FTM so scared of a C after looking it up

togmama

I know, I know, never Google things but I couldn't help myself, as at 32 weeks baby is breech and everyone is confident it will be a C baby. Well, now I am terrified for the pain after and nauseous, that is major surgery! All I keep reading on here is horror stories!

clynn121

I'm a FTM, 21 and have a c section scheduled for later this week.. Baby is measuring pretty big so they won't even let me attempt a vaginal birth. I too am nervous but I talked to two family members who have had c sections done in recent years, one just last October, and they said they loved it. They said that you won't feel a thing besides a little pressure, and that recovery is not nearly as bad as everyone says. I'll let you know if I believe that after I have mine! Good luck to you and hopefully for your sake little babes decides to switch positions 

RachieTK

My son was a c section. It was major surgery but easy recovery. I was in heels at his Bris a week out, and took no pain meds once the initial dose they gave me in the recovery room wore off.

jessjuhnke

I just had a c section for a breech baby 6 weeks ago and I agree with PP, while it is major surgery it wasn't that bad for me either. I was up and mobile fast and I'm working out again now with no pain or discomfort. 
I was also able to hold baby in operating room as well as breastfeed right away and do skin to skin. 

DiFazette

OP - I had an emergency cesarian.  I was cut from hip to hip (large incision) and our lives were in danger so there was a little less 'finesse' used in my situation.  I had a slew of issues that resulted in my emergency c section, so I was on the more severe side of recovery.   Yeah, it's painful, but so is vaginal delivery.  Having a baby will not be pain free, regardless of your delivery method.  Don't let the stories scare you.  You will feel nothing but pressure and you'll be sore for a few weeks.  Life goes back to normal very quickly.  Make sure you plan on having someone around to help you lift/carry heavy things and drive you (I wasn't cleared to drive for 4 weeks, but I was a high stroke risk).  Everything will be okay.  Good luck!

SLGILL1978

You'll be in pain regardless if you have a c section or a vaginal delivery. Mine was a very smooth process. I wasn't a mommy martyr and I took pain meds until around the 5-6 week mark. Everyone's body is different. 

andreaAL11

DD was breech from 28 weeks on, and was actually stuck in her position so I had to have a scheduled c section. Tbh the process was not as bad as the make it seem. They take great care of you and you barely feel the epidural. you'll feel tugging on your lower half and then it'll be over quick! You'll be so drugged up that the time they take stitching you back up seems like nothing. 

Remeber there are are more horror stories than normal stories on the Internet, so don't let that discourage you and scare you too much!! 
My my husband was probably more scared for me than I was.

Youre right, it is a major surgery, which there are always risks, but  Keep calm and read through the process to know what to expect. Don't keep reading horror stories! 

SmallyMcSmall

Hi FTM here to a 2 week old boy. I just had a scheduled c section on March 5th (1 day after estimated due date) due to baby turning breech in the last two weeks of pregnancy. We only found out he flipped the day before and I got scheduled so fast but knew it was better than going into labor spontaneously and finding out after hours of agony.

when the procedure is scheduled it's a lot less stressful. The whole process was painless except the discomfort of getting the spinal done. There will be a LOT of pressure and tugging. At one point I remember feeling nauseous from the spinal but it passed after ten minutes or so, and also had a fleeting feeling of huge weight on my chest but other than that everything went so well. I did end up throwing up a few times afterwards in recovery because of the spinal and hardcore pain medication but that passed relatively fast as well, and I hear vaginal deliveries can also induce vomiting as well.

 After only 11 hours I was able to get up and walk the four or so feet to a chair in my recovery room. 

The night before the surgery, I remember breaking down in tears because having a c section was not what I wanted at all. Although I remained realistic throughout my pregnancy and knew there was always a chance for a c section if medically necessary, I was absolutely terrified and disappointed that my entire birth plan got shot to hell.

looking back now though, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared! Best of luck and fear not! The one benefit to being in a country with such a high rate for c sections is that doctors are so well versed in what to do and are best prepared for anything that happens in the OR.

PugsandKisses

I am about to have my 3rd C/S. It really is ok. A scheduled C/S tends to be a calm and happy surgery. You are awake and every one is talking about joking, this was my 2nd. My first was an emergent one. It  was not so calm and very tense.
My pain was minimal after both, and I was walking around with in a few hours.

doodleoodle

You are so lucky you know it's coming and can plan for it. I had an emergency c-section, I thought I was just going in for my 39 week checkup, and they made me go to the hospital right away! Things I wish I knew: Take it slow, accept help when it is offered, don't be afraid to ask for help either, stay ahead of the pain with your pain meds, make sure to get dressed and don't stay in bed all day. The procedure itself is a piece of cake. Don't worry. It'll be worth it. Promise.

MrsS2014

I am a FTM and had a c-section after a failed induction at 41.5 weeks. Honestly, the way they induced me (foley bulb) was worse than the surgery itself. As for the recovery, take pain meds as needed and hopefully someone can stay with you to help during the first few weeks. I felt pretty normal by 8 weeks, but I know others who felt fine much sooner.

rozANDbenSINCE2001

My baby was breech and I had a planned c-section, but baby decided to come a week early. I was nervous, but everyone was kind and calming. I got an epidural and then all of a sudden, it was just happening. My doctor and nurses talked us (DH was in the room, too) through it and it wasn't a bad experience at all. I was able to see my DD right after they cleaned her up. Recovery was strange...lots of involuntary shaking from the meds and it was so weird to not feel anything from the waist down, but I got up and started walking as soon as I could. Recovery at home took a few weeks, but again, I made sure to move around (gently) as soon as I could. As others have said, it's different for everyone, but I'm having another c-section for my second baby in October and I'm not nearly as nervous as I was for my first since my experience was very positive.

eivaska

Don't be scared!!! It is a routine surgery and is very calm. I'm 3 weeks out from my unplanned c-section and I'm feeling almost 100% now. I think recovery was really easy. Hopefully with it being planned you can arrange for someone to be home with you. No matter what just remember your LO will be here! 

Disneygeek77

I have had four c-sections and they were ok.  Not easy or great, but not horrible either.  Just ok.

I didn't have any pain during hte procedue, some pressure but no pain.  The recovery was also just ok.  I had some a little bit of pain when I got out of bed, but it was tolerable and I was also able to walk.  Within a week the pain subsided to tenderness and then to nothing.  

I mean childbirth isn't easy and everyone will have different experiences.  I have heard horror stories about vaginal births as well.  

lp33l

my baby was breech from 28 weeks right to the end and I had a c section. My first was a vaginal birth so I was scared of the c but it was absolutely fine. I had a spinal and actually didn't feel the expected tugging. I was surprised when the surgeon said the baby was out! My section was emergency as my water broke early. The recovery takes longer but as long as you rest up and keep taking the meds you'll be great. Good luck!

mooncusp22

DD was breech at 20 weeks +. I had never broken a bone, had a surgery, or even had stitches. I was terrified, I remember crying in the bathroom by myself before they wheeled me in. All you feel is pressure and it really happened very quickly- and you are so focused on waiting to see your baby you forget about everything else! The most uncomfortable thing for me was when they numb you from the waist down, I got a claustopibic feel when I couldn't move my legs. Post surgery, I rested as much a possible. Made sure to do my walking laps around the hospital (totally helps with recovery even though its the last thing you want to do).

I did throw up a few hours after surgery. I was soooo dying of thirst, that even though they told me I couldn't still, but could have ice chips. I let the chips melt to drink the water and that made me sick.

glitzandglam

I've had 3 c's and expecting another in September for what is my last pregnancy.  They were not what I wanted, but necessary due to breech presentation. 2 were planned, 1 was emergent and it was literally out of a nightmare. I'm not going to go into the gory details, there are enough stories on the Internet to scare you and you really don't need the stress.

What I will say is that every woman is unique and experiences pain differently. Prepare for your situation at home as much as possible (freeze precooked meals, accept offers for help, etc) and generally take it easy so you can rest, recover and bond with your sweet baby.

To help prevent problems that can occur with scar tissue (which can develop later on and cause pain/issues), ask the hospital for a real compression band/panty, or buy one yourself. Wear it constantly to help heal your muscles. Look up the Tuppler technique for exercises that specifically address healing stomachs.

I wish you the best of luck and I'm sure your recovery will be a smooth one! 

babymama619

I was terrified of having a C, especially the recovery b/c I'm single and couldn't imagine recovering and caring for baby. It was actually a breeze as far as these things go. My practice "cleaned everything out" so I left the hospital with a panty liner and was done with that in a few days. No pain when peeing and pooping was fine since I ate prunes as soon as allowed after giving birth. Lots of people I know who has Cs said it was not as big of a deal as people think is and I'd be ok if I had one, and they were right. Of course any major surgery has risks, and it was uncomfortable, but my friend who delivered vaginally sound like it was much worse actually, 

foxaírt

Honestly c section is one of my major fears like they terrify me . More than so many other things even before being pregnant before looking at kids as a possibility they terrified me . Not the pain the healing all that .as birth any way you look at it has so ouchy  messyness.  The general 'disembowelment' idea of it the taking away of your control strapping you in cover you up and play slice n dice ... 
The Permiant muscle damage and layers of scarring the healing time and mobility infringement 

Obviously my logical mind knows better and its a wide spread practice .but I'm sure part of me has hesitated having kids for this risk factor . I have anxiety attacks thinking about it . I have no idea how I would cope if I end up having to have one . It freaks me out so much I'm also not comfortable with the idea of a sedative to make me more manageable it is yet another loss of control 

I know it isn't the case at all but I worry I'll feel so much less for it also and disconnected to the baby . I already have an overshadowing inadequacy complex and a very real disconnected feeling towards being a mum like I can't seem to see it or imagine myself a mum 

None of it helped since I know more c section kids than natural birth ones 

SouthernMama15

foxaírt said:

Honestly c section is one of my major fears like they terrify me . More than so many other things even before being pregnant before looking at kids as a possibility they terrified me . Not the pain the healing all that .as birth any way you look at it has so ouchy  messyness.  The general 'disembowelment' idea of it the taking away of your control strapping you in cover you up and play slice n dice ... 
The Permiant muscle damage and layers of scarring the healing time and mobility infringement 

Obviously my logical mind knows better and its a wide spread practice .but I'm sure part of me has hesitated having kids for this risk factor . I have anxiety attacks thinking about it . I have no idea how I would cope if I end up having to have one . It freaks me out so much I'm also not comfortable with the idea of a sedative to make me more manageable it is yet another loss of control 

I know it isn't the case at all but I worry I'll feel so much less for it also and disconnected to the baby . I already have an overshadowing inadequacy complex and a very real disconnected feeling towards being a mum like I can't seem to see it or imagine myself a mum 

None of it helped since I know more c section kids than natural birth ones 

I wasn't strapped in. I could move my arms freely throughout the procedure. It's not slice and dice, it's actually quite precise. My son was out 2 minutes after the incision was made. I could hear everything the doctor was saying and I knew everything that was happening. I was up and walking the next day. Was I sore? Sure. But so are people who have vaginal births.