STM Jan Tell-All C-Section/ VBAC Edition

llamamama14 · January 2018

This is one of 2 January STM Tell-All Threads. This one is for all things related to C-Sections and VBACs. Anyone can post questions. Some of you may know you're having a CS or may be interested in lurking since sometimes C sections are unplanned. (My 1st was an unplanned CS and it was helpful that I'd heard some stories so I knew what to expect.)

Those that are VBAC hopeful or undecided can post questions as well. TMI welcome!

profmcgonagall · January 2018

My biggest advice is to take pain meds and stool softeners around the clock. Typically pain pills take around 30 min to kick in and even longer to peak. Once your pain is to a 4 or 5, you need to be asking for it. Pain is so much harder to control the longer you let it go.
Get out of bed as soon as possible. It’s going to hurt, but you need to get those bowels moving again. They probably won’t let you eat until you pass gas.
Also, take it easy. Let people get things for you and hand you the baby. You had major surgery and don’t need to be supermom the first week.

All this from someone who experienced an unplanned c section and is also a post surgical nurse.

buffalove1211 · January 2018

DD was a planned c-section as of around 36 weeks because she was breech and did not budge no matter what I tried. I spoke to my doctor about a VBAC and I was surprised by this: I must go into labor on my own - no induction, and they will not let me go later than 1 week. DD's c-section was a week past my due date and they told me that I had zero action going on.... So I've decided to NOT get my hopes up for a VBAC unless this baby is far more punctual. Is this protocol similar to what others were told?

ramennoodlegif · January 2018

@profmcgonagall Yes to all this, especially the taking it easy part!!!

DD was a planned c-section (due to the potential for shoulder dystocia,) but my water broke before induction and I decided to try for a natural birth (which ended up not happening after nearly 24 hours in labor.) I later ended up accidentally ripping out part of my steri-strips in the shower, which I can easily say is the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life.

With DS, I had the VBAC that a nurse flat-out told me wasn't going to happen, after 3 hours of rotating from side-to-side with a ball between my knees. I am all about trying to prove people wrong.

I got epidurals with both after reaching the 8cm. mark. I really regretted this with the VBAC, because it only took on one side, so they had to increase the meds, which caused the side that initially worked to feel like total dead weight. I couldn't feel anything when I was pushing, and I think that contributed to my second-degree tearing (that and my son was 8lb9oz.)

In both cases, a few days after I got home, I did housework thinking I felt better. Pain meds can make you think you are ready to do things your body is simply not ready for you to do. Bending over to get laundry just about killed me.

Xtabbikatx · January 2018

My DS was an unplanned C-section. I stalled out on Labor 4 cm in. Never felt contractions, body just didn't do what it was supposed to. Later I hemorrhaged.

This time around we are doing a planned c-section at 38 weeks. We do not want to give my body a chance to go into labor and I will be given meds to help my uterus contract afterwards. Fingers crossed nothing happens. I am a little terrified (also part of the reason I am getting my tubes tied).

Pain wise; it hurt but wasn't unbearable. Took about two weeks to not wince while using abs. I recommend keeping baby in a bassinet or something high up that you don't have to reach into as much as a crib. Bending over was impossible for the first week. Listen to the no lifting rule and your body. Move around as much as possible as soon as possible. Wean yourself off of pain meds as soon as possible or you might over do it.

It took me two weeks before I could drive.

(if anyone wants to know my entire birth story PM me. I don't like to tell people without warning)

LukesMom16 · January 2018

@buffalove1211 I was told the same thing about VBAC after having an emergency C-section the first go around. I was a week over due with my first and was induced. I went in on a Tuesday morning and finally had the c-section on Friday at 4am when his heart rate dropped. I do not want to go through that again and have resigned myself to the fact that we will have a scheduled C-section this go around.

llamamama14 · January 2018

@buffalove1211 The use of pitocin and other induction methods is at the discretion of the doctor. Each doc. has their own personal policy on what they will use for VBACs. At my practice none of the doctors will use pitocin to induce, however most of them will allow pitocin to speed up labor after it has started naturally. One of the doctors won't allow pitocin at any point during VBAC.

I know that some doctors do use pitocin to induce VBACs. A friend of a friend is an OB at John Hopkins and they regularly use pitocin to induce VBACs because they feel the risks of using pitocin on VBACs is outweighed by the risks associated with C Sections.

The one week past due date limit is the standard at my practice though my docs. gave me a bit of wiggle room (1-2 days) when scheduling my 2nd C Section. (I ended up going into labor naturally and having a VBAC on that pregnancy.)

sunshineandwhiskey · January 2018

DD was a planned csection because she was breech. I feel like this had a lot to do with my recovery experience too.

Def agree with others. Get up walking as soon as possible and as often as possible. Buy a belly wrap (I have a BelleFit), it just helped everything feel secure.

Take the stool softeners! Def take the recommended ibuprofen. I didn’t take the prescription pain meds after I left the hospital, but that was a personal choice, and my recovery still went smooth!

The incision will still be tender months later. And I find my pooch hits right above it so it looks strange some times too haha

my plan (as of right now) is a VBAC. Scares the Bejeezus outta me, but the fact I can leave a day earlier from the hospital from a vaginal Birth is a huge motivator. My goal (which no one else knows right now) is unmediated. This is our last and I want an 180 degree experience than without DD

May14th2011 · January 2018

@Xtabbikatx I feel like your story and mine are similar, minus the hemorrhage.
With DD, my body stalled at 3 or 4, never progressed further. Ended in an emergency csection because DD couldn't tolerate the stress.
DS was a scheduled csection, but he decided he wanted to come at 37 weeks so we had an unplanned (but not emergency) csection earlier than expected.
I agree with all previous advice. Keep on top of your pain meds, get out of bed as soon as they'll let you. I think it makes a big difference. I have friends who refused to get out of bed and stayed in the hospital for much longer than I did.
I was cleared to drive as soon as I was off major pain meds, and that was within a week for me.
Also remember that Emergency c-sections, especially if birth didn't go as planned, are a huge factor in PPD. If you're feeling traumatized by birth, talk to your Dr asap. I speak from experience, PPD sucks, and it's a night and day difference with meds vs without. Don't try to get over it on your own.

May14th2011 · January 2018

Oh, and take a shower as soon as you're allowed! It makes you feel human again. Especially after laying in bed for a few days.

catlady1215 · January 2018

Def agree to get up as soon as possible. My mom used to always say to make sure you stand as straight as possible that first time also... even if you did it at a snail pace. Let that nurse helping you wait, don't let them rush you until you're as straight as you want to be.

Get some cheap granny panties before hand. I'm talking ones that literally go up to your waist. I bought them by accident and was so glad cause all my usual ones hit right on the incision.

theres different ways they'll close you up. I had dissolvable staples. It was nice not having to worry about someone taking them out. But as they dissolved, I saw little white pieces of them in my incision. It's normal, creepy, but normal.
i might ask my dr soon if she has a go to closure type (different dr had to do my first). Or if I have any say before hand.

pupsicle23 · January 2018

Granny panties and nightgowns that button down so you can nurse! And warn your husband to avoid looking at your bottom half when he goes to the baby — mine was scarred for life when he saw my insides

ETA my phone is horrible and deleted the rest of my lengthy post. Ugh. Get up ASAP, and don’t be a hero about pain meds. Feel free to ask me more, I actually loved my c-section experience!

catlady1215 · January 2018

@pupsicle23 lol my sisters husband looked... he said it was bad. DH made sure to look away! I can't even imagine!!

Austenista · January 2018

My husband looked too. I told him, well now you can say you know me inside and out.

May14th2011 · January 2018

When they did my 2nd csection, I watched everything in the reflection of the light over me. I thought it was really cool, but I'm not very squeamish.

ramennoodlegif · January 2018

@May14th2011 I did the same thing! I vaguely remember looking at the reflection, wondering if it was the baby that I was seeing, but then I realized - nope; just guts.

catlady1215 · January 2018

omgosh you girls. I'm not squeamish with stuff on tv. But to lay there, knowing that's me? Nope! I couldn't do it.

plusalso, I was too busy trying so hard to stop shaking lol

I guess that's another thing to add. I shook SO bad the whole time. I wasn't cold. it wasn't nerves. my upper body was just shaking so bad, I was shocked. my sister said it happened to her also.

ramennoodlegif · January 2018

That reminds me - be forewarned before you have a c-section. I thought, after seeing my insides on the outside, that things would be ever-so-delicately placed back with the utmost care and caution. I was wrong. I suppose things just work themselves back into place?

Austenista · January 2018

Gosh I was so drugged up between the fentanyl and the magnesium and the epidural that I was lucky I was conscious at all. The whole time I was mainly concerned that I couldn’t move my legs and it was bugging me (again, I was high as a kite). I just laid there concentrating on wiggling my legs that wouldn’t move. Another PSA not to let those jokers give you an injection for pain. Does nothing but make you a zombie who is still having painful contractions.

May14th2011 · January 2018

@catlady1215 I shook like that for over an hour after my 1st csection. I couldn't even hold my daughter because of it. It was shock and thank goodness it didn't happen with the 2nd (probably because I was expecting it vs the traumatizing rush to the or)

lisa2589 · January 2018

Just chiming in to say I didn't have a CS but I had the shakes you ladies are describing after birth too! I’m sure your body is a little shocked either way. It was freaky.

llamamama14 · January 2018

I don't remember the shakes. I do remember being really cold. As to watching in a reflection: no thank you (whether it's a section or a vaginal birth.)

@sunshineandwhiskey I had some fears about VBAC before DD was born. Are your doctors supportive/encouraging? Mine were and it helped my confidence a lot.

sunshineandwhiskey · January 2018

@llamamama14 I had only begun to have the conversation with my OB last time (early december) and it was more of a "what do you think?" convo. She seemed very supportive of a VBAC for sure. Unfortunately (fortunately?) she is going out on maternity leave this month and won't be back until April, so I am rotating through the other docs now. I'm hoping when i venture into the 28+ weeks I can get more of a feel. I remember vividly though, the discharge nurse at the hospital wrote "future VBAC" in my chart for some ungodly reason. Even the OB that did my discharge was like WTF, so at least i know the hospital is friendly, I just have to find out to what extent. I'm really hoping they are supportive, and i hope DH is too. I haven't even talked to him yet haha

katie121209 · January 2018

I had an emergency c section at 41 weeks after 2 days of failed induction and baby’s heart rate dropping. It was terrible. The epidural had been in for two days and didn’t do the job. As I started screaming they kept pumping me in with meds so that by the time I was all stitched up I could barely breath. I have a lot of anxiety about this occurring again. My doctors keep reassuring me that with a planned c section, the spinal block will be much more effective. I have honestly asked if I could be put under but they said thats only done in extreme cases bc the anesthesia affects the baby which obviously I don’t want.
I didn’t have a BM for over 10 days and that too was the worst ocnstipation I’ve ever experienced. I was taking stool softeners since being in the hospital and added miralax on top. We plan to be much more aggressive with larger doses of stool softener and miralax this time around.

Oh and this really shouldn’t happen with a c section but I had retained placenta and ended up having a D and C 8 weeks after. It was really scary bc it looked like a bizarre mass and the OB couldn’t imagine that one of their colleagues would have left it inside so cancer was being considered. Needless to say I will not be allowing the same surgeon to do my c section again.

Trying to have positice thoughts for this time!!

Xtabbikatx · January 2018

@katie121209 I had the same issue with the Epidural not working anymore, but they put me under because that is what I requested should something go wrong. The downside was that my doctors believe that was a major factor to my hemorrhage. It relaxed my uterus too much and then couldn't contract. This time planned with a spinal tap so hopefully I don't have to go under again.

pupsicle23 · January 2018

I shook really badly, too. DH has to hold the baby to my chest. I was also really hot and kept having wash cloths on my forehead.

my recovery was easy peasy, though.

llamamama14 · January 2018

@sunshineandwhiskey I would assume that if that one doctor is pro-VBAC the other docs. in the practice are similarly-minded but you've got lots of time to ask questions.

Also-random question that occurred to me. I know lots of moms that have had scheduled C sections because baby is discovered to be breech. How do they discover the breech issue if most moms have their last US at 18-20 weeks for the anatomy scan? Did they know you were breech ahead of time or not until you were in labor?

sunshineandwhiskey · January 2018

@llamamama14 my case is a little different as I saw MFM for bi weekly then weekly scans but every time I saw my OB they could tell based on feeling and where they find the HB. They would then grab a machine real quick and check position.

llamamama14 · January 2018

I see. I can't remember the docs. mentioning baby's orientation when checking hb at my later appointments. Maybe I just forget.

lisa2589 · January 2018

@Llamamama so at my 36 wk appointment I mentioned to my OB that I was still feeling all the kicks in my lower abdomen instead of up by my ribs. He said it’s okay, we still have some time to flip. If you don’t feel anything has changed by next week we’ll do an ultrasound to see for sure how baby is sitting. By 37 weeks I was pretty sure she had flipped because I was only feeling the kicks up top and when he felt my belly he said yep that’s definitely a butt at the top of my belly. But would have done an ultrasound to confirm if he wasn’t positive.

lovesclimbing · January 2018

llamamama14 said:

@sunshineandwhiskey I would assume that if that one doctor is pro-VBAC the other docs. in the practice are similarly-minded but you've got lots of time to ask questions.

Also-random question that occurred to me. I know lots of moms that have had scheduled C sections because baby is discovered to be breech. How do they discover the breech issue if most moms have their last US at 18-20 weeks for the anatomy scan? Did they know you were breech ahead of time or not until you were in labor?

*Lurker*

I was at a free-standing birth center, and idk if this is different with midwives, but my belly was felt at every appointment, and they could tell what was a butt, what were feet, head, etc. At one appointment late in my pregnancy, she wasn't sure and said if they couldn't figure it out at the next appointment, they would give me an ultrasound. At the next appointment, she was able to easily tell that my baby was head down.

pupsicle23 · January 2018

@Llamamama DD was frank breech and I had low amniotic fluid. They saw her folded in half at my 20 week US so, between that and the fluid, I ended up with an US every couple of weeks. I could feel her head up under my ribs as she grew, too.

sunshineandwhiskey · January 2018

@pupsicle23 my DD was frank breech too! Gosh that head wedged under my ribs was so painful during the csection!

Did your DD have to see a hip specialist afterwards?

katie121209 · January 2018

They could tell with physical chexks at all my late 3rd tri appts where the babys head was at.

llamamama14 · January 2018

@sunshineandwhiskey @pupsicle23 I have a friend who delivered a frank breech baby med free because no one knew until baby was on her way out and it happened quickly. I still cringe when I think about it.

sunshineandwhiskey · January 2018

@llamamama14 oh god that’s terrifying

doxiemoxie212 · January 2018

@llamamama14 ....is her vagina still of this earth or does it rest in peace?

llamamama14 · January 2018

I know... she says some of the nurses were bummed they missed it because it's so unusual to see a breech or frank breech birth.

tarheelgirl8 · January 2018

*lurking from another month. Sorry for the long post from a lurker. But heres what I always tell ppl

1. In addition to staying on top of your pain meds, make sure you eat something before taking them! I learned this lesson the hard way from another abdominal surgery I had a few years before my csection. I had my alarm set to remind me for my 3am pain pills. When it went off woke up and I took the pills without eating anything first. Within 30 min I was vomiting in the sink while DH tried to support me so I didn’t use my abs. Worst pain of my life! Needless to say, after my csection I knew to eat something with every pain pill. My go to was a muffin.

2. Pressure against the incision helps when using your abs (ie laughing or pooping). My doc recommended pushing a pillow against my abdomen when pooping.

3. If you’re getting a rocker, try to find one that has a locking feature. We just happened to pick one that did, not knowing I would have an unplanned csection. If it hadn’t been for the lock, I wouldn’t have been able to get up out of it by myself for weeks.

4. Re: driving. I waited about 3 weeks before driving. My doc said it’s not about just being off pain meds, but about whether or not you’ll be able to fully and appropriately react to a dangerous situation if needed. Could you swerve and slam on breaks without hesitating because of the pain?

pupsicle23 · January 2018

DD ended up avoiding any hip issues, but I did have to take her in for x-rays a few weeks after she was born. How about your LO, @sunshineandwhiskey

marcus7676 · January 2018

@Llamamama14 my OB does an ultrasound at 36 weeks to confirm position.

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