Planned c-section - positive feedback and advice? (sorry a bit long)

[MabelMay]

Hi,
I'm 40 weeks pregnant with my second child. In my first pregnancy (2 years ago) I planned the full touchy-feely waterbirth at midwife-run birth centre. Sadly, that didn't happen. Baby was 2 weeks late - I was in labour for 48 hours, on a drip, everything, but never dilated to more than 3cm and had to have emergency c-section in the end. It turned out the baby was very big (10lb!) and my pelvis was too small for its head.
This time around I really wanted to try for a VBAC. However, sadly I'm measuring very big again, the head is still floating around and it doesn't look like baby is going anywhere. Doctor thinks it might be the same problem again. As a result, after talking to doctors and midwife, I'm booked in for a c-section next week when I will be 41 weeks pregnant. [Baby still growing rapidly at this stage apparently].
Anyway, sorry to go into such detail - but really I just want to hear from people who have had planned c-sections for whatever reason and what their experiences of it were. Also, any advice as to how I should prepare/what I should take to hospital??
Was there anything you found really helpful useful to have with you?
Did you experience any prejudice from people/midwives about your decision to have a c-section?
MM

I shaved the night before, less barbaric than an NHS razor! Seemed like I'd done a good enough job, no one re did it.

Hope everything goes well for you tomorrow, and you get some sleep tonight! I think it's one of the oddest feelings knowing that tomorrow you will have a baby, mixed in with nervousness about the op itself. But very exciting all at the same time.

I got them to do mine (couldn't see what I was doing myself) and it was fine - whodathunk a dry razor would do the job with no irritation? Was a little embarrassing as she did it in front of my sister but then my sis would have been my birth partner if I'd had a VBAC so she would have seen a whole lot more!

hello mabel i have had natural birth dd1 which went horribly wrong for her

and elective cs for dd2, which was wonderful really, because it gave me the feeling of everything being controlled

icklelou, buckets: i was told to shave myself before booking in, but i forgot, mw had to do it at the last minute, tutted and threatened to do it in a heart shape, lol

anyway mabel, i see from your post on 3rd that you will have had it by now, hope it all went well