To ask for your experiences of c-sections?

[Deliberations4]

I know it's quite personal so no pressure to share ofc, I'm just looking for some perspective.

I'm expecting my third baby in October. My last birth (induced) was traumatic and resulted in sepsis and PTSD, I also developed a mild prolapse.

I'm unsure whether I want to deliver naturally again and risk the prolapse worsening, or opt for a c-section so I have more control over the birth which i think might be quite healing mentally but have a higher risk of infection (I think?) which scares me.

I know each birth is different but I'd really appreciate hearing from others who did opt for a section. How was the recovery/pain/experience as a whole?

I had an ECS after an induction that stalled after 16 hours of back to back labour. It was a blessed relief from the spinal tap to the physical sensation of LG being lifted from me.

Recovery in the mat ward was miserable but mainly due to PND and not being able to have any visitors due to covid. I imagibe it'd be different if my DH could come to keep me company and hold LG/do some nappy changes. I remember my back being agony while changing LG as she screamed blue murder and feeling wretched.

Recovery wasn't painful, and had no issues. I had to be careful getting uo from seated. DH was a star and did all the changing and handing DD to me. My tum is still a bit numb and I randomly get mild discomfort in the scar. I could have driven at 3 weeks but waited till 6 to be careful.

Had elcs for second due to not quite a prolapse but almost. Didn't want to make it worse. So glad I had the elcs. Bonded better with baby as less trauma than even my waterbirth with no complications beyond 2nd degree tear. All I hated was the catheter as I've had previous utis so was scary and the baby's phlegmy breathing first two or three weeks. That doesn't always happen of course but it freaked me out.
I'm not having any more but if I did, elcs would be the only way. It reduces the variables for what can go wrong and it's not such a toll on your body ime.

More details: I asked for anti nausea meds just before they started, after I'd been anaesthetised and extra pain meds when being sewn up because they were poking a bit that was unaffected by the spinal. I was out after one night (going to the toilet was honestly the worst bit as I couldn't make myself pee for ages) and then had dp doing all the hard work for two weeks. He did all the night changes, passed me the baby and did anti blood clot injections on me etc. I stayed on top of the timings of painkillers (paras and ibuprofen) and it was fine. Had one day about 6 weeks in where I was in pain on my right side from tighter stitching but it was only a day. Have a neat scar, no pouch or anything and mostly have feeling back around it.

I've had 2 c-sections and 2 'normal' births. My first was an emergency CS and was tough recovering. I then had a VBAC with my 2nd, all fine. My 3rd was unfortunately born at 5 months due to complications he didn't survive. Because of this I chose to have an elective CS with my 4th. They are so much different to an emergency one. It's all very calm and straight forward.

In terms of recovery I had my 4th at 1pm and was home by 1pm the following day. You do of course have to take it easy but keep the painkillers going regularly and you'll be fine!

I had an EMCS after two vaginal deliveries. Bit of a mixed experience due to it being unplanned (ie no skin to skin, didn't even know the baby had been delivered to be honest until I heard him cry, so had no idea what was going on, ages until they brought him over all wrapped up - wasn't even given a sneak peek...) however, recovery was fine.

I was up and out of bed as soon as the catheter was removed, keep mobile if you can, it helps recovery. I had hardly any pain or discomfort, was given paracetamol, ibuprofen and morphine to take home and I didn't use any (I left hospital ASAP, just over 24 hours, would have gone sooner but baby needed some tests and I also lost 2 litres of blood during the section). I did get an infection in my scar but that was dealt with swiftly by my GP. Recovery felt less painful than one of my natural births!

Had an SVD with my first and due to some subsequent pelvic issues thanks to entirely avoidable poor management of second stage, had an ELCS with my second - and I’ve got to say while it was overall a positive experience, it ain’t no walk in the park - I found having the spinal put in really rather traumatic - I have issues stemming from childhood surrounding being restrained or having my movement restricted, and became extremely tearful. It was also quite a ‘high’ spinal so affected my breathing which again I found quite difficult to deal with. Wasn’t able to do skin to skin in theatre either as a result but personally, even as a big skin to skin proponent, this didn’t bother me as we did it in recovery and absolutely no negative effect on feeding.

Recovery-wise, I needed morphine then dihydrocodeine for at least a week after, and developed a severe skin reaction to my wound dressing which was hellish. I also wasn’t allowed to drive by my insurance company or GP/midwife for the full 6 weeks after birth - for no other reason than it being ‘the right thing to do’ - bearing in mind I was pushing double pram half a mile uphill after 2 weeks and jumping and hopping on one leg with ease. Sigh.

It’s also by no means guaranteed that pelvic floor issues won’t worsen as a result of pregnancy itself in any case. If I had a choice, if I could have guaranteed that I wouldn’t have had the same issues again after an SVD, I’d have had one of those. As it is, I’m happy with my decision, but only you know your life and family and what will be best for you. Good luck!

2 emergency sections here, the 1st being after a 75 labour, no sleep and failed forceps. I literally bounced back physically. When the midwife in charge of the postnatal ward came to introduce herself she found me balanced on one foot putting my tights on. Dc1 was 6 hours old. No need for pain relief, was walking the length of the hospital to nicu by myself within
24 hours.

Dc2's was amazing. Got to watch, skin to skin etc and left hospital the following day. Was pushing the pram on the 3 mile round trip to preschool within 3 weeks. Still got all the pain relief I was discharged with.

I think it really varies on you as an individual but for me it didn't hurt. I could feel certain things like pushing a heavy trolley in the supermarket but day to day stuff was fine. I also have no numbness on my tummy. The French Doctor in Nicu looking after dc1 told me to massage the scar once healed, no idea if that really helped but by the time dc1 was 8 months old I had no numbness at all.

I have two Dc and both born by section

With DD I had a (failed) five days of induction, they wanted to continue with pessaries etc but I wouldn’t consent and so had what was technically an EMCS, in reality it was booked for the following day, I had a lovely spinal, DS was born easily and I went home after 2 nights. I could have gone after one night but I wanted to stay for BF support (which I didn’t get)

DD was born via true EMCS, I went overdue and had my water broken, meconium was present and I went on the drip, she ended up getting stuck, I was showing signs of sepsis and she was out of me in minutes when needed by an absolutely shit hot theatre crew. I lost a lot of blood, we stayed in for 5 days IV antibiotics but I got amazing BF support from the midwives.

I had a minor wound infection after DS but healed beautifully after DD. Recovery wise I took it very, very easy and then a bit easier, I’m fat and approaching 40 so I knew it’s need to. Healed up beautifully now.

If we have another baby (unlikely) then it will be born by CS.

I had an emergency c-section after a long time in labour with a lot of pain, but not much happening. I spent 1 night in the hospital where I had the section and was then taken back to the maternity unit at my local hospital which was a great experience. I had a room to myself and lots of help from the midwives with feeding and them taking my baby off for an hour so I could have a kip. Once home I really didn’t have that much discomfort or difficulties. I think it’s key to be able to really rest after a section - it’s major surgery and you need to be able to sit and put your feet up as much as you can until you feel well enough to get on with more everyday stuff. After 2 weeks I felt mostly normal, just a bit stiff.

@Frazzledfranny

I just want to add - I’ve had a vaginal birth and I’d chose c-section again!

Same! would choose C birth again.

1x vaginal birth
1 x emergency caesarean birth - brilliant, even with the emergency element
1 x elective caesarean birth - fantastic experience and very calm, happy, joyful experience (small country hospital, surgical team was thrilled to do a C birth (only do a few every month) so was a great experience, felt very cared for.

to add..
recovery i found easier after the c births. we were in the NICU for a week after no.2 and I was up and about walking the length of the hospital within 12 hours. healed great, mainly just paracetamol for pain relief after.
no. 3 - home after two days , up walking about after hours. did have a fair bit of discomfort with trapped gas/air (pain in the shoulder area can be pretty fierce) otherwise no other problem healing wise. massage the scar area when safe to do so for reducing nunbness.

I had a planned section with my twins and I loved my birth. Recovery is difficult - just as it would be for any other major op.

Have you asked whether your hospital do enhanced recovery from obstetric surgery or something similar? I did this for my elective c section and it was really great—you don't have to be nil by mouth for as long beforehand, and they give you long acting painkillers and antibiotics preemptively, all of which increase your chances of a "good"/straightforward recovery and decrease the chances of infection and other complications.

Everyone is different, of course, but I found the whole thing was genuinely pain free and I went home the next day (and I'd have felt happy to go the same day if they'd let me). The atmosphere in the theatre itself was really cheerful and relaxed, and because I wasn't recovering from hours and hours of pain/physical effort, I had enough energy to really enjoy the first day with my babies properly.

Also, once home I never felt like I needed painkillers beyond an ibuprofen if I'd been walking a long time, and although I stuck to the guidelines about not lifting etc, I honestly felt back to my normal self and like I could have done anything within 3 days.

My main reason for choosing a c section in the first place was to totally minimise the risk of any psychological trauma, and I'd suggest if that's your priority, then go for it.

Best of luck with whatever choice you do make though—I hope it all goes swimmingly for you.

I preferred my vaginal birth over my c section but my vaginal birth was very fast and easy and my ELCS went wrong nearly leading to a hysterectomy. However if I'd had a prolapse I wouldn't want to risk making it worse and would opt for a c section because I feel the chances of it going wrong are slim.

My 2nd birth was an elective csection following a horrific induction with my 1st child which left me with a ridiculous amount of stitches and PTSD - I can't even remember having had my son, my only memories of birth are panic, my first memories of him are when we go home many days later. I wasn't going to be allowed to go full term second time round and my options were induction again (no way!) or a csection. I didn't want either to be honest but went for a csection. Aside from the absolute fear of what they were about the do for the 15minutes or so of prep and spinal, the procedure was calm and relaxed. I was up and walking within 6hrs and home within 24. The pain was, well, painful but nothing that couldn't be controlled with paracetamol and ibuprofen and I was far more mobile and comfortable than I was post birth 1st time round. It was by far the better experience.

@EnglishRain

I had an elective section with my first last summer. It was wonderful. Really calm and the recovery was alright. I don't know how much of that is luck, but I didn't get an infection, wound healed well, was happy driving by three weeks after. I'd have no qualms having another one tomorrow!

This was my experience too, I think planned c sections are easier than emergencies.

I've had 2 vaginal births and 1 elective caesarean.
The caesarean was by far the worst of the 3.
It is really difficult, as no one can predict how each birth and each baby is going to be.

@Ragwort

I had an EMCS and it was fantastic ... I'd asked for a CS and was told I couldn't have one but very early into the (induced) labour the midwife could see things weren't progressing and I was given an EMCS ... to my delight ! No serious problems at all, slight discomfort for a couple of days but I was well looked after in hospital .. no pain or discomfort... as soon as I got home I was up and about back to 'normal' ... no scar .

But, as this thread shows ... every woman's experience is different.

My experience was similar to this, I wanted a CS rather than forceps, so wasn’t at all disappointed when the induction failed and I had to have an “emergency” CS. Recovery was fine.

Props to women who go through VB, they must have ovaries of steel. I crumpled at the first contraction!

2 births and 2 csections. The 1st one was emergency and it took a long time to recover from mentally. 2nd one was elective and was so much better. I felt very in control and I found it very healing.

I had a EMCS, went from being put on the monitor to check the baby's heart rate and movements at 11:30 andDD was born at 12:15, so it was VERY fast, so much so that I couldn't get my head around what was going on (lots of people rushing and shouting at each other). BUT the actual procedure and recovery for me was fine, baby was in NICU for a week and then transferred to a specialist hospital for three weeks so I wasn't resting up really as I wasn't at home. But despite all that I the actual op and recovery was fine for me, I was on paracetamol and ibuprofen for about five days and then was fine pain-wise and have had no issues at all since. I would be fine having another section.

Thank you all for sharing your birth stories with me, it's good to read about how things went for others with a section. I'm really sorry that some of you have had birth traumas too, though.

enhanced recovery is something I'm keen to enquire about. I'm going to give birth at Queen Elizabeth in Greenwich this time (London) and I'll be asking about that when I can.

I requested a section through my midwife due to the birth trauma last time at a different hospital and it looks like it has been approved(?) already as I've got an appointment in September with the anaesthetic consultant.

I definitely want antibiotics in advance and as much pain relief as they can safely give me

Hey OP, a CS doesn't actually reduce the risks of prolapse by much. You can calculate your individual risks using this link riskcalc.org/UR_CHOICE/. My consultant showed it to me as I was trying to weigh up vaginal birth Vs CS for my second. It does sound like you have some other reasons for requesting a CS but thought this may be useful if the prolapse factor was the main one for you.

Both of mine were emergency CS's. Neither had me bed bound for more than 3 hrs.

I was 'up and about' hours before the women who'd had vaginal deliveries (partly because I was so motivated to get up so I could see my baby in neonatal, and partly because I had excellent pain relief given at regular intervals.)

I healed very well with no complications and was travelling between home and hospital for expressing and feeding (both times) with no issues.

It's an individual choice, but I've nothing negative to say about my experiences.

I had 2 elcs... Both totally fine and no issues at all.

I was VERY anxious going in but a day or two after had totally forgotten about it, it wasn't scary or painful and I just let them crack on as I was exited to meet DC.

I breastfed for ages... There were latching issues with dc1 (don't think related to the CS) but no problem with DC2.

Not going to lie... I felt like I'd been runover by a bus for about a month! But no issues with scar or undercarriage.

If you're worried about further damage I'd defo go cs.

Mine was an emergency c-section following a failed induction.

The procedure itself was fine - over very quickly, and everyone involved was very kind. I then had a very bad post partum haemorrhage which made it more stressful, but I was still able to be in recovery with my baby within half an hour of the procedure starting. No infection.

The recovery was hard. I remember crying every time I had to sit up in bed to feed my baby because it hurt so much. I felt so weak through my core, and couldn’t lift / carry my baby while standing, or walk any significant distances, for a while.

I did feel better within the 6 weeks recovery time they talk about, but I have been left with an area the size of my hand with no sensation of any kind. I also got terrible hematomas which looked ugly for a long time, and only healed recently (6 months on). Two of them got infected and wept blood and pus for a while.

6 months on I feel mostly normal and ok. It wasn’t a horrendous experience, but it was a significant surgery with a chunky recovery period. I would prefer to have a vaginal birth next time if possible, but if I need another c-section I will feel ok about it.

Meant to say, I didn’t have any issues breastfeeding. My baby got skin to skin within an hour of the birth and my milk came in fine.