9 days after your csection, how did you feel?

[Roonerspism]

That's it really! This is third baby but first csection and I still feel - well, utterly crap really.

The pain is fine. But I feel completely washed out, achey in my bones, constantly cold and if I leave the house I want to come straight home to bed. Doesn't help I'm up half the night feeding...

Is this normal? I am very probe to having retained products so I am wondering if an infection is brewing or if I'm just underestimating how bad a csection makes you feel....

Reading this with interest as I had EMCS 3 days ago. Obviously unexpected due to the emergency nature. I feel better than expected in some ways - yes, I'm tired and sore but figure it could actually be worse and I suppose may yet get worse. I've probably had a bit more time to recover as my DD is in neonatal so I haven't had to get up in the night and do lots of lifting yet and as I'll be in until next week might be more likely to take it easy here rather than at home.

I do have the fear about my first bowel movement still to come though...

You could be right, Red. I don't think I've seen many honest conversations on CS, even on here.

I had crash section too, espa, although thankfully DS was ok and on normal ward with me. It may be too early to think about it, as right now you will just be grateful that you and your DD are alive, but you may want to talk to someone about trauma counselling. I wish that I had done this - it wasn't till much later that I realised it would have been helpful.

Hope your DD is out of neonatal ward and off home with you soon.

I'm actually not fussed that I had the section in the end. All I cared about was getting her out safe and I told them well in advance when it was first mentioned we might have to go down that route that it was okay and would have done it there and then rather than 5 hours later! I didn't go in with a proper birth plan as was relaxed enough to go with the flow and whatever needed to be done so don't have any issues with it not being how I 'planned'.

I was quite weak and shaky after my first section. Anaemic, too.

Second section was very different. I felt fine within a couple of days. I think I recovered as quickly as most people do from a natural birth, to be honest.

Maybe you have a cold and thats making you feel worse? Any kind of infection in the body can make you feel rough after surgery.

Was it a crash section or elective? My first was emergency and I think the shock of that and slight trauma contributed to my feeling low.

Also, are you still taking your pain relief? Do you need something stronger?

Best wishes x

9 days post crash section with DS1 I could still barely walk and felt terrible! I lost a lot of blood too and was anaemic which completely floored me. I would say there was a big jump between week 2 to week 3 when suddenly I felt a lot more normal but I was still taking it easy when he was 6 weeks old. I don't know whether it was the c-section, the 48 hours of labour beforehand or the blood loss but it took me a while to recover!

DS2 was the complete opposite, I felt great and was up and about like normal within a few days. No idea why!!

I had my elective section for placenta previa on a Friday, and left hospital on the Monday night. I insisted on getting up and showering every day when I came home, putting on decent clothes and a bit of make up, and receiving endless visitors. Friday one week after the op I pushed the buggy to the post office and sat having lunch in a cafe.
I woke up the following Monday in excruciating pain and severe nausea. Had to go back to hosp twice for scans and tests that showed retained products. I was also anaemic. Spent the next two weeks hobbling around and going from bed to loo and back again.

I guess moral of the story for me was to take things goddamn easy and give myself a chance to actually recover! If there's a next time then I will do things very differently

That's good, espa. Mine was totally unplanned and unprepared for - went from 'oh, that's not good' to GA in about 10 minutes!

You know in Germany, they still talk about the Wochenbett - it is a period of time after the birth (4 - 6 weeks, I think) where the mother is encouraged to rest and recuperate. Minimum of visitors and housework, and if someone does come to visit, they should bring cake and make their own tea!

I've had three EMCS. First was tough because I'd been labouring for ages so was knackered, second was tough as it was more "emergency ish", third was fine. I'd planned an elective but DD arrived three weeks early. Just take it easy and don't push it. My DH kept making me laugh, I wanted to kill him!

Mmelindor, my other thought is how your memory plays tricks on you. I struggle to recall much about my CS as such. But I made a point of trying to be honest with myself about how things compared to my expectations beforehand and that's what I actually remember together with the impact on DH. I remember very little about the operation and my days in hospital; but I remember telling other people how I felt in the couple of days after if that makes sense.

Red
I have very clear memories of the moments leading up to the CS - one of the worst was that I was wheeled away at top speed, leaving poor DH standing there. The day after the CS is a blur really, I can't even remember holding DS for the first time.

Talking it over with other women on Mumsnet (long) afterwards really helped me to come to terms with it. I don't think anyone in RL really took that time. It was all very 'oh, well, at least DS was ok, and you will soon forget it'.

MmeLindor, my experience was quite the opposite, in that it was planned and everything went as expected and was textbook. I'm very much at peace with it all.

Yet I don't really remember holding DS for the first time as everything is a blur.

I felt bloody awful and was still in hospital as ds was in SCBU.It was an ELCS and I rememeber feeling very cheated because I had read so many threads on here about how easy the recovery was from electives. As it was I was very ill afterwards, and physically and mentally it took me a long time to recover.

Be very kind to yourself, and don't feel as though you should be recovering or feeling any better than you do, get checked out by your gp if you have any concerns, and really take the time you need to recover.

Really grateful for all these stories (and sorry for those who had a rough ride).

I do feel a lot better today so maybe I'm finally picking up.

Perhaps the anaemia is the tipping point?

I think I did see an ELCS as an easier option to some extent. A few friends warned me to expect to feel rough but generally you don't hear about just how rough you can feel.

I will always say from now on that a csection is a brave option!

How are you feeling, Rooners? Hope you are starting to pick up a bit.

Hope you're feeling a bit better Rooners!
Interesting what's been said about remembering, DS2 was the real emergency and I remember very little of his birth.
I'm having a wee nostalgic moment about my sections today - I had my ovaries out on Wednesday and although it's keyhole, it's a similar pain (especially as I have a horrible cough!).

Oh weebarra - hope you recover soon.

Thank you for asking. I am soooo much better. I picked up about day 12, so it was just more time and iron that was needed.

If anyone is reading this and crying about feeling so ill after theirs, it does indeed get better....

I'd definitely speak to your hv about poss anaemia. I lost a lot of blood and had giant iron tablets to take and I think they really helped. But yes, it's surgery and then you have a newborn to look after - it's tough! Hope you feel better soon.