What to pack in your hospital bag before a C-section delivery

Opting for an elective c-section allows you to have more time to think and prepare what you will need to pack in your hospital bag.  

Instead of being worried and stressed, the best thing o is to ensure being prepared as you can be – and one of the things you may focus on is what to pack in your  hospital bag.

Being prepared can make all the difference to make certain your pre and post delivery experience is as smooth as possible.

Below are the top items to pack;

For mother:

• ·         A favorite pillow:  Or my "comfort" pillow
• ·         A few sets of Socks/a Cozy Blanket -  hospitals are known to be notoriously cold
• ·         A Compression binder – this can help to support the stomach muscles after surgery. These are also great to wear in the weeks following, though you may want to check this with your Physician!
• ·         Several disposable underwear (Vaginal bleeding is expected even after a c-section and disposable underwear means less fuss and more time to concentrate on your new little person).  
• ·         Slippers/flip flops – something easy to get on and off your feet.
• ·         Mobile phone – you're going to want to take lots of photos and send them to your loved ones back home
• ·         Toiletries (the usual - wash goods, toothbrush, hair brush etc)
• ·         x4 Loose long dresses
• ·         A bathrobe
• ·         Towels
• ·         A going home outfit – we recommend loose drawstring pants, a maternity bra, underwear and a loose shirt
• ·         Of course, don’t forget all your paperwork - photo ID, insurance card, medical papers/ antenatal reports etc. A file folder with  everything neatly in a clear folder to ensure everything was kept together and organized.
• ·         Other things you may wish to pack include; books, photographs of loved ones, magazines; portable devises (not forgetting their chargers/ power banks).

For your baby;

• ·         x4 receiving blankets
• ·         x4 sets baby clothes for the duration of the hospital stay – I brought stretchy onesies with snaps in front for easy diaper changes
• ·         A going home outfit ( a onesie and if his/her feet are exposed, be sure to bring a pair of socks or soft booties. I’d also recommend a soft hat – as babies can really feel the cold in their first few days).
• ·         A baby carrier (I’d recommend one which also serves as a car seat for the journey home)

Myleen R. Camama-Cerilla
Administrative Manager
Marketing Incharged
Feto Maternal and GenetYX Center

First Trimester Screening

Possible accidental chromosomal anomalies are one of these risky events of pregnancy. To overcome this risk a close well defined follow up of the fetus at different stages of development has been settled over the last decades by different western gynecological associations after a lot of studies. Each trimester should benefit from a particular fetal scan beside the traditional fetal checkup done by your own gynecologist.

Three important and essential fetal scans are recommended during pregnancy. One at 12-14 weeks of gestation known as NT scan, one at 20 weeks of gestation known as morphology scan and a third one at 28 weeks of gestation known as Doppler scan. A respect of these dates is fundamental to be able to detect specific fetal features.

The first scan is the Nuchal Translucency scan (NT scan = thickness of the fluid at the back of the neck of your baby). It is performed from 12 up to 14 weeks. During this scan fetal specialist will check for fetal heart beats, total length of the baby, nuchal translucency and presence of nasal bone. The accuracy of this scan is from 60-65% only. However, to increase a little bit the accuracy of this scan we usually perform a blood test with the scan.

Two different options exist for this blood test, the first one is to do biochemical test. It is a blood sample in which we are detecting the levels of two placental hormones {Free Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (FBHCG) and Pregnancy Associated Plasma Protein-A (PAPP-A)}. Both hormonal levels are used to determine the condition of the placenta. Moreover, the biochemical risk and the ultrasound risk will be used together to determine the combined risk for major common chromosomal anomalies (trisomy 21, 18 and 13). This combined risk has a sensitivity of 90-92%.

Another possible blood test during this visit is Non Invasive prenatal test (NIPT). This test will detect cell free fetal DNA fragments coming from fetal chromosomes (Chromosomes 13, 18, 21 and sex chromosomes) and circulating in maternal blood. Its sensitivity varies from 97-99%. It is considered as a screening test but has a high accuracy. It is usually recommended with advanced maternal age (above 35 years old mothers) and when mild fetal variations are detected by NT scan.

If major fetal anomalies are detected in the NT scan, an invasive prenatal test is recommended in order to obtain a piece of the placenta or some of the amniotic fluid and do fetal genetic analyses according to the ultrasound findings. 

Dr. Azza Abd El Moneim Attia Mohamed

French Board

Consultant Clinical Genetics

Feto Maternal and GenetYX Center

What is Tubal Patency Check (Hystero Salpingo Sonography)?

Females have a pair of fine fallopian tubes which eggs travel form the ovaries to the uterus.  To obtain a successful pregnancy, one has to have an "open" or "patent" tubes.  Women who are trying to get pregnant, but are having difficulty conceiving should get an appointment for tubal assessment.  Normal fallopian tubes cannot be seen by a regular ultrasound, hence, contrast is used. 

Tubal patency check is performed during the first half of cycle before ovulation which  means between day 8-12 of that cycle.   This test is done before ovulation to make sure there is no pregnancy even if the chance of being pregnant is low.

The pain that may be experienced varies from women to women.  Some would say they did not feel any pain at all or some would complain of cramping when the contrast is injected.  It would be safe to say that majority of women feel mild to moderate pain during the procedure.  It could be recommended that pain reliever tablets be taken an hour before the procedure.

A pelvic ultrasound is performed to assess the pelvic anatomy.  If the findings are normal then tubal assessment will proceed.   There is a special catheter  inserted through the cervix and this is where the contrast is injected while the vaginal probe is also inserted.  If the contrast is seen flowing through the fallopian tubes towards the ovary on both sides, it means that the tubes are patent.  However, if the results show that the tubes are blocked, the Physician would discuss further assessment.  It is best to always ask questions and be informed.

Dr. Afshin PourMirza, MD, PhD
Medical Director

Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Feto Maternal Medicine Specialist

www.fetalmedicine.ae

Feto Maternal and GenetYX Center