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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Are elective c sections painful during the operation?

56 replies

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 18/01/2012 23:55

I've just been watching OBEM and the woman who had the elcs looked as though she was in pain when the doctor had his hand inside her and was pulling out the baby. I know the recovery from an elcs will be painful but I'd always thought that the surgery itself wouldn't hurt, given the epidural/spinal. Can anyone who's had an elcs please tell me if they felt pain during the operation?

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imaginethat · 18/01/2012 23:58

I did because the anaesthetic didn't work but I had learnt hypnosis so I used that instead. which worked well.

Friends say they felt tugging, but not pain.

hermionestranger · 18/01/2012 23:59

I felt tugging but no pain. I remember the 'is the baby ok' panic too.

Original poster

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 19/01/2012 00:11

imaginethat they still went ahead with your surgery even though the anesthesia didn't work!?! Why?! Couldn't they have tried an alternative drug or even a GA? Surely they can't cut you open if the spinal hasn't worked!?!

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Ineedadollar · 19/01/2012 00:13

I had a failed spinal too. Quite painful, I'd say! I dealt with it by passing out every few minutes. He was still worth it though

hazelnutlatte · 19/01/2012 00:16

I had an emergency c section, had a spinal, felt nothing whatsoever not even tugging! I didn't even realise they had started the surgery until the screen started shaking about, a few seconds later I heard a cry!
Just wanted to balance out the terrifying anaesthetic not working story. Also post op pain was far less than I had expected it to be.

Ineedadollar · 19/01/2012 00:16

Thing is, scream, you often don't know the spinal hasn't worked until they make the first incision. There were no other drugs safe to use at that stage and there seemed little point in a GA so I just gritted my teeth and got on with it. and fainted

Original poster

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 19/01/2012 00:20

Was that a choice you made though Ineedadollar? Did you feel the first cut, notify the surgeon, and then agree to let him carry on? I can promise you that if my spinal hadn't worked I would want them to stop immediately and give me every other drug under the sun, even if that meant I had to wait until the following day when the spinal drugs had left my system. I can't imagine "gritting my teeth" through major abdominal surgery!!!

Surely they can't carry on without your consent!?!

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Original poster

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 19/01/2012 00:21

Many thanks to the other posters as well, for the non-scary stories!! I had hoped starting this thread would be reassuring and now I'm more terrified than ever!

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edwardcullensotherwoman · 19/01/2012 00:23

I had an emcs too, all I felt was rummaging under my ribs, but no pain. Ineed and imagine , I can't believe they didn't test first before starting to operate! I had a spinal, the anaesthetist used an ice cube on my skin to test if it had worked - she wouldn't let the surgeons near until I couldn't feel the ice cube from my feet to my ribs!

CervixWithASmile · 19/01/2012 00:23

No pain during, but a very powerful rummaging and tugging sensation!

CervixWithASmile · 19/01/2012 00:24

With me they tested by pinching me hard, it took me a while to realize I could feel the sensation but not pain IYSWIM.

Ineedadollar · 19/01/2012 00:26

Well they'd cut my skin so waiting for another day wasn't really an option. You can't have other drugs until after baby is out so my only option was GA which would have meant both DH and I missing the birth. I just wanted that baby out ASAP by then. I had gas and air...
But op this is incredibly rare and I'm just excited to have found someone else it happened to, it's so unlikely. It was all soon forgotten anyway once I had my baby

flamegirl77 · 19/01/2012 00:26

I felt no pain during my EMCS. I did feel the tugging but it was just strange, not uncomfortable. They checked whether the spinal had worked by spraying me with something cold and asking if I felt it, IIRC.

Original poster

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 19/01/2012 00:31

Well at least they offered you GA, that's reassuring. Naturally you made the choice that was best for you, and I'm glad that you were happy with it both at the time and in retrospect. I'm afraid I'm nowhere near as hardcore as you, and I would definitely have taken the GA! It wouldn't be ideal to miss the first hour or so of my baby's arrival into the world, but I hope to have the rest of my life to share with them and I think they would benefit from not having a traumatised mother!

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imaginethat · 19/01/2012 00:34

Scream - imaginethat they still went ahead with your surgery even though the anesthesia didn't work!?! Why?! Couldn't they have tried an alternative drug or even a GA? Surely they can't cut you open if the spinal hasn't worked!?!

Well I did protest but they didn't really believe me and just got on with it. It wasn't until afterwards when they rechecked the line and realised the drug wasn't getting through that they understood.

But they were sooo soo so apologetic and in every other way so kind that it didn't traumatise me at all and as I say I had learnt hypnosis and was able to use that very effectively.

All up it was a much more positive experience than the "normal" birth I had with first child.

I think my point is that it is worth learning hypnosis because it'll help you no matter which way the birth goes.

Original poster

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 19/01/2012 00:34

Thanks again to the other posters as well. Tugging and pulling I can cope with, and no option is an easy option when it comes to birth so I know it won't be a walk in the park. I was just unnerved by the pain on the face of the woman on OBEM tonight!

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Original poster

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 19/01/2012 00:37

imaginethat you said you were in pain and they didn't believe you!?! They went ahead even though you protested!?! That sounds like a malpractice suit to me. I'm so terrified right now...

I believe hypnosis has a place and can be helpful for a lot of people, but it's definitely not what I would want to be relying on to get me through surgery!

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CervixWithASmile · 19/01/2012 00:42

I bet I looked like I was in pain, but wasn't. It's the nerves and worrying if everything is ok I think.

imaginethat · 19/01/2012 00:43

Well yes I suppose it was but we all got through it and I wasn't traumatised at all and they were sorry and I was fine with that.

I'm sure your drugs will work!!

ThePoorMansBeckySharp · 19/01/2012 00:43

Not remotely painful.

You would be unbelievably unlucky to have Imaginethat's experience. My anaesthetist was extremely reassuring and was constantly making sure I was ok.

ThePoorMansBeckySharp · 19/01/2012 00:46

Also although I wasn't in pain I probably looked extremely anxious! I was expecting a traumatic experience as so many fuckers people tell you a section will be awful. IT ISN'T. It really, really isn't. You will get to the end and think 'Is that it?'

Ineedadollar · 19/01/2012 00:48

I had that too, imagine. "no, no, you can't feel pain, only sensation"

"oh. Did you say you can feel it?!"
Anaesthetist was terrified throughout! that I would sue. They were very nice about it all though.

Ineedadollar · 19/01/2012 00:51

I didn't find recovery too bad, scream, getting out of bed in the morning was tricky for a couple of weeks but apart from that it was pretty pain free. 2 years on the scar is surprisingly small and very well healed.

Original poster

ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster · 19/01/2012 00:54

Well I guess the main message is that it's unlikely to hurt, but if it does hurt you need to be pretty forceful to make sure they take your concerns seriously and don't just carry on.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond.

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flamegirl77 · 19/01/2012 01:00

Will you have a birth partner in surgery with you? You could brief him or her to speak up if they think you are in pain. It's incredibly unlikely but it can help to have a plan for all eventualities. Again, it's very very unlikely that you'll have problems with anaesthetic. Now trapped wind on the other hand... [shudder]

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