Elective C Section

[lilwelshyrs]

Morning all,

Just wanted some advice about my upcoming c sec. It's been booked for 9th nov. I have a fibroid which has stopped bubba from going head down or engaging in any way which has made my bump humungous!

I'm scared - the surgery whilst i'm awake scares me. The thought of feeling "tugging" sensations scares me. I cant really get my head around it.
I'm also mourning the fact I can't give birth naturally - i was planning on doing hypnobirthing and was really looking forward to that. When i see a tv show that has someone giving birth naturally on it, it makes me cry... I don't sit and feel sorry for myself or anything... I'm quite accepting as it's the safest option for me and bubba which is most important.

My DH is going to be by my side and we had discussed that my mum wouldn't be around initially - but that was when we thought I was giving birth naturally. Now, I really want my mum with me too... Is that strange?

Any c section tips or advice would be much appreciated. I honestly have never been so scared of anything in my entire life!

Thanks!

[caker]

I can't help with c section advice as I haven't had one but had a serious tear repaired in surgery (took hours) so know the tugging feeling. It's odd but didn't make me feel ill or anything and I am quite squeamish! I don't like people touching me so rarely even have my hair cut and could never contemplate a massage for example, I guess I must have just accepted it had to be done.

As for wanting your mum, yes normal. My mum stayed with me overnight during a blood transfusion and DH went home to rest.

I'm sure others can help with section advice. Good luck!

[lilwelshyrs]

Thank you for your reply, caker :)

[dylsmimi]

Hi
I've not had a c section but will need to if I get pregnant again
I know you mentioned you hypnobirthing birthing
When I had ds2 I used natal hypnotherapy and found it really relaxed me. They do a cd or download for a caesarean birth so it maybe worth looking into that? And help you prepare a bit / relax/ feel like you have a bit of the birth you had originally planned
www.natalhypnotherapy.co.uk/shop/Birth-Preparation-2.html
The main thing is you and your baby will be safe and well - good luck

[Thisismyfirsttime]

I had an elective cs and I was terrified. I saw lots of posts in here saying it was fine, it was a really nice, calm experience and I thought they were all just 'harder' than me, I'm a wimp and I hate being messed about with.
It was the best experience of my life, I'd skip into theatre if I have another dc. My anaesthetist could see I was anxious and asked me what I was worried about- I told him I was afraid of vomiting whilst unable to move and he told me that if I felt any sickness at all to let him know at once as they have an anti- sickness just waiting to go down your IV. I told him I was afraid of suddenly being able to feel everything and he explained that if that were to happen I'd be in pain for seconds at most as they have the general anaesthetic waiting to go too but that it was so rare for such a thing to happen it'd never happened to him and he'd never heard of it happening professionally. If you have specific fears tell them and they'll reassure you! I didn't even feel the epidural either!

[Thisismyfirsttime]

Oh, and for me the 'tugging' that some people describe as feeling like someone's doing the washing up in them felt just like baby moving about, didn't feel odd at all!

[megletthesecond]

If it helps I found the c-section theatre staff to be lovely for both of mine. They were ultra professional (you wouldn't want it any other way really!) but very calm and friendly. There were still 'aahhhhs' and cooing when my dc's were born via cs . It wasn't a cold clinical atmosphere at all.

If you ask they will talk you through what they are doing too.

[LumpySpaceCow]

I've had a vaginal birth (planned home birth, ending in ventouse, episiotomy, pph) it was horrendous and I had PND and PTSD (I had done hypnobirthing etc). Planned another home birth for second and she turned breech at 36 weeks!
Looked at all options and felt that c section was safest (footling breech). I was devastated but decided to make the most of it. I had a gentle section birth plan (Google it) which everyone was aware of and it was honestly lovely. So much better and calmer than first birth. The hypnobirthing also did help when having cannula and spinal so it is worth doing. The pain after was fine and nothing compared to recovering from an episiotomy! The recovery was also good, I just really took it easy.
I know you are disappointed but you can still make this a positive experience

[lilwelshyrs]

Wow, thank you so much everyone! Why isnt this informartion more available for women having C sections? I kinda feel like you can't be proactive, but that's clearly not the case!

Loving the idea of these calm c sections... Will google away now :) I've felt like my only option has been to lie there and try not to freak out!

[ExitStageLeft]

I've had two sections, one emergency and one planned (although I was actually in labour). My ELCS was, without doubt, the most rewarding, beautiful experience of my life. It's my "go to" memory if I want to cheer myself up.

Firstly, plan - do some cooking and freeze it. Get a waist height changing station downstairs as well as upstairs so you can easily change the baby without bending over or getting on the floor.

Get some arnica tablets, they help with the healing.

Peppermint capsules too - it's really common to have trapped wind after a section, this can be felt as pain in your shoulder. Totally normal, easily remedied with peppermint.

Get some Senekot too. You'll get constipated. Sorry if TMI!

Just rest after but I could go for little walks from when I got home and moving does help healing.

If you want to breastfeed it might be uncomfortable to get a good position, don't leave hospital without being confident to position your baby.

Ask for your scar to be stapled, it will leave a much cleaner scar and heals quicker.

Keep your scar clean and let dry completely before dressing after washing and air as much as you can.

The worst part of a section, is the epidural. Stay calm, your DH will be with you. I would be surprised if your Mum was allowed in but she can of course be in the hospital waiting.

Don't be scared of the section, or disappointed to not give birth naturally, it's just the way things go sometimes. Embrace it, the moment you meet your baby will be brilliant. You'll be completely pain free and totally in the moment. The rummaging around, as a pp said, just feels like your baby moving.

[Panickingalot]

Tell the anaesthetist if you feel pack or feel anything. They can have more drugs pumped into your iv in a matter of seconds.

I had an elective and it wasn't bad at all. I actually enjoyed it. It was quick and when I started freaking out I just told myself " in a matter of minutes he will be here". And he was.

Try not to worry.

[blueshoes]

I am such a chicken and never been in a hospital before I had given birth. I have had 2 c-sections, one crash and the other elective and both were positive experiences and I healed quickly. Elective c-section is pretty safe.

I thought I wanted to give birth naturally but that choice was taken from me due to the first crash c-section. I opted for a c-section the next time because it was so predictable. Now I my bits am so glad I never had to deliver naturally.

[eurochick]

I had an unwanted elcs. I have to say the birth preparation download mentioned above gave me the rage. It bangs on about the birth you are choosing - I had no choice (growth restricted baby not strong enough for a vaginal birth). It was absolutely the last thing I wanted.

The only thing that helped me was time. I still feel sad when I hear about good natural births. But we are both here and safe and moving forwards. The csection only lasts about an hour. You will get through that and then you'll have your baby.

I hope this post doesn't freak you out. I'm trying to say that even if it doesn't turn out to be the very positive experience that some find it, it can be fine once you are out the other side.

[DriverSurpriseMe]

I had an ELCS and it was wonderful. I had a natural birth and now think they're totally overrated I tore very badly and that's why I chose a section for baby #2.

I didn't feel any rummaging, although I was expecting to. The spinal gave me the shakes, but that was the most unpleasant thing. All in all, it was fantastic.

[Tink06]

Hi. I had an elective with my 3rd and it was fine. I was terrified about the injection and what I might feel during the op. Honestly nothing - there is someone talking to you the whole time trying to distract you. No tugging sensations. It was honestly a lovely experience.
Afterwards - take all the pain meds offered and don't try to be brave. Take it at your own pace - my sis was up and about almost straight away. I wasn't quite as quick. Also be careful of constipation - the worse bit of the whole experience. A side effect of my pain killers I was on which no one warned me about and i would have been taking lactulose every day if I had known. Apart from that it was all good. Make sure you have plenty of help afterwards too. Good luck xxx

[blueshoes]

Yes, the spinal gave me the shakes too. It is like uncontrollable shuddering.

Once they start the incision, you will see baby pretty quickly. It is the stitching that takes a long time. But you can have baby skin-to-skin on your chest as you wait. It is lovely.

[sallyst123]

I've had 3 sec 2 emergency & 1 planned.
Have to say even with having 2 b4 I still was scared going into my 3rd mainly of been able to feel everything.
Like the other posters have said though I had no need to be worried the theatre team were so lovely, 1 of the nurses managed to get some amazing pictures of my ds being born. The anithasist was amazing & really reassuring. We had music playing in the background. It was really relaxing.
The only advice really I would give is afterwards take it easy & let your body heal.
My scar came open on day 4 after having my dd2 because I thought 'it's okay I've had a baby of course I can still do everything as normal"
It is major surgery so rest or get some help for a little while afterwards

[ACatCalledFang]

I had an unplanned CS a couple of months ago following a failed induction. As it was unplanned, I didn't have much time to get in a lather about it, which helped!

I was fully prepped in theatre and DP was only allowed in just before surgery began. I also found hypnobirthing techniques helpful for keeping calm even if I never got my water birth. I was most scared of the spinal but it was fine, literally just a scratch. And I'm a wimp.

I found there wasn't room to have my baby placed on my chest but DP was able to hold him right next to me until they were taken off for DS to be weighed. This meant I was alone in theatre for some time while I was stitched up, which felt like forever as I was itching to hold my baby! But the staff were lovely and I'd always wanted DP to go with the baby if we were separated.

I never felt any "rummaging". In fact, I didn't realise the surgeon had started until I realized he must have, IYSWIM. What I did feel was a brief, but massive, feeling of pressure, as though someone was trying to push me through the operating table. This was freaky but, immediately after, I heard DS cry - apparently they had to use forceps to get him out, which is probably why I felt this. Didn't feel a thing after that! Baby is usually out within the first 5-10 minutes so you have a wonderful distraction from everything else that's going on.

Afterwards: get moving as soon as you feel able to, but take it steady. Don't try to do anything other than moving around and feeding your baby. I found a changing table and co-sleeper cot invaluable, as well as a pillow for my lap when feeding DS.

If you're considering breastfeeding, don't hesitate to ask for help in hospital, especially with different positions, if it's something you want to do. Also, I didn't know this but a section can mean your milk takes longer to come in - we ended up being readmitted to hospital on day 5 (milk only started coming in on day 4/5) as DS lost a lot of weight and was dehydrated. He's fine now, following formula top-ups, and we're pretty much exclusively breastfeeding, but it was scary that he lost so much weight so fast - we would have given him formula much sooner had we realized he needed it. Hopefully this won't be a problem for you, but I mention it because I'd have welcomed knowing this was a possibility.

[TimeforaDietCoke]

Hello I had an EMCS and it was fine - I didn't really feel the tugging sensation rather a lot of pressure at one point as Fang said above.

If we have another baby I think I will seek an elective c-section as I had 'failed' augmentation of labour this time around, with poor progress after two days of on-off contractions and our baby became distressed. Starting out with a new baby having not slept for 72 hours wasn't great!

I agree with the advice regarding bf if that's what you want to do. Our baby lost more than 10% of his birth weight by day 5 as my milk was slower to come in.

Good luck

[mrsmugoo]

After you've had the section you are so wrapped up in the magic of your beautiful new baby that you forget what sort of birth you wanted and are just grateful your baby came into the world safe and healthy.

I had an elective for my first as he was breech, I too had planned water birth/hypnobirthing. I was disappointed at first and then I realised how lucky I was to have a guaranteed birth date (no spending weeks analysing every twinge) and a pretty much guaranteed safe and calm delivery (no induction, instruments, tearing etc).

DS is 20 months now and I really never give his method of birth a second thought.

[blackteaplease]

I had my third c section 9 days ago. You are only allowed one person in theatre and recovery but there is no reason why your mum can't be with you on the ward if that is what you want.

As pp have said all of the staff are lovely. The surgeon and anaesthetist will meet with you beforehand to introduce themselves. Getting the spinal in is hard but that is the worst part I me. I have low blood pressure which makes me feel ill but as soon as I mention it the anaesthetist adjusts the drugs and all is well.

It should take about 10mins to get baby out then you can have skinto skin and marvel at your newborn while they stitch you up.

Good luck

[BrienneofQarth]

Planned section here with dd, she was breech and refused to turn so off to theatre we went! It was a calm experience, so much so that I'm planning another with my currently cooking baby. I won't lie, there's a small part of me that regrets not having the natural birth experience but it's so safe and I had such a good experience with dd I'd prefer the devil I know! Recovery wasn't as bad as others had made out to me either, but that's an entirely personal thing. I will second the constipation though, thought I was going to split my stitches when I finally went!

Good luck x

[mrsmugoo]

Friends of mine that had natural births at the same time as me had a lot rougher recoveries - they were sitting on their stitches!! And there were a couple that had been seriously traumatised by protracted labours and distressed babies whipped out by forceps etc... I felt very lucky and relived in comparison.

I had immediate skin to skin and EBF for 10 months by the way, no need to worry about that.

[Booboostwo]

I had two ELCSs and they were both lovely, calm experiences. DH was with me the whole time, I didn't feel anything with the epidural, there was a bit of a tugging feeling as the baby came out but it was not unpleasant and then both times I had cuddles with the baby through the rest of the operation so time flew by. The most boring bit was waiting in recovery for two hours before I could go back to the room.

Recovery was very straight forward, the second even better than the first. Medication controlled the pain, I bfed and was up and about almost as normal within a week.

[Skiptonlass]

I've just had a c section - didn't choose it but had to have it due to placental issues.

It was fine. The theatre staff were great. I had complications during the section, but what I rxperienced was that the staff were prepared for anything and dealt with everything as it arose without the slightest hesitation or panic.

I was upset at having to have one initially but by the time it came around, I'd got to grips with it and now I see it as a positive thing. To put it brutally, ds and I would have died without it. Since then I've spoken to several friends who have told me I'm healing faster than they did after rough natural births (let's put it this way, if I had a quid for every 'I couldn't sit down for three weeks due to my tear" story I'd be rich.) a couple of days after getting home I was out (slowly) with the pram.

Don't worry about the tugging - yes, it's weird but it's no weirder than baby movements. I needed a ventouse to get him out so I probably had a lot of tugging but honestly, it wasn't an issue. The spinal isn't fun but it's not painful - I'd say uncomfortable at worst, and brief, just breathe and count through it.

You will be Uncomfy afterwards. Take all the pain relief you're offered and ask for more if you need it. After three days I was seeing a definite improvement, was shuffling around ok and the external scar had sealed. As a pp has said, get yourself set up at home so you're not lifting or bending and get the freezer stocked up - we did and it's been a godsend.

For breastfeeding - I got one of those crescent shaped pillows which helped enormously. If you can lie on your side to feed it helps too. I couldn't do this at first, I was too sore and the hospital bed was too narrow, but once home it really helped.

Rest up for the first week or two. I had a couple of days where I overestimated what I could do and I was wiped out the next day. Take it easy and you'll heal faster. Get help if you've got family around and when they say don't lift things, they mean it!

Funnily enough, now ds is here (safe and well thank goodness) my angst over not giving birth vaginally has gone. I'd have another section if I have another child, no hesitation at all.

[Dildals]

I had a elcs and still did hypnobirthing. It helped me relax during pregnancy, deal with fears and the operation itself. The instructor sent me a specific relaxation track for c sections.