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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
albl508
member
C-section moms
albl508
member
Hello ladies! After a 4th degree laceration and much consideration between us and our doctor, I am pretty sure we have decided to have a C-Section. I have a few questions though.
When do you get to see your baby?
Is is true that your milk has a harder time coming in?
Only the dad in the delivery room?
It's funny...I'm more worried about this planned C-Section than the agonizing labor because it's so unknown to me. I hope we are making the right decision!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: C-section moms
I got to see dd right after they took her out, but then not for the next hour and a half. They had to give me sleeping medicine because i was shaking so violently from the epi. My dh hung out with her during that time.
My dh was the only one in the room, but I don't know if that's the rule or not. We lived far away from family at that time.
My milk came in right away. I was almost a week overdue, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. This time I will have a c-section at 39 weeks so I'm interested to see what happens with my milk.
I saw DD immediately after she was born. The dr. held her up so I could see her. Then, they cleaned her off and did the usual tests that they would do with any type of delivery, and DH held her all the while they were stitching me up. I held her and BF'd her within 20 minutes of her being born.
My milk did not have a hard time coming in, and I have never heard that it does with a c-section. The only thing I've heard is that some people have a harder time BFing, but I think it's only if they aren't able to do so soon after the birth, like if the baby is taken to NICU due to complications (which often happens with emergency c-sections). I have heard of some people who couldn't hold their baby right after, so you might want to check with your hospital to see what their policy is on that.
DH was the only one in the delivery room b/c he was the only other person there with me. I don't know if anyone else would have been allowed.
Overall, it wasn't the birth I would have chosen, but it wasn't as horrible as some people make it out to be. DD came out alert, crying, kicking and completely healthy and has been healthy and happy ever since.
When I had my c-section they took him over to be cleaned up and weighed, then they gave him to DH to bring to me. I held him once they had my stitched up.
My milk came in in less than 48 hours so it wasn't a problem for me.
Yep, only DH. My Dr said I could've pushed to have my mom in the room, but she was fine waiting in recovery for us.
My c-section was so easy. I am sad I couldn't have a vaginal birth, but there was not another option in our case since DS was stuck. If you have talked it out with your Dr, feel confidant in your decision. Everything will turn out great!
My c/s experience isn't the norm.
I didn't get to see DS for about 4 hours after he was born. BUT, I was put right under for my c/s and it took that long for me to come to afterwards. I didn't even know why I was in the hospital once I woke up and there they were handing a baby to me...it took a long time to deal with those emotions.
My milk came in quickly.
DH was there the entire time and watched it all. He did admit to feeling torn between me and DS. DH got to take DS to the nursery and do the weighing and all that fun stuff. I'm glad he got to experience those first moments...
Only DH was in the OR. The OB held DS up over the screen and as soon as he was cleaned off, DH held against me. Then I was able to hold him while they wheeled me into recovery.
i wasn't able to hold DD right away but i saw her, my Dr held her up and they brought her over to see me while i was being stitched up. DH was with her the entire time when they took her to clean her up, weigh her, check her over while i went to recovery. they joined me in there very quickly after and once we were in our room i was able to hold her and try to nurse--maybe an hour and a 1/2 after delivery. DD had no problems nursing and my milk came in 4 days after.
it all went against my plan for a natural birth but she was transverse and looking back now, all that matters is that she is here and healthy. and the recovery really wasn't bad after the first 48 hours.
good luck to you!
I'm not trying to pick on you at all, but this statement kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Everyone's C-section experience is very different, so while yours may have not been traumatic, mine was and so were many others here. I have spoken negatively of my C on here, and I'm not just 'making it out to be horrible', for me, it was. Sounds like you had a better experience than most people, and that's great, but not every C-section is like yours.
Sorry OP, forgot to answer your question. I had an emergency C-section that I was put under anesthesia for, so my circumstances were different than yours probably will be. I didn't get to see/hold my son for 3 hours when I woke up from the anesthesia. Also, my DH was not allowed in the OR, but only because it was an emergency. As far as my milk coming in and BFing, I didn't have a problem with that at all. Still BFing DS to this day. Good luck!!!
I had a scheduled c/s with my twins. I got to see the boys right after they weighed and measured them. They gave them to DH after that and he brought them to me. After I was stitched back up, they propped me up in my bed, gave me the babies, and wheeled me back to recovery. I got to try BFing right away. I didn't have much trouble getting my milk to come in. The boys were really good BFers. It was only DH in the surgical room with me, which I was happy about. I didn't want MIL in there when the boys were born, so we were going to have just DH and me anyway, with or without the c/s. It just gave us a really good excuse to say no! Because I had a spinal, I was numb from the waist down for a few hours, but it wasn't bad.
My recovery was really good and after about 2 weeks was pretty much back to "normal". The bleeding lasted for about 6 weeks all together, but was much lighter at the end. Just listen to the doctors when they tell you what not to do for the first week or so. It really helps.
I got to see her in the OR and then 3 HOURS LATER! The took her and DH to do all the baby stuff while they sent me to 'Recovery' where I waited to be able to wiggle and feel my toes. They said that they don't put people in their regular rooms/beds until they can feel so nothing gets squished or pinched when the patient can't feel.
DH said that LO was rooting like crazy looking for a breast while they were waiting and he and the baby/momma nurses started to get worried when I didn't come up after 1/2 and hour as usual. The recovery nurses said the anesthesiologist must have been a little heavy handed with the spinal that day. The only thing that sucked about the actual surgery was the local anesthetic that numbs the spine, it pinched like a mofo, but was fine. When they opened me up I got these gnarly cramps/pain in my shoulder. The anesthesiologist said it was from air bubbles getting inside my torso and collecting in my shoulders. They went away right after they closed me back up.
My milk came in like a geyser. DD had no trouble BFing whatsoever. The LCs would stop by and say "so you're the BFing duo that doesn't need our help".
Only dad in the OR, but all our family lived far away and wasn't there anyway.
The recovery sucked balls. I was on too little pain meds at first and the pain combined with the exhaustion made me very weepy, but when they gave me more pain meds I was better. I was textbook healthy and the docs and nurses kept commenting on how good my incision looked and how healthy the baby was and whatnot, but I felt like a train had rolled over me. I didn't feel human for two weeks and even then, it wasn't until about 3 months when I felt back to normal- Then I exercised (tried to do 30 day shred) and set back my healing. Too much too soon, I suppose.
ETA: it was a surprise planned c-section. At the last OB appointment the Dr. discovered DD was breech. She was delivered the day before her due date.
I got to see him right after he was cleaned up, but then he was "in tests" and whatever else for a few hours.
My milk didn't come in until seven or eight days postpartum -- and he was an "overdue" baby, even. No one can say why for sure, but he never learned to suck properly (according to the lactation consultant we were seeing), neither on bottle nor on breast. He was formula fed until my milk came in, but because he had continuous latching problems, I pumped exclusively for five-and-a-half months -- until I no longer produced more than one bottle's worth of milk per day. :P
My husband was in Iraq, but they let only my mom in the OR.
The process of the the c-section was super easy, and you really don't feel anything; the recovery, conversely, was hell. However, I know some women have "easy" c-section recoveries, so there's really no way to tell how your body may react. Just think positively that your recovery will be great! (And take as many of those pads and "special underwear" that you can get from the hospital staff. You won't want to ruin your own clothes.)
Two planned c-sections...
#1 - Only dad in the OR - I think it could have been anyone I wanted, but just one person. There are enough people bustling around in there. My milk came in easily within 48 hours or so. They put my baby on my chest in the OR while they stitched me up (after he'd been dressed, assessed, weighed, etc.). That particular hospital's policy is to then take the baby to the nursery for observation for four hours.
#2 - Only dad in the OR. My milk came in within 48 hours again. This delivery was at a different hospital. They didn't put the baby on my chest until about 20 minutes after he was born because he had some breathing issues that they had to assess first. Then he rode with me to recovery and never left my side. I breastfed for the first time in recovery within about 45 minutes of his birth.
Your anesthesiologist is your friend. Be honest with them as to what you want and how you are doing throughout the surgery. The first time, I think they gave me some sleepy stuff that made me really out of it for hours afterward. It's such a blur. The second time, I told them not to give me anything like that unless I explicitly request it. I remember every minute of that experience, and it was much better for me even though getting put back together seemed to take forever and wasn't all that comfortable. It's worth it because I remember nursing in recovery, introducing him to my mom, etc.
DH brought B to me after he was cleaned up, and then I saw him again some hours later. Honestly, between being exhausted (I hadn't slept at all for two days) and the drugs, I didn't notice how long it was. DH got to be with him in the nursery for the checks though.
My milk never came in. I don't really think it was related to the surgery though, because I never had the full-boob feeling most women talk about during pregnancy. My boobs never really got bigger, and only leaked briefly around 30 weeks.
DH was the only one in the room with me (non-medical). I don't think anyone else could have fit even if we'd wanted someone else there, but we didn't, so it was never an issue.
Mes Petit Choux
I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. ~ Alice
I got to see DD briefly right after she came out. Then the nurses whisked her away, and DH went with her. After I was stitched up she was brought to my recovery room.
My milk came in after a few days. I pumped exclusively, and I had no problem with supply. In fact I had a freezer full of milk.
Only DH was in the delivery room.
My recovery was not bad at all. I was on mag for an extra day, so that sucked. (I had severe pre-e/HELLP syndrome.) After that I was on Vicodin for a day and then motrin for a little while after that.
I got to see DD right away; she never left my side. Right when they pulled her out and cleaned her I held her and I held her the entire time in recovery and when they wheeled us into our actual room. The first time I was away from her was when they took her for tests (maybe the follwoing day?). I don't know if that is the norm, but it made a huge difference for me.
I had a hard time breastfeeding, but I think it was a number of things togetheer. DD had a shortened frenulum, my supply was super low (non existent on one side), and on and on. But, I did have colostrum and was pumping in the hospital.
DH was in the delivery room, and they said I could have one more person (but I didn't....it would've set off problems with MIL if my mom were present, which is what I would've wanted).
I think much of this varies by hospital, though. Overall, my birth experience was very good. Recovery was rough, but no unmanageable (just needed lots of physical help from DH). GL to you!
WIth my first baby, I had a 4th degree tear. I talked to other moms that had 4th degree tears, and it was obvious mine was just really bad.. I remember going to my 6 week pp appt and being in pain. It was hard to sit or stand for long periods of time. It was downright horrible.
I agonized over it for probably 6 months when I was preg with my 2nd, and finally I chose the c-section. I was just too scared to go through natural labor... so many what if's.. what if I tore again, I had a fast labor with my first - so what if I tore without an epi 2nd time around? Would another bad tear leave me incontinent? etc.
Anyway the c-section was not bad at all. Only 1 person in the OR (so it was DH). I had read birth stories online, so as soon as I felt any nausea, I told the nurses. When they took DD out, they took her to an adjoining room and suctioned her for a while. Then DH took her for a little bit, and then they wheeled us out of the OR. My BP was making me feel a little nauseous, so DH held her for a little bit until I felt good enough to hold her and nurse/ She was smacking her lips and ready to go!
My milk was in good supply w my first baby, and it was for my 2nd too. I remember at about the 48 hour mark, I asked the nruse for a pump and she said I wouldn't get it in til more like 72 hours, but I pumped and was getting milk.
If you ever need, you can page me on the preschool board. There is actually some other nesties that went through the same of a really bad 4th degree tear and then an elective c-section. I beat myself up until the day I had the c-section, and then after I had it, I was so happy with my decision. Let me put it this way, I walked out of the hospital on my own (a LOT of walking), and I could barely stand with the 4th degree tear.
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