What should I expect from a C-section?

Nelly Cat

This is the first time posting on this particular board. My doctor wants to schedule me for a Cesarian next week, and I am really nervous about it because I really don't know what to expect. When I had DS, I had a vag delivery, and well, now, because of this being a high-risk pregnancy, they want to do a cesarian. If you can please let me know what to expect during and after, that would be appreciated. 

RayRay007

If you don't know anything about it, you should ask your doctor. Do you want to know the step by step process? Do you want to know what they use to freeze you? Do you want to know if it hurts? Do you want to know if you get to see your baby right away? There are so many questions that could be answered, and a lot of the answers vary depending on the doctor, hospital, and your own particular circumstances.

I don't know the process for admissions/getting prepped b/c I had an emergency c/s, but they wheeled me into the OR, turned me on my side, asked me to pull my knees to my chest (ha!), inserted the spinal, laid me back, used an ice cube on my torso to determine how frozen I was, drapped my gown up over a bar to block my view, cut me open, pulled out the baby, took her to be assessed by the NICU team on the other side of the room, my MW brought her back to me, I bf'd while they sewed me up, they wheeled me to recovery, where they cleaned me up and waited for the spinal to wear off a bit, I itched like crazy from the morphine in the IV (oh yeah, you have an IV in the OR), DD got shots and eye goop in recovery while I held her. After I could wiggle my toes, I was moved to the ward. I hope that helps, but it may be very different for you.

darrahmccall

i went into labor water breaking and everything at 42 weeks. labored for 30 hours, pushed for FIVE. nothing was happening. docs decided to give me a c section.

 they gave me my epi while i had been laboring. they then decided to take me off my epi? becasue they had to give me something else for the c section, not quite sure why. but i was wheeled to the surgery room. hubby was asked to go get changed. i was alone with a doctor and anesteshiologst (spelling sorry!!) and like 5 or 6 nurses. they were all prepping their own things. i remember seeing the crib/bed with all the baby stuff ready. they then lifted me off the rolling bed onto the table to operate. they asked me if i could feel this. i said yes. they then said is this hot or cold, i said cold. then i heard my doctor say, well she cant make that up. so they lifted me up and put another shot in my back (didnt feel it at all) this numbed me up all the way to my neck. i felt like i couldnt breath. a nurs told me i was panicking. they then gave me an oxygen mask. hubby finally arrives and im like gasping for air telling him i cant breath. the anesteshiologist keeps telling him and i that i am breathing that i just cant feel it cus i am numb.

 so as i am freaking out, i hear a its a boy! i didnt feel a thing! i dont know if thats cus i was so numb or if i was so freaked out over breathing. but then all i remember is my hubby saying hes born baby hes here! then i remember them laying him on my chest, and i was scared cus my arms were so numb. i kept telling them to not put him there cus i couldnt hold him lol. they said he is fine. i remember i kept saying he doesnt look like i thought he would! then they took baby and hubby. they weeled me into a another room to moniter me. they put warm blankets all over my body, which felt good. they brougth in my baby and i nursed and help him. well i tried to nurse. it was hard for me to start. then they took him and wheeled me into another room later. i had a catheter in and fell asleep. they woke me up to feed my baby. they fed me pain pills. it isnt so bad, the recovery. i only took hald the pills, but i had to take them every 6 hours. and my advice, dont let them take the catheter out too soon, or before you can walk. cus if you cant walk to the potty, then they have to put it back in. ouchy.

 

my incision has healed amazing. i was back to running at 7 weeks. i wont lie, i was in pain, but it wasnt bad. i would get a little shaky, but once i took a pain pill it was fine. i was in pain for maybe 2 weeks. nursing i found was the hardes, just becasue they lay right on your incision. but you just make it work. also, bring underwhere thats higher up so it doesnt hit you on your scar. also, try to get help the first week, its hard to p/u baby at first.

 

but i did not feel then cut me at all!! i didnt even know baby was out of me!!!

Nelly Cat

Thank you for sharing your experience. That was more of what I was wondering as I didn't know what to expect. I am nervous still, but I guess, I'll just have to get over it, and will once I get to see my LO. Thank you again!

JAP09-02

I had a scheduled c-section last week and it was wonderful (well at least compared to my last one where I labored first). 

I had to show up 2 hours prior to the surgery, at which time I did admission paperwork, changed into my gown, and received the required fluids.

After that I was wheeled into the OR and got on the operating table.  Then my spinal was put in place.  I was terrified for this, but it was quick and painless.  I was then quickly laid down and was given an oxygen mask.   After that my catheter was placed, which was probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole procedure because the spinal hadn't traveled that far up yet, so I could feel it a bit.  After the spinal took complete effect they checked to make sure I couldn't feel anything before starting the operation. I was in the OR around 7:00am and DD was born at 7:17.  Everything was super fast.  I did feel quite a bit of pressure in my chest when they were getting her out.  After she was out they showed her to me and then took her over to the warmer to be checked over.  The OR I was in was awesome because they have a camera over the baby and a monitor for mom to see what is going on.  After she was given the ok, Daddy brought her over to me while they finished up.  Then it was on to recovery.

I actually carried DD with me into recovery and was able to BF her for the first time.  We were there for about 2 hours.  While in recovery DD was given a bath and checked over again by the Peds team.  I did have the shakes pretty bad, which is common after anesthesia. This is when my PCA pump was set up as well.  I ended up not being a great fan of the PCA because it had a really short duration of action, and I didn't want to push the button every 10 minutes, especially while I was trying to sleep. After recovery it was on to the maternity ward.  

I was able to advance my diet as tolerated, and was eating crackers by the afternoon.  I also was able to get up and walk around the room that evening, and was walking the halls on day 2.  The catheter, and all other IV lines, etc were gone about 24 hours after the section.  My pain on a scale of 1 to 10 was never above a 5, and after the second day was usually only a 2 or 3.  I was taking 600mg of IBU, and 1 Percocet 5/325 every 6 hours. Everything was great.  I wish my first experience would have been the same, oh well. 

GL! 

melissa721

Mine was unplanned, 3 weeks before my due date, and happened a few hours after a check up with my dr. I didn't have time to be nervous. I had time to pack my bags and head to the hospital. Had I time to worry, the anticipation probably would've been worse than the actual experience. 

It wasn't bad at all. Yes it's a painful recovery but I felt great within five days. The actual delivery was a quick process  and a little scary in the moment since I've never had surgery. But I have to say, I don't regret the way things happened or have any negative feelings about my delivery. The first week is rough but if you hav lots of help you should be fine. 

 GL!

Daisy22

I've had an unplanned and a planned c/s. The planned c/s are a lot calmer. I have to be there 2 hours before and they prep me in a pre-op women near the ORs. They ask a million questions then do my epi then wheel me to the OR. Dh waits outside while they get me on the table and prepped. Dh gets to sit up by my head and they make sure several times that I'm completely numb. There is a lot of pressure when the baby is pulled out bu it's not painful, just weird feeling. At my hospital, dh gets the baby and after we spend a few minutes together, he takes the baby across the hall to the recovery room. I was in the recovery room within 30 minutes of ds1 and 45 min after ds2 was born. I started to do skin-to-skin and nursing as soon as I got over there to the recovery room. My OB uses glue on me b/c my skin is super sensitivie. Most women get staples or stitiches. For pain meds, I get a pain pump in hte epi spot for 24 hours then precoset and prescription mortin.

I'd ask your OB about hospital policy on what happens once the baby is here, what will be used to close up the incision, what pain meds will be used and what restrictions you will have afterwards. These can differ between hospitls and OBs

jb2rn

I think planned (and necesssary) is going to be easier for you to mentally prepare and deal with.

I went into labor naturally at 40w5d, and after a long, slow, labor, got a fever and my son became tachycardic. It wasn't an emergency, but it obviously was unplanned.

I also had my son in Germany, so things are a little different.

I had an epi from labor, so they just checked that it was working well. Expect a fair amount of uncomfortable pulling and pressure. I am a RN and saw a few c-sections while in nursing school, and when they told the patient "you will feel pressure" I assumed it was not that uncomfortable, but it was pretty uncomfortable. Freaked me out a bit at first.

The whole surgery seemed really fast - although I can't tell you how long. My son was healthy and needed no NICU time. My husband went over to the warmer and was with him the whole time. That was something I discussed before I was taken to the OR - no bottles/sugar water/paci's, and that my husband was always with our son if I could not be.

I was up a few hours later, just to stand. Although, I got yelled at for that.

Expect to have your Foley (catheter in your bladder) for 12 hours or so. Pee as soon as you can after it's removed.

Expect a fair amount of swelling. I never was swollen during pregnancy, but you get a lot of IV fluid and my feet were so big I had marks from my flip flops! And although it seems counterintuitive, drink LOTS of water as soon as you are able. I never had nausea post op, but some people do.

 

LMBecky11

It really isn't so bad. I was set on having my LO normal and then that didn't happen; failed induction. I guess now if I have another, I am more afraid to have it natural than have another c-section!

The best thing to do is talk things over with your doctor and have them tell you what their procedures are and help put your mind at ease.

For mine, I had gotten an epidural when I was trying to deliver normally so they just used that to give me the drugs for the c-section. Otherwise, they do a spinal. One thing that was pretty annoying was how much I was shaking from the drugs, and that my arms were strapped down, but it wasn't too bad.

They put a curtain up about your chest level, but my husband was able to watch over the curtain. They will make sure your numb, then they start the surgery. When they pulled my LO out I heard her make a squeaky little cry and it was awesome. They showed her to me over the curtain before they cleaned her up. Then they closed me up and handed the baby to my husband when she was all wrapped up. We were able to kiss her and the nurses took some pictures for us. Then the baby and husband went to the nursery for a bath and diaper and all that, while I was closed up and sent to recovery. About an hour/hour and a half after she was born I was able to hold her and nurse her. All in all, it was a pretty good experience and I would say I'd probably do it again, minus the labor beforehand...

Healing also went pretty well for me. I took percocet for pain, then some prescription motrin when I needed it. I had staples, and those were the worst part because they tugged no matter which way I lay, so sleeping wasn't very comfortable until I got those out.

Hope I wasn't just hijacking your thread, and some of what I said was actually helpful. lol

GL!