Questions for those who've had a c section

canthardlywait426

Can we make this thread a Q & A thread pleeeeaaasseeee??? Any ladies with pending sections, ask away, and any ladies whove had them, plase answer.

1)How was the vaginal bleeding post c section? 

2)How long was YOUR recovery time?

3)How long before you were able to BF?

4)How many sutures in the belly?

 

lilmgirl

ooh!  Great thread, CHW   I'm wondering all that stuff too!

slwprincess

1)How was the vaginal bleeding post c section? 

Not terrible.  I used the giant hospital pads only for the first 2-3 days in the hospital and then switched to regular Stayfree pads and was fine.  It did continue at a much lighter flow for about 5 weeks which my doc said was on the longer side, but still "normal." 

2)How long was YOUR recovery time?

There were a few factors here.  I never went into labor so I was well rested when I went in.  DS ended up in the NICU which was hard to deal with, but the silver lining was that I had no choice but to rest A LOT.  I also HAD to get up to go see him throughout the day, which really helped speed my healing.  They discharged me after 4 days and then we roomed in with him in the NICU for an extra night and all went home at 5 days.  At that point, I was in pretty good shape and able to do stairs and everything.  Stay on top of your pain meds.  Don't stop taking them b/c you are worried about BF or whatever.  They are safe and very important to help you heal- they reduce inflammation. 

3)How long before you were able to BF?

We tried within 20 minutes of his birth.  As soon as they got us into the recovery room.  Our hospital is very pro-BF, so a lot of it depends on that.  He was having breathing problems though, so we were not successful until 2 days later after they had removed him from the oxygen. 

4)How many sutures in the belly?

All of mine were internal and dissolved on their own.  The outside incision was closed with glue.  It was awesome :-)  Also, my doc inserted this pain pump thing right under the surface of the skin.  It was kind of annoying and cumbersome b/c I had to carry it around with me, but it really did help a ton with pain management.  It delivered a steady stream of novacaine to the incision site so I didn't feel it at all while I was in the hospital.  I need to ask her if she's going to use that thing again this time. 

 

MamaStef0810

1)How was the vaginal bleeding post c section? Super minimal, probably about 4-6 days worth and nothing heavy after leaving the hospital. I actually was concerned that there wasn't more but the nurse said that you actually bleed way less with a c/s.

2)How long was YOUR recovery time? We took DS to the mall when he was 6 days old and to the zoo when he was 10 days old. I was back to feeling like myself pretty much about day 10.

3)How long before you were able to BF? After the c/s? 10 minutes, maybe? The nurse brought him right to me after I was moved to my room.

4)How many sutures in the belly? IDK, it was the closed suture, no staples or visible stitches. Everything healed great. It probably took about a full year before all of the nerves healed.

I am having a repeat c-section this time and I understand that everyone heals differently and will recover at different rates but I can honestly say that I had an enjoyable experience. It does hurt, but the pain is temporary and does get better with time. You'll do great. Try not to stress about it too much or get anxious. The outcome of any birth is wonderful. How exciting for you!

 

LovesMM

I asked my sister and she's giving me her answers now. Let me preface it by saying it was an E C-Section and she has Stage 4 Edometriosis. They put her on BC Pills at 2weeks PP which could have attributed to the lenght of bleeding PP.

1) 6-7 weeks

2) I was up and walking around good about a week and half after surgery

3)the next day i started breastfeeding (delayed due to Emma not keeping her body temp)

4)how every many it took to sew up a 4-6 inch incision...you won't be bending down to count anyway and expect numbness it won't go away anytime soon

 

For the first few days after the c-section you may feel a burning sensation it feels like your skin is on fire and it hurts...but its normal

 

LittleDucky

Thanks for posting this!  At this point I don't have any reason to think I'll end up with a c/s, but it is good to have the information just in case!

MrsD_111106

1)How was the vaginal bleeding post c section?

Not too bad.  I still had the clots like you would have with a vaginal birth, maybe because I went into labor before my section.  I used the hospital pads only while I was there and switched to heavy flow pads for a couple of weeks.

2)How long was YOUR recovery time?

I think it was just a few weeks before I felt pretty solid.  I will say that it's easy to overdue it the first week because you feel pretty good.  By the evening, you're sore and possibly bleeding more than before.  So take it easy, take your pain meds, and REST!!

3)How long before you were able to BF?

I was able to BF while I was in recovery, immediately after I was all stitched up.

4)How many sutures in the belly?

I've got no idea.  I had dissolvable ones internally and staples on the outside while at the hospital.  Before I was discharged (4 days after being admitted), they removed the staples and put steri-strips.

rainydayluck

1)How was the vaginal bleeding post c section? I bled for about a week then it stopped for like a week then started up again recently. It has been tapering off again though. 2)How long was YOUR recovery time?I didn't really take much percocet in the hospital and got by fine with ibuprofen.  At home I was slow with the stairs and if I moved too much I was sore. It took about two weeks before I started feeling good to take walks with the stroller and shopping, do chores, etc. This week, I feel great, it just hurts my incision when I wear normal pants that push against it and I walk a lot when wearing them.3)How long before you were able to BF?I chose to FF, but, I had my c-section on a Sunday and Wednesday night my milk came in full force. 4)How many sutures in the belly? I am not sure of the number, my sutures were internal and I had surgical tape on the outside and it was removed 10 days after.  Overall, I am very happy with my c-section and recovery We hosted Thanksgiving and I felt great. The first week was the hardest. 

canthardlywait426

Thanks so much ladies! I posted this on 0-3 board also!

babyonthebrain2010

this is interesting, helpful and terrifying all at the same time.

slwprincess

babyonthebrain2010:

this is interesting, helpful and terrifying all at the same time.

Haha funny thing is, it really didn't seem bad to me at all. Dh and I agree that vaginal seems like it would be way worse! It's all about perspective I think!

Jb&Jb

1.) 6 weeks

2.) 6 months.  I'm not exaggerating either.  My last post op follow up visit was in June after a December delivery.  My wound got an infection after delivery and after a long period dealing with that, my body started treating an old dissolvable stitch that never dissolved like an infection.

3.) I was in recovery a LONG time.  I had gone to the hospital the night before and sent home after staying there most the evening with no sleep and a shot of stadol before I went home.  Went back the next night and was awake all night again and delivered at 7 am.  Needless to say, I was so delirious in recovery and in so much pain that everytime they asked me if I was still in a lot of pain, I replied yes, which resulted in me getting more morphine shots.  Had I realized that replying yes was keeping me there longer, I would have shut up!  At the rate I was going, I was never going to be able to move my legs to get out of there. I'd say at least 3 hours. I pretty much BFed as soon as I got to the mother/babyroom and was able to kick family out  and get an LC in there.  I didn't want to go it alone!

4.)  I have no idea.  I had sutures and glue.  A-hole doc told me after all my problems that I should get staples next time.   Needless to say, I have a new doctor and a VBAC planned.