About the operation 

If you and your doctor have planned that you have to give birth by caesarean section there are important preparations you need to be aware of. 
In advance of the caesarean section, it is very important that you thoroughly acquaint yourself with what it means to have a caesarean section.

Therefore, you should click on this link and watch the video series about planned caesarean sections. Seven short videos of approximately 2-4 minutes in duration provide you with thorough information about the course of a caesarean section. 

If it is planned that you should have blood tests prior to your caesarean section, you must book an appointment in advance, either in the ‘Min-SP’ app or on the ‘Min Sundhedsplatform’ website. 

Few days before your operation, a midwife will contact you by phone to inform you about the meeting time and place on the day of your caesarean section. In rare cases, we will have to change the date of the caesarean section and there may also be delays on the operation day, which means that we may have to postpone your caesarean section. 

On the day of the operation, you must arrive at the Postnatal ward (Barselsgangen) G0142. You should expect to be admitted for two days following the caesarean section together with your newborn and your partner or one other adult companion. 

If you experience decreased fetal movements, your water breaks, you have vaginal bleeding or contractions before your planned cesarean section, you must contact the Emergency Department for Pregnant Women (Akut Modtagelse for Gravide), G0131. See the phone number under the contact information.

Important preparation

Fasting
You must fast before the operation. This means that:

• Five hours before your appointment you must stop eating/drinking food, dairy products and juice with pulp. You may continue to drink thin, clear liquids such as water, juice, soda, coffee and tea without milk.
• One hour before your appointment you must stop drinking cold or hot liquids. 
• We recommend that you drink a large glass of juice without pulp just before bedtime on the night before the caesarean section and again in the morning, but no later than one hour before the appointment. The sugar in the cordial helps counteract nausea and malaise.
• If you have gestational diabetes, you should drink sugar-free liquids instead, such as water.
• If you are taking regular medication (not vitamin pills and iron tablets), you must take this in the morning of the cesarean section.

Bring toiletries and comfortable clothes
Remember to bring a toothbrush and other toiletries, regular medication, comfortable clothes, slippers, and preferably a robe. Bring a baby duvet, an extra duvet cover, diapers, baby clothes, and a hat for your newborn. We also recommend that you bring some chewing gum, as this helps your stomach work normally in the time after the operation.

At the hospital

Bring one adult companion
You are welcome to bring along your partner or one other adult companion who can be with you during your admission, including the caesarean section, and who can support you and help you with practical things.

When you arrive at the postnatal ward (Barselsgangen) G0142
A nurse will greet you and your companion. Before the operation, you will talk to an anesthesiologist about anesthesia. We will listen to your heart and lungs and insert a drip in your hand for fluids. We will provide hospital clothes that you will wear during the operation. Your companion will also have to change into provided hospital clothes.

You will be scanned if necessary
If you are having a caesarean section because the baby is in breech position, we will scan you first. If the scan shows that the baby has turned and is now in a head-down position, we will cancel the caesarean section. You can then go home and wait for the birth to begin naturally.
 
At the operating room
Together with you and your companion, we will walk from the postnatal ward to the operating room. There will be many professionals present around you. We will check your CPR number, measure your blood pressure, pulse and the oxygen content in your blood and place electrodes on your chest so that we can monitor your heart rhythm during the operation.

You will have local anesthetics and a urine catheter inserted
An anesthetic will be injected into your lower back, a so-called spinal anesthetic. The injection is given while you are bent forward while sitting up or while you are lying on your side. You will first be given a small local anesthetic, and then the an anesthetist will inject an anesthetic into your spinal canal. Shortly after, you will be numb from your waist down. You will be awake and be able to feel pressure and touching but no pain.
A urinary catheter will then be inserted to collect your urine in a bag and keep your bladder empty during the operation. A urinary catheter is a thin tube that is inserted into your bladder via the urethra.

The operation

A screen will be placed across your body so you cannot see what is going on during the operation. An incision about 15cm long will be made across your abdomen, just above your pubic hair. If you have previously had a caesarean section, we will usually place the incision in the old scar.
For the baby to be delivered, we will push on the top of your stomach. This may feel uncomfortable, but it will be over quickly. Usually, we lower the screen so you can watch the baby being born.

Once the placenta has been removed, we will close the incision with dissolvable stitches that will disappear within three weeks. The incision will then be bandaged and dressed.

The operation will take approximately 30-45 minutes and in total, you will be in the operating room for approximately 1½ hours.

Skin-to-skin contact
If you and your child are doing well, the child will be placed on your chest immediately after birth for skin-to-skin contact and so it can seek out your breast. In some cases, the child will need to be checked and perhaps receive help breathing before it is handed to you.

Skin-to-skin contact is important for breastfeeding initiation as the contact stimulates the hormones that start milk production. The contact also helps the baby maintain a stable body temperature, increase blood sugar levels and stabilise heartbeat and breathing.

Photography
Your partner/companion is allowed to take pictures during the operation, but not pictures of the staff. The midwife may be able to help take a few pictures of you. No video recording is allowed in the operating room.

Checking the baby
After the birth, we will check your child, and measure and weigh it. We recommend that the child receives a vitamin K injection, which prevents bleeding.

Observation of you and your child

We will monitor you for the first few hours. This will take place in a recovery room. We will keep an eye on any bleeding from your uterus, your blood pressure, your heartbeat and the oxygen levels in your blood. We may also help the baby latch on for the first time and make sure your baby is doing well. Later, you will be moved to a regular maternity room.

The urinary catheter and drip are removed

Once you can get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, we will remove the catheter and drip. It is important to get out of bed as soon as possible after the cesarean section to prevent complications such as blood clots.

Painkillers and other medication
You will feel pain after the caesarean section. You will be given paracetamol and ibuprofen, which you must take every 6 hours. We will inform you when to take the medication.

You will probably also need morphine for the first 24 hours. You should not be in too much pain so please let us know if you need more pain relief than we have supplied you with. You can breastfeed even if you take painkillers.

It is a good idea to have bought painkillers such as ibuprofen and paracetamol before the caesarean section, so that you have them at hand when you get home after the caesarean section. You must remember to take other regular medication as usual after the caesarean section and restart iron tablets when you have normal bowel function.

Visitors

Ask at the postnatal ward regarding their visiting hours.

Risks in connection with caesarean section

There is a risk of discomfort and complications during and after all operations. If there are factors that make you particularly at risk, we will discuss them with you. Many complications can be prevented while you are at the hospital if you get out of bed as quickly as possible and keep active.

Risks:

• Itching: The anesthesia may cause your skin to itch. This rarely requires any form of treatment. The itching will go away within 24 hours, and usually within a few hours.
• Low blood pressure: The anesthesia can cause your blood pressure to drop. Low blood pressure is treated with medication.
• Infection: Infections can occur in your bladder, uterus or in the incision itself (2%), which will require reopening the wound during a new operation.
• Damage to the uterus, bladder or intestine: In rare cases, the uterus, bladder or intestine may be damaged during the operation (less than 0.1%).
• Bleeding: In rare cases, bleeding can occur in the stomach area, which will require a new operation.
• Blood clots in the legs: There is a slightly increased risk of developing blood clots in your legs, which can travel to your lungs and, in rare cases, become life threatening.
• Scar tissue: After a caesarean section, scar tissue may form in your stomach, which can complicate future operations in the stomach. The scar tissue can cause pain for up to a year after the birth.

Risks for the child:

• Breathing difficulties: Children born via a planned caesarean section more than one week prior to term have an increased risk of developing breathing difficulties that may require hospital admission. We therefore strive to schedule your caesarean section within one week of your due date.

In connection with a new pregnancy, you will be offered a consultation with an obstetrician to go over your previous delivery experience(s) and discuss the pros and cons of vaginal birth or a caesarean section.

Going home

You will receive more information

We will provide you with information on what to be aware of just after a caesarean section and once you get back home. You will be informed of the practical precautions you should take, and what you should do regarding hygiene or pain, for example.

Click here to find more information