Skin to skin after c section

[AngelElle]

I was reading about skin to skin contact with baby and it sounds like it really helps with breastfeeding. It was a long time before anyone said anything to me about skin to skin. Like maybe the next day when we were already having severe feeding problems. He wouldn't latch at all among other things.
Anybody do immediate or early skin to skin? How did it go? How did you do it?

[mibarra]

I believe you can request baby be put on your chest immediately after birth, or at least ASAP after you're sewn up, so I've heard. My c/s was under general and baby went straight to the NICU and wasn't fed by mouth for at least a week.

[3 ladybugs]

I asked my OB about it 2 weeks ago and I was told that I could see my son, but that is as far as I will get. She will have other fish to fry after the delivery (lots of things can go wrong with me) so I don't think I will get skin to skin till after I am in recovery (not to be confused with post pardom). However even with my insane delivery, she did okay delayed cord clamping so maybe not all hope is lost.

Mirbarra, sorry about your NICU baby. Those are always hard... though honestly they are all I have ever known too.

[cdeweese]

Haven't had a C section, but you CAN have a great breastfeeding relationship w/o immediate skin-to-skin It is certainly much nicer to have immediate contact with your baby, but don't let it worry you otherwise. Also, one problematic latch, etc. doesn't predict your future breastfeeding relationships with future children

[Mandi2012]

Even if the skin-to-skin is delayed it will still help. As soon as you are able to have baby with you, hold it constantly while you are topless (you can cover yourself with the hospital gown or sheet if you want modesty). Let baby nap on your chest, eat on demand, etc.

[UVASahm]

I had skin to skin with my first after I was sewn up and in recovery so maybe a half hour after the surgery. Had a great bfing relationship after that!

[Teddyandnick]

I've had 2 c sections and both times I didn't get to hold them until recovery. I could never get DS1 to breast feed, he wouldn't latch or stay awake to eat even though he was hungry. He also had horrible acid reflux. I pumped and bottle fed him for 15 months. DS2 was a little piggy and weighed 18 lbs by 8 weeks. And he is still nursing once a day at 20 months.

[joeslittlewoman]

I got both my older sons in recovery. I didn't do skin-to-skin at that point with ds2 because the shaking was so bad I was afraid of dropping him. I did get to try to nurse my first in recovery. Nursing didn't work out with ds1, nursed ds2 for 18mos.

This baby will be delivered in a different hospital. If everything goes well, I will get to have skin-to-skin with the baby while I am still in surgery. Doc said we can try to keep the baby with me the entire time, but sometimes the hospital staff still want to take the baby after a while. If everything goes smoothly, it just comes down to doc and hospital policies.

[Ainmemphis]

I've had 2 c-sections both times I was unable to hold my babies until after surgery but dh was able to hold them next to me and I touched them. It was within 30-40 minutes that they let me carry baby into recovery where we were encouraged to have skin to skin and start nursing. Both times I was successful in hospital ds1 went for 19 months and I'm just starting week 4 with ds2. Just let your wants be known and hopefully dr/nurses will try their best to accommodate!

[Sweet_Fantasy_Fox]

I got to hold my last baby as soon as I went into the recovery room, so about 20 min after the cs and we were able to nurse. MY 2nd and 3rd I had at a birthing center and didn't get to see them for a few hours.