Louise's positive planned Caesarean birth to Alex

Hi Patricia, I have a son! He was born 7lb 3 and we've called him Alexander, more commonly known as Alex, or a whole host of baby nicknames at the moment. He's a very happy, responsive little thing, and an excellent feeder. Amazing to see that instinct in action. The c-section was ok, a bit tricky in places. We were called in for 8am, but they had loads of emergencies so we weren't seen nntil 3pm, and in the meantime i wasn't able to eat or drink. I think that contributed to me feeling absolutely dreadful afterwards, and i also think they overdid the diamorphine. I couldn;t speak in sentences, and my head and eyes were rolling. After making such a fuss with the birth plan, I was actually too nervous to hold him or try to feed for a while, although my husband held him very close to me. But then a very good, bossy midwife came along and latched him on regardless, and away he went! The surgeons were quite good at accommodating my request about the placenta. We agreed that they would leave it as long as they could, and they said the cord had started to collapse by the time they cut and clamped. It was only a matter of minutes, but i was glad they agreed to it. Overall, I felt they were prepared to be flexible and it did make me feel more in control of the experience, which was what I wanted. My recovery is going well now, although the immediate aftermath was pretty tricky. I was very sick and yellow skinned at times, and quite severely dehydrated. I managed to get home after two nights, though, on Christmas Day. I felt like death, but it was worth it to get out of hospital. Now I'm feeling almost right as rain again. Thanks again for all your help and tips. I think, under the circumstances, I did everything i could to reclaim the experience. Despite the tricky first moments after his birth, I feel a really strong bond with Alex, and i do think the positivity of your classes helped. I was always pretty nervous about parenthood, but it's all coming really naturally. All the best, and happy new year! Louise. xx