Pink, I have had 2 emergency sections, the first time was a bit scary, the second time was really good, and this time, dare I say it, I am looking forward to it! If its an elective it is very calm, you can listen to your own cd, dh is with you in scrubs and it takes about 5 mins to get the baby out and about 45 to stitch you up again, so you are totally engrossed in looking at your gorgeous bundle of joy while they stitch you up. My recovery was super fast, though I stayed in for 5 days each time, this time I will stay only for 3 days. In fact I went back to Africa after 10 days with both of my babies, 6/8 hour plane journeys, with no problems, not advisable, though I'm sure you won't even be considering it