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Making decisions about birth after caesareanArrow
Aged 40 and over
Interview 30  

Interview 30

Age at Interview: 40
Background: Personnel worker with one son aged two and a half. Husband is an IT consultant. Ethnic background: White British (English).
Brief outline:Wanted waterbirth with 1st child, went overdue. Induced at 42 weeks, did not dilate despite interventions. Baby delivered by emergency CS after heart rate dropped. Trusted medical team and feels no regrets, but hopes to have vaginal birth with 2nd child.


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She felt reluctant to ask staff for help, but was glad they convinced her to stay in hospital for a bit longer. Handling the baby with the midwife present made her more confident to do things by herself once she got home.

 



And how did you feed your baby?

Breastfed.

And that wasn't complicated at all? 

Tiring, because I was obviously tired after the operation. Not as mobile as I would have been, if I have had him naturally… and so I was really pretty exhausted but I persevered. And I had a lot of help so that did… that was good.

And was that at the hospital you had the help?

Not necessarily at the hospital, when I came home, the first sort of four days because I was in hospital about four or five days I was fortunate I had my own room, that was fantastic. But the midwives just popped in as they would go and see the other people on the ward and they expected you to ring the bell if you needed help and I'm one of those people that don't ring the bell. I can do this, you know, it was my first child as well so I don't need to support, so I was pretty tired because I just persevered with it and upon reflection I probably would've asked for a little bit more help.

So do you think more should have been offered?

Yeah I would've liked that, not knowing what they should've done, but I would've liked that.

And do you think that that's part of an expectation that you should know what you're doing?

Yeah absolutely and I think they want you to think that you know what you're doing so that you can cope when you get home. You know you have had a major operation but you've still got to breastfeed, you've still got to get up in the night or your partner has got to get the baby for you or whatever and you've still got to do that every… if you're breastfeeding it was quite regular for me you know every two hours so it was quite exhausting. And so I was thinking they were just preparing you for when you got home. Whether that was the case I don't know, whether they were just so busy and they forgot I was in the room I don't know, but… [slight laugh].

And did you feel confident when you came home? 

Yes. I actually wanted to come home earlier though and they really persuaded me to stay and I'm so glad they did. I think I had a bit of... they call it the baby blues and a bit of the postnatal oh what's all this about and I just wanted my home comforts. But I know if I had gone home when I wanted to which was three days after, I wouldn't have been capable of- I think looking after the baby as efficiently as I did when I waited another two days.

Do you think you would've been overwhelmed?

I would have thought so yeah. I mean it showed me just a few more things like bathing the baby, and I had more opportunity to change the nappy with the midwife being there and just checking on the breastfeeding and little things that I think I would have missed out on.
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