FTM and C-section, need advice

MarnieMS

Found out today I will be having a C-Section due to LO being breech.  My plan all along was to have as natural of a birth as possible, and now that is out the window. 

Feeling lost and overwhelmed. And being in a state of shock I didnt ask many questions at the Drs.

 

Any advice at all would be appreciated.  

Uiowachick01

If I was in your position I would wait and see what happens.  Baby may turn before your EDD.  If your ticker is right, you have a few more weeks.  I'd explain how you feel to your provider and go from there.  GL mama! 

JG362009

 I had a successful version at 38 weeks -- I would ask your doctor if that's an option.  I ended up having a c-section anyway and I had a really bad experience so I'm not going to comment further because I notice I'm just super negative about things and I don't want to ruin anyone else's birth experience.  Best wishes for a great delivery and speedy recovery  

beachbum28

I had a c-section with DS...after a very long labor that didn't progress after 7 cm...I was all natural no drugs...So when I had the spinal it felt really weird...and I was numb from the boobs down!! That was what freaked me out the most...the surgery wasn't that bad...and recovery was painful but the pain meds help.  Seeing your baby and holding your baby makes the pain go away!  It can't be that bad...I'm having a RCS in May!

irish4jan1

I'm in the same boat as you. 37 and a half weeks along, I'm going in tomorrow for a 2nd attempt at a version (fingers crossed). I had to schedule a c- section for 40 weeks and I hope he turns before then. I recommend trying the version and anything else you can. Good luck to you!

Telephone26

My daughter was breech. I didn't do the version due to the risks, but tried acupuncture and other home remedies. She never did flip and based on her positioning, the dr said she had no room and probably would have never flipped.my c section experience wasn't bad at all. I have been walking since 1 week pp, and I never took anything stronger than Tylenol after hospital discharge. It was not my ideal birth, but it worked out fine. 

jb2rn

www.spinningbabies.com

 I personally would try anything before heading right to c section. I also wanted a natural birth, so I understand the emotinal loss.

If baby does not or can not be turned, then at least you are emotionally prepared in advance. Mine was unplanned and very difficult to deal with.

Make sure you have a supportive partner that understands he will need to do laundry, shopping and cooking the first two weeks or so. Get help from family if they live nearby.

mlf625

It's possible to have a really great c/s!  A lot of women do.  I loved my c/s experiences and have no regrets about not having vaginal births.  The recoveries were really no worse than those of my friends who birthed vaginally, and I was back to normal activities by 2-3 weeks out.  

I think the key is to get up and walk as soon as they'll let you, and to stay on top of your pain with the meds they offer.

harmonicbabe26

This is why I am glad that I got my first warning at 33 weeks... baby was still head up and we kept watching her and tried a version (unsuccessful)...

But I had enough time to talk to a ton of people, ask friends who had c/s's about their experience, research it online (as in read medical info, not try to get people's horror stories on message boards) and ask the midwife a lot of questions in our prenatal class.

I feel much better about that now and I would highly recommend you do objective research, ask people you know personally and  talk to medical staff.

Not putting anybody down, but don't always rely on opinions of people on these boards (yes you can ignore mine too) because there are so many people all over the place who freak out for no reason and act like anything other than anbsolute natural birth is a crime that you will end up hating yourself and yout birth experience, which when you think about it - if the baby is breech and you can't help it, you really don't have all that many choices...

KeyLime81

Hi there!

I'm also a FTM and just had a c-section in December.  I was induced at 40 wks, 2 days due to high BP...not quite pre-e, but getting there.  After 24 hours, I hadn't progressed past 4 cm, and LO's heartrate was dropping (not to dangerous levels, but enough to concern the nurses and my OB).

Honestly, I had a great experience.  Here are some tips that worked for me...

*Talk to friends and family who have had c-sections.  I didn't know ahead of time that I'd have a c-section, but afterwards, I was talking to a cousin who gave me a ton of recovery pointers (move around ASAP).

*Try to stay as positive as possible.  I was scared to have a c-section, but I chose to focus on how excited I was to meet LO instead.

*Think about how much you want to know about what's going on.  At my hospital the anesthesiologist sat near my head...I asked him to tell me what was going on, but not to give me too many medical details.  He was great, I felt like I was a part of what was going on.

*Ask what hospital procedure is for after the c-section.  My hospital doesn't have a separate recovery room...you just recover in your regular room.  They brought LO to me right away...he was born at 5:57pm, took a quick trip to the nursery with DH around 6:10, and I was nursing him before 6:30.  My OB explained this to me ahead of time so I knew exactly what to expect. 

*Just try to relax and enjoy.  Everyone at my c-section (my OB, nurses, pediatric dr and nurses) really wanted to make it a good experience for me and DH.  After LO was wiped off and swaddled, DH held him and I got to stroke his face/kiss him.  The pediatric staff was great during that time...they volunteered to take pictures for us, but they also knew when to step back and let us enjoy the moment as a family.

*And, I agree with PP...get up and walk as soon as possible, and stay on top of pain meds.  I had a great recovery, and I know those two things helped!

 

 

MarnieMS

Thank ladies. I am not going to have the dr try and flip him. He said there really isnt any room for him to flip at all. Today I am a lot better about the idea of a c section. I am just so excited that I will be meeting him soon!

+diana82+

KeyLime81:

Hi there!

I'm also a FTM and just had a c-section in December.  I was induced at 40 wks, 2 days due to high BP...not quite pre-e, but getting there.  After 24 hours, I hadn't progressed past 4 cm, and LO's heartrate was dropping (not to dangerous levels, but enough to concern the nurses and my OB).

Honestly, I had a great experience.  Here are some tips that worked for me...

*Talk to friends and family who have had c-sections.  I didn't know ahead of time that I'd have a c-section, but afterwards, I was talking to a cousin who gave me a ton of recovery pointers (move around ASAP).

*Try to stay as positive as possible.  I was scared to have a c-section, but I chose to focus on how excited I was to meet LO instead.

*Think about how much you want to know about what's going on.  At my hospital the anesthesiologist sat near my head...I asked him to tell me what was going on, but not to give me too many medical details.  He was great, I felt like I was a part of what was going on.

*Ask what hospital procedure is for after the c-section.  My hospital doesn't have a separate recovery room...you just recover in your regular room.  They brought LO to me right away...he was born at 5:57pm, took a quick trip to the nursery with DH around 6:10, and I was nursing him before 6:30.  My OB explained this to me ahead of time so I knew exactly what to expect. 

*Just try to relax and enjoy.  Everyone at my c-section (my OB, nurses, pediatric dr and nurses) really wanted to make it a good experience for me and DH.  After LO was wiped off and swaddled, DH held him and I got to stroke his face/kiss him.  The pediatric staff was great during that time...they volunteered to take pictures for us, but they also knew when to step back and let us enjoy the moment as a family.

*And, I agree with PP...get up and walk as soon as possible, and stay on top of pain meds.  I had a great recovery, and I know those two things helped!

 

 

I've had 2 c/s - ditto all of the above. GL!

LyssaPie

I found out that my son was breech at 36 weeks.  They wanted to schedule section right then but I said I would like to hold off and wait.  At 37 weeks he still hadn't budged so I went ahead and sceduled a c/s at 39 weeks, but was still not comfortable with that.  I could not do ECV because I had an anterior placenta so I went to a chiropractor who specializes in what's called the Webster technique, which is a technique specifically to open up the back and pelvis (to try to encourage a baby to flip on his/her own and to make labor easier.)  I was also doing exercises to help encourage him to flip (check out spinningbabies.com.)  I cancelled my c/s and rescheduled it to 40 weeks, because I just did not feel right choosing when he would come and I wanted to give him every chance he could get to flip.  The chiropractor did not work for me (although it has worked for many other people,) but it wasn't a bad experience either (in fact I wished I had gone sooner, because it helped alleviate some of the pain I was having in my hips/pelvis and it also helped me sleep better.)  

I ended up going into labor 2 days before the scheduled section and he hadn't flipped, but I felt so much better knowing that I gave him every opportunity and he came when he was ready.

Anyway, those might be some things you might want to look into.  While the c-section itself wasn't necessarily bad, I feel like I missed out on so much (I only got a quick "glimpse" of him about 15 minutes after he was born [although he did have some complications, so that might have been the reason,] and I didn't get to hold him for probably about an hour after the surgery.  My husband got the first bonding moments with him and that has been hard for me to get over.)  I was also in pain for more than 10 months on a pretty consistent basis (now I just get pain in the incision area during my period.)  So if c-section is the way to go, the advice given to you is good, but it doesn't hurt to try other means before resorting straight to surgery. 

manda26

I knew beforehand with DS (1st child also) I would need a c/s and I was a whirlwind of emotions. Just try to focus on the positive as much as possible... You're going to be a mom soon and finally meet that little baby of yours!

MarnieMS

manda26:

I knew beforehand with DS (1st child also) I would need a c/s and I was a whirlwind of emotions. Just try to focus on the positive as much as possible... You're going to be a mom soon and finally meet that little baby of yours!

I am trying to stay positive! I am nervous, but I am happy that I will meet my little man soon!!!! Just so many emotions going through my head!