During a C-section, dads provide crucial emotional support by being a calm presence, holding their partner's hand, offering reassurance, and being their advocate, while also preparing to welcome the baby, sometimes by doing the first skin-to-skin contact or helping with the cord, and managing logistical things like snacks and chargers. Dads usually wear a sterile gown and sit near their partner's head, with a curtain preventing them from seeing the surgery, and their role shifts to meeting the baby and supporting the mother in recovery.
During a c-section
During the procedure a screen is placed across your partner's body so they cannot see what's being done. This is a good time to stand or sit near your partner's head to offer reassurance and support. If your partner has requested, the screen may be lowered for the birth of the baby.
You'll likely sit near your partner's head during surgery. There will be a curtain so that you won't see much. But if you start to feel lightheaded, let the medical team know.
If you've had a general anaesthetic your baby's father or your partner might be able to do skin-to-skin contact straight away until you're awake. Skin-to-skin contact with you can be possible in the operating theatre. However, your partner may not be allowed in the theatre if you're having a general anaesthetic.
Comments Section
The 5-5-5 rule for postpartum C-section recovery is a guideline for the first 15 days, emphasizing 5 days in bed, 5 days on the bed, and 5 days around the bed, focusing on rest, gradual movement, bonding, and healing by limiting activity and staying near a resting spot for essential needs only. It's a structured way to encourage vital rest and set boundaries with visitors, preventing overexertion during the critical initial healing phase after major surgery.
Physical c-section recovery can take six weeks, but statutory paternity leave means dads get two weeks off – then it's back to work, and postpartum parents are left struggling alone.
Your partner can stay with you in the recovery area immediately after your operation. Partners also have 24 hours access to postnatal ward. When I eat and drink? After your caesarean section you will be encouraged to drink normally as soon as possible.
Up-breathing is going to be your friend during a caesarean. The theatre environment can be quite busy and any major surgery is enough to get your mind racing, so using your breathwork to calm you down is incredibly powerful.
A caesarean section is usually carried out under epidural or spinal anaesthetic, where the lower part of your body is numbed. The operation usually takes a minimum of 40 minutes but can be performed quicker in an emergency.
Discomfort is expected after a C-section, especially around the incision and abdomen. Pain typically peaks in the first few days and improves over several weeks.
The night before
To reduce the risk of aspiration, you can vomit after having your anaesthetic or whilst having your C-section. Ensure you have a late evening meal or plan a substantial pre-bed snack.
Since babies born via C-section do not pass through the birth canal and are not exposed to the same bacteria as babies born vaginally, their microbiome develops differently and has different strains of bacteria. In 2019, the largest ever study of newborns' microbiomes was published in the scientific journal Nature.
You will be given hospital scrubs and shoes to wear for the birth. These must be worn with underwear and socks but no other clothes underneath.
However, according to the JOGNN study, while most mothers feel an immediate bond as soon as they find out they are pregnant, it can take up to several weeks after the birth of the child for fathers to experience that connection.
Babies born by caesarean section often do not cry immediately; it can be a couple of minutes before they do so, as they have not had quite the same stimulus to start breathing that a baby has after vaginal birth.
After Going Home:
Initially, you should avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby, and avoid most housework. Your lochia bleeding will change over time and can increase with activity and position changes. Use your bleeding as a way of making sure that you are not involved in too much activity.
Relaxation techniques, such as prenatal yoga or breathing exercises, can significantly reduce pre-surgery anxiety. Practicing these in the days leading up to surgery can help calm your mind. Additionally, a personal mantra to repeat during the procedure can help focus your mind and reduce stress.
The 5-5-5 rule is a guideline for what kind of help a postpartum mom needs: five days in bed, five days round the bed — meaning minimal walking around — the next five days around the home. This practice will help you prioritize rest and recovery while gradually increasing activity.
The Golden Hour is a special period of skin-to-skin contact between a birthing parent and newborn for the first hour (or two) after birth. During the Golden Hour, we keep interruptions, including exams and measurements, to a minimum to make the skin-to-skin contact as continuous as possible.
While bed rest is unnecessary, you should prioritise rest during the first few days after your c-section. Gradually increase your activity level as your healthcare provider advises, balancing rest and light movement.
The "3-2-1 Rule" in pregnancy is a guideline for first-time mothers to know when to call their midwife or doctor for active labor: consistent contractions every 3 minutes, lasting 2 minutes each (or 1 minute long for some variations), for over 1 hour. It helps differentiate true labor from false labor (Braxton Hicks), signaling it's time to head to the birthing center, while subsequent pregnancies often follow the faster 5-1-1 rule.
The first few days following your Caesarean birth are the most uncomfortable. Tiredness, as your body begins to recover from the operation and your stay in the hospital. Soreness at the wound site and internally.
Rate of payment
The current payment for Parental Leave Pay is $189.62 a day before tax, or $948.10 per 5 day week. This is based on the weekly rate of the national minimum wage.
While scans have shown that physical changes to a woman's brain can last for at least two years after she gives birth, you may not feel forgetful or frazzled for that long. “For a first-time parent, it may take longer to adapt to this big change, but it really depends on the person,” Keller says.