Positive csection stories

[Ilovesuperman]

Hi all, I had a traumatic birth last time and ended in emergency csection fighting for my life. Here I am again 5 weeks roughly and panicking about another csection. I couldn't do another emergency so I know it'll be the route I take. Today I have called Dr, a talking service and even bpas (please don't judge I feel bad enough already) I've spent all day crying to various medical teams who can't do anything until booking. I feel bad for wanting this baby and even considering not but I did get diagnosed with PTSD and ...well have been feeling tearful, slightly sick with worry and anx today :( please go gentle on me I came here for support and not a judgement and advise and positivity thank you

Your reasons for wanting to go for a planned c-section are very valid. Stick to your guns as your pregnancy progresses and insist. I do hear that many planned c-sections are better and more relaxed than some emergency ones.

My only personal experience of a c-section was as an emergency procedure with my DD3 when she became distressed at 35 weeks. I'd still say that it was far and away the better of my three births though. I recovered far more quickly from it than from my two so-called natural deliveries.

I had two emergency caesarians. First time I felt awful and shell-shocked for a week the another two weeks to feel human. Next time I had twins and ended up with another emergency section. It was a total breeze. When I got out of bed the next day I felt completely fine. I breastfed the twins with no problems and recovered rapidly. Apparently it is not so unusual for a second section to be comparatively easy. And I'm quite pleased that my ladyparts have been left unscathed.

My first emergency section was utterly horrendous, I was exhausted, dehydrated and passed out on the table before sinking into a psychotic break. I spent the first couple of days trying to figure out why everyone wanted me to visit a "doll" in NICU and then the first six months panicking every time the doorbell rang in case it was his "real" mum come to take him away from me.

I didn't take a pregnancy test until week 8/9 because I was too afraid. I almost ran away from my consultant at my birth choices meeting...stopped only by dh and a very speedy midwife who threw herself at the door.

My second emergency section was fabulous, amazing and awesome. I opted for planned because I couldn't cope with a repeat of last time and then turned out to be in the small percentage of people who go into labour before their planned date. When I turned up, upset at 3 in the morning complete with a 3 year old, the hospital could not have been more understanding. I got to watch her be born, I got almost immediate skin to skin in theater and by the time she was on my chest, my world consisted of me and her, nothing else mattered.

Apart from a weepy period when my milk came in on day 3, mentally I felt worlds apart and physically both my recoveries were very easy.

Only had one (planned) c section, but it was the best of my three births. It was calm, safe and quick!

Thank you all so much for your stories - I am sorry some of you also had awful first births and pnd too. I am so glad I have these board to post the most ridiculous but also real feelings. My hubby isn't getting excited incase I choose not to go through with this :( I think he can see how low I am and stressed. I am trying so hard to be positive but today has just got me hormonally I guess and I am so thankful to write on here and discuss with some people who understand more than dh at the moment

I have 2 cs, one crash and one elective. Elective is better. Both I have memories of. The elective was calm, controlled and what I would call uneventful, which is how you want births to be, about the baby and not the trauma of birth. In both cases, I healed quickly and ... uneventfully. Efficient and smooth.

Was 90% fine within 5 days. Was driving and doing all normal things within 2 weeks. As it is scheduled, you can plan and put the support and childcare for existing dcs in place in advance.

Aww you sound very stressed. I have had an emergency and a planned section and I was out of hospital the next day with both, breastfed both for a year, no complications for either of us. I didn't take the decision for a planned section lightly but in the end the second one was breech so there wasn't much option. I got the impression that if I wanted a section nobody was really going to argue with me. You do sound like you might need some extra support but if you decided to have another child (i.e. this was a planned pregnancy) I suppose you need to try to think back to the reasons you wanted to do that and remember how small a period of time the actual birth bit will be. And you have 9 months to get your support and a firm plan in place. Good luck! Would you have the option of going to a different hospital so it is definitely a different experience for you?

I had an emergency c section and I opted for a c section when labour wasn’t progressing second time. I felt a lot of guilt the first time which it took me a while to work through. Second time my head was in a better place and I realise the type of birth does not define the type of parent I am. Both times I recovered really well physically and mentally I
Felt better the second time in part because it was my decision. Best of luck with it.

I’m with creepy. 2 vaginal deliveries, 1 planned C-section. C-section the best experience by far! So calm and civilised :-)

Ps also although my experience the first time was nothing like as scary as yours sounds to have been, I did end up a little depressed and not really enjoying life for quite a while. I have felt a million times more positive the second time, probably partly because I had the older ones routine to give my day a bit of structure and also because I knew each newborn phase would pass.

I thank you for sharing. I suppose it depends how you feel it went. Mentally I am extremely stable unless pregnant and I just can't cope. Trying to remember how quick my son's five years have passed in a blip!

I only have one child. He was born by ELCS. It was very calm, and his birth is a good memory. I also had a quick and easy recovery.

If the clinicians are aware of your PTSD they will special take care around any triggers. One advantage of an ELCS is that it would give you some certainty and predictability about your birth, so you can prepare mentally.

First, awful. Crash section, PND, first 10 months like an out of body experience. My poor boy.

Second ELCS, the most beautiful experience of my life and put it all to bed for me. Good luck xx

I'm another who had EMCS with first and ELCS with the second. Again, I had a much more positive experience with my second delivery, even though the week before it I ended up in hospital wasn't! The actual process itself was much more calm and relaxed.

It helped knowing beforehand when I booked it what was going to happen. I also went in much more prepared. I actually read up on guides for having a c-section and how to help recovery. With my first I'd buried my head in the sand, convinced I wouldn't have one!

My physical and emotional recovery was much quicker and easier after my second. I'm so glad I went onto have another, because it did help to give me a lot of closure on my negative feelings about my first.

Traumatic emergency c-section first time around. Second birth was a planned section and so much better! I would go as far as to say it was a beautiful, serene experience and I was so much happier and healthier afterwards x