C-Sections

[ilovebabygirl]

Can anybody tell me what its like to have a C-section????

[deenrichy]

It is ruff. I had 2 so far, and plan to have another. You will need alot of support thats for sure. They move your intestins all around so it make it harder for you to finally go to the bathroom. Just use your medication wisely. Also cut down on climbing stairs afterwards. I have a 3 month old and foubd out I was pregnant on April fools day. I have no idea what ride im in for. Has this happened to anyone...having a baby and pregnant again?

[mistyrain3g]

My experience was not pleasent. After having two vaginal births a csection was AWFUL!!! The actual surgury wasent to bad~ besides the spinal!!! That did not go smooth... prob cuz the nurse was not supportive so it made it more scary!!!! And the recovery was not easy!!!! After 2 vaginal births.... when I could walk soon after a csetion really was difficult for me. I took me about 2 months to finally start feeling normal. Now in month three of recovery I feel all better... but I will never forget the pain and recovery period!!! If you have a choice~ choose vaginal!!! The delivery may be more difficult at the moment but you feel tons better very very soon after!!!!

[nataliya19]

I had c-section and I dont like the recovery period at all. I rather would have vaginal delivery then c-section. The operation is not scary but the process of recovery was awful.If you have chance to have vaginal delivery choose that one.

[meganlizzy]

As a first-time mother, my C-section wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. Yes, it takes you awhile to recover, but the actual process was not that painful. You will definately need someone to help you out for awhile once you get home, but I'm sure you'll have people coming to see the baby anyway. My advice is to get up and get moving as soon as possible after your C-section. It makes the recovery time speed up.

[WWmama]

My c-section was a piece of cake. I had no problems having a bowel movement; they started giving me stool softeners and also something to relive gas immediately after I had my son. Of course I moved a little slower, but I was up and out of bed, sitting in a chair the next morning. (My son was born at 5:17pm) They gave me morphine along with my spinal block, and that was the worst. It made me SO itchy. It also made me vomit once. (I'm not sure if that was the medication or the fact that they turned the temp in my room up to 95! AGH!) I recovered quickly. I gave birth on Tuesday and was home on Thursday. My husband wasn't able to be there at first, so I had my mother stay two nights and then I was completely on my own for 2 weeks until my husband made it home. Honestly, I didn't think it was bad at all.

I agree with meganlizzy: Get up and going as soon as possible!

[ablosser]

I recently had twins on 1/28/09. I had to have a c-section because the first baby was head down. I recovered quite quickly so everyone is different. I was up walking around two days after delivery. good luck to you

[seedeefly]

i had 4 c-sections in just over 4yrs here are the date 11-25-03,11-23-04 yes less than a year later, 06-13-06,and my last on 02-05-08 and after all that my dr said that i should get my tubes tied so i did its very hard on your body to do them back to back like i did. but like the others said get up as soon as they will let you it will hurt and your stomach may fill like jello. the hardest part for me was getting up or down not so much walking.

dee mommy to
colton 11-25-03
wyatt 11-23-04
commer 06-13-06
katherine 02-05-08

[cay8099]

I've had 2 c-sections. The first time recovery was terrible for me. I ended up with a spinal headache. Believe me you don't want to experience one of those. I was sick as a dog, I couldn't sit up without my head feeling like it was gonna pop. I puked everytime I tried to eat. Caffiene was the only thing that helped at all, and even that was only a little. Even the blood patch they did, didn't help.

My 2nd went much better. I was up and around the very next day. I entered the hospital on Wednsday and went home on Friday. They gave me demerol for pain. If they give you a choice between taking a shot or a pill for pain; take the shot it works faster. It speeds your recovery time too if you don't use the stomach band. (It's a big elastic band that wraps around your middle) It makes it easier to get around at first, but it keeps your stomach muscles weak. Good luck.

[Anliena]

I know you have a lot of negatives but I thought I would add my own. I've never had a vaginal so I can't compare but my C-section was fast, the first few days in the hosptial were very painless. I was able to move around and walk on day 2, stairs on day 5, and felt totally normal again 2 weeks post and had to remind myself to take it easy. My scar itches a little sometimes, but its so small. I don't know if its because I had a great doctor, or if my body is just normally a very fast healer, but I didn't think the c-section was nearly as bad as all the horror stories I read about before hand.

[Jenn212]

Just like Anliena, I've never had a vaginal delivery to compare it to, but my c-section was fine. I had my son at 9:58 pm and I was up and walking the next day. I only took my pain meds three times. I was out of the hospital two days later and I was doing everything at home, including grocery shopping with just myself and my son. Honestly, the worst part for me was the fact that everyone kept making me laugh at the hospital and that hurt so bad. I know that everyone is different and even every c-section is different so I'm really hoping my next one goes great again (We're planning on having a c-section with the next baby in July).

[stephannfrance]

I had a c-section that was scheduled b/c my son was very large, 10 lbs. 11 oz. I had a wonderful experience. It was planned, so I was able to tell everyone when to come, and I had all my bags packed and the dog sent to the kennel. I was up walking around the night I had the C-section. Yes it took about a week before I could move around as I did before. The sitting down and getting up was hard the first week. I was very tired, but what new mom isn't. Healing wasn't a big issue for me, and the scar isn't bad. He was my first, so I have nothing to compare it to, but for someone who is organized to the tee, it was a big stress reliever!

[lou]

I had a horrible experience with my c--section. but mine was an emergency so I was really scared and stressed too. mine was very painful, and the recovery was awful. of course I've nothing to compare it to. I've never had surgery of any sort so I didn't know what to expect. I was able to walk afterwards, the next day, but that was only to the bathroom and back. walking wasn't that horrible but getting up and down or trying to roll over in bed was awful. also we have steps at home and the bathroom was up there, no fun. about 4 weeks after i felt fairly normal but I was still sore. sometimes if I work out it still gets sore and itchy. I also had a bad burning sensation after the c section. it felt like I was on fire. if I had a choice I'd definately go vaginal.

[justincase]

im a first time mom and had CS delivery 15mos ago. i stopped dilating to 4cm thats why i had to undergo a Csection. the procedure itself was manageable. it was the labor period that made it unforgettable. the recovery period was also ok in my case, it was just hard to get up from the bed since i feel much heavier and afraid to feel pain on my bikini cut. i was able to regain my strength in about a week or 2. i always think of my baby that i had to recover fast because there's no one can take care of and nurse him but me. that was my motivation. :)

[Bethannweber@yahoo.com]

I had my first baby in December by an unplanned C Section and I really didn't think it was that bad. I happened to go into shock on the operating table, but I don't believe this is all that common. I figured a C Section was probably a lot easier than going through hard labor. I had pre eclampsia so I stayed in the hospital one extra day, but found the recovery to be a breeze. The only help I had at home was my husband who returned to work as soon as I was released from the hospital. We live in a split foyer townhouse with steps so he carried everything up the steps for me, but I didn't have much trouble getting up and down the steps. My pain was managed very well at the hospital and at home. I was able to care for the baby on my own without any additional pain, but I was tired just like all new moms are. You will need someone to carry your laundry and you can't drive for two weeks. Riding in the car was painful when you hit a bump so I recommend traveling with a pillow to hold against your tummy to provide support.

[jaded4life087@yahoo.com]

i had a c-section and it really wasnt that bad. i went in to be induced. they gave me an epidural when i was 2 cm. my daughter ended up not handling the contractions very well. her heart rate kept dropping. the dr's decided not to wait and i they prepped me for the c-section. i was numb from my shoulders to my toes. the procedure was fairly quick. my daughter was out within the first 5 minutes. it was amazing. i didn't even feel them tugging her out. afterwards it took them like 20-30 minutes to finish up. i was in recovery for about 2 hrs. i was up and moving about 24 hrs after. i really didn't have a hard time moving around. i was more afraid to tear the stitches. laughing and coughing hurt alot though. but overall they keep you fairly medicated. regardless how she was brought into this world, she is here safe and sound.

[craftyashley]

I had an emergency CS- pretty typical for twins. It was just fine. The spinal hardly hurt- I must have had a pro that night. It was quick and pretty painless. The girls had to be swooped off to be tested because they were so small. I had a bad reaction to the morphine they put in the spinal- I was shaking uncontrollably for an hour. So I'm kinda glad they didn't hand me the kids right after delivery. I only took the pain meds regularly the first night and I felt pretty good for the rest of it. There were some pretty sharp pains about a month afterwards- my Dr said it was the nerves growing back together. I was holding the girls, walking up stairs, the whole nine yards. In fact I had such an incompetent hospital staff that never brought me the wheelchair when I was discharged two days later that I walked out of there on my own- carrying two carseats (the husband went to go fetch the car).

[dcroberts]

I really enjoyed my c-section. An uncomplicated vaginal delivery is by far the best, but throw in a few complications and the c-section is far easier. One of my babes got stuck during delivery (shoulder distocia) and caused major tearing. He was whisked away immediately after birth and I didn't get to see him for awhile, my husband and mom thought he had died. For a brief second there, I didn't even care what happened to either of us, the pain had me totally out of my mind. He was fine, but they thought that they had broken his collar bone so they kept checking his movements. The next baby was induced earlier, but she still got stuck briefly. So the next time I got pregnant, everyone thought a c-section was warranted. YEAH!
I was terrified of the spinal block, because I had never used pain meds before. It was so easy though, way less painful than the IV in my arm! I chatted my way through the delivery. My husband watched everything. Recovery is slower, of course, but what a great excuse to sit around for a couple of weeks and hold your newborn. You just have to take everything a little slower and be careful not to lift much.
It is also wonderful to know exactly when the baby will be born so you can have everything ready and all the little details in place. No more babies for me, kind of sad. I love those first few weeks with the newborns soooo much!

[meganbatton]

Wow. I don't even know if I should comment. My c section, was horrible. But for the most part, I blame my doctor. My daughter was 41 weeks and still not coming out... they induced me and broke my water; nothing happened. I jumped during my spinal; the doctor didn't tell me he was doing it... I shook for an hour after getting my c section because of all the drugs. I couldn't even hold my daughter until probably 2 hours later because of how bad I was shaking. I lost a ton of blood and am now anemic. To this day I cannot feel the left side of my stomach. Since my baby was born, my bowels haven't been right.

But, that's just a bad experience. My mom had 2 c sections, no problem. I'd blame mine on my doctor. It was horrible though.

[Isaura]

My C-section was fine Thank God. I came a 6:00am to the hospital at 7 i was in the operating room. The nurses were nice during the epidural, but rigth after it i had a huge headache and seconds before my baby come out it stop and the recovery was ok as long as you take your pain killer

[mhoy22]

I really feel it depends on your attitude going into it and coming out of it. I had 3 csections so far, first 2 not by choice, and the 3rd because it is necessary after that many for saftey reasons. It is a major surgery and healing will need to take place, but I found I healed a lot faster after my other 2 compared to my first because of my attitude. You will definately need support, as you can not pick anything up heavier than your baby. I personally didn't think it was that terrible, I haven't gotten through with a natural birth, altho I was in labor with my 2nd and ended up having a csection, but to me that was scary and very painful and I didn't go through the whole process. You will definately be sore with a csection, but stay on top of the pain with tylenol/ibuprophen or if really bad the prescribed pain killers. Drink lots of prune juice, as it makes it a lot easier when you need to go number 2! Don't eat too much at first either. I learned that the hard way my first time around since no one warned me about that LOL!

[eskanto]

It's not that bad. Thankfully, with an epidural (if you don't plan the C-section and are already in labor) the worst part is the labor beforehand. If you have a planned C-section, the worst part is getting the spinal. It's similar to the epidural except they inject you with the painkiller in your spine instead of leaving the catheter in. The doctor explained it might feel like when you hit your funny bone except it would be in your back instead of your elbow, and my goodness was he right! I jumped so high the first time. I guess it's bad if you feel the same thing in your leg, but I only felt it in my back. Once the medicine takes over, you don't feel anything except tugging while they cut you open and when they take the baby out, there's some pressure. It's completely painless. After the actual section, the worst part is standing up for the first time. Make sure you take some painkillers about AN HOUR BEFORE you plan to stand up for the first time. It makes a HUGE difference. I didn't do that with the first baby, and it hurt horribly. The second one, I was up and walking around all morning. Good luck!

[lsanchez0324@yahoo.com]

i didnt have a good experience either with a c-section. at first the nurses was amazed that i was walking an hour after the surgery but as the days passed my feet n legs really started 2 swell, the nurses said it was normal i just had to drink more water 2 make myself pee and that it would go down. I got sick wit a 103.4 fever so I had to stay an extra day. when i was finally discharged that night i was breastfeeding doing the side by side. when i got up i couldnt breath so i called my father to take me 2 the ER. it turned out that the hospital discharged me n i had an infection. the ER doc prescribed me some meds n in like 4 day my swelling was done. but because of the meds i was unable to breastfeed. but i have a question:im 3months now since i gave birth but when my bf n i try to have sex its very painful during n after. it feels like my stomach is getting twisted.we try different positions n use lub n nothing seems to work. did this happen or does this happen to any of you. and do you have advice that can help me. its frustrating to me n my bf.

[giraffes_buddy]

I'm glad this thread has existed for awhile. The "specifics" on c-sections isn't really covered that well in the whole "how to be pregnant" books. This was some of the best info I had going into mine. That being said, by the time the doc said "OK - that's it. We're doing a c-section", I had pretty much forgotten anything I had read here.

Having done this job both ways, I can say that -at least for me- it was much, MUCH easier to recovery from a "regular" birth.

I landed up with an emergency c-section back in July after going through a "regular" birth in 2003. I agree fully with the earlier post that said that the surgery itself isn't nearly as bad as the labor beforehand (if not a pre-planned c-section). I won't go into the morbid details of the labor that led up to it other than to say that epidurals are great - WHEN THEY WORK.

The surgery itself wasn't bad. I was numb from the bra-down, so I didn't feel a thing. Of course, after being pumped up with multiple epidurals and a spinal, I wouldn't have felt it if a semi ran over me.

So the surgery - not bad. The recovery though - WHOA, NELLIE!!!! Yeah - I don't ever want to do that again. The pain was searing. I felt like the incision was made with a blowtorch.

And yes, the evil nurses of doom got me out of bed the next morning to walk around. One thing I can attest to is that the nurses aren't lying when they say that you'll start to feel better the more you move. Of course, it REALLY hurts to move, but you really do feel better with more walking.

It took several weeks to get to the point that the scar didn't just HURT. I'm nearly 4 months past it, and it really only bothers me when I'm doing a lot of sit-down/stand-up motions or when I wear certain clothes.

I figured out pretty quickly (heh - REALLY quickly) that any undies other than hi-cuts and granny panties roll right and sit right on top of my scar. Pantyhose like to pinch there, too. So do the waistbands of jeans. To sum that up, unless I have waist-down undergarments that can be pulled up to my armpits, I don't wear them. Of course, then they're not really "waistdown" as much as they are "underboob", but you get the point. (Bonus - I get a little more support up-top. I'll take whatever I can get at this point.)

[lsanchez0324@yahoo.com]

I found out the same thing it was painful. And still is til this day n its been 3 months. I have a friend who just had a c-section on monday and she is still swollen. My doctors have told me the swelling is normal but how mine was it was horrible I had professor clumps feet and it turns out that I had an infection. How long did it take you guys for the swelling to go down and when should she see a doctor if there hasnt been any changes.

[lilmamma86]

i had a c section and it wasn't that bad. the only part that really sucked for me was my daughter was born with a severe heart condition that required an extensive stay in the nicu. in order to go see your baby if you can't room in with them is that they won't take you to baby until you can sit up and put yourself in a wheelchair. it took me 4 hours to be able to do that because the spinal took so long to wear off. but as for the recovery it wasn't bad at all the only thing i hated was for your pain meds unless your dr writes brand name on the paper the pharmacy will give you a sub. say for norco which you can breastfeed while taking the pharmacy will give you hydrocodone which you can not breastfee while taking. you will have to wait at least 6 hours to be able to nurse baby which all new mothers find out that baby will not wait to feed every 6 hours they need to eat like every 2 hours or so depending on baby.