Admission for Cesarean Delivery

Admission for Cesarean Delivery

Cesarean delivery (“C-section”) is surgery that may be needed to deliver a baby through an incision in the mother's abdomen. Some patients will be scheduled by their provider to have a C-section before labor.

If you are scheduled for a C-section, you will be told the day and time to arrive. You can eat a light, low-fat meal (such as toast or fruit) up until six hours before you are scheduled to arrive at the hospital. You can drink clear liquids (water, coffee or tea without cream/milk, sports drinks) up until two hours before you are scheduled to arrive at the hospital.

Your assigned arrival time is usually two hours before the procedure is scheduled to begin. Please come to the triage area of the first floor of Prentice Women’s Hospital at the scheduled time. A registration representative will ask for your information and check you in. You will then go to the Labor and Delivery unit where a nurse will escort you to a surgery preparation (prep) room. You may have one support person with you in the prep room.

Once in the prep room, the nurse will ask you to change into a hospital gown, review your health history, and check your pulse and blood pressure. The nursing team will start your IV and obtain any needed blood tests. They will also place monitors over your abdomen so that the baby’s condition can be watched.

A member of the anesthesia team will come in to check you and explain your choices for anesthesia. This could include a spinal, an epidural or general anesthesia. In addition, a member of the surgical team will come in to check on you and explain the procedure to you. Please ask any questions you may have at that time.

When it is time for the surgery, we will assist you to the operating room. You will be asked to sit on the operating room table so that your anesthesia can be started. Once this is completed, you will be positioned on the operating room table. A catheter (thin tube to drain urine) will be placed into your bladder. Your skin will be cleaned with an antiseptic to prevent infection. Then, drapes will be placed over your abdomen.

Your physician will check to make sure you do not feel any pain before the operation starts. At this point, your support person will be brought into the operating room to be with you, if you wish. C-section deliveries usually take less than one hour. After the delivery, you will return to the prep area for your recovery, which usually takes two to three hours. During your recovery in this area, you will again be allowed to have one support person with you in the room.