When your surgery has been completed you will then be taken to the
post-anesthesia recovery room where you will be monitored for 45 minutes
to 1 hour to ensure you are recovering as planned.
If your baby
requires urgent medical attention, your baby’s nurse will take him or
her to the resuscitation room together with the pediatrician to provide
appropriate care.
If your doctor should have any concerns about
your baby, he/she may need to remain in the infant resuscitation room
for a longer period of time for observation; otherwise, the baby will
stay with you during your recovery in a cot by your bedside.
Once stable, a nurse or midwife will bring him or her to you so you can start skin to skin contact and breastfeeding.
If specialized care is required, your baby will be transferred to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).
Once
your baby is with you, we will encourage you to place him/her on your
chest for skin to skin contact for as long as you can. This keeps your
baby warm and helps you both to bond. This skin contact can help with
breast feeding as newborns instinctively have a heightened sense of
smell, so placing your baby skin-to-skin helps your baby to seek out the
nipple and begin breastfeeding. If skin-to-skin contact is not
possible, your baby will be kept in a cot in the same room until you are
transferred to the post labor ward.
When you are considered fit,
you will be transferred with your baby to the Post-Natal ward. There,
you and your baby will be cared for by a dedicated nurse, helping you
with your recovery and offering any breastfeeding support should you
need it.
The usual hospital stay after a cesarean section is 48 to 72 hours (2 to 3 days).
