C section and hospital stay in uk

I'm considering elective c section as well, first time hospital stay in the UK. Posting to follow but I can also tell you what I learned so far: baby will for sure stay with you at all times. In the postnatal ward you will share with other new mums, each having a bed for the mum, a cot for the baby, and a chair for birth partner who can be with you 24/7 if you want. I understand with c section it's quite hard to move initially

So I had an elective C-section September 2024, it was amazing. For me, my husband stayed with me from the moment we got to the hospital until we got discharged and was even there for the spinal as well. However, we didn't have any children then. We arrived at the hospital at 10:30am as the night before they told us to be there for 11am and also to tell me when I should start fasting. However, emergencies happened so we didn't get down to the theatre until 4pm. Baby was born at 4:24pm, we were discharged the next day at 7:30pm only because they had forgotten about us 😅. This pregnancy I am aiming for a VBAC only because I have a toddler now, but if I need a C-section I'm okay with that. Just this time I am choosing to have my husband stay at home with our little one and I am going in alone, but I am not worried because I know I will be surrounded by professionals

Hi, I’m sure every hospital has a different policy for their wards. For me, it was an elective section and my husband came to it. Afterwards he stayed with me on a ward where there were 6 other women who had also had a C-section. My husband could only stay until 8pm and then I was left to care for the baby myself overnight in its cot next to my bed. That was the hardest part. I got to leave the next day around 2pm which was 24 hours after, and that’s because the baby passed all of the checks and so did I.

I had an elective due to baby being breech. Turned into an emergency when he decided to come w week early. But it was fine.

Definitely check with the hospital as my husband had to go home - this is my only gripe with my hospital trust and made such a difference to my mental state so soon after having a baby.

My ward was busy and very hot lol but I was there a day and it got to 8pm and they were sending me home but I stayed another night as it was too late in my opinion. It would have been midnight by the time we got my discharge paperwork and blood thinning injections prescribed etc.

Omg being discharged the 2nd day after what is considered a major surgery sounds crazy to. Me 🙈

I have had 2 c-sections. Both emergency c-sections due to babies arriving early and the first was also breech. The second was meant to be elective c-section anyway but she couldnt wait to meet us. 😂 No issues with the surgery, all went well. Different experiences with mine. The first i stayed in for 2 nights and baby was with me the whole time. Second time baby was not well and had to go to the NICU so wasnt with me at first. I had to stay on the ward, while she was seperate from me on the NICU until she was feeling better but i could visit once able to walk or if someone took me in a wheelchair. On both occasions my husband was there for the c-section but after that he could only be there during visiting times, which was 8am-8pm or 9pm. All hospital have different rules for visitors. I was on a ward with other mums both times.

I had an emergency csection and baby was born at 1:38pm, we went home approx 7-8pm the next day. We spent the night on the postnatal ward in a room with 3 other mums, partners and babies, everyone had the curtains pulled round the beds so we never met. I sent my partner home about 9pm because the chair at my bedside was totally impractical for sleeping on and I wanted him to be well rested to drive us safely home the next day. Shortly after he went home, I was finally ready to stand up and walk about so asked the midwives for some help, they guided me to the bathroom while baby was in the crib at my bedside, when I came out there wasnt a single member of staff in sight and my baby was chilling by herself in her crib. We didnt have any help overnight, though I didnt ask for any either. The pain from the c-section didn't really kick in until the next evening so I was able to get round my little bed space and handle my newborn just fine xx

I had an elective c-section 2 1/2 weeks ago.
My partner was with me from going in at 11am. I had him at 4pm He was there for the birth, and i obviously couldn’t move till late evening so I needed his help, he left about 11pm and was back just after 8 the next morning.
I was in for exactly 25 hrs after birth, discharge started 24hrs after birth.
At one point I needed him to help me go to the loo.
You will need your partner there for support and help.
The nurses and midwives will help overnight and baby will be with you.
My midwife took baby about 2am fed him and changed his nappy so I could get an hrs sleep.
Also when you get home you WILL need help!
I couldn’t do much for first few days and I needed help getting in and out of the shower. I couldn’t lift myself up to get in the shower.

I had my elective c section in April this year after having an emergency c section in 2023.
I had baby around 1pm on the Tuesday and was discharged around the same time the next day.
Dads were allowed to stay all night at our hospital but my husband went home to get sleep so he could come back and let me sleep the next day. Baby was with me at all times but there was a nursery if you needed help 🙂

Usually you stay about 24 hours after a c section. There aren't wards/nurseries for the baby in the UK so you are expected to look after them the whole time. You can ring the call bell for help but they may not be able to come straight away. Sometimes the midwives can take the baby for an hour or so whilst you sleep if you really need it, but this is not a guarantee. Some hospitals allow the other parent to stay overnight but some hospitals they have to go home and come back in visiting hours. It's also most likely you'll be in a shared bay with about 3-5 other women and their babies, not in a private room.

He absolutely should take days off from work in my opinion.

Mine was an emergency c section so it might be a different process altogether and might be different in each hospital trust, but I was allowed to go home after 24 hours once I’d passed the checks but they ended up keeping me in another 12 because I had issues breastfeeding and they wanted to monitor me and the baby. I stayed on a ward with 5 others and my partner stayed for the full whole 36 hours, including overnight and had a reclining chair to sleep in. The baby also was with us for the entire time. I personally needed help with the baby the whole time I was in hospital, and even for the first week because I couldn’t walk or move on my own, however the mum in the bed next to me was up and about and even packed her own bag to go home so everyone’s recovery is different. I’ve heard elective c sections can have a smoother recovery. If it’s a choice, I would definitely have your husband stay with you