Did you have a bad elective c section/ recovery

[Sandstormbrewing]

I've requested a section. I've read lots of very positive stories about them on here however no bad ones. I do know someone whose wife died following a section (from infection) so I know it isn't always a walk in the park but I'd like to hear others experiences.

I know you wanted negatives, but I can't help but want to counter the post above. It's simply not true that "you can't" do the stuff listed. You MAY not be able to, and plenty of people won't have been able to - but I could! I could scoop DD out of the cot straightaway, and I could pick her up off the floor from standing after ten days!

You don't know how you're going to cope, and while I think it's very wise to go in knowing things may be tough, I'm not sure a catalogue of possible disasters really helps you, does it?

You know it might not go exactly to plan and aren't niave. Plan to have as much help as possible on standby, but don't worry too much. Good luck.

Whilst Bumble's experience is hers and is valid I must say that I was up and walking within 5 hours of both of mine, I didn't take a single dose of oral morphine (I had a suppository with both I understand but that was when I was still in theatre), I lifted both babies the next day from their cots and I was home 24/26 hours with both. So it can go well also!

I had a planned CS 18 months ago (on my 6th, really not what I expected or wanted but no alternatives!) and I was so scared and really freaked myself out beforehand, but it was literally
textbook, the whole thing was so calm and went so smoothly. I did find recovery much slower than previous v deliveries but I seem to be one of the few that wasn’t running around like normal 2 weeks later, I definitely took the full 6 weeks. Best of luck xx

I had an elective section due to back problems 12 days ago. I actually put a post up because I felt my recovery was too slow, and the responses I got back were that I needed to walk/move more. However my back problem was more painful than the pain from the section so my recovery has been slowed due to that.

The day of the section was great as the spinal killed all pain, including my back problem so that was a treat, and I had a catheter so didn’t need to worry about toilet trips. That night a health care assistant took my baby from 12am-6am to let me rest.

The day after was really tough as I had vicious after pains, I literally felt like I was having contractions all day. I had my baby with me that night and it was tough but I have severe back pain too.

The following day I had awful pain from trapped wind so it was pretty miserable too. I also took sick and vomited quite a bit, but they gave me an injection for sickness and that cleared it up. My DH looked after the baby the whole day as I wasn’t fit.

By the following day I was in much better shape and went home. The first couple of nights at home my DH did all the night feeds.

My advice would be to prepare for a rough couple of days but after that it’s just a matter of taking things at your own pace. Everyone says you need to walk as soon as you can, walk straight etc but you know your own body so do the best you can.

Another positive one from me, healed quickly and had no issues. But a girl who was on my ward had to come back after hers, I think after a week, after falling on the stairs and busting her cliches open. I was still in hospital due to babies being in nicu and so were hers so we recognised each other from the ward. She looked like she was in a lot of pain bless her. I was very careful after hearing that story!

That's really interesting @bumblebee as during my vaginal delivery I felt totally at the mercy of medics. They weren't listening to me and the forceps were used under forced consent, I had PSTD after that and it took counseling for me to realise it was because the sensation was like when I was raped. I ended up with retained placenta so ended up with the spinal block/catheter/ unable to move or sort myself out for 12 hours anyway. And I had to stay in 2 nights because of pph, they couldn't decide whether to give me a blood transfusion. The morphine made me itch but didn't space me out (or the help the pain). I also couldn't lift anything, drive, walk far or stand up quickly without pain or pissing myself- that lasted 6 months. So it sounds like we had very similar recoveries despite different birth methods!

I chose to have elective section for non medical reasons (in their categorisation anyway).

As far as the surgery goes it was very strange, a bit uncomfortable, but fine. My recovery was fantastic - I really surprised myself and everyone else. I was up and walking (very slowly) same day, and had minimal pain at sight of incision. I did find the catheter painful, but not horrendous. I was in hospital 2 nights, and was well enough for short trips out 6 days after. I had no infection and scar has healed well.

The only downside of the experience is something that I havnt seen others mention,but was the immediate period after my baby was born. I didn't get to hold her as she had some difficulty breathing. She had fluid on her lungs (common with elcs as they don't get squeezed like vb) and had to go down to special care. I got to see her breifly as they wheeled past in theatre. I couldn't go see her as I was in recovery, but my husband was able to. She finally came back to me about 4 hours later. So it was all a bit surreal, having the baby and then not seeing her in what felt like forever. She had to have antibiotics, which meant a cannula in her hand, just in case of infection. She was very sleepy, struggled to feed, and had a bout of low blood sugar which meant we had no choice but to give her formula. It made for a stressful first few days, and I believe it all had a negative impact on my ability to breast feed, although I did manage to for about 2 months, topping up with formula.

Ultimately everything is fine. None of it had any lasting impact on her and she is healthy and active and perfect. I still feel it was the right option for me, and will certainly have an elective again.

I had a shower and blow dried my hair 1.5 hours after a 3 day labour and emergency c section. Walked normally but slowly. Could lift and hold my baby fine. Slept on my tummy the same night.
Get up and walk ASAP. Women on my ward laid in bed for a week and I’m sure it made them feel worse.

I had my nails done the day I left hospital and went to a museum and art gallery three days after birth. It’s a doddle. You’ll be fine.

I had two elective c sections after having two natural births. If I could reverse the clock I would have gone natural. My 1st elective was due to his predicted size and after losing a baby I was anxious. They took 5 attempts to get the spinal in. The touched my spinal cord with the 4th and I jumped off the bed. The recovery was awful and having them damage my back delayed it. I had a massive bruise on my back and couldn’t stand up straight. I saw other mums getting up and wandering around and I found it a struggle. I have a nasty pouch which despite exercise I can’t shift and can’t feel much below the belly button. The 2nd c section they were pre warned about my first and they spotted I had a twist in my lower spine hence the issue. This time I was sterlised too which took longer and I could feel everything. I hated the daily injections into the tummy. I couldn’t do them myself. I can completely understand the c section choice as I chose it myself with my third but it wasn’t an easy option

I was lucky. I had an elective section thanks to madam turning breech at 8 months alongside other issues which meant I was under consultant care.

I went from a definite early induction to a C-section when they realised she was breech and I would have bitten their hand off to get it!

I was first in, out before 930, no pain a d was in the shower that evening despite losing quite a lot of blood apparently.

The only negative I have is the pulling feeling when they're trying to get baby out. It wasn't the most pleasant experience but again no pain.

No infection, no problems apart from unrelated preeclampsia and would completely recommend it to anyone over the unpredictability of a 'natural' birth.

@Sandstormbrewing it definitely could have been worse and I'm not disputing that at all. A lot of the things I mention could have been helped if I had known about them - I could have turned down the morphine etc. I think people need to be honest about the things that are hard because all I heard was 'it'll be sunshine and roses' and therefore my experience was rather a shock!! I was only 19 and hadn't really done enough research. If you prepare yourself and don't push yourself too hard, you WILL be fine. My DD is almost two now and I'm over my experience, it hasn't traumatised me.
I probably should have said you shouldn't do things rather than you won't be able to.
I should also point out that I have a brain issue, a heart condition and CFS so it may well be that the medication affected me differently from others.

BumbleeBeeMe exactly. I don't want people to just say it'll be fine, I want to know what to genuinely expect!

I think you are right to ask about negative experiences too, especially when you are given a choice how to give birth.
I’ve had one vbac and one emcs. I think I’m opting for a csection this time.
If you have a vaginal birth especially if it went badly. You shouldn’t really be lifting much anyway. A lot of women don’t realise they are risking a prolapse by doing too much after birth. Imo a csection scar dies take a lot of healing . However unlike an episiotomy in is in a better place. I think also hospital staff treat you better after a csection compared to a difficult vaginal birth. They seem more likely help you and dish out pain killers.
Many women get quite bad overhangs after csections. Adhesions can also be an issue. If you think you might already have a prolapse you may also want to avoid pelvic surgery.

My section was an emergency but a relaxed one. The op itself was fine, didn't particularly like the crunchy needling of the spinal and it obviously feels a bit weird, but OK... afterwards I went a bit loopy - from lack of sleep I think - but that wouldn't be the case with an elective. Like a pp I do think the section had something to do with difficulties establishing breastfeeding, but intertwined with that was the lack of sleep and bonding which again were both primarily because of the emergency situation not the section itself. My advice would be to stay in as long as you need to get the help necessary with feeding - I idiotically discharged myself (again, lack of bloody sleep!!).

The fragmin injections afterwards are a bitch.

@Sandstormbrewing if the poor person you knew died this year I'm sure I'm from near you. That story was released the days around my emcs and to be honest with you it made my recovery horrendous. I suffered with post traumatic anxiety and it got to a point where I refused to sleep incase I never woke up and I became obsessed with taking my temperature. I did end up with an infection, but I think due to labouring for five days prior my recovery was always going to take longer.
It wasn't until week nine post partum did I feel better and more like myself, I felt robbed of my babies first few weeks.
Having said all that, it's now just a blur and my little boy is almost twelve weeks. I think planned c section is of course better than emcs but don't under estimate the recovery.

I had an emcs at 31 weeks,with twins and a placental abruption. It was the worst it could have been it the actual section was a walk on the park. I walked to NICU 12 hours later. It's not a horror story.

@butunlikely I don't intend on breastfeeding this one, did it for 2 years with DS and absolutely hated it, was a huge contributor to my PND.

What I'm getting from this is that a bad recovery from a c section is similar to a bad recovery from a vaginal birth. But at least I can tell myself this time I tried.

@PeoniesandPretties it wasn't this year. Sad to think there's more (even though I know there is).