Assisted birth and caesarean birth
What can I expect for a caesarean birth?
Before your surgery (if elective):
- you will need to meet an anaesthetist. This may be in a ‘pre-admission’ appointment at the hospital to talk about your anaesthetic for surgery
- you may be asked to take an antacid tablet, at home, the night before surgery
- you will need to fast from midnight, the night before the morning ‘list’ for elective surgery (or at another time specified)
- a small shave of the top part of the pubic area may be recommended, where the wound dressing will be applied after the surgery
- you will need to remove all jewellery, piercings and nail polish prior to surgery (toe nail polish may be acceptable but not fingernails).
On the day of your surgery (elective or emergency):
- you will be placed in a hospital gown, compression stockings and theatre cap
- a cannula will be inserted into your hand/arm (to give you intravenous medications)
- you will be given an epidural, if you have not already had one during labour
- once the epidural is working well, you will have a urinary catheter inserted into your bladder, as you will be unable to go to the toilet with an epidural in place
- you are usually in the operating theatre for an hour or more
- unless you are having a general anaesthetic, your partner can be with you in the operating theatre
- your partner will need to wear closed-in shoes, for workplace health and safety reasons
- you will have a midwife stay with you and look after you and your baby in theatre and afterwards in the recovery area
- unless you have had a general anaesthetic, skin to skin contact with your baby will occur very soon after birth
- the midwife will help you with feeding your baby.
Where will my baby go?
After your caesarean birth
- if you and your baby are both well, your baby will go with you to the postnatal ward and ‘room-in’
- if your baby is unwell, or needs to be monitored more closely, he/she may need to go to the Special Care Unit or Neonatal (newborn) Intensive Care Unit. Your partner may go with your baby until you are able to join them
- if your baby is unable to have skin to skin contact or breastfeed, you will be encouraged to express breast milk for your baby. Your midwife will assist you with this.
Caesarean birth recovery
How long will I be in hospital?
After your caesarean birth, you will stay in hospital for about three to five days.
A caesarean birth is major surgery, so your physical recovery is important. This is also a great time to get to know your new baby, with the support of hospital midwives and doctors.
Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) is possible. After a previous caesarean birth, around 60–80% of women who attempt labour will have a vaginal birth.
More information:
- Queensland Clinical Guidelines parent information – Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC)
- Raising Children Network – Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC)
In this guide:
- Assisted birth – vacuum birth
- Assisted birth – forceps birth
- Caesarean birth
- What can I expect for a caesarean birth?
- Risks of caesarean birth