My positive caesarean experience at The Kensington Wing
On a late night in August 2012, I was standing in Room 7 in The Kensington Wing in Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and Daddy T was taking the last photos of me and my big bump. It was already past midnight and I was 38 weeks pregnant. We had just been informed that our consultant would come in at 6 in the morning and I would then be moved to theatre for a c-section–four days earlier than planned.
We decided not to tell anyone. This was our big happening, and everyone else could wait.
I cried a few tears the next morning, feeling overwhelmed by being on a hospital bed and being wheeled into theatre, where there were a number of people preparing for the procedure.
I had local anesthetics and then a spinal, which I really didn’t find as scary as I’d pictured it would be. The anesthetist was lovely and talked to us about where we’d met, making us forget all about what was about to happen.
After the surgery started, she continued chatting to me and Daddy T, who was sitting on a stool next to me. I could feel tugging and then suddenly a loud scream. It was all extremely quick considering what was going on, and it felt like Baby Girl was out in minutes.
Daddy T ran over to take the first photos of Baby Girl when she was briefly checked by the midwife, and ensured the team remembered we were collecting stem cells and had the Smart Cells kit with us.
Moments after the first photos she was passed to me for skin-to-skin, which I had requested before we started. I didn’t feel sick and I loved having her on my chest, while being stitched up.
I was in the hospital gown, she was wrapped in a towel and Daddy T was in theatre clothes.
The first family photos are stunning!
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Great story! I just had my C section on Sunday there and stayed four days. The staff are truly wonderful. You seem to have been much calmer through the whole thing! I was a nervous mess but they worked hard – especially the anaesthesiologist – to keep me sane. All worth it in the end though!
Congratulations, Sheila! Glad to hear you also had a good experience, and good luck with your little one! It’s definitely all worth it – extremely rewarding 🙂 All the best, Tine