During general anaesthesia, your consciousness is temporarily disabled, making you insensitive to pain. Anaesthesia is usually administered through an IV but this can sometimes be done through a mask placed on your face. Upon arrival in the operating room, the necessary monitoring equipment is attached so the anaesthesiologist can monitor your blood pressure, breathing and heart function during surgery. To ensure that oxygen delivery is not compromised, a tube may be inserted into your trachea.

Parents and resident children are always welcome and may enter the room where the baby lays, provided the following guidelines:

• Children up to 12 years of age must always wear a mouth mask (avoid spread of chickenpox ).
• Do parents or children have cold symptoms? A mouth mask is required or ideally the visit is postponed. 
• Children are not allowed to hold the baby. 

Grandparents are welcome every day between: 16:00h - 16:30h or 19:00h - 19.30h and may enter the room where the baby lies if they respect the following guidelines:

• A maximum of 2 grandparents may visit per day, only on the day of birth an exception can be made and two grandparent pairs may visit (one pair at 16:00h  and another pair at 19:00h)
• Grandparents must always be accompanied by one or both parents of the baby.
• Grandparents are not allowed to hold the baby.
• Grandparents who have cold symptoms should postpone their visit to a later time.

When more than one baby is admitted in one room, arrangements will be made on the ward to ensure that no more than two visitors are present at the same time.

Further guidelines for everyone during the visit time at neonatology:

• Do not remove the baby from the heated crib or incubator unless in consultation with the midwife.
• Let the visit proceed calmly and as much as possible in silence so as not to disturb the baby's rest.
• Extra attention to general hygiene and hand hygiene is very important at the neonatology department.

With epidural anesthesia, a small tube (catheter) is inserted into the lower back through an epidural. The skin is first numbed locally. It is important that you sit as still as possible. The epidural creates a numb feeling in the lower part of your body, from the abdominal region to the legs, this requires you to stay in bed until delivery. You will still feel your belly getting hard and you will also feel when to push but you will not feel the pain of the contractions anymore. With a cesarean section, you can still feel the gynaecologist pulling on your abdomen but you won't feel any pain. The anesthesia does not affect breastfeeding.

The incision of the caesarean section needs time to heal. During your stay, the midwife checks the wound, cleans it and provides a bandage for you to shower with as soon as you are able. Depending on what type of sutures were used, you will be advised on how to remove them if necessary. Try to take short walks that do not overexert you. For the first six weeks after the caesarean section, it is recommended that you do not lift anything. You may, of course, carry your baby. 

In this video, Monique, one of our midwives, shows how to give your baby a bath as well as take care of the belly button.