C-section moms

bparkhur · June 2009

I'm sorry if this gets asked a lot, but I recently just found out I'll be getting a csection next week due to some complications I've been having with the pregnancy and I wanted to get some feedback about your experiences with a csection. Was the procedure painful at all? How was the recovery in the days and weeks after? Was there anything that happened to you that was unexpected? Any advice you may have would be very much appreciated!

Richardsmom_817 · June 2009

Hi, I had 1 unplanned c/s (the 1st one) & 2 following....I felt great the 1st time (very little pain & I felt pretty darn good 1 week out...the 2nd time I had alot of pain & it took about 2 wks to feel okay (pain wise). This time, same thing about 2 wks until I felt some relief from the pain (the 1st week was the worst), but the 2nd week was a little better & now I'm really starting to feel pretty good..I started lifting my 14 month old alot the 2nd week, which I probably shouldn't have, but when nobody is around, what can ya do? It was especially worse if I carried her up the stairs....you don't feel anything during the procedure except alot of tugging on your belly, but it doesn't hurt...the most awkward feeling is the spinal....that's really the worst part of the procedure...just alot of pressure when it's going in....best of luck to you!

me&mymonkey · June 2009

I didn't have a scheduled c/s so I am not sure exactly how it will differ if it is scheduled. Anyway I had no pain during the procedure at all. The doctors made sure I couldn't feel anything from my chest down and we were set to go. I was suprised that the meds they gave me during the procedure made me very very cold, so I was shivering a lot. DH thought I was scared but really I was freezing. I fell asleep when they were closing me back up so I was not tramatized at all by the surgery!

I got to see DS as soon as they took him out and then I held him and bf him about 1-1/2 after he was born. DH stayed with me until DS was out and then went with the nurse and DS.

Recovery was ok. The first day in the hospital was a little rough but the vicodin (sp?) really took most of the pain away. Get up and walk as soon as you can, this will help with the gas. Otherwise just take it easy. Doing too much when you get home can cause problems with your healing. And take the pain meds if they offer you a prescription, they helped me a lot the first few days I was home and missing the hospital.

Hillary Udy · June 2009

I had an unplanned section. Wasn't terrible. Lots of tugging, and pressure. Didn't hurt though, the epidural wasn't bad either. The worst part for me, was I knew the instruments the dr. was calling for. As sharp as those things are, I didn't feel one of them. The pain was probably the most uncomfortable for about a week after. Just hurts getting up and down. GL!

kmf143 · June 2009

You should find the post I did earlier, there's a lot of feedback on it. 2 weeks ago after a 30 hour labor I was forced into an unplanned C Section because DS's head was now 2" swollen due to me pushing & his head getting rubbed against my pelvis. The surg itself was actually a relief, less than 30 minutes later he was here! No pain whatsoever but you could feel them moving your insides! However, the recovery is no joke..I am still not back upstairs in our bed because its too hard to get in/out of with nothing to hold on to & up too high..we've been sleeping on couch. For the first full week I didn't even change his diapers & couldn't even pick him up myself, he had to be handed to me. My legs/ankles were so swollen it was nasty! This Sunday we had to go to the hospital because my incision opened a little & fluid was leaking out. EEhh. Good luck & again..read my earlier post!

Lulu0802 · June 2009

My c/s was unplanned (and was after 30 hours of labor and 5 hours of pushing), but I felt ok the next day and was out of bed walking around. I was sore for the first week or so, but I felt about 90% better by 2 weeks. By 3 weeks I felt fine to take walks with DD in the stroller. Just remember to keep taking your pain meds for at least the first week, if not two. Even if you don't think you're in that much pain, keep taking them so you don't let them wear off too much and end up in a whole lot of pain where you can't do anything.

AngieandTony · June 2009

i had an emergency c-section. the procedure was not painful, i was completely numb from chest down. i could feel pulling, tugging, pressure, but no pain. also, some women have their arms tied down, mine were not. i was in operating room for about 40 minutes. max was out about 4 minutes into the surgery. it does hurt afterwards, especially when you stand, sit, cough, laugh, basically anything with your stomach muscles.

1. take the pain meds. stay on top of them. don't fall behind and think oh i'll be ok, when the pain kicks in IT HURTS

2. take gas x. the gas pains hurt the worst. a lot of air gets trapped in there from the surgery

3. take a stool softener. like i said it hurts to strain your stomach muscles

grettaz · June 2009

I was terrified of having a c-section, but it turned out to be no big deal at all for me. The procedure itself wasn't painful, but it was definitely weird. There is LOTS of pulling and tugging to get the baby out. It won't hurt, but it is pretty startling. After the epidural wore off, I was sore but it wasn't too bad. It will hurt to get up and walk, but do it anyway as soon as they let you. The more you move around, the easier it gets. Honestly, the most unexpected thing for me was how much easier the recovery was than I expected it to be. I was also surprised at how quickly I was back in my room with the baby. I was sad b/c I thought I wouldn't get to see her right away, but as soon as they cleaned her off and weighed her, DH got to sit and hold her next to me, so I spent the whole time I was getting stapled back up with her. An hour after she was born, I was back in my room feeding her.

My biggest piece of advice is to stay on top of your pain meds. Don't wait to see if you need them. Take the next dose as soon as you can.

ETA: Also, start practicing saying "That is so funny!" instead of laughing. It really hurts to laugh for about a week.

nicbaker · June 2009

I had an unplanned C-section. The procedure itself was not painful for me. It was extremely uncomfortable when the dr pulled DS out, but it was a feeling of pressure, like squishing all your insides, not pain. My recovery was not too bad. I do have a high pain threshhold. I was on all the heavy pain meds in the hospital for 2 days, and because I was nursing I told them I just wanted things that were safe for my baby. I survived on Motrin. By the next week, I felt able to go for walks and stuff. Walking upstairs was uncomfortable the first few days, too. All in all, it was not too bad. They glued my insicion, some get stapled. Ask for glue if at all possible. I didn't have to go back to have anything removed, and the scar, though not pretty, is not full of staple holes. Good luck!

jdavis0719 · June 2009

I am not gonna lie...I was absolutely terrified when I found out I was going to need to schedule a cs....I cried and cried, but I asked many questions here and to my friends and got some advice. For me the worst part was the spinal because he hit a nerve, but as soon as I was numb that went away...and the other bad part was the first time I got up to walk....it was verrry painful. But like thet say every time gets easier and do keep walking when you feel up to it.

Once I was home things were not that bad, I was sore, but you just have to move slow. Now three weeks later I am feeling pretty good, I am sore but I am able to do everything on my own. GL! You will do great

Quiksilver620 · June 2009

I ended up having an emergency c/s after 16 hours of labor and some pushing and my recovery was pretty good. If I didn't take the paid meds (which I was trying to avoid because I was BFing, then I felt like I had gotten hit by a truck. The worst part for me was that the incision burned really bad when I tried to move.

TAKE THE PAIN MEDS!!

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