[ho11yb]

Are they thinking you would have a general this time around again? If not, then there is no reason your dh shouldn't be in the room with you. As far as birth plan, I would ask at the hospital what the normal procedures are & see how that compares to your ideal C birth. If it doesn't make your voice & opinions heard.

My second one was a pretty great experience compared to the first. In my first I also didn't see ds for several hours after birth.

This time things that made it really nice & that I appreciated.

My arms were not strapped down during the procedure.

Immediately after pulling baby out of me, the sheet was lowered & baby held up so I could see him right away. He was wiped off just a little, wrapped in a blanket, given to dh, and brought around the drape to me. I could reach up and touch him, stroke his cheek and truly have a moment between the 3 of us. Dh went with the baby to the nursery to do what they do there-footprints, official measurements, etc while I was closed up.

When I got to the recovery room, I was able to say when I wanted the baby brought to me... Which was right away.

Baby was brought before his bath and just wrapped in a blanket so we could lay skin to skin which we did for several hours.

As for family seeing or holding him before I did. I specifically told my mom that she wasn't allowed to hold him before me (unless things went horribly wrong & I was incapacitated for days). She was cool with that.