C-SECTION EXPLAINED

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

- DR PETER KOLL

Q I don’t know what to expect from my c-section. What will happen after I have been taken to the theatre? How long will it take until my baby is born, and can you explain the procedure?

A DR PETER KOLL ANSWERS: The preparation for your caesarean section will start in the ward before you are transferred to the theatre.

The anaesthetist will see you in the ward, take a full history and examine you to make sure that you are fit for a spinal block and will also briefly explain the procedure to you.

The ward nursing sister will then help you to change into theatre clothing, and when the theatre is ready, a porter will fetch you from the ward and transport you to the waiting area outside the theatres.

When the anaesthetist and surgeons are ready, you will be transported into the theatre. The anaesthetist will then place a drip in your arm, so that fluids and – if necessary – medication can be administered during the spinal block. The anaesthetist will then scrub and put on a theatre gown and gloves. You will either be placed on your side or more commonly sit up on the theatre table. The anaesthetist will clean your back with an antiseptic solution, feel for the correct space in your vertebral column, inject a small amount of local anaesthetic and then insert a needle in the space between the vertebrae and into the fluid that surrounds your spine.

They will inject local anaesthetic into this fluid, and rapidly you will feel the lower part of your body going numb.