Tips and Questions to Ask for Scheduled C-Section Mamas

My whole pregnancy, there was a question as to whether or not there’d be a C-section. Eventually, my doctors and I decided to schedule it. Thankfully, I’d done some research and made a list of questions and requests for the big day.  

The day before my surgery, my doctor called me and went over all the details, she let me ask all my questions, and asked about my requests as well. If a scheduled C-section is on the table for you, I recommend doing a little research and making a list of questions and requests to go over with your doctor just in case. Having those questions answered and requests honored made our whole experience much less stressful and helped us feel confident walking into the operating room.  

Your doctor will talk to you about your hospital’s standard C-section procedure. You’re going to want to take some notes, and ask all the questions you want.  

Here’s a great list of some requests that you can ask of your doctors, give it a look and make a list of things you’d like to talk to your doctor about. I asked that my husband be able to cut the cord, they said they would leave the cord long, and let him trim it up after the initial evaluation. I also asked for skin-to-skin contact, which is totally doable after the initial evaluation which, at my hospital at least, is done at the warmer in the room so we can watch. We didn’t get to do the skin-to-skin contact, because my daughter had some trouble clearing her lungs immediately after birth, but had she been fine, that wouldn’t have been a problem at all.  

You can also ask about a gentle C-section. It’s a growing trend in C-sections that is more family centered, but not all hospitals do them. Talk to your doctor about your options, and see what they’re able to achieve in your hospital.  

The most important thing to remember in giving birth is that you can’t plan for everything, and sometimes things don’t always work out the way you anticipate they will. Your birth plan may not work out the way you hope, but having a good conversation with your doctor in advance will help them understand your priorities, and help you understand hospital practices and their options for you as well.  

Jenny Ditch is a mom of one girl in Illinois who had a pretty decent scheduled C-section experience.