making her unconscious) for adequate pain relief. This is because there is usually not enough time to administer an epidural or wait for a 'top up' of more epidural anaesthetic (if one is already in place) to take affect in time for the operation.
In an emergency situation the woman can feel like she is being attended to from all angles and asked numerous questions, but having little chance to have her own questions answered. The partner or support person can feel a little helpless and overwhelmed, watching all the procedures take place so quickly, while trying to come to terms with what is happening.