Hi Sophia,
I can't help you with why you're being advised to have a section, but I had one with my dd (first baby) 18 months ago and have been told that I will have to have a section this time (expecting non-id twins in the new year), mainly because I've had a section before and partly because with twins there is a small risk that twin no2 will need to be delivered by section anyway.
So in response to your second question, I did find recovery after the section took longer than I expected - took me about 4 weeks before I could move about freely - and was glad to have help of dh and my mum, who stayed with us for a week after I got out of hospital. The main problem I had was frustration at being quite restricted in what I could do. The hospital will ensure you get good strong, regular pain relief and encourage you to get up and about 24 hours or so after surgery, to stop you getting too stiff and sore. A friend who had a vaginal delivery but tore badly needed 40 odd stitches and was in the wars for some time too!
Have you looked at the childbirth board? There are often postings on there about c-sections and could be worth a look.
Is your dh very opposed because he thinks sections are much riskier? There are risks in all births, and as I understand it, because many sections are performed in emergency circumstances - ie, something is already going wrong - the statitics can look frightening. However, a planned section is a completely different kettle of fish - ask your consultant to go through his reasoning with you more fully, so you understand his stance on sections in your circumstances.
Best of luck and congratulations!