Who Has Had An Emergency C-Section? How was it?

[bearmama]

3 weeks since I had mine and I want to know what is going on down there in my abdomen. Can someone tell me what happens with this surgery (besides the obvious!) and if i should still feel tender now? Scar is healing well but my belly area feels so odd!

[PosieParker]

They've cut through lots of tissue and you'll have plenty of bruising. I've had three of the buggers!! It will go but it will take at least 6 weeks and now 20 months on I still have areas which have no feeling.

[katiemc]

I'd second what PosieParker says - it will feel odd for quite a while but go in the end. I could still feel mine pulling occasionally (e.g. when hoiking pram up kerbs) for a good 6 months. Still have some residual numbness after 6 years.

[bearmama]

The fact that DD was 9lb 12oz and I am 5'3 and 9.5 stones doesnt help I suppose! I find her quite heavy to carry around and would like to put her in a sling but she is in a Pavlik harness so i dont know if thats wise.

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

Still have some numbness around the scar, extending upwards to my tummy rather than downwards towards my bits thank gawd.

I still cant do sit-ups, as I have adhesions on my bowel (I think)which make it painful for me to move in that way.

DS was 6 this month

HTH

[Unfitmother]

I've had 2, it will take a long time before thing feel anything like normal but it will get better.

[bearmama]

Boys - were adhesions on bowel caused by the EMCS??
And how long before you were able to get jiggy again?
Bruising, numbness...So much for C-sections leaving your bits intact...

[PosieParker]

I was jiggy after 4 weeks the first time, 8 the second and 3 months the third because my darling little dd never slept and screamed all of the time!!

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

Yes, the scarring internally was the result of the crash section. If I twist quickly, then I can feel it pulling on the right hand side of my tummy, low down.

Small price to pay for a live baby.

His heart rate went down 140 to 60 then 40 in about 5 minutes so all went a bit scary eek

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

Jiggy at 2 months, was anxious to re start that side of things

Feeding was tricky at first, had to rugby hold the baby for about 3 months, perfected feeding lying down too.

Had a lot of help from my mum, she was able to come and entertain DS1 for the first few months.

Congrats, btw

[VictorianSqualor]

I've had ELCS's with my last two and both times took a good few weeks til i could feel it again.
11 days in this time and I still get horrid smarting pains if I stand too long or when I roll over in bed.
Did the surgeon not explain to you that the numbness in your tummy would last a while?
On the sex side of things we've done it already
But then this was my third section (1st was EMCS) so I know I'm not going to split in two no matter how scary it is!

[bearmama]

Dont feel things were really explained that well, no, but like Boys the heart rate plummeted so i was just glad to have her safe and well.
Actually it all happened so fast they nicked her cheek with the scalpel whilst cutting me open, she is a little scarface.
They were full of apologies but we weren't angry, too relieved that all went ok. Not that I minded ANYTHING with the morphine etc!

[VictorianSqualor]

DS was an ELCS, not in labour or anything and his head was nicke too, it's quite common from what I can gather.
Have the midwives discharged you yet?You can ask either your mw/hv or doctor for more info and they can tell you what is 'normal' wrt feeling coming back etc after the CS. You could probably even call the maternity unit and have someone explain, normally the surgeon comes round the next day and explains things but as you said sometimes the cocktail of drugs makes it easy to just nod and agree!

[whomovedmychocolate]

Bearmama - it takes at least two months for the muscles to reknit properly so you will feel a bit weird for a while yet I'm afraid.

Oh and then you will feel better and do something daft (with me it was digging the garden) and tear everything again (and you feel a total nit having to return to hospital with a two month old to say 'umm do you think you could have a look because it feels like my insides are hanging out'

[NotABanana]

I had a section in 2001 and it resutured in 2002 and today it has been a bit tender and pulling.

[nooka]

Mine c-sections were almost 9 and 7 1/2 years ago now, and I only recently lost the band of numbness/pins and needles above the scar that I got second time around. The second one was more "emergency" and the operation gets more complicated after the first time (because of the scar tissue). Never had any problems with my pelvic floor etc, but that may be because I didn't labour too long. My scar can still be painful when I sneeze or pull on my tummy unexpectedly.

[minster]

I had lots of adhesion & numbness following my emergency section. The elective was much better, the consultant spent a long time clearing up the damage & resected the old scar - I have much more feeling now.

[bearmama]

Seeing HV on Mon so will ask then. The surgeon was more about making sure I knew what had happened and was ok with it.

[bearmama]

Thanks everyone, have more realistic idea of what to expect now.

[Tangle]

bearmama - what kind of sling did you want to use, and have you come across www.thebabywearer.com? I've just done a quick search on the forum (you need to join before you can access it, but they don't spam), and there's a few women there that have worn their babies while the baby wore a pavlik harness. Other women showed their Dr's their wrap slings (which, depending on the carry, can carry the baby in the same position) and have been told they don't need to use the harness if the baby is in the sling. Have a look at this thread for a couple of links.

Good luck - hope DD is out of the harness soon

[oiFoiF]

like posieparker I have had three and you doo feel 'different' after each one. They sewed me up 'weird this time I reckon

[ilovewashingnappies]

Jiggy after about two weeks but found very...er... gentle posistion.

I still can;t lie on my side without pain- any ideas why?

I found general stuff began to get much better after around 4week but don't push it cos you feel better.

[scottishmummy]

initially swelling,bruising+++ and some tenderness to touch.3 wk is really recent.it is major abdominal surgery

[ilovewashingnappies]

Oh holy crap.
I just looked at soome photos at what they did......

'ckin ell

[pinkyminky]

It's a big op, don't underestimate it. I'll never forget someone at baby group bragging to me how they were driving 3 weeks later. Silly. I used my Didymos (wraparound sling) after about a month I think. No that was DD who was elcs. and only 6lb14 at birth. Can't remember for DS, prolly around two months.
I have a funny kind of numb skin but tickly underneath feeling above my scar when I stroke it.
Don't look at the pictures of innards! I looked up at the light fitting during my second section and it looked soo alien in there!

If you don't keep the pain relief up, you can have a sensation of your back sinking through the floor when you lie down.

Take it easy, and congratulations on your baby!

[VictorianSqualor]

I saw myself in the light fitting with my first ELCS too, it was horrible, I made sure this time that I didn't look!
I agree about overdoing it too, haemorraghing is not something anyone wants to happen and I know people who have done too much and ended up back in hospital.