Elective C-section on Tuesday! (Blow by blow account for anyone facing the same)

[PaddleBoardingMomma]

I'll be 38+5 and I'm equal parts excited and nervous for pregnancy to be behind me and to meet this little girl!

Thought I would just post-as-I-go through the experience in case anyone else is facing the same over the coming weeks and might like a snap shot of what happens.

I'm a size 14-16 (plus some pregnancy weight gain) too so have some extra abdominal fat where the incision will be and thought it might be useful for anyone else who's also been wandering what the healing is like if you're a bit bigger.

Yesterday was my pre op assessment and went like this:

I think most trusts are super busy at the moment so my appointment was over an hour late, I've had to wait ages at every appointment this pregnancy so not shocked.

Eventually saw a lovely consultant who talks you through the procedure and lists the relative risks and percentages of things that can go wrong such as infection or bleeding. She did say that these figures included emergency sections which can boost the figures to look a bit scary as electives are generally very very very safe, this was reassuring! You sign some forms and then you are given some strong anti acid tablets (omeprezole) to take the night before and the morning of the surgery.

I then had to wait to see a nurse who took my bloods. This is to check your blood type, iron levels etc. They have your blood type on stand by in the theatre should you need it.

Finally I saw another nurse who measured my height and weight and then measured me up for compression stockings to wear during surgery!

The whole thing took about 2.5 hours with all the waiting to see different people but was a very positive experience and they answered all my questions very thoroughly and kindly.

They told me to be back at the hospital on the morning of surgery at 8am and that's where I'll pick up from again when I next post!

They did say that depending on the situation on the day you may he bumped back to the next day if they have emergencies come in and electives always go to the back of the queue so I have that at the back of my mind.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask! And if not I'll just post as each thing happens so at least it's here for further reference and might help someone else down the line.

Thanks everyone! We had DD yesterday afternoon, all went smoothly and fine.

I freaked out when the spinal kicked in and I lost feeling in my legs but the team were so amazing and helped with the anxiety. It was such a weird feeling, I felt trapped and not being able to move was proper freaking me out so much I couldn't breathe😖😖 I didn't experience this with my first birth (emergency section).

It's been a long night as she was up and needing lots of cuddles. We're catching up on sleep now.
OP hope you're well and cuddling your new bundle 🥰
Best wishes 💐

@HauteGirlSummer Congratulations mama. So happy it went well for you! How are you feeling now, are you sore, managing to walk about?
Enjoy some well earned sleep 💐

@BabaGanouche

I've had two C-sections. The first was due to a failed induction, the second was elective. The first came as a shock as not planned, and I was wiped out for three weeks or so. But the second was a breeze. I even hosted a birthday party for my oldest DC one week after the arrival of my second.

It is a bizarre experience. You walk to the operating table. A needle is inserted into your spine and that's where the wonder drugs are delivered. I didn't feel anything at all btw. So don't worry about any pain. Then they check if you are completely numbed. I felt really sick from the drugs but as soon as I told the anesthesiologist, he gave me another drug that instantly stopped me feeling sick. Then once they've opened you up you feel some pressure on your chest (like a naughty toddler sitting on your chest). It isn't that uncomfortable but it is a weird feeling as they are pulling and tugging to get the baby out. Then once your baby is placed in your arms, everything else is a blur. Honestly it was as fine. No issues at all. I was similar size to you. I healed really well.
It can be a bit painful moving around, so don't be afraid to accept the painkillers. But they won't give you codeine if breastfeeding (but the alternative tablets were fine for me).

Good luck. Hope all goes well x

So true about feeling them in your chest. I asked the anaesthetist'why are they in my lungs?!'

Hope everything turned out alright for the OP.

@PaddleBoardingMomma Hope you're doing okay mama!! Been thinking of you x

Hi guys, just a quick update, I'm so sorry it's taken so long.

Baby arrived on Tuesday evening via planned section, she is fine and healthy however unfortunately I ran into quite a few complications and things didn't go so smoothly for me. I never anticipated things turning out like this and it's been a disappointment. I'll update fully as soon as I'm feeling a little better.

That being said I don't want to scare anyone, what's happened to me is uncommon and for every section that turns out like mine 1000 go perfectly so I'll keep it brief when I come back.

I'm really sorry this wasn't what I planned for this thread I feel like such a let down! Xx

@PaddleBoardingMomma must admit I've been worrying about you the past few days. Bloody hell, I'm so sorry everything didn't go to plan for you 😢 I hope baby is doing well but moreso you lovely, please rest.
I'm personally interested in what went wrong for you as I want to prepare myself for all eventualities.
I wont patronise you by telling you to not be dissapointed but I do hope it hasn't totally ruined the newborn stage for you and you're getting plenty of snuggles with baba. Do we have a name?

Sending lots of hugs xxxx

Thinking of you. Glad your baby is okay and don't worry about anything apart from getting better. Even if what happened to you is rare it is still a valid experience of c sections!

Take care of yourself

@PaddleBoardingMomma don't feel like a let down,each one goes differently and it's good to share both sides.

I had an elcs with my twins which was great, minimal pain and easy recovery. Planned an elcs on Tuesday with our little girl. She had other ideas and I went in to labour on the Monday instead. The doctors took hours to decide what to do with me, ended up in surgery at gone 11pm. Baby was so big that I'd started to have uterine tearing as well as them cutting me open, she was 10lb 15oz and straight in to 0-3mth clothes. I lost 1.6ltrs of blood during surgery, had to tell hubby to take baby off me as I felt so ill while being sewn up. I continued to lose a bit too much in recovery and couldn't attempt breast feeding as every time they tried to move me off my back I was passing out. Once bleeding was under control they slowly got me up more, I felt terrible watching dh looking after our baby and not trusting myself to even hold her. Got taken for a shower the next day and could barely stand, I did look pretty shocking and pale. They took my catheter out whilst still on recovery but I couldn't empty my bladder so that went back in, thankfully 2nd attempt I was able to so allowed home but that was after 3 nights in hospital (I was hoping to be out after 1 like last time). I have never felt so rough before, 2 completely different experiences. I am feeling a bit better each day but the recovery this time has been so much harder. Baby girl is huge but perfect so it was still worth it all for me, I would rather not be in so much pain but it will pass eventually and all that will be left is my perfect little girl (who is good as gold thankfully).

Oh @PaddleBoardingMomma I'm so sorry to hear things didn't go as planned.
Don't feel like a let down, hope you feel better soon. We're here whenever you feel like sharing.
Glad to know your little one is fine. Look after yourself.

Sending good health and best wishes 💐💐

@PaddleBoardingMomma Just checking in mama and I hope you are recovering well. 💐

@PaddleBoardingMomma I actually think it's important to give the good and bad side.

I might be facing a c section and would rather know the risks etc. Everyone I know whose had an elective has been fine but not everyone is that lucky.

I hope you're ok now and will share what happened at some point. It might help your heal mentally. Congratulations xx

@Chelyanne Did you know the baby was big? I'm measuring huge so have said I won't deliver naturally if it continues.

Congratulations on your baby girl. I've got some newborn bits but just know I won't use them 😂

@Bennetgirl Thank you.
Yes we knew she was big as I had growth scans, most of ours have been well above average size so was unlikely we'd get a small one. She was bigger than I thought she'd be though, she was average at 20wk, 97th centile at 31+6 and had jumped above the top line of charts at 35+6. If I hadn't had previous cs I probably would have been okay with a vb, had our son 10lb 12oz via unassisted vb.

@PaddleBoardingMomma please come back and update!

Hi folks, finally back with the update.

Apologies it's taken so long, frankly it's only really now I can go through it all and be ok with it and not cry my way through it.

In the months leading up to the ELCS I spoke to so many women who had been through it, researched and informed myself, I wasn't at all afraid and was feeling very positive! I'd like to point out a majority of people who have sections have a wonderful experience and I wouldn't like this to put anyone off, I suppose that's why I've held of posting about it too.

So on the day of the section I arrived at 7:30am, and waited with 4 other women who were also booked for an elective. We were taken up to Labour ward about 9am and put in order of priority... I was last 🤣 but that was ok, I was still positive about it. But then it started to go downhill...

There were only 4 beds and 5 of us, so I was put in what was essentially a storeroom with a sofa and piles of cardboard boxes. I was there for the duration of my wait time, which turned out to he 11 hours. I couldn't even have a drink of water during this time, and it was so uncomfortable I was near tears with how sore my back and legs were.

Occasionally a nurse would come in to update us, which included two emergencies that had come in and meant I was bumped back even further (I don't begrudge this at all, these things happen) but they couldn't give me even an approximate time and said I could be sent home and brought back next week. It was an anxious wait in pretty crap surroundings.

Then all of a sudden at 6:30pm I was told to come now and put a gown on they were taking me down to theatre now. It was exciting but also a shock seeing as id waited hours and barely seen any medical staff.

Into theatre and it took 8 attempts to site the spinal, the whole of my back was absolutely black and blue the day after I've never felt so much pain in my life. (Photo attached) and whilst they were trying to site it my blood pressure dropped to 82/50 and I managed to vomit all over myself and almost pass out.

It took over an hour but it was finally in and then the surgery began. This part was ok thanks to me begging for something for my anxiety by that point, it was a sweet relief let me tell you.

Baby was out super quick, it was a lovely moment, but then I proceeded to bleed out and lost just under 2 litres. By this point it felt like somewhat of a cruel joke and as I lay there I just wanted to cry (felt sorry for myself really) because it was so far removed from what I was expecting.

It took another 45 minutes or so to sew me up and stop the bleeding and then I was sent to recovery. By this time it was nearly 9pm and I was exhausted. I was offered some toast and tea, and I'd not eaten for 24 hours by that point so it was appreciated!

I'm allergic to anti-inflammatories so they gave me paracetamol and codeine, the codeine made me feel really woozy and high as a kite in an unpleasant way and they said there was nothing else they could give me so I then had two days in hospital recovering with only paracetamol, the pain those first days was just dreadful. Moving felt like my stomach was on fire and I couldn't lift my baby. They were massively busy and understaffed so when I pressed the buzzer for help it was a long wait. I felt really useless and don't think I stopped crying the whole time.

My scar has healed well, but I am now 18 days post op and only now does it not hurt too much to move and get around. I was mobile after a few days but it was agony, at least now it feels like I'm healing. Although I've had two big bleeds since being discharged which has been a worry.

Overall, I think I was miserable it was so so far removed from the experience I was hoping for. Even now I sort of feel hard done by which is probably pathetic I know many women have a much worse time.

Baby is a dream, she sleeps and eats and coos and barely cries, and most importantly she is healthy. I'd do it again for her, I suppose that's the bottom line isn't it? I felt it was a disaster and have sulked for a couple of weeks but at the end of the day we both came out of it ok in the end.

I'm really sorry this thread took a turn, it's so far from what I expected!

Oh and of course, the baby tax. Here's Catherine 🤗 7.2lbs (after having weekly growth scans because they thought she was tiny!)

Congratulations on your adorable little gir!

The C-section sounds like a nightmare and it's definitely not pathetic to feel hard done by. Did you have a transfusion after the blood loss? You could be low on iron which would contribute to feeling rough. I wonder if there's any way you can provide feedback to the hospital because it sounds like a lot of what happened was down to (or at least exacerbated by) poor communication etc on their part.

Congratulations on your lovely baby - she’s beautiful!

I’m so sorry you had such a rough time. I agree with the PP who said think about providing feedback to the hospital.

Could they not give you oramorph for the pain? Or is that an anti-inflammatory? Sorry if that’s a stupid question. And agree with PP about taking iron.

Please don’t be sorry. People have both negative and positive experiences of vaginal births and c-sections. There’s no risk-free way of getting them out. I think it’s really important for women to share and discuss the whole range of birth experiences.

@PaddleBoardingMomma ☹️☹️☹️ So sorry you had such a crap time! The whole enhanced recovery thing my hospital does says you should only be going 6 hours without food and 2 hours without water so that really long wait before even getting in there probably caused you to feel even worse. Leaving you in a store room for all that time is awful too. I was last too but was so lucky that meant going in at 10am and being taken 4 hours later. Your hospital sounds a bit all over the place organising these things. Do they only have one theatre? 😕 I think the pain killers I was given in hospital really helped me get through the first 2 days too and made the walk to the car totally bearable. I can’t imagine being able to actually feel it 🤦🏼‍♀️ If you’re planning to have any more children in future you should definitely get some answers from them so you don’t have that experience ever again. Hope you’re fully recovered soon and able to enjoy your time with your precious little one x

@PaddleBoardingMomma I am so so sorry you had such a rough time. It sounds utterly appauling the way you were treat and you have every singe bloody right to feel upset about it. Can you speak to anyone from the hospital about it? It all sounded rather traumatic and maybe speaking to someone and airing your feelings might help to come to terms with it. Though personally I would be putting a complaint into PALS as I think the the way you were treat was utterly shocking.
Your little girl is absolutely beautiful. Her eyes are stunning. I hope you are coping better now and enjoying your gorgeous little girl. Always here to chat if you need to! ❤