please tell me all about your c section! :)

GretchenlovesMichael · March 2009

it looks like a c/s is unavoidable for me at this point. my dr will deliver vaginally if baby A is vertex (he doesn't care what B is doing) but unfortunately baby A, our little troublemaker man, is very breech, sitting on my cervix where he has been for many weeks. he is very unlikely to turn, and so we are planning on a c/s. (i am bummed for sure but what can you do.)

so, how was your c/s? anything you can tell me would be much appreciated. like what form of anesthetic did you have, how long was the c/s? how long to stitch you up? staples or just stitches? for how long did you see the babies? etc. etc.

thanks so much

ancjph · March 2009

My c/s was very quick, my water broke so they hurried when they found I was 5cm already. They gave me so many good drugs before and after. I'm luck I remembered my name. I got to see the babies like an hour later, for very quickly. I got to go back later that night to spend alittle more time with them.

pea-kay · March 2009

i have my birth story here, but i don't remember how detailed it is. it wasn't that bad. i mean, the first couple of days were pretty damn painful, but it got better fast. (i was also bedridden the first 24 hours due to pre-eclampsia, so i'm sure that didn't help.) due to the pre-e, i didn't get to see them until they were about 26 hours old, but i doubt that will be the case for you.

i had a few stitches, i think. i don't really remember. my doctor removed them before i was discharged, and the internal ones dissolved. i had a spinal.

hope that is somewhat useful.

JustaKidAtHeart · March 2009

the whole story is in my blog but here is the short one. I was preped at 9. got an epi at 10. babies born at 1030. 11 in recovery. out of recovery at 1230. I got staples outside and stitches inside. I only got to see the babies for a sec before they were taken for observation (even with apgars of 8/9). Owen was observed 4 hrs then all mine Ethan almost 24 hrs. Pain was bad day 1, day 2 was a little worse. Day 3 I was off all pain meds and feeling great.

mrscalkins · March 2009

I had dreaded the idea of a c-section, but wound up having one after 22 hours of labor. And honestly, it went great. I already had my epidural in place, so it was ramped up for the surgery. I think it was all over in 30 mintues or less, from prep in the OR to being stitched. A little bit longer to clean me up then back to my room. I had all internal stitching, with surgical glue holding the outside together.

They brought the babies over to me during the surgery for me to see them and I could have held them but I had a reaction to the anesthetic and was shaking so I was nervous to hold them until that passed. So because of that, it was about 2-3 hours before I had them in the room with me/could hold them. I was up and moving around 24 hours after the surgery, by the time I went home (surg tues am, home fri am) I was able to move around easily, but with pain meds. Done with all pain pills by ~3 weeks out. By that I mean not even taking otc pain meds. My scar is mostly faded and is VERY low, only DH and my dr will ever see it.

One thing to know, apparently it's common to get the shakes from the anesthesia, I didn't know that going into it and the anethes. told me about it later.

Runsalotbride · March 2009

Honestly.......it was easy. I was a little rough (sore) for a couple days after it but drugs helped. I had a spinal, I was wheeled in at 8 pm, kids were born at 8:45 and I was in recovery not to far after that. My scare is so small it's amazing they got two babies out of that. I saw the babies within minutes after they were born, my husband carried them to recovery and I was wheeled in right after them.

Here is my story

https://30plusmarriedwoman.blogspot.com/2008/07/day-my-miracles-arrived.html

kat&kevin · March 2009

I don't have much of a concept of time from that day because once they decided to do the c-section, things went fast. I think I was wheeled to the OR around 5 of 5:15pm. I had a spinal. Couldn't feel anything from my chest down and I kept telling people how wierd it felt.

Ben was born at 5:39 and Lexi and 5:40. They showed me both of them quickly after they were taken out before they got cleaned up. I think I was in recovery by a little after 6. Both babies came with me to recovery and then up to my room. They took them for a little while to give them a bath and observe them and then they came right back to me. We kept them in our room until about 11 that night. I had stitches on the inside and staples on the outside. The staples were taken out the day I got discharged and were replaced with steri strips that fell off pretty quickly. The first couple days were rough, but it got better quickly.

ImRonBurgundy? · March 2009

Mine was fine - smooth, uneventful, pain-free, and low drama. ?A scheduled C-section is very odd - you feel like you're going in to the hospital for a tooth extraction or something. ?I walked myself into the OR, they gave me a spinal at 2:00 p.m., put a catheter in after I was all numb, and by 2:31 and 2:32, our daughters were born. ?Never felt a thing or experienced any weird complications. ?I was a little shaky after delivery (a weird side effect of the spinal), but never felt any pain until the next day, as they gave me morphine for 24 hours after delivery. ?The key is to get up and walk the halls like crazy the next day. ?I didn't walk as much as I should have, and ended up with this weird shoulder pain, which I was told was "referred gas pain." ?Strange. If you make sure the nurses keep bringing you the motrin + percoset every 4 hours, and then continue to take those when you get home, you should be good! ?We have a 2-story house and I took it easy the first few days on the stairs, but still didn't have much of a problem.

?I too was disappointed about the c-section - but in hindsight, I realized it was really the lowest-risk way to deliver breech babies, and we didn't have to worry about anything. ?

MNheidi · March 2009

I was induced but ended up w/ an emergency c/s. I actually had a great recovery w/ staples and very little pain. However, the immediate reaction to the spinal was not good. I reacted pretty bad. Throwing up for 24 hrs/and I didn't get out of bed for 24 hrs either. It wiped me out but by the time I left the hospital, like I said, I had a good recovery.

Boilergirl79 · March 2009

Mine was easy-breezy!! They gave me a spinal around 7:30 am (which I swear didn't wear off until later that night) and from the time the babies were born (7:54 and 7:55), I think I was wheeled back to my room around 8:30 ish. I saw my babies immediately (pictures were taken) and one came back to the room a few hours later---I have no concept of time because I was so drugged. The other twin had to go to the NICU due to pneumonia--he swallowed amnion fluid along with fluid from my body and got sick.

Anyway, I accepted any and all drugs the nurses offered the time I was there (Wed-Sun). I was up and walking the next day, though still very sore. I think it helped that I got up so soon just so my body was used to it and I think it helped overall with my quick recovery. I never had to fill any prescriptions when I got home---didn't need to, I was fine. My scar is still very visible though faded and both inside and outside stiches were dissolvable. Oh, and mine was a scheduled C/S.

Good luck!!!

Moonpie73 · March 2009

Here's my story: they decided to do the c-section because baby b's heartrate dropped around 3pm. By 3:10 I was in the OR and getting a spinal - it was pretty painful for me because I had back surgery and they had to go near the scar tissue. Baby A was delivered at 3:32pm and Baby B came out at 3:33pm. It took about 20 minutes after that for my doctor to sew me up (just a running stitch (disolvable)). I saw the babies right before they whisked them to the NICU and I headed to recovery.

I was there for a couple hours while they got the babies settled in the NICU. You go through the shakes and are pretty sleepy. On my way up to my room I was wheeled into the NICU so I could see the girls. I was probably there for about a 1/2 hour or so. I don't think I was able to see them again until the next morning but DH did.

gymrat · March 2009

For me it was fine. I had a spinal and that was what I was most afraid of. I barely felt the needle go in. The only thing that really bothered me was the morphine. It made me feel really sick. After I puked I told them to take me off the morphine and give me something else for pain. I ended up alternating with ibpruphen and percosets (sp?).

Honestly though, with my babies in the NICU I think I was so in shock that I barely felt the pain of surgery.

Oh and I got to see the babies about 12 hours after and I was off the pain meds completely within 10 days or less.

bunny731 · March 2009

I had a scheduled C. It was about as eventful as entering a hotel and checking in. We went to the room and got settled had the spinal and then they were out in 21/23 minutes respectively. I had a little pain (like strong mentrual cramps) while they were stitching me up. I only required Motrin after the original post-op drugs. I took home the prescription for the heavy stuff if I needed it.

The stiches were internal dissolvable and the scar is pretty small. I too have a two story house. I took it easy and recouped fast. I am in dream-land when it comes to labor and delivery; it was pretty simple.

Temp159135562506975 · March 2009

i haven't had mine yet obviously- but I am actually having an elective c/s with the twins- b/c my vag birth was so bad (tearing = horrible!).

and just wanted to say that i'm so happy you are still cooking those babies!!!!! The time is flying by (probably doesn't seem that way to you) but it feels like forever ago you were put on bed rest and all the worries of PTL, etc- and now they are 32w- that is great! keep cooking!

Tammy06 · March 2009

I got a spinal, it was Emergency due to Hellp and pre e, it is very cold in the room so beaware. The spinal isn't too bad and quick, all I felt was touch, no pain. I was scared b/c of 32 weeks along. I got to see each and give a yes and visit about 15 seconds. Then my husband carried them to the NICU. They stiched me up. I had recovery in my room.

Also they will allow you to have anxiety meds after the babies are out. I warn be careful b/c they warned if I got a lot I might not remember the delivery, so I got very little. Good luck, you will be sore at least a month! The worst is the first week and a half!

CMW · March 2009

Long story short, the c-section was the easiest part of the pregnancy! It was super fast and painless. I did get sick, but they gave me meds and I instantly felt better. I was up walking that night (c-section was at 9:00) and had the cath out the next morning. I had zero recovery problems, I felt about 80% for about a week and was up to 90% the week after that, 100% by two weeks after the c-sec.

PianoPlayingSarah · March 2009

The actual c-section itself was not that bad for me. I didn't feel anything and the doctors/nurses were great. My husband and I were able to see the girls - there were no emergencies. However, they had trouble placing the spinal, which I was expecting as it had happened before. It took them 3 times to get it in.

I had a horrible reaction to the morphine and every part of me that I could feel itched - including my eyes. They had to reverse the effects of it - it was so bad that I told them that I would rather be in pain then itch.

In addition, my doctor stitched some of my ab muscles back together when he sewed me up - which I think added to my pain. I started to feel that the next day.