Father attending CS in the OR ?

[Xaran]

My hospital is making some changes regarding the location that we are performing C/S. We are looking at moving more of our C/S to the OR and the OR Team is concerned about allowing the father to attend the procedure. There has even been suggestion that the father must be TB tested to be allowed to attend.

I would appreciate any input from you regarding what your attendance practice is for fathers or immediate family members during a C/S if it is performed in the main OR?

Thanks in advance.

[Stefan Johansson]

In our hospital(-s), fathers are allowed into the actual operation theatre, and sit by the mother during the c-section, IF the mother is awake (no general anestesia).

Only during strict emergencies (delivery within a few minutes after the alarm is sent to the or/anestesia/neo-teams) the father is not in the room by the mother (general anestesia), then he waits in the resuscitation room with the neo team.

The father is almost always present during resuscitations, sitting in the background, with someone from the obsetr or neo staff by his side.

The father wears like a overall over his cloeths, regular shoe "protection over-shoes" and the usual OR cover over the hair.

[Larissa314]

We have 2 operating rooms dedicated for our OB department specifically for c-sections and any other surgeries the mothers would need (dilation & curretage, tubal ligation, hysterectomy, etc.). In all but the most rare (thankfully) super-emergency cases, we allow one support person to be at the side of the mother. I is usually the father. Whoever it is sits beside the mother's head out of the sterile field after putting on a gown, shoe covers, face mask and head cover. After the baby is born and initially stabilized we invite the support person to the radiant heat warmer we keep in the operating room for them to come see and welcome the baby, take photos or video of the baby, etc. The support person can then decide whether to stay with the mother or follow us taking the baby to the well-baby nursery or the NICU to see where the baby is going. The support person is taught that if they leave the operating room they will not be allowed to return but can return to the mother's room to wait for her there. The OB nurses take care of the post-operative needs of the mother in her room. We do not require any special testing of the support person, like TB testing, etc.

[Guest kalamazoo]

All of the hospitals I have worked in allow the father of baby or other support person attend a c-section as long as the mother is not having general anesthesia. They are required to scrub then put on coverings over their clothes (paper shirt,pants,booties,hair covers,mask). They sit at the mom's head, holding her hand and providing support. There is a sterile drape preventing him from seeing the abdomen, the baby is brought up and held so mom and dad can see the baby then handed off to infant care team. When baby stable, dad comes to warmer for photos,etc. If staffing allows & mom doing ok,dad may stay with baby and a nursery nurse does assessment of infant. The infant then goes with mom to recovery room where placed under warmer and nursery nurse stays to assess infant. When mom okay and feels like it she holds and nurses infant. When mom goes to her room, dad takes baby to nursery and gives 1st bath if infant stable. Infant remains in nursery for warming, then taken to mom after 1hr if stable. The infant remains with mom until discharge.