2 days until my C section. Feeling so nervous

[csectionsoon]

My planned section is on Friday and I feel so nervous about it, so just coming on here as a sounding board.

I am blessed to have a fab support network- DH, parents nearby, my sister who had a planned section herself less than two years ago. DH is allowed to stay in the hospital overnight with me after (though I might try and send him home to get rest as he will only get a recliner chair)

I guess it’s just fear of the unknown and fear of major surgery. The options are ELCS or induction and induction statistics at my hospital and anecdotes from those around me mean I would never choose to be induced.

Would love advice or moral support from anyone who’s had a section before. It all feels so daunting. I hope I can hold my baby straight away, and feel really hopeful for a 24 hour stay (community midwife says this we will go home the next day unless there’s any unforeseen problems). I’m so very excited to meet baby, she is long awaited for but the butterflies I have right now are next level!

I am 8 days post ELCS with DD2, all I can say is I wish my first birth (vaginal) had been that chilled and problem free!!! You can hold your baby right away and have skin to skin, we were discharged after 24 hours but they said I could have stayed if I’d wanted to.

Just remember to take it easy afterwards, no lifting or rushing about! Don’t be worried about taking the pain meds and the stronger stuff if you need it, get up and walk as soon as you can because it really helps.

I echo this. I had a planned C-Section due to issues in the pregnancy. Was SO worried but for me, it was chill. Quick, painless surgery (arrived at hospital 7am, moved to pre-op 10am, baby on me and recovering by 11:30!), easy recovery. Home the following day (sitting in the car was actual hell though, swore I'd never go in a car again 😂)

Tips I'd include are pack decent snacks ~ not sure what got into me but I packed a bunch of healthy stuff which I absolutely did not eat and ended up Hangry because I got missed off the lunch list one day and couldn't face a puffed quinoa bar 😏 Also earbuds! The wards are LOUD and you'll want to get at least a bit of sleep.

Good luck, we're rooting for you 💐

I've had three, albeit a long time ago (!) and it's perfectly normal to feel nervous. I did too, even when I'd already experienced it.

Back in my day I was in for around a week each time but I actually didn't mind because it really helped me to get breastfeeding established. Only problem was the little buggers always seemed to be feeding when meals came around and I missed them!

Take every painkiller they offer you - there's no medals if you don't!

Above all, just remember that you are about to enter a very exciting and special new phase of your life! Best wishes x

I had planned sections for very similar reasons and it was a good decision for me. Those were my second and third births so can compare to other experiences too.

As above, get up and about as soon as you feel able, I was up after 10 hours second time around and feel it definitely helped with mobilising in general. Take the pain meds regularly - get DH to set timers. I was glad of DH staying overnight. Yes he could have gone home to rest but I was far more exhausted and needed every bit of help. It seemed to me that the midwives kind of expected him to look after our basic needs, it might be the same where you are.

Where I had my section there were all sorts of options for the birth, do look at those and think about what you might like. The theatre team were very happy that we had some music we fancied and fine with me wanting immediate skin to skin. First time round we had no name (not counting chickens) and the surgeon was actively tryong to persuade us to make a decision! Second time we already had a name and there was a great deal of fanfare over adding her name to the big whiteboard once she was out, which was lovely and still makes me well up thinking about it.

Nerves are usual, even just about having a baby.

On the day, the surgeon and the anaesthetist will come and see you before your surgery. Ask them about anything you’re particularly anxious about and they will explain it to you.

Ah jeez, yeah, for gods sake take all the snacks! We were delayed going down to theatre second time round and I was HANGRY. DH had packed a huge bag of cadburys chunks and they were the best thing I have ever tasted.

ELC for me (due to breech positioning) was a lovely experience in the end and definitely felt quite calm and structured. all went really smoothly and was a precious day. Recovery wise, I obviously had to take things like lifting easy for quite a while and it is a little annoying to have to delay things like exercising a bit longer - but overall it hasn’t been too bad and my scar is nice and neat and healing well (four months on).

What was more difficult for me was a subsequent delay in my milk supply coming through after - quite common with c-sections as body not ready - might be worth being aware of what to do in that scenario and talking with the midwife beforehand (if you’re planning on breastfeeding and haven’t done so already). I was unprepared for it, was unsuccessful with colostrum harvesting beforehand, and it was all quite stressful. I was out of hospital within 24hours of the birth, but in hindsight I should have asked to stay until feeding issues had been addressed - as we ended up back in hospital a few days later for a night due to baby losing too much weight. All was fine in the end - we had to top up with formula and have ended up combi feeding longer term - but would have been better if more prepared for that issue.

best of luck - I’m sure it will be wonderful!

I had never had any hospital procedure and was so ridiculously nervous. It was all I thought about! I found watching things about C-sections on YouTube helpful. The best ones I found were by Jennifer joy and eilidh wells. The best podcast I found was an episode of maybe baby with Anna Williamson. She talks through it step by step and it’s exactly how mine went. I did it again too and it was the same both times 😅 There’s a nip in your hand to get the cannula in then a nip in your back to numb it, after that it’s awkward the way you’ve to sit to get the spinal done but no pain from then on. The second time once the hand and back bits were done I was so chilled, knowing I had nothing else to do and could just lie back and relax til they told me the baby was out! 😊 Try to enjoy it. It really was better than my wedding day! I’d love to do it a third time 😂

Hi OP,
Firstly, congratulations!
I'm a year post c section now and it was such a wonderful experience - everyone made me feel so calm and, though I couldn't have immediate skin to skin, it was amazing. Far less scary than I thought it'd be!
Recovery wise I'd recommend getting moving, albeit gently, as soon as they let you. I'm sure the fact I was insistent on filling my own water bottle/doing a lap of the ward every now and then contributed to my easy recovery.
Best of luck!

One day at 35 weeks I was packed for a short break away.
Went for a check up at 8am.
Had ds by emcs at 12
.. My worst nightmare after natural births..it was more than fine. Staff were very reassuring.. Ds was fine. Dh held him while they stitched me up. Then I held him. All a bit of a blur but do remember I was up and about in nowhere near as much pain and discomfort as had expected.. Didn't need any pain relief once on the ward (4 beds quite civilised!). Ds bf fine even 5 weeks early! He did have jaundice so stayed in a week but they said they would have sent us home the next day otherwise.. Drove 10 days pp and recovered smashing.
You can def be fine too op. Positive wishes to you!

Mine was lovely. Everyone just pottered around calmly doing their thing. It doesn't really feel like major surgery when you're in there because it's so routine for them, and they know you're likely to be nervous and look after you.
I thought the anaesthesia bit took longest - once you're all numbed up, baby will quickly follow! Then it just takes a bit of time to close you up but you can't feel it. And that lovely feeling when all the pressure in your midsection suddenly goes and you can take a big breath again... I really liked that!
I was on my feet (gingerly) less than 24 hours later and felt ok, just tender. Try and avoid speed bumps if you can on the way home! Bodies are amazing, but obviously go at your own pace.
Congratulations on your imminent arrival 😊

I've had a category 1 emergency c section and I had an elective c section 4 months ago. I can't even tell you how healing and different the elective c section was. The comparison was night and day. There was music playing and as soon as baby came out and was dried off he was placed on my chest for skin to skin and was able to breastfeed in the recovery room. We stayed one night and was allowed home the next day. It was a lovely experience. The recovery was tough but that's to be expected with surgery. Wishing you the best of luck

Just to add, even though it was a planned c section I was so nervous and quite teary and emotional in the lead up - completely normal!

I had an ELCS for my first and in 4 days will have my second - they are great. Baby comes out super fast so you don't need to worry about them - you can have skin to skin almost immediately - and the recovery is so much faster than you would expect as long as you mobilize quickly. I felt better than being pregnant by day 5. Don't worry. Would definitely choose it over an induction from the horror stories and failure rates I've heard about over those.

I am 12 day post C-section and although I have no other birth to compare it to, I’m a fan!

• I had skin to skin contact as soon as the cord was cut and continued it throughout the day
• played a playlist in the theatre so she was born to a particular song as they gave us warning on her coming out
• I’d encourage you not to send your partner home but instead bring an air mattress, yoga mat or small camp bed for him to use and an extra pillow. I really needed him there to pass the baby etc and for emotional and physical support
• I would have been fine to be discharged after a night but they weren’t ready with sign off from a dr as it was a weekend
• I mobilised as soon as I was allowed (pre catheter removal)
• I feel almost back to normal now - able to pick baby up, walk around the house, walk outside. I appreciate this might be unusual but hopefully not! My scar is almost totally healed.

Echoing what everyone else has said and just to add that the team we had was amazing, we were laughing and joking as the anaesthetic got to work. I think it’s standard practice now to offer skin to skin immediately after a section if you’re well and able to hold the baby. You can have the drapes lowered to see them come out (you can’t see the incision) and that can really help with bonding. Congratulations and enjoy! The birth of your baby is an incredible thing. I loved our elective and chose it for similar reasons (had a failed induction previously and couldn’t face the unknown… and the pain!).

Another one adding that the elective section process was incredibly smooth. DC1 emcs and DC2 elc.

I was unwell just after they did the elc (blood pressure dropped and I felt faint) so I couldn’t hold DD for more than a min, but DH held her right next to me. Once I was back in recovery and I was ok I was able to do skin to skin and she was barely an hour old. And as a reassurance even though things were beeping and doctors starting buzzing about, everyone was still really calm and lovely and a nurse was talking to DH and baby.

Take all the pain meds. Theres no medal for not!

Yes to get up and walk as soon as possible and keep active - but don’t lift or do anything too strenuous. You need to rest and recuperate. I think you feel so much better after a week or 2 and that’s when it’s possible to set back your healing so much by over doing it because you don’t realise you still have a lot of healing to go.

Drink lots of water!

constipation was a big issue for me first time round and I still shudder thinking about it (DS is 9). I think it’s fairly common and it just wasn’t ever really mentioned in the hospital or anything. Lots of water, fibre, fruit and juice, stool softeners etc and just being aware of it meant I didn’t have issues second time round.

Good luck!

My semi elective was so pleasant! Theres honestly no need to worry, you will be anxious going into hospital snd things because it’s a stressful environment but frankly the section is the easiest bit!
Someone stays up with you chatting the whole time, mine was a theatre full of women, they put on the anaesthetist’s wedding playlist and overall it was very lovely.

I've had a natural birth and an elective section, the section was a lovely experience! We were the first slot in the morning so went in for 7am, got booked in and put into our room to get settled in. It was such a calm experience compared to my first birth, everyone was so lovely and talked me through everything that was happening. Walked down to theatre with DH and my midwife and what literally seemed like no time at all later we were back in our room cuddling baby, by lunchtime my mum was up visiting.
The worst part of it all was actually getting the cannula in my hand and the numbing injection in my back before the spinal, you don't feel anything after that so it was totally fine. I almost blacked out during my section due to low blood pressure but they managed to get it under control and they kept me very reassured and calm throughout it.
I will say during recovery keep up with the meds and don't think you can do more too soon, I stopped taking morphine on day 5 because I was feeling great and it was making me quite drowsy but massively went downhill later that day and got told off by my midwife. Take them for longer than you think you need them.
Keep a rolled up towel with you incase you need to cough, sneeze, and when you go to the bathroom, to hold against your wound, helped me masively.
Stock up on chewing gum and peppermint tea for when you get home.
Enjoy your new bundle and be patient with yourself during your recovery 😊

I had a planned c section with dc3. The surgery itself was absolutely fine, you don't feel it or see anything except some rummaging, there's a screen in the way. It was all very calm and relaxed. I could hold my baby as soon as I was stitched back up to breast feed , and was then expected to fully take care of him, especially once my leg movement came back. The wind pain you get in your shoulders/chest etc afterwards isn't that great so take some peppermint tablets in hospital with you and I was given oramorph for this, the pain from the cut wasn't even as bad as the wind pain. Once you're up and about (on the first night) you will be able to carry your own baby and if it's anything like my hospital the midwives will do absolutely nothing to help you, and my dh wasn't allowed to stay over either, so maybe letting your dh stay is a good idea. Coughing and throat clearing afterwards is interesting due to not being able to tense your stomach muscles hard, and you'll also have vaginal bleeding so take plenty of pads. Good luck, you you'll be fine.

The best advice I got was to take the painkillers. Whatever you do, do not miss a dose until you're pain-free on them (albeit you will move done to things like paracetamol fairly quickly). It is far easier to keep pain at bay than to get it back under control. Put someone else in charge of reminding you to take them.

Buy yourself the longest phone cable possible. Also very high waisted cotton knickers are great for helping your scar feel protected and not sore. Basket of snack, lip balm and water bottle to keep close to hand for afterwards.

In my experience of friends and family many people seem to have a more positive experience and recover more quickly from a planned c-section than a vaginal birth.

Don't send him home! Mine went home, both times I could really have done with some help. Second time especially because staffing levels were so much lower if something had gone wrong for me or ds we wouldn't have been found untill the morning.

It's over so quickly. It feels so strange like they are tugging and rummaging if your tummy (which they are) but when baby comes out it's the most magical moment in the world!!

You ladies are wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to share xx

I ended up with two emergency c-sections. I was very nervous during the first one, but with the second I was more prepared.
I asked for a pillow, took in my own relaxation cd and some lavender oil. The staff were great and helped me to relax. The op is only around 45 minutes from start to finish. You'll get to see your baby after it's born, but as you'll be lying flat, you won't be able to hold your baby until you are out of surgery. Once you're back on the trolley, they'll sit you up and then hand you your baby.

I was very sore with both of my c sections for the first week. I'm a side sleeper and obviously couldn't sleep on my side, so sleep wasn't great at home. I found the hospital beds to be really comfortable. With my first I was in for 5 days due to feeding/latching issues. With my second I was out the next day.

If you are a side sleeper, you may want to find a way to prop yourself up at night for comfort.

Another great tip was to put a sanitary towel face down along your wound to keep it clean and dry..it also makes it easy to see if there's any seepage/issues with the wound and stops clothing rubbing against it.

I would also get some Spatone or other iron supplements to perk yourself up afterwards.

Don't worry about the actual operation. It's pretty low risk all considered and they wouldn't be allowing you the choice if it was dangerous.

If i can get through it (I am a very anxious person), then i'm sure that you will too. Just focus on the end goal. Good luck.