Is recovery different after second c section?

[FuzzyOwl]

I had an EMCS last year and will be booked in for an ELCS next month. My recovery last time was really positive but I am wondering whether people tend to recover from their first sections better and easier than they do subsequent ones.

Has anyone had two or more sections who could tell me about their experiences of recovery? I appreciate we are all different and something unexpected might come up during the birth but I am wanting to plan ahead for childcare if necessary after DH goes back back to work.

[WatchingFromTheWings]

I recovered far far quicker with the second. I'd lost a lot of weight between the 2 births and made good use of support knickers. My 3rd C-section.....I was 10 years older and struggled! I think also the fact my first was an emergency (after 4 failed inductions and concerns about baby's vanishing heartbeat!) and the second was planned well in advance made a difference.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Hello OP

I have had two EMCS's about three years apart when i was in my 30s

I found the recovery straightforward both times. I can't remember one being more difficult than the other

Good luck!

[FuzzyOwl]

Thank you and I am pleased you both recovered so well. Hopefully it bodes well for me.

[Watto1]

The only difference I found was that the afterpains were much worse after my second, although I believe that is the case whether you have a section or not.

[FuzzyOwl]

I don't recall after pains at all last time but have heard they get worse with each pregnancy. Thank you for reminding me though, so at least I will know to watch out and expect them.

[fruityb]

Am interested to know this myself. DS is only five weeks old so it won't be any time soon! But I had an EMCS as well after 26 hours of labour and getting nowhere and as much as I desperately didn't want one I think recovery has actually been ok. I wouldn't be averse to having another section even though the consultant said I could probably have a VBAC should I have another.

[WellTidy]

I had two EMCS, four years apart. I recovered better after my second, and I think that was because with my first, i was in labour for three days before the EMCS. With my second, i tried for a vbac, made insufficient progress in the time allowed (they won't let you go too long due to the risk of rupture) which was less than 24 hours. Then i had the EMCS.

I had been dreading the after pains. They were awful with my first and I thought they would be worse with my second. I got the obstetrician to prescribe me diplofenac in my notes prior t the birth as I know that paracetamol and ibuprofen wouldn't touch them. But I didn't have any at all.

[FreeButtonBee]

I found the second much harder (and first time it was twins!)

The fact that I had other children meant that I couldn't just sit and rest all the time. I had a lot of help but still bust my stitches quite nastily and needed ABs. At 4 weeks post C-section, I was still in quite a lot of pain and had to take myself to bed a lot. The scar has also healed less neatly than first time.

[white66]

I found the first 36-48 hours harder with the second (first was EMCS second was ELCS) but after 2-3 days I recovered just as well with the first. The after pains were def worse the second time!

[DumbledoresPants]

I had heard second sections were much harder to recover from and was dreading the possibility I might end up having another section (planned a VBAC). As it was, I ended up with a second EMCS where I lost 2.5 litres of blood (even worse as I was already anaemic from several bouts of heavy blood loss in late pregnancy) and my uterus failed to contact and I was in surgery for over 2 hours after birth whilst they tried to manually contract to uterus, start blood transfusions and then put a "balloon" inside me to help my uterus to contract, which had to be removed from my cervix 12 hours later. It was all a bit dramatic. BUT, aside from absolute exhaustion from how anaemic I still was, I recovered much quicker.

[earthmoon]

Physical recovery for my second c-section was much better. However, ds1 was emcs and ds3 elcs.