C-Section at Fairfax

[Anonymous]

Hello:

I'm having a c-section at Fairfax soon and just wondered if anyone else had one recently there and would share their experience. Thanks so much.

[Anonymous]

i have one scheduled for the end of august! last one was 2.5 years ago. very pleased with the entire process. did you have specific questions?

[Anonymous]

This is what I remember:

You check in - ask for a private room then if you want to pay for it.

You go to pre-op where the doctors and nurses meet with you, including your OB and the anesthesiologist.

Eventually, its time to go.

You are in the operating room. Maybe your husband has to stay outside at first while they get everything set up, sterilized, get the epidural/spinal in (I can't really remember if the epidural/spinal goes in in pre-op or when you first are in the operating room). Then hubby/sig. other comes in. He brings in the cord blood collection kit if you have one and if the doc hasn't already taken it during pre-op.

Then they start cutting you open and you can't feel anything and the baby is out faster than you know it. During the process, maybe your arms shake, maybe you get sick and vomit, maybe the anethesiologist gives you additional meds to keep your blood pressure from getting too low. (All these things happened to me during my various c-sections and I think they are relatively normal and controllable.)

They take the baby and clean him/her, do the assessments, swaddle him and bring him for you to see/hold.

Baby (and hubby, in my case) leave the room. You spend the next 1 hr (??) being stitched up on the table.

You go to post op. Hubby and baby are waiting there for you. They let you drink nothing until [something happens] (can't remember what happens that permits you to drink water.) You might not get to hold the baby right away depending on how you are recovering.

You get to hold baby and try breastfeeding in post op if you want.

Eventually, you are wheeled to your room.

Can't eat solids until you pass gas - this took a while in my case and was so annoying.

You've got round the clock nursing care, baby can go to nursery, or stay with you. If in private room (I don't know about shared rooms), your hubby/other guest can stay. You have a private bathroom.

Overall, I've been really happy with my experiences at Fairfax.

Not sure if you wanted all the c-section details. Hope this was helpful.

[Anonymous]

OP here-VERY helpful, thank you. I am nervous about the whole thing as I have never been in the hospital, never even had an IV before!!! I've heard stories if nurses at Fairfax being harried and therefore not so attentive or helpful.

[Anonymous]

The L&D staff/nurses are great. Post-partum nurses are spotty. Some good; many not (I had an empty IV bag beeping for a change for 45 minutes . . . . even after asking; irregular rounds; poor explanations of things; failure to restock baby supplies) It is loud and people are in all hours of the day. I would get so po'd b/c the cleaning crew would come in banging things so loud and baby was sleeping! I couldn't take it and asked to be released early. Food is also awful!

But the PP pretty accurately described the procedure. I will say that I was absolutely out of it for about an hour after surgery . . . barely aware of what was going on. But after the drugs wore off, I was fine. Also, I told the nurses/ anesthesiologist that I felt queasy while on the operating table and they gave me drugs that helped instantly so SPEAK UP if you feel that way.