3 C/S here, though I'm not sure I'm the one you want to look at for good stories.
1st was breech and wedged in, so it was a planned cesarean. Anesthesiologist gave me a drug from a family I'm allergic to, even after my OB told him not to. I started to have a panic attack as part of the reaction; they put me under general, and had to work super quickly to get DS1 out before the drug got to him. They were working so fast and he was wedged so far in my pelvis that they cut his tush when they made the incision and he needed 2 stitches (which my husband didn't tell me until waaaaaaaay later). Morphine and Percocet made my recovery longer and worse I think. I skipped the morphine with the next 2 and felt better for it. I struggled a lot with this delivery since I was unconscious and "missed it" I was worried I wouldn't be able to bond with my son. That fear was entirely unfounded. My DS1 is amazing and we were able to bond just fine.
2nd was not exactly an emergency C, but not planned. I went into PTL at 24 weeks but we were able to hold it off until 35w6. On call OB decided to deliver because they couldn't stop dialation. My uterus had been really thinned/weakened from 11 weeks of contractions. While I was on the operating table, it started to rupture on the scar line from my previous cesarean. Im thankful I was already prepped and on the table or DD and I could have died right then; or I could have lost my uterus. Doc was able to pull up a double layer of uterine tissue to suture the new scar line.
**TW. Loss** I can't talk much to the recover for this one. My DD unexpectedly passed away 28 hours later in the NICU and I have so much trauma from that time that I don't remember much about my physical recovery.**
3rd also wasn't super planned. Went into PTL at 22 weeks but we managed with drugs and bed rest. Not to be stopped from an early out, DS2 double wrapped the cord around his neck and his heart rate began to drop. Since my placenta calcifies early, the docs worried a clot would break off and he'd be stillborn. I went into the hospital for continuous monitoring and more steroids, but they delivered him the next day because his HR kept dropping (at 35w2d). Cesarean went well, but the spinal didn't fully take so I could still feel my upper abdomen (and thus all of the uterine clearing after birth which is a strange sensation of being punched in the stomach repeatedly from the inside). That was probably my easiest physical recovery since I spent so much time walking back and forth to the NICU. I only took ibuprofen and I think that helped too; since I only managed my pain instead of eliminating it, I knew when I was overtaxing myself and was able to pace myself better.
I know I'm not a candidate for a VBa3C+rupture, so this will be a cesarean for me as well. My biggest goals for this one will be: (1) Healthy baby (ideally who doesn't need a NICU stay, but I'll take whatever keeps baby healthy) (2) Full term delivery would be amazing (3) If I'm on the subject of wishes, since this will be my last, I hope this scar doesn't keloid as badly as the last ones have.
The other thing to be aware of (for any RCS moms) is that with an anterior placenta placement, it's possible a hysterectomy will be required as part of delivery. If the placenta embeds in the cesarean scar tissue, the risk shoots up. We should know at the anatomy scan where the placenta has attached, and be able to plan accordingly. My OB places the risk at about 5%.
Re: How was your second birth experience?
1st was breech and wedged in, so it was a planned cesarean. Anesthesiologist gave me a drug from a family I'm allergic to, even after my OB told him not to. I started to have a panic attack as part of the reaction; they put me under general, and had to work super quickly to get DS1 out before the drug got to him. They were working so fast and he was wedged so far in my pelvis that they cut his tush when they made the incision and he needed 2 stitches (which my husband didn't tell me until waaaaaaaay later). Morphine and Percocet made my recovery longer and worse I think. I skipped the morphine with the next 2 and felt better for it. I struggled a lot with this delivery since I was unconscious and "missed it" I was worried I wouldn't be able to bond with my son. That fear was entirely unfounded. My DS1 is amazing and we were able to bond just fine.
2nd was not exactly an emergency C, but not planned. I went into PTL at 24 weeks but we were able to hold it off until 35w6. On call OB decided to deliver because they couldn't stop dialation. My uterus had been really thinned/weakened from 11 weeks of contractions. While I was on the operating table, it started to rupture on the scar line from my previous cesarean. Im thankful I was already prepped and on the table or DD and I could have died right then; or I could have lost my uterus. Doc was able to pull up a double layer of uterine tissue to suture the new scar line.
**TW. Loss** I can't talk much to the recover for this one. My DD unexpectedly passed away 28 hours later in the NICU and I have so much trauma from that time that I don't remember much about my physical recovery.**
3rd also wasn't super planned. Went into PTL at 22 weeks but we managed with drugs and bed rest. Not to be stopped from an early out, DS2 double wrapped the cord around his neck and his heart rate began to drop. Since my placenta calcifies early, the docs worried a clot would break off and he'd be stillborn. I went into the hospital for continuous monitoring and more steroids, but they delivered him the next day because his HR kept dropping (at 35w2d). Cesarean went well, but the spinal didn't fully take so I could still feel my upper abdomen (and thus all of the uterine clearing after birth which is a strange sensation of being punched in the stomach repeatedly from the inside). That was probably my easiest physical recovery since I spent so much time walking back and forth to the NICU. I only took ibuprofen and I think that helped too; since I only managed my pain instead of eliminating it, I knew when I was overtaxing myself and was able to pace myself better.
I know I'm not a candidate for a VBa3C+rupture, so this will be a cesarean for me as well. My biggest goals for this one will be:
(1) Healthy baby (ideally who doesn't need a NICU stay, but I'll take whatever keeps baby healthy)
(2) Full term delivery would be amazing
(3) If I'm on the subject of wishes, since this will be my last, I hope this scar doesn't keloid as badly as the last ones have.
The other thing to be aware of (for any RCS moms) is that with an anterior placenta placement, it's possible a hysterectomy will be required as part of delivery. If the placenta embeds in the cesarean scar tissue, the risk shoots up. We should know at the anatomy scan where the placenta has attached, and be able to plan accordingly. My OB places the risk at about 5%.
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015