C-section at QMH

M

Maddy

New member
Hi everyone,

I'm booked in for a c-section next week at QMH and I'm concerned that the baby will be away from me for a long period after the operation and that my baby will be given a bottle. I want to breastfeed my baby ASAP after the op.

Does anyone know if they routinely keep c-section babies in the NICU? Do you know if the baby is given straight back to mum once all stitching is done and she is in recovery?

The section is only 1 day before my due date, baby is expected to be healthy and the reason for the section is that she is breech. Any advice is much appreciated!
 
Hi Maddy,

I had an emergency C-section at Prince of Wales (not QMH but another public teaching hospital) last year and bub was in the recovery room with me. The only time she wasn't with me was when they were stitching me back up and she was taken out to meet her dad and the first 8 hours I was in the ward as they have a monitoring policy and I couldn't move anyway.

I had made it very clear that I would be breast feeding. The nurses helped to latch her on while we were in the recovery room and also would bring her to me a few times during the first 8 hours when she was in the nursery. From then she roomed in with me.

Write a list of your wishes for before and after the c-section and give it to the nurses they will do their best to follow it. They will not give bub a bottle unless you have asked for it if you have stated that you will be breast feeding. I did at one stage as my milk took a while to come in but I always latched her on first then gave her a little of the bottle as she was a very hungry bub.

Good luck for next week.
 
Hi Maddy,

I had an emergency c-section at QMH 3 months ago. Baby was born around 6pm. Baby was fine and we were both sent back to the ward after recovery. Around 11pm, the nurse already asked me if I would like to start breastfeeding. They promote breastfeeding therefore they will not give bottle to your baby unless you request for it. I wasn't able to breastfeed my baby initiately and they cup-fed and finger-fed (using a feeding tube) him for me in order to avoid nipple confusion.

cheers,
kim
 
I had an emergancy c-cection at the QMH and hated the experience!! my baby was born at 11pm after visiting hours.
He was shown to me after they cleaned him up, asked if the baby was a boy or girl and told me the time he was born and asked me to kiss him then took him away. It felt so weird it didn't feel like he was my child. Then they put me in the recovery room for 45min alone without my baby near me. When we made our way to the ward then they gave me my baby, My husband was asked to wait and was not allowed to be in the operation room because it was an emergency. even though it was an emergency the Dr said " oh let the woman next door have her baby then we go to the operation room" they refused my husband to be there.
once we were in the ward after less than 5min the nurse asked my husband to leave because it wasn't visiting hours. I was soooo pissed off!! The older nurse was horrid! the experience gave me postnatal depression I keep thinking about the experience over and over again.
We're planning our second baby next year and I'm dreading it as we can't afford private health care.
 
YTV- sounds like my experience having a C-section in China - they just rushed the baby to me for a kiss and then that was it - I couldn`t hold him for 6 hours until I `recovered`. In the meantime they gave him a bottle (and started about 6 weeks of difficult breastfeeding, I believe).
It sounds terrible what you went through at QMH, even though the hospital is so sought after.
Maddy - I would suggest that you talk to the doctors and nurses and find out EXACTLY their procedure. It`s hell not being able to hold your baby. Mazamarie said that POW was very supportive of BFing after her c-section, but she didn`t do it until 5 hours later? That is not supportive, and not good enough. You should be able to do it within the hour if the baby is ok.
I would check up on the policy and make it VERY CLEAR what you want and don`t want. In all the drama of my last minute c-section and the pain of the delivery, it didn`t occur to me to ask them not to put a bottle in his mouth, though it had been on my mind for months and months before that.
Good luck for your c-section. I hope it all goes well and your baby is healthy and well.
 
Shenzhennifer. POW was very supportive. If you read my post it states they helped me latch bub on while I was in the recovery room which was within the first 30 minutes of birth and when I was transferred to the ward, they brought her to me three times while she was based in the nursery for that first 8 hours. Sorry may not have written that clearly in the first post.

Maddy, As Carang says make sure it is in writing and give it too the doctors and nurses. Also make sure the card on bubs crib has breastfeed only on it.
 
Don't forget, the policies for an emergency c-section and a scheduled c-section will be very different.
 
I'd like to chime into this thread as a father. My wife underwent a emergency C-section at QMH almost 3 months ago, and truth be told, it was an excellent experience considering what we went through.

The doctors and nurses were extremely professional, and followed our birth plan as far as possible. Once the baby was out, the baby was brought to the mothers chest and stayed with mother as she was being stitched up and only then was transferred down to the ward. Mum staying in a post-op room for about 2 hours and was brought down to the ward.

The nurses in the ward are a mixed lot, however, i found if you treated them well, they would treat you very well also - simple really. I saw some other expat couples really give a hard time to the nursing staff, and i know for sure they didn't get the level of attention that we did.

The plus side of QMH is that they really encourage breast feeding and in a way force you to look after your baby - so that you gain the confidence that you need. I had friends who after delivering in Matilda, got home, didn't know how to look after the baby, panicked and returned back to Matilda!

Our original plan was to deliver in Matilda, however, on reflection, I think the experience at QMH was in many ways far superior to our experiences at Matilda.

The only downside - THE FOOD! But we had meals delivered to us daily from various restaurants etc.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. papa2b your post was reassuring, thank you!

I'm still eager to hear from anyone who has had a planned c-section at QMH, as Matty said some of the policies would be different and it would be great to know what has and hasn't been accommodated by the staff at QMH.
 
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