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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
32 weeks here, with a question for C moms...
I am having a scheduled c-section and I am terrified. Could any of you ladies please shed some light on this subject for me? What's it really like - or at least, what was your experience? Don't sugar coat it please, tell it like it is - what can I really expect?
Thank you so much, in advance and congrats on your little one(s)!
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Re: 32 weeks here, with a question for C moms...
I had a scheduled c-section and it went so smoothly! No problems whatsoever. (I've also had an emergency section so I've experienced both....)
Sure, it's a little strange walking in but I had a great experience. I got a little bit of meds to make me calm for the spinal. (Didn't even feel the spinal going in.) Next thing I knew we were ready for baby!
Recovery wasn't bad.....Take your meds. Day of the section I stayed pretty numb all day. I was up moving around 24 hours after the c-section. As soon as you get your catheter out and the okay to move around...DO IT! Walking and moving about really helps with the soreness and speeds up the recovery process.
Day 3 was the worst...I was pretty sore and needed a little bit of help getting out of the bed but that was the worst of it.
GL!
All in all it was great for me. Unfortunatley, they were unable to get the spinal in on me and had to give me a general. My husband was not allowed in the room during the surgery like he would have been if I had been awake. He did get to hold her about 10 minutes or so after she was born and I got to see her about 10 minutes after that. I was very groggy and out of it that first day but I think that was moslty because of the pain meds.
I have more in my bio if you want to read it.
Good luck and see you here soon!
ive heard sometimes they will numb the area where you are going to get the spinal, so hopefully it wont hurt *as* bad going in...did you get anything like this? i am also having a scheduled C and i am terrified of the spinal.
My C was surprise. My water broke but I didn't dilate by the time I need to have DD. So we went for a C. The whole surgery thing wasn't as bad as I thought. When I went into the OR I was shaking like crazy it was from the meds and the life changing event (I was totally fine and the nurses talked to me and let me know that it was totally ok and normal for this). It went pretty fast. DD came out and then to DH and he brought her over to me. He accompanied her to the nursery while I went to recovery. When I was moved to my PP room the nurse bought DD in to nurse.
I will say this: get out of bed as soon as you can and walk (even if its just lap around the maternity ward). Also when you take a shower ? it will feel SOOO good. Ask for help when you need it.
I had 2 and they were totally different.
My first was after a 4 day failed induction, not emergency though. I walked in, got the spinal, I held DD right away, saw her getting weighed and cleaned and all that stuff, DH was even able to cut the cord and take pics of the actual c-section. I held her from the time they were sewing me up until forever. I had dermabond and steri strips. I vomited for 6-7 hours after starting in recovery. Was BFing in under an hour. I was up and felt 100% no meds after 1 week.
My second was scheduled the spinal was a little rough, took 3 tries and I still have some nerve pain on my left side, DD was engaged os they had to put a ton to get her out, I was screaming Dont Break My Ribs!, she was out in a flash and was pretty easy, I had staples this time. Same procedure with everything else as far as holding her. I was feeling great in recovery. I BF DD in recovery. I started vomiting 3 hours later for the next 24 hours I could not hold her or sit up or BF. The staples hurt with every movement, I got a UTI from the foley, had internal bruising from the stiches and was not able to walk right or stand for long for 3 weeks. I also have been suffering PPD this time.
Both times I had local for the spinal, the first did not hurt, the second did hurt because he kept missing and I had shooting nerve pain and my left leg kicked over and over.
Let me know if you have any questions. I hope I was honest and did not scare you!
Overall it is brief and easy and I will do it again.
Do not be terrified, I had unplanned non emergency c/s, if that makes any sense. To be honest I really don't remember all of the details of mine, I was just so excited to meet DS I didn't care anymore how he came out. I was walking around within 24 hours and felt decent after a week.
Honestly, I don't think it was bad at all. Of course, mine was not scheduled and after 3 hours of pushing, you probably could have cut me open without anestetic and I would have been ok.
. No really, it was fine. I was actually more worried about the epidural and that was a piece of cake too. I couldnt feel anything and the pressure from the pulling was not bad either (and DS was low). Once and a while I would feel something sharp (but not bad, just like a prick) and I would say "sharp, sharp, sharp" and the anestiegiolist would pump more drugs in me or something, it was great. I was actually in the OR for 3 hours because of some additional repair the doctor had to do due to a rip in my cervix and still I did not think it was that bad. DS says I even fell asleep for some of it also (because it was so long for me) and so I guess if i fell asleep then it could not have been that bad ;-).
I must say that I'll probably be a little more nervous for my next delivery because it will be a scheduled Csection. Not because this experience was bad, but because you are more aware and alert and in less initial pain then I was for the unscheuled Csection. Unscheduled there was no time to think and I was in so much pain from pushing it was actually a relief to have the doctor say we were off to the OR.
And, I have friends who had natural birth and they thought i was lucky, so who knows. My recovery was not bad either. I was up walking around the next day and it only hurt to laugh and sneeze :-).
Try to relax and don't worry. The doctors know what they are doing and they will do everything they can to make you comfortable. Just don't be afraid to say something if you need to.
I had a planned section just over 2 weeks ago...and to be honest, I feel great. I think there is a big difference between a planned section and an unplanned one. I got to the hospital 2 hours before the surgery and they took blood and monitored me and the baby. We eventually went down to the OR for me to get prepped. This is when DH went to get changed. He was allowed back in the OR when i was fully prepped. I had a spinal, which i had preprared myself for it to be horrible. It was not so bad.....uncomfortable, and the the first shot (to numb the area) stung a bit, but overall, it was bearable. After that, it felt like pins and needles were working their way up my body. I felt nothing during the procedure, just some minor pressure. When they actually pulled DD out, i felt my stomach drop, like on a roller coaster. next thing I knew she was getting cleaned up and I was getting closed up. I met her and DH in recovery about 20 minutes later. We were together the whole time from then on.
During the rest of that day I had a catheter in and nurses came hourly to clean me up and check my vitals. They had me moving slightly in the first few hours (like raising my hips to change the chux pad). That evening, they had me sit up with my legs over the side of the bed for about an hour. Around midnight they had me lay on my side for 2 hours. Then we did the other side for 2 hours. This was more uncomfortable than anything because the hip you lay on gets sore! By morning, the catheter was out, the compression leg cuffs were off, and i was allowed to get up and move around. i was tender but all the movement from the day before helped. I was home 48 hours after the delivery. I took the prescription motrin regularly for about 5 days, but did not need the more powerful pain meds. Within a week i was moving around like normal, if somewhat gingerly.
Everyone has different experiences, but mine was really a good one, hopefully yours will be too! A few weeks before the section I asked my doctor for a play by play of how things were going to happen. it made me feel better knowing what to expect..and luckily things went as planned. Ask your doctor how things work at your hospital, all are very different.
oh i know how you feel, i was the same way leading up to my c/s.
On "birth stories" page, look at "Allysons birth story",.. that was my experience
In a nutshell... walked into L&D, got into gown, they gave me IV which ballooned my arm, so they had to get anesthesiologist (sp?!) to find a vein (i was so nervous and dehydrated b/c if i drank anything, i knew it was coming back out somewhere). he was nice,numbed the area before the IV.
he numbed with a shot before getting Epi as well, which was no big deal at all. I was only slightly numbed with the Epi, and got catheter put in which i didn't feel at all.
Now i did almost pass out with Epi medicine, hat to durn me on my side to get BP back up, and i was fine.
Went in to OR (they wheeled me in) and let the fun begin! DH came in after they got me all set on the table, leg compression things on, strapped in, Epi medicine put in, and cloth drape up.
I felt nothing. They said "lots of pressure" which i felt some pressure, but not as much as i honestly thought i was going to. I felt her kicking still when they were about to bring her out, which was odd!
DH went over to the warmer with DD as they did vitals and cleaned her up, then went up to the nursery with her to give her her first bath while i got sewn and stapled up
After Allyson was born, went to recovery for an hour, then to my room
had catheter in for 24 hours, didn't feel a thing when they took it out. Then i had to pee, so of course i HAD to get up. THey took the leg compression things off as well. Hooked up morphine to me while in recovery, and still on IV drip from time i was admitted until after catheter was taken out.
That is THE WORST pain i've ever felt...though never had a vaginal delivery so don't know lol. I was shaking from the pain. Then yep, almost passed out again on the toilet from blood loss...whoo hoo!
Take the meds!!! Pain subsided about a weekish to 2 weeks pp. Still feel some tenderness, but no meds needed
You'll be fine. I was so freakin nervous i never slept that night, and i have IBS so was worried that'd kick in. All went well
Just think, very soon you'll be holding your baby!!!! How wonderful! For me, the c-section itself was not bad at all. All I felt was a little tugging, and then out came our beautiful baby! Mine wasn't planned, and it wasn't an emergency. It felt so fast, like the baby came out ten minutes after we decided on the c-section. The parts I didn't like about the surgery (and these were so minor) were the shivering right after the drug was administered (it stopped once I got into the operating room), DH not being there while they were prepping me and worrying that it would all happen without him, feeling so weak from the drugs that I was afraid I'd drop the baby when they asked if I wanted to hold him (but of course they were there to help), and not being with him for his first bath because I was in the recovery room (but I thought it was a great opportunity for DH to have this special time with him, and I was really groggy anyway all I wanted to do was close my eyes and then when I woke up the baby was there ready to be nursed for the first time). The recovery, on the other hand, was rough. I was stuck in bed hooked up to an IV the first day or so and in pain. If you're planning to breastfeed, bring along your nursing pillow. I didn't, and having the baby in some positions hurt my incision site. I was in pain and on painkillers for 2 weeks post partum and thought the pain would never go away. It was really hard to be sleep deprived AND try to recover from surgery. But it all got so much better with time. With the doctor's okay, I started exercising again 6 weeks post partum and felt fine (just out of shape). You will get through it!!! Good luck!
At 34 weeks I found out my son was breech and I was SO SO devastated that I felt sick. I was planning to have a non medicated vaginal birth. My biggest fear of pregnancy was having to have a c section. Im the biggest baby EVER. I was scared in every aspect and honestly it was so easy and went extremely smoothly that I'd rather have another one next time.
The worst part is the anticipation and freaking yourself out so as hard as it is try and relax. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it was. The spinal was strange but really didn't hurt and the recovery wasn't bad (just start moving around as soon as they say you can). It does feel a bit strang when they are taking the baby out though, the best way to describe it is it feels like pressure almost like when your at the dentist and numb but can still feel them digging around. think of it as a good thing your baby will be out in a matter of minutes from the time they cut and you don't have to be in labor for hours an potentially have to have an emergency c/s I know plenty of ppl that had that happen. Goodluck and try and enjoy it bc I look back and enjoyed every minute of it.
I had a scheduled c/s and it went sooo smoothly. We found out the day before and I was terrified the rest of that day and night. I didn't sleep at all. But it went so well. They gave me lanicane (sp?) I think, something like that, to numb the area before giving me my spinal. So I felt the little prick from that, and then didn't feel anything else. Super easy. Once they got me all prepped, dh came in to sit by me and hold my hand. The anesthesiologist (again, sp?) sat behind me telling me everything that was going on. She answered my questions and helped to keep me calm and made sure I was feeling okay. The nurses and dr. were great at telling me what was happening and when they got dd out I heard them all gasp and say "Look at her hair!!! OMG, she's got the chubbiest cheeks!!!!" Then they brought her around so we could see her and watch them clean her up.
It went great and I wouldn't change a thing. The thing that amazed me is how quick it was. The dr. walked in the OR at 12:10 and dd was delivered at 12:18.
Definitely get up and around as soon as they'll let you. It helped me a lot. While you're still in the hospital, don't be afraid to tell the nurses when your meds start to wear off. Let them know as soon as you start to feel uncomfortable. Take your meds once you get home and don't overdo it!! I totally overdid it my first few days at home and paid for it. So take it easy as much as possible. GL!!
I can't wait to read all these posts, but to be perfectly honest, even though they are most great experiences, I am actually getting woosy reading...God, I hope I can calm down, even just a little. I am trying to focus on the positives, but I am just.so.scared.
You guys are really comforting and I really can't thnak you enough!