Honestly rub my hands when I see a person on here scared of a c-section now 😂 Like, buckle up, here we go…
This was me last year! I was actually more terrified of giving birth the alternative way and always had been so it was me who chose to have a c-section yet I was still convinced I’d die during it and if I didn’t the recovery would probably be so horrific I’d most likely die from my injuries. I really had said my goodbyes and planned nothing beyond my baby’s date of birth, bit dramatic now when I think about it 🤣 I had done mindful birth courses on c-sections, had the audio tracks on my phone with head phones to do deep breathing during it, had all the mantras printed out in my bag etc 🙈 I’d had so many negative comments about c-sections to the point I’d decided to tell no one else how I was giving birth because I just didn’t want their horror story or opinion. Someone at my work told me I’d regret it because I hadn’t pushed my baby out and I shouldn’t do it.. okay Karen 🤔
I spent months on here looking for anyone and everyone to run me through their experience step by step. I’d narrowed my fear down to the bit where the spinal would go in my back, I’d decided that was the bit I couldn’t do. I wanted to know exactly how it felt before I got there.
On the day, I arrived at hospital for an afternoon section so I had to be there for 10am, was allowed breakfast at 6am and could drink water until 10. I was a bag of nerves but had to get changed into my gown, get a few basic checks etc done first so that took up a bit of time. The worst bit then was just sitting with the curtain round us listening for footsteps coming at any moment to tell me it was time to go. I knew I was last but obviously didn’t know how long the person before would take.
Eventually the nurse came to get me and I stood up, walked away from my partner towards theatre (he followed) and basically just ignored the fact he existed from then on in 😂 I think I was just so nervous I couldn’t think about anyone but myself! I walked in and was asked to sit on the edge of the bed (my bum was on show at this point which felt weird in a room of people) 🤣 I hadn’t ever had a cannula in my hand and I have to know EVERY detail of everything so I’d watched every YouTube video about cannulas and honestly, don’t do that.. wayyy more information than I needed to know 🙈 It was fine, just a nip but I think he put local into my hand first because he knew what a scaredy cat I was! Then came the big needle I’d been dreading… and it was completely fine! Like such a non-event. The cannula was 10x more painful. The only one I could feel going into my back was the first small needle that injects local and it’s really just a bee sting then after that it’s like people are touching you but I wasn’t aware of anything else, when it was going in etc. I then had seen in the videos you went numb like instantly so I was throwing myself round on the bed expecting id be paralysed within seconds.. I wasn’t 🤣 I had a tingly feeling in my bum but the numbness took way longer than I expected to come on (maybe because I’m tall 🤔). I also expected to feel more numb than I did. In my head I didn’t think they’d given me enough because I could still feel them touching me and I couldn’t see how someone could cut me open without it hurting when I could still feel them but you can still feel touch, you just can’t feel pain weirdly.
To add a bit of drama to my otherwise calm experience, after they’d established I was definitely numb enough they all started to get a bit flustered at the fact the consultant doing the operation wasn’t there. I presumed they didn’t numb you until everyone was ready but it would appear not in my hospital. I got the impression they’d maybe cut a slight corner there, mainly due to how much they started to flap when they couldn’t get in contact with this guy. By this point I felt like I’d achieved what I’d come to achieve and had successfully managed to get a needle in my back so I had done the scary bit, for some reason the idea of having no one to cut me open wasn’t worrying me at all and I was laughing at them on the phone trying to find this doctor 🙈
Eventually he waltzed in, jacket off, keys down, hands washed then the screen went up as he walked down that end. I kid you not, 90 seconds later the screen went back down and a baby was there! I don’t think I’ll ever get over how pain-free and drama free the whole thing was. He just walked in and lifted my baby out in a minute like it was no big deal 😂 I can’t emphasise enough how completely fine it was. There was no washing up feeling or anything for me. I didn’t know they’d started the operation, I could just feel someone’s hand on my belly really low down, not a bad feeling at all. There was a very short period of maybe 10 seconds before my baby was born where they did the ‘CPR’ bit to get him down. Again, no pain whatsoever but I was saying ‘oh god oh god’ as it was happening and I could see the shadows of the woman through the curtain doing it to me 😂 it didn’t hurt at all though. The stitching up bit probably took 20/25 minutes and was again, fine. As they wheeled me round to recovery with a baby on me I just thought why would anyone do it any other way than this?! It was so perfect and everything I’d ever hoped it would be! I hope you get the same experience (minus the guy being late!)
Two good things to watch/listen to that were very similar to how I found it:
- maybe baby podcast with Anna Williamson as a guest, she describes it all in detail
- eilidh wells c-section videos on YouTube
Good luck, it will be so completely fine 😊