C Sections: do they really do this?

[HollyRose6]

Hi all, I'm 33 weeks pregnant with second DC. I was sexually abused as a child and have huge issues around vaginal examinations etc. For DS1' s birth I went out of my way (hypnobirthing, home birth) to ensure I had a natural delivery without much intervention. Ended up having a lovely birth with only one midwife down the business end (if you get what I mean) and had a really positive experience. I had to fight hard for my home birth because the doctors decided DS1 was a giant baby who wouldn't fit it off my pelvis, the midwives thought this was a load of rubbish funnily enough. Doctors tried to push me into induction at 35wks and then placed c section at 37wks. I ended up insisting on a home birth so they would leave me alone. I'm so glad I did because DS1 turned up without any issues at home weighing only 7lb5.

Anyway I'm expecting DS2 and once again the baby is supposedly huge and I am really being pushed to have a c section and the idea of a c section terrifies me.

To make matters worse my friend has just had a c section and has been left feeling pretty traumatised by it. Firstly she said she was left completely bare below in front of all the people in the operating room and was shaved with a blunt razor (she had been told that she couldn't shave herself) and then had a catheter inserted, she found this all very undignified. She then found the sensation of the c section itself rather frightening and was left distraught when she was only allowed to barely glimpse her baby before he was taken off and cleaned, I pretty much delivered DS1 myself and had him in my arms and straight away and I would have hated someone other than me cleaning him. She then said after they had finished stitching her she realised they were lifting and spreading her legs so her bits were on display. When she got upset they said they were cleaning her out and given her pain meds but she claims no one had warned her of this. Then she was left exposed again whilst they cleaned her up. She then said whilst she was in recovery they left her bleeding on a pad and a midwife kept coming in and washing out her vagina.

Do they really do all this or is she exaggerating slightly? To me get c section sounds way more undignified than a natural birth but I'm sure not every mum feels like this.

[Bluetroublethree]

Your mate is a divvy.

Both my sections were fine, and I had a normal gown on, which was then raised and then I was covered in drapes for the actual OP, with a little hole in for the surgeon to do the business.

My sections are the happy place I go to in my head.

[Annarose2014]

It would have been a Difene suppository. Standard in my hospital.

As is the vigorous washing out of the vagina. It may not be the case in every hospital, but I've certainly witnessed it enough. Certainly it may well have happened to your friend.

[eurochick]

I suspect the lifting sensation was the insertion of painkilling suppositories.

[EverythingCounts]

Doesn't sound at all like my ELCS experience. No shaving required at all (this definitely varies from hospital to hospital), screen to help shield me and bits other than the incision covered. No discomfort once epidural done. Baby was weighed, cleaned by medical staff but right in front of me, then given to DH to hold right next to me. I was encouraged to cuddle and put baby to breast immediately in recovery room. I can't compare it with other types of birth but I have had quite a few other hospital procedures including involved surgery and the CS was by far the best of those experiences and the one where I felt most calm and in control.

[TwelveLeggedWalk]

Did your friend have a fairly Emergency CS? A fair bit of what she's said tallies with my experience, but mine was a pretty dramatic 'immediate risk to life in the next 10 minutes' kind of CS, so dignity had gone out of the window.

Totally understandable that if she's processing other elements of the traumatic birth experience she may be focussing on the lack of dignity, but it really doesn't sound representative of 90% of CSs.

[maggiethemagpie]

I have absolutely no idea what they did in mine, I was completely numb so apart from feeling vague tugging in my tummy area when they actually got the baby out, I felt completely disembodied.
I think they did shave the hair on my tummy where the incision went in but nowhere else.
I didn't even feel them put in the catheter and when I had an EMCS with my son (my daughter was ELCS) they went down there to put the probe thing on his head before delivery and I couldn't feel a thing.
I had no compunction about dr's seeing my bits etc as they do it all the time so for them it's probably like me looking at a spreadsheet or something, but I do sympathise if you've been abused in the past and find the idea difficult.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Btw I was dreading my first CS (planned, baby was breach). It was such a pleasant experience I chose to do twice more .

My SIL had to have a CS with her second child after a straightforward VB first time round. A helpful 'friend' told her she wouldn't be able to bend down to put a cup in the dishwasher for six weeks and made her really anxious - she also found it a very positive experience and said when she had DC3 that she was completely indifferent to which way baby came out!

[coppertop]

I had an emergency CS (after 3 previous VBs).

The midwife shaved a small area with a disposable razor. I was already under instructions to move as little as possible (transverse baby and my waters had already gone), so don't know whether I would normally have been expected to do it myself.

There was a cover put up so that I wouldn't see what was happening, but the only people standing at that end were those who needed to be.

There was a pulling sensation but nothing uncomfortable or frightening.

Dd was taken away quite quickly but it was explained that this was due to the need to check for mucous, which is more likely to be a problem with a CS birth. Once checked and weighed, she was brought back very quickly.

A catheter was necessary because you have no sensation below the waist so can't tell whether or not you have a full bladder.

The whole experience was actually very relaxed and far more dignified than my previous births. Everything was explained at every stage, so there were no surprises.

[mslion]

Well your friend's experience is certainly nothing like mine and is not typical of a planned section at all.

I was asked to shave the top inch from my pubic hair - I shaved about an inch and a half (bloody difficult with a twin bump in the way!). The midwife did check this just before that op to make sure it was OK which it was.

I met with the anaesthetist and surgeon two days before the op - they explained about the catheter and the anal pessary and I had to sign a consent form for both of those things. I remember joking with them about how I would have something put in every orifice except the one that babies are supposed to come out of!

This is in a normal NHS hospital and I believe all these thing are standard NICE guidelines. At no point was anything done to me or inserted into me which had not been (a) explained to me beforehand or (b) consented to in writing by me.

It's a different matter for an emergency section where explanations are rushed and everything is being done in a hurry, but if you are considering a planned section you can talk through all of these fears with a midwife and the people who are doing your section beforehand.

Good luck!

[MrsCosmopilite]

I had an EMCS. Nobody shaved me. Screen went up and I was skin-to-skin within 10 mins.

I had planned a calm birth in a pool but after 48 hours nothing was happening. By the time DD was delivered I had no care about whether I was exposed or not (only to surgeon, MW and DH) - I was too tired.

I don't think your friend is being at all helpful.

[AllBoxedUp]

They were both really positive experiences though, all the staff were lovely and I have great memories of them.

[AllBoxedUp]

I've had 2 CS and the last one was 5 weeks ago. I was shaved with an electric razor by the midwife who told me she was going to do it.

To be honest, I did have a moment where I felt very self conscious about being naked below the screen - I think maybe when they put in they were moving my legs - but it sounds like in some places they cover you add much as possible. Maybe it would be better for you to have e the catheter in before the spinal so you feel more in control?

I requested that the screen be lowered so that I could see DD being delivered and that was amazing. Look into natural c sections - there was a thread on here a few weeks ago about it. DD was dried and weighed before we had skin to skin but I have read on here about people having their babies delivered directly onto them so you could twisty that. With DS he needed oxygen when he came out but it was all over quickly and we had skin to skin within the first 10 minutes I think.

I'm sorry for what you've been through abs I don't know if my suggestions are helpful but there are lots of options to make an ELCS how you would like it. Also, my surgeons were both female - I don't know if you would feel more comfortable with that our if it is possible to request this. There were other male staff in the room. I hope this doesn't make you more anxious but there are a lot of people in theatre for a CS - probably about 10.

[Mummymidwife87]

I haven't read the whole thread, but there is no evidence that early inductions and ELCS are needed for suspected large babies. Infact that is shocking, particularly the fact you have had a previous spontaneous vaginal birth.
Unless you want an ELCS, I would suggest requesting to speak to you supervisor of midwives about this.

[chemenger]

I had an emergency CS and although some of the things your friend described happened, to an extent, she seems to have dramatised them to make the whole thing like an ordeal. The staff at mine, especially the anaesthetist, were sympathetic, supportive and kind. I always felt respected. This was nearly 17 years ago and I would expect things to have got even better.

[scarletforya]

Cs not vs !

[scarletforya]

I think your friend is taking a lot of nonsense. My vs was nothing like that.

[Minnieisthedevilmouse]

Also the anesthiatist was by far the best person to talk to. No idea why

[Minnieisthedevilmouse]

Fought not caught

[Minnieisthedevilmouse]

I am so glad of my two c secs. The first was scary but emcs. The second planned and I rather enjoyed it in a funny way. But these were what I wanted. I feared vag birth. Home would have killed me. Hospital terrified me. I was so relieved to get a csec. Then caught hard for my second. I'm still very pleased and happy.

So, giving birth is different for all. Find your own happy. No one else stories help good or bad. Good luck.

[peeapod]

hi holly

Please please please stop reading on the internet, stop reading books and getting advice from friends.

what you need to focus on is your experience. If you are going to have a C section you need to be talking to your hospital about your c section.

I have come here and asked similar questions and got myself all worked up and it just didn't help because ultimately my c section was completely different to everything I had read.

The best advice I can give is to get as much information as possible and to ensure that your wishes are followed with your birth. I went to theatre and was introduced to the theatre staff with a big list of my requests that I had written on a piece of paper.

If you look herre at the csection birth plan it shows you all the questions and things you can request to make your c section yours. www.caesarean.org.uk/

good luck, hope it goes well..

[clarinsgirl]

Hi Holly, you really need to give this 'friend' a wide berth. What she is saying makes little sense, as many posters have said, during a c-section you have no idea what is going on beyond the curtain.

I was not shaved and there is no reason why you can't shave yourself before hand. I was catheterised but didn't know when it was happening because I couldn't see or feel below my chest.

I talked to DH and lovely anaesthetist throughout and was passed DS as soon as he was born. He fed whilst I was stitched up.

Have a chat to your midwife and I'm sure that you will be able to get the control you need.

[differentnameforthis]

Firstly she said she was left completely bare below in front of all the people in the operating room

How else are they to access everything though? Knickers would have got in the way of the incision, not to mention could have cause fibres to get in the opening. Also could have restricted the catheter.

The incision is usually right on the knicker line.

Really, what else did she expect?

[differentnameforthis]

I doubt very much that the razor was blunt! They use a new one for each patient.

The lifting & spreading of legs, probably to take away any soiled material/put on pressure stockings/place a pad.

She won't have had her vagina 'washed out' either, probably had the pad replaces & wiped any excess away.

I only had a couple of second glance at dd2 when she was born because they need to check them over. Vaginally delivering a baby pushes any mucous out of their lungs (because of the pressure) section delivery doesn't have the same effect, so they need to make sure there are no blockages/mucous in the airways etc.

All sensation feels really odd down there after the spinal.

[sandgrown]

Don't worry your baby will be born in about 5 minutes and once you have them you will not care what is happening down below! I found that there was a lot less of me on show than when I had a natural birth. I was nervous and had a lovely midwife holding my hand on one side and DP on the other.

[omuwalamulungi]

Must add I was really lucky to have excellent midwives and consultants throughout who I absolutely trusted to do the best for me they could - I understand this is not always the case!