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I held him for a few minutes after he was born, but then DH took him while I was being stitched up and waited for me in the recovery room (which was just a couple doors down from the OR). It took a little longer than normal to close me up because I'd had a previous surgery with a scar they'd had to cut across. Less than an hour later, though, I was wheeled into recovery and DH handed him to me and we started skin-to-skin and nursing immediately.

Our hospital doesn't have a nursery unless there are health concerns with the baby. He stayed with one of us the entire time.

I had to wait three hours to hold them or nurse. My husband was with them in the nursery and was trying really hard to get them to me to nurse because it was so important to me. Typically my hospital tries to reunite mom and baby ASAP, but I had two babies and a very rough delivery so we would have had to have three nurses in my recovery room (one for each of us) and they couldn't spare that much staff. It's one of things I am most upset about looking back at my L&D experience!

@BabyPenguinXO: Yup, everything was fine - second apgar score was good. I was so glad I had the section and didn't attempt an ECV (she was breech for a long time...likely because of the cord).

@BabyPenguinXO: I'm pretty sure my arms weren't numb. I think it was just below my chest where the numbness started. DH kinda held him there too, though, because I was shaky from all the meds.

They didn't let me hold the baby until I was in the recovery room. I had the shakes in the OR.

The plan was for DD to stay in the OR the whole time and for her to get skin to skin right after I was closed up, but I had a cyst on my ovary that they removed. They had thought it would only take an additional 15-20 minutes to remove, but it actually ended up taking more than an hour. When they realized it was much more complicated, they send DH and DD to the nursery.

I did get to see her and nurse as soon as I was out of the OR and in the recovery area waiting for my postpartum room.

@BabyPenguinXO: I'd recommend talking with your doc beforehand. There was some liability issue with putting the baby directly on my chest before cleanup/suction etc. and my doc had to get approval to do so. I guess there is greater risk of infection to the surgical site if they do that stuff so close to the incision.

DH was able to hold DS just a few minutes after he was born. I held him as soon as I was stitched up - which took about 20 minutes, and I held him as they wheeled me to the recovery room. As soon as we got there the nurses helped me breastfeed immediately. That was at most 40 minutes after he was born. We stayed together as a family in the recovery room for about 2 hours before we went up to the recovery room. DS was with us the whole time.

@BabyPenguinXO: Yeah I was a nervous wreck until I heard him cry since I couldn't see anything and I was a little anxious from the get-go b/c... well, you're in surgery! Luckily DH was right there to see him and watch everything the nurses were doing to him as well as hold him. The nurse actually asked if we could attempt skin to skin after they were finished checking over him and I was like, oh yes please! I didn't think it was possible to do with c-sections. So - advocate for yourself and see what can be done

They let me touch him immediately, but took him to the nursery. I didn't get to hold him or nurse him until I was in recovery (quicker than in the PP room) 45 minutes later.

I didn't hold him in the OR but DH did, almost the whole time we were in there. And then we went to recovery almost immediately where I nursed him. It couldn't have been more than a half hour after birth.

I didn't attempt nursing, skin to skin or hold LO. DH went with her to the nursery. They brought her to me in postpartum and we attempted nursing then.

She was fine and had a good APGAR but they said they needed to take her the nursery right away because there was meconium in my water. I don't feel like that was true, and I definitely don't think they should have gone against our wishes to have procedures and vaccines done before I got to bond with her.

I voted but truthfully, they options weren't really relevant to me because I had complications with my c-section so I didn't get to hold my babies for 6-7 hours after they were born and I had to wait 36 hours before I could try nursing them. Was a bummer

They took the baby back to the labor and delivery room and I sent my husband with him. I wanted to hold him so badly. I got to hold him and nurse him probably about an hour after he was born. I had asked to hold him right away and was told I couldn't so I knew it wouldn't happen.

Both of my experiences were similar. After he was out, he was quickly checked over and then DH got to hold him while I was closed up. They bought him to me so I could see him and kiss him. As soon as I was able to sit up, I held him. I held him the whole time we were transported to the recovery room. They cleaned him up more there. I nursed in the recovery room. Then I had him while we were moved to our room.

We had DD1 via c-section and DH got to bring her to me quickly after they wiped her down and swaddles her up. I didn't get any skin-to-skin with her until I was sewed up and wheeled to recovery but it wasn't long. In recovery my midwife helped me and I was able to nurse her for a while. Then they took her to the nursery for a bath while I stayed there for two hours. DH went with DD to the nursery and stayed with her until we reunited in my postpartum room. I was so wiped out from everything I slept the whole time so it wasn't a bad wait.

I had a c section and I could feel my arms (they were a little tingly but not awful). They had to take LO right away to check her out bc of meconium in the water but they gave her to my husband within about 5 minutes. About 5 min after that they unstrapped my arms and laid her on my chest and helped me hold her. It wasn't really skin to skin though because she was all wrapped up (and to be honest my only thought at that point was how I was scared to drop her bc I was flat on my back and my arm was still a little weak-- I had to have DH help me hold her there). As soon as they were done stitching me up (which took like 30 min or less, and I was holding her for 20 of that) they sat me up a little bit and I got to hold her as they wheeled me into recovery and I tried to breastfeed her right then (albeit poorly bc it was just DH and I and I couldn't remember what to do lol). She was never without me until the next day when they took her to run some tests (and my mom went with her). The nurses in postpartum helped me nurse too (plus I saw LC, but they took longer to get up to us).

ETA: A pic of me holding her while I was getting stitched up. This was taken less than 15 minutes after her birth.