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C-sections
Rias
member
Positive C section stories.
Rias
member
in C-sections
So everything I've been reading has been scaring me and leading me to feel like c sections are bad. Can someone encourage me with some positivity on c sections. Unfortunately my baby flipped breech at 37 weeks and I will more than likely have to have a c section. This was not something I ever thought about but now that it's here I'm a little nervous and would like to know something positive about having a c section. thanks ladies!
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Re: Positive C section stories.
I had a csection with DD. I had the same issue as you. The surgery was fine, DD was handed to me after she was cleaned up and dressed. When they took me to the recovery room DH carried her with me and she was then stripped down to her diapers and hat so we could have skin to skin and BF for the first time.
I stayed in the hospital for about 5 days (this is normal for any birth where I live). I was up and moving by day two and off all meds by the time I left. The day after I left the hospital I had no pain at all.
I have had an easy time with breastfeeding.
I had the steri strips removed just over a week after my operation and now at about 13 months pp I can't even see a scar.
I was very happy with my experience and so glad that I have a healthy happy little girl to show from it.
I'm pregnant again and will be trying for a VBAC but if this one deciders heads up is for them I'll be fine going in for a second c/s...if that's the case I'll get my tubes tied at the same time.
Don't feel bad about it! There was a similar post a few weeks ago called "who loved their csection?" it's on page 2 if this link doesn't work. Good luck with your delivery- DS was breech and I had a c/s too. It took a day of me being sad before I realized that the most important thing is to deliver a healthy baby.
https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/67128344.aspx
Sorry if it's not clicky I'm on my phone.
I was originally induced but ended up with a c/s because DD's heart rate was dropping after the contractions. Turned out the cord was wrapped around her neck twice!
But, other than the reason for the c/s, everything went great. The only things I didn't like was the shaking & getting sick. Which is completely normal & nothing to be afraid of. I ended up getting staples (couldn't get steri strips because I'm allergic to adhesive). I was up & moving around the next day (DD was born at night). Pretty much the only pain I felt was a headache & the little pain you get when getting up & such. Which goes away with time (all it is is the muscle underneath the incision being stretched). The only pain med I took while in the hospital, besides what I had during labor & the epi, was tylenol. I went in on a Tuesday, induction started Wednesday & left Saturday. I had the option of leaving Friday but wanted to stay another day just to be safe.
The nurses had me take a percocet the day I was to leave just to make sure I reacted to it ok. Besides that I took it twice the same day after I got home, but it was only because my head hurt like crazy & I was engorged - which the only thing that hurt worse than that was back labor! I had my staples out the following week. It didn't hurt at all. And I was cleared to use stairs the week after, I'm almost 7 weeks pp now & I've felt great for weeks now. I was up & doing some normal stuff after only a couple weeks. I just didn't want to overdue it so I took it easy (plus DH was home for the first 4 weeks to help).
Good luck & I'm sure everything will be fine!
Note: I was scared of a c/s also. When the doctor said I needed to get one I cried my eyes out! It took me quite a while to calm down. But I'm happy I had one as opposed to delivering DD vaginally - especially after find out how big she was & the size of her head. She shocked everyone, even the doctor thought she'd only be 6 or 7lbs. She ended up being 9lbs5oz, 22in long w/ a 14in head!
I was induced & labored with my son for 24 hours before we realized he wasn't going to decend and I had to have a c/s. I have zero complaints about it. Everyone around me did their jobs & did it well. My husband sat by my head & the doctor encouraged him to stand up as they were pulling him out of me.
My son was stuck under my ribs, my doctor had to push down on my ribs to get get him out & I still had no problems. He was born, they started sewing me back up, They even brought him to me to hold during that time before they took him to the NICU for his 2 hour watch (He was fine, but a little early and a GD baby, so he had to go.)
I was only in the recovery room for an hour, was able to move my legs and they took me to my PP room. I was "forced" out of bed at 6:30am the next morning to sit and go to the bathroom. I took my first shower. I put on my own clothes and I felt human again.
I'm not going to say that recovery was AMAZING, it is abdominal surgery, but with in 2 weeks I was getting back into the swing of life.
I'm not going to say I would pick this over a "normal" birth. I am hoping for a VBAC this time, But I do not feel it has to be the worst experience in life either.
Good luck!
I had a very positive C-section and a super easy recovery even with laboring before the operation. I only took the percocet twice, the day after the surgery because I was not in any pain. The nurses said it was lingering effects of the epidural and encouraged me to take the perch to stay ahead of the pain. I did and after taking a second dose (on their recommendation) I went down to the motrin. This was less than 24 hours after the C. I was also up and walking around as soon as the nurses let me. I was discharged a day early, had no problems with my incision, etc. DH and I even walked home from the hospital with LO - I live 4 blocks away. I continued to take walks with LO and was back to the gym at 6 weeks PP with no restrictions.
I plan to schedule an RCS with my next pregnancy. All of my friends who delivered vaginally had worse recoveries than me!
I had a scheduled cs with DS. He never dropped or engaged or anything. My OB told me I was as likely to throw him up as I was to be able to deliver him vaginally. Due to several back injuries I always knew this was a possibility. I have no regret for not trying to labor (OB said I could try if my heart was set on it). I got to the hospital around 6:30, checked in, got prepped and DS was born shortly after 9am. I held him in the OR while they were closing me up then he went to the nursery to be weighed etc. and they brought him to me to BF in recovery. Compared to most of my friends who had long labors and/or inductions and tearing with their deliveries (several of them requiring reconstructive surgery) my recovery was easy! I was out of bed the next morning and showering and walking the halls, I was in the hospital 2 nights, I could have stayed more but I was ready to be back at home. I took the pain pills for a couple days at home but was off of them completely within a week of the operation. I will be having an RCS with this baby.
I labored before both my c-sections (second one was planned but my water broke early). I wasn't in labor that long with DD, but the contractions were very painful and nothing I had learned in birthing class seemed to help. One reason I chose an RCS is that having experienced both labor and c/s recovery, I find the longer-lasting but lower-level pain of recovery from surgery much more tolerable and manageable than the briefer but more intense pain of labor. I had fairly easy recoveries and felt basically fine (although still with activity restrictions) by a week postpartum. I had my wisdom teeth out 11 days ago and still have more pain from that than I did at this point after my c-sections.
Also, I've had no difficulty BFing either of my kids, unlike some of my friends who had vaginal births. You hear sometimes that a c/s can make nursing more difficult, but that hasn't been my experience.
My c-section was not planned. My water began to leak so they put me on Pitocin. After 12 hours, I was only 3 cm and baby hadn't dropped. It was Easter weekend and my doctor was going off duty and gave me the option to continue to try or go ahead with a c section. I asked her if she thought I would be able to deliver vaginally and she said she doubted it. She had been practicing for 30+ years so I trusted her opinion.
Everything went well with the c section. I was up and moving the next day. I asked that they not give me anything else for pain but quickly found out I needed a little something to make getting up easier. I did a lot of walking around the hospital during my stay. I think this helped me when I got home. When home I barely noticed that I just recently had surgery.
Good luck!
Most FTM are not comfortable with the though of a csection until it is over. No matter how many good things you can hear.
Loved it! Although I was never one who cared much about the birth process. I just wanted LO to be here safely. I went in thinking whatever happens will happen.
I was induced and after 9 hours of labor I had not progressed really at all. LO's heart rate got really low and OB said it is time for a Csection. After they told me her heart rate was dropping all I could think was get her out of me, get her safe. I was ok with hearing Csection. It went really well. I was wide awake but didn't feel a thing. I had a great anesthesiologist who told me play by play what was happening. He even snapped some pictures for me. DH had the video camera and then she was here! She was rushed to the wamring table to be suctioned and have just a little oxygen. There was a lot of meconium in there with her. The whole time that was happening the anesthesiologist was telling me what they were doing and that she looked great and healthy. DH brought her to me and I could move my arms so I was able to somewhat hold her and see her and get a family picture. After that DH took her to the nursery and I was stapled up. Everyone was talking to me and I never felt out of the loop. My OB came back down to tell me her weight 9lbs 12oz and that she was perfectly healthy. I was then wheeled into recovery where I dozed in an out for about 15-20 min. I asked the nurse if she could go get my DH and daughter that I wanted to feed her. She obliged and about 5 min later they were both with me. I was able to BF just fine and I felt great. I was in recovery for almost an hour and they wheeled us into our room. We had tons of visitors and I felt fine. I was up moving around the next morning and showered. I went home after two days. I took the pain meds while in the hospital but once I was home I didn't need them. One week later was Xmas and we have a million family parties that we attend between xmas eve and xmas day. We did everything I felt normal.
I asked about VBAC this time b/cI felt like I should. When he said he didn't consider me a good candidate I was relieved that I would be having a RCS.
Oh sweetheart! It really can be scary. When I had my first daughter, I really wanted to go as naturally as possible... until I was 2 weeks from my EDD. I got sick and couldn't keep down food or even the slightest amount of water. They brought me in, enduced me, and we waited... and waited... and waited.
Not knowing what was going on, I agreed to everything they suggested and after 18 hours of nothing (even with large amounts of pitocin, I just couldn't get there), they determined the baby was under stress & we did a c-section. It wasn't nearly as bad as I'd heard! I was actually shocked by how *not* horrible it was. When the doctor pulled my daughter out, it tickled, I laughed, and my husband gave me this "you've got to be kidding me" look that I'll always treasure. As for the horror stories regarding breastfeeding - Nope. My daughter was cleaned up and taken care of while they stitched me back together & we met in the recovery room. She took straight to the breast. Not a problem.
When I was pregnant with my second, it was determined that I was not an ideal candidate for a VBAC both because of the trouble I'd had with my first & because I apparently have some issues w/my blood. When I was able to schedule my c-section ahead of time, things went even better than the first time! It was so nice to stock the fridge that last time & be able to respond to a questioning cashier, "No. I really mean it; I'm having my baby on Wednesday. It's not when she's due. It's when she's being born." It was wonderful for my husband & our closest friends & family to be able to schedule that day off of work well ahead of time. Friends who had to make travel arrangements particularly liked that part. The experience of being admitted into the hospital and having everything follow a very calm, specific plan? Irreplaceable! How many people get to claim that?
However your baby gets here is okay. It really is. Whatever you've been told, whatever your fears are; you have got to know that your experience will be exclusive to you. You get to write your own story. Make it a good one.
I have had 2 c-sections. The first was an emergency and unplanned, the 2nd was planned and normal.
The emergency one was so fun. Very drugged up, in a lot of pain, and had a hard recovery. My second one was a breeze! I think it had a lot to do with that it was planned and there were no complications.
I enjoyed planning ahead of time and knowing when my baby's birthday was. I could get everything in order around the house and was able to tell work exactly when my last day would be and when I would be returning.
Best advice it to stay on top of your pain meds, when you are cleared to get out of bed do so frequently, and take it easy the first couple weeks at home. You will heal great and have a speedy recovery!
While you will be nervous (naturally), everything is controlled in the operating room and you will be well taken care of.
I had a c/s due to a breech baby too. Mine was scheduled but I went into labor the night before. Other than having to deal with labor that I was not expecting, the c/s itself was fine. The surgery was uneventful and quick (~45min?). They delivered my daughter very quickly and MH held her while they stitched me up. Afterwards, I was brought into recovery and given the baby right away to do skin to skin and nurse.
I'm not going to say I didn't have pain but it wasn't terrible - it was more soreness after the first day. I never needed narcotics, just Motrin for about a week (more because I was getting the shakes than for actual pain). I was able to nurse my daughter (we had other issues at first involving latch but the c/s didn't affect my supply). I was able to fully care for my daughter on my own when I came home from the hospital (and really even in the hospital I didn't need much help).
I would say my experience was pretty good. I really don't have any horrible memories and I think my recovery was pretty quick. It actually sounds better than most of my friends who had vaginal deliveries!
I was told that DS was head down. After 18 hours of unmediated labor my 8th nurse discovered that wasn't true.
For me recovery from my c/s went really well. I had my staples out within 24 hours and actually left the hospital 30 hours after DS was born. We live in a 3 level home and I completely ignored the "no stairs" rule and had no problems (not that I'm saying I'm recommending you ignore that by any means!).
Weirdly looking back I'm thankful I didn't have to deliver him naturally. I'm pretty close with several of the women on my monthly board and some of them are still having lots of problems "down there". Lots of horrible tearing stories. Some of those women haven't even had sex post postpartum because it's been so painful. Some have also had problems holding their urine. Me 7 months out--I have no problems at all....and really haven't for months. PP sex has been great, and nothing seems to be changed down there. I'm trying to decide between VBAC and RCS. I'll probably jump on the RCS.
I had a wonderful experience. DS was breech and never flipped so we had it scheduled. I was the same as you- never considered the possibility until 35 weeks. The drs. and nurses were cracking me up and made me feel very comfortable. They gave DS to DH right after he was out and he brought him to me. A nurse took pictures of us and they cleaned him off and did all the tests/measurements within my view. They didn't take him out of the room until I was stitched up. Then, DH went with him to the nursery for his bath. He took pictures, then brought him to me in recovery. I got to BF him and hold him while we waited for my actual room.
From what I'm told, recovery is easier when it's scheduled, rather than being in labor then having a c/s. I was told to walk as soon as possible- that it's worse if you wait too long to walk. So, as soon as I was able (about 10 hours later), I walked to the bathroom. I felt like my recovery was easy, but I don't have anything to compare it to.
I looked at the positives preparing for it:
I got to pick my son's birthday
I didn't have to worry about going into labor when DH was at work (his commute was a killer at that point) or at school in front of a bunch of teenagers.
I didn't have to worry about tearing or getting an episiotomy (oddly enough, this scared me more than a c/s).
I can run, laugh, and sneeze without peeing myself
DS came out looking beautiful (no conehead, no bruising)
I had more, but don't remember them at this point. Remember- the goal is a healthy baby. There is nothing wrong with needing a c/s.
Not a fan of c/s, would never schedule one and pray to the heavens that I can have a vbac. My c/s was awful, imo. However, I can tell you there were positive things also. It was a learning experience. I learned what a great hospital I chose to deliver at. I read all the horror stories about hateful nurses, pushy drs, neglectful anesthesiologists but I experienced none of the like. While my c/s was awful physically, emotionally I could not have been cared for and supported more. I have the best dr, the nurses were so helpful, everyone helped me so much.
Mine was also partly bc DD was breech. My advice is try not to beat yourself up about it. I tried the cold compresses, spinning yoga, etc. Nothing I could have done would have changed her position.