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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
Smootchy
member
c section mom's...
Smootchy
member
was it planned? If it was, would you do it again or pray for a vag birth... (I'm breech at 37 wks, and dr said I should plan a c-section or try for a flip, but manually flipping him probably won't work...)
Also, how has recovery been? Anyone lost weight? Can you "work out" and by work out, I mean, just walk on the treadmill or something?
TIA
This discussion has been closed.
Re: c section mom's...
neither of my c/s were planned.
The recovery after my first c/s was miserable. I was in serious pain for a long time. Recovery after my second was easy as could be.
Six weeks out, I have lost all of my pregnancy weight, and am actually smaller than I was pre-pregnancy. Yes, you can walk after the c/s. It's recommended that you walk as much as you;'re comfortable with. This will actually aid in your recovery, as long as you don't overdo it.
mine was planned as of the day before....went for ultrasound and LO was in transverse lie position
it was uncomfortable but not horrible and my dr. told me the next will probably be another c-section to be safe. and i was out walking 3 weeks after....was told i can exercise at 6 weeks (now--i need to get on that).....
I just had my first C-section and it was not planned. I'm not going to lie... it's really thrown me for a loop. While people were surprised because I was fully functioning the next day on my own it was NOT comfortable. I'm a bit of a tough cookie. It's over 2 weeks later & I'm still uncomfortable though. Most of my discomfort is on my abdomen where it seems like my nerves are trying to heal up. Oddly enough the incision is really good and not an issue. Would I do it again? I'm still thinking about it. It's too early to tell but it's def not something I'd look forward to again because the recovery is measured in weeks vs a vaginal recovery measured in days as they say.
Weight loss. I've lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks which is good but I put alot of weight on during the pregnancy (45 lbs) so it's going to take longer for it to come off. I'm EPing so that's def helping and as soon as I get the green light from my doctors I'll be working out again. They said nothing till 6 weeks for workouts. I went to the grocery store for the first time today since the baby was born & trust me it was enough. My abdomen is now aching a little from it.
Mine was scheduled due to his large size (over 10lbs at 39 weeks). I would do it again in a heartbeat. I was prepared for the worst and have actually had a really easy recovery. I listened to everyone's advice to get up and walk as soon as possible afterwards, and I think that really helps. I was feeling almost 100% only 1 week after the section. Granted, my stomach was sore, but nothing like I was anticipating. I didn't even take any of my pain meds once I was home.
So far, I've lost about 30 of the 45 lbs I gained. My OB told me as long as I felt good, I could lightly exercise. So I've been taking LO on walks when the weather is nice. Nothing strenuous because I still tire easily, but it's nice to get out and feel active again.
FET #1 = BFP on 5/2011
I had a vaginal birth the first time and an emergency c-section this time due to presence of placenta previa that was thought to have been resolved until delivery day hemorrhaging. Being that I have had both, I think there are advantages to both as well as diasadvantages for both.
Simple things like getting out of bed is tough at first, but gets easier each time you do it. One piece of advice...STAY ON YOUR MEDS, even if you are feeling better. I did not stay on them two different times, and it was like I had been hit by a truck both times. I live in a townhouse, so I had DH set up the PNP on our main level, and I stayed on the couch the first week to minimize stair climbing. When I was in the hospital I was taking percocet with motrin every 6 hours. I found coming home and just doing more, that was not enough. So I took tylenol and motrin alternating every four hours, and usually a percocet with the motrin. This helped tremendously. Ditto on the walking as much as you can. When I got bored in the evenings, I would push DD in the bassinet cart around the mother - baby unit and it felt so good. I had a few good weather days around here and would push DD in the stroller once I got home. Be prepared for lots of swelling (mine didn't really kick in until I got home and lasted about a week).
So far I have lost 30lbs of the 50 I gained. I was given the green light to return to exercise but told to ease back into it. I am back in the gym, and back to my favorite kickboxing class now. Although I can't kick as high and have difficulty with the ab work at the end of the class, it feels good to exercise again.
Also take your stool softener, drink lots of water, eat lots of fiber, because if your first time going #2 was like mine, it will hurt like hell.
Hope this helps. I can honestly say that when/if I have a third baby, I could go either way with a c-section or vaginal delivery, but I may not have a choice. My vaginal delivery was traumatic due to lots of stitches that came loose two weeks pp and had to be restitched (OWWW!!!). Plus lots of burning/stinging with urination and a VERY swollen vaginal region for awhile.
Regardless of mode of delivery, the baby makes it all worth it, and you will do great!
Hmm...tough question. I've had both.
With first one, it was vaginal, long labor but fast delivery. I was back working out 10 days later, back to 100 pounds in 12 weeks and flat abs. BUT I ended up doing permanent damage to my bladder that I didn't know about, and I had to have bladder surgery 18 months later. He was only 6 pounds and was still apparently too big.
With DS2, it was a planned c/s due to my bladder surgery. It was very nice not having to go through labor but for me recovery was pretty hard for the first 6 days. I walked and went up stairs right away, though. At almost 9 weeks I still have 13 pounds to go and my tummy is very flabby, but OB assures me this is from the stretchiness of second kid, not c-section.
Now having done both, not sure what I would choose. I guess the "damage" from my c-section was over and done with, whereas I am still paying for damage from vaginal birth (I was back at urologist on Friday due to complications of just recently being pregnant period). Second DS was also over 8 pounds and I'm only 5 feet. I also have narrow hips.
SO...it just depends. If your baby is not expected to be big and you're not super small, it might be worth trying, but really you never know. Either way you get a baby!
If I were you, though, I would have support lined up in case it's a c-section. You'll really want help at least 1 week pretty much around the clock.
I just had a c-section last Sunday and it was not planned. During labor, I had failure to progress(LO was face down), so I ended up with a c-section. So far, the first week of recovery has been kind of rough. The first couple of days were especially hard - I could barely get out of the hospital bed, much less bend over and pick LO up. DH took over the majority of the baby care during this time - I was basically lying in bed nursing and that's about it. I'm still on Motrin for pain relief right now, but easy stuff like putting on socks, getting dressed, getting out of bed, walking up the stairs, etc. is hard enough without all the additional baby stuff. Aside from that, I haven't had any complications with my incision so far, other than general discomfort.
My c/s was not planned there was about 30 mins in between the Dr saying we were doing a c/s and me being in the OR.
Recovery has not been easy compared to what I thought it was going to be. Kayleigh was born at 8:21pm and by 4 am I was up slowly walking to the bathroom to clean up and give the nurses a chance to change the sheets. I had no pain for the first 24 hrs and after that I just felt sore- like I had been doing a million sit ups. The worst part of the c/s was not being able to hold her right when she was born, but DH held her right by me. And then I was back in my room and holding my baby 30-45mins after she was born. I personally would do it again in a heart beat.
Weight loss: I gained 22 lbs during my pregnancy and so for (2 wks) Ive lost 30lbs- which I think is mostly from breastfeeding.
i had a planned c-section..our little guy was breech as well. i found out at my 36 week appointment so my doctor went ahead and scheduled my c-section then for december 31st. my water actually broke on december 28 so we ended up meeting him a few days earlier.
the actual c-section wasn't bad at all...i was so worried about things like the catheter and spinal block and they were both fine...the iv actually hurt worse than the spinal imo. as for recovery, it hasn't been as bad as i expected. the day after i was up walking around, sitting up in a chair to eat, those kinds of things. but that night, the pain did set in. just stay on top of your pain meds and it's nothing that's not manageable. i do think that third day was the hardest, but then things started to get a little easier everyday after.
i'm only around 3 weeks out, but i feel pretty much back to normal. i still take things slow, but am able to do things around the house, go for walks, that kinda thing. i gained a lot of weight, about 50lbs but have already lost 30lbs and i don't breastfeed. my tummy is still flabby and i have that little 'pooch' right above my incision, but i hope that goes away when i can actually start working out again.
just don't worry yourself too much, i know when i found out i had to have a c-section i was scared to death and it wasn't half as bad as i expected it to be.
hope that helps!
I didn't plan on a c-section. I had to have an emergency one because LO was on my nerve and I went from 8cm to 6cm. Honestly? I loved my c-section and will opt for it again.
Actual delivery - I'll put it this way: during labor I was screaming "get the spawn of satan out of me" even with the IV epi... once they gave me the spinal shot, I was completly numb and laughing and joking with the nurses. I even said to my Dr after LO was taken away to be cleaned "You're gonna suck more fat out while you're down there, right?" lol
Recovery: LO was born at 10:10pm, by noon the next day I was able to walk again. I only took pain meds once a day for the three days I after I had her (I was in so much pain during labor I kept asking for more and more medications if that gives you an idea of the difference in pain for me). I was induced Monday, had her Tuesday night, and by Friday we were home. It hurt getting out of bed because I wasn't on an incline, but it wasn't enough for me to want to take the pain killers they gave me.
I've always heard horror stories about c-sections so I was PETRIFIED. But it was honestly the best decision I ever made. I was back to normal by the Monday after I went home. I did take it easy as possible because I didn't want the stitches -dissolvable- to tear. So no more than a gallon of milk worth of weight. Otherwise, I could drive (yes, they say not to for 3 weeks but really? Who is able to NOT drive for 3 weeks?), move, lift LO, do most household activities with no issues.
Weight Loss: Pumping helped to drastically lose the weight.
I had an emergency c-section because my DD's heart rate kept dropping with every contraction. I really had my heart set on a vaginal delivery, so I was really disappointed. It wasn't horrible. You don't feel any pain, but you will feel what they are doing which is a little uncomfortable. Just make sure you take the pain meds! Also let them know if you're still in pain after they give you the meds. They were just giving me motrin, which was only taking the edge off. I let them know and they began giving me vicodin as well as the motrin. That took away most of the pain.
Recovery isn't too bad. I got my staples out 4 days after and my incision was already healing real well. Also I left the hospital a day early because I wasn't feeling too bad. So they gave me the option of leaving a day early. I had my c-section 2 1/2 weeks ago, and I rarely have to take any pain meds. Also I haven't done any exercise and I've lost 28 pounds. I think breastfeeding has helped a lot with that.
I would do it again if I had to. But I'm really hoping for a vaginal delivery next time. Just because I want to experience it.