chatter I haven't had a section myself so don't have personal experience on recovery and pain management although everyone will be different. My friend has had 2 sections, her first was an emergency section a year ago and she really struggled with pain management and had issues with infection etc however she had an elective section a week and a half ago and said its like night and day. She was discharged 24 hours after her second section with paracetamol, diclofenac and lactulose. She said this time around her pain hasn't been anything more that a tad uncomfortable and she's been out an about visiting friends and family and going shopping and the likes. Recovery time can be anything from a week to 6/8 weeks it seems. Just be careful with the wound and don't do anything too heavy/strenuous that could open the stitches.
As for the procedure, from all the ones I've seen you'll walk into theatre if it's elective, be in bed already if it's and emergency and transferred to the theatre table. They'll put in a spinal which people say can be a tad sore, it's usually the local anaesthetic people can feel and then pushing and prodding while they find the correct space. One your spinal is in you'll feel the effects fairly quickly and they'll get you onto your back and comfortable. Some people have a combined spinal/epidural before they get to theatre so don't need to go through the process again. You'll have all the normal monitoring on like ECG leads, BP cuff and oxygen sats monitor, you might also have an oxygen mask on. You'll also have a catheter in which is removed the next day normally when you're back up on your feet.
Before they drape and prep the anaesthetist will use a cold spray on a part of your body that hasn't been numbed so you can feel how cold it is, then they'll run the spray up your legs/hips/tum on both sides to figure out when you start to feel it and if it's high enough. If all is well they'll put the drapes on and have it up like a shield so you can't see the procedure.
Incision is horizontal about 10-15cm in length and really low down, just above your pubic line. You'll "feel" things like pushing/pulling and prodding, the mums I've seen said it feels like someone is doing the dishes in your tum, but you shouldn't feel any pain at all.
Unless there's any major complication carrying more children is fine, some people go on to have more sections although they tend to recommend no more than 3 and others have perfectly fine vaginal births.
Infections seem to be common and it's just due to where the incision is however just keep it clean and dry and if you were to notice any redness/swelling/pain/pus/smell etc you can contact the mw who'll get some antibiotics. Post section the midwives come to your home and check in your wound but you can always go to the cmus/GP aswell.
Also many people hear "emergency section" and think it's all a huge panic and crashing about but in most cases its classed as an emergency because you're already in labour, baby may or may not be distressed and you take priority over someone coming in for an elective section who wasn't in labour. There are of course real emergencies but it's not always that way.
Sorry for the super long post - hopefully there are other mums on who've had previous sections and can give you their personal experiences :).
I'm 37 weeks at the beginning of October and will hopefully be an elective section so can let you know how things are then too.