C-section Experiences?

[Shanshoe]

Hi everyone!

I had my son at 36 weeks via a planned c-section that turned into a emergency c-section nearing 6 months ago (I had major placenta previa, the placenta was completely covering the cervix and I was booked in for a c-section at 38 weeks but had a major haemorrhage that triggered labour or went into early labour that triggered the bleed they aren't sure what came first) and I was wondering about other peoples experience recovering from their c-sections. With mine I didn't feel a single bit of pain or struggle getting up or moving around like I had expected, literally the nurses on the ward kept on telling me I don't have to put on a brave face and to accept the paracetamol and ibuprofen they wanted to give me (I did have to laugh about that, major abdominal surgery and we are given the same painkillers we are told to take for a headache and mild cramps 🙄). I am guessing that is incredibly rare because as I said I knew I would be needing a c-section from the 20 week scan when they found the placenta previa so I spent the next weeks leading up to it watching videos and researching tips and tricks to help with recovery and then BAM nothing! I mean it pulled a little if I laid back a bit too quickly but it was more like if you had like tape or something stuck to you?

Whats everyone else's stories? Is my experience really that rare?

My first 2 sections I was really mobile and quite happy with the occasional paracetamol. No issues at all. Third one omg so so much pain. I couldn’t move if I hadn’t had oramorph 20 mins prior and even then I cried a fair about when trying to move about for the first few days. I was sterilised at my third section not sure if that had anything to do with it. First was an emergency. Other 2 were electives.

I was mobile fairly quickly with my section. Possibly a bit too quickly... I pulled some stitches and the nurses were a bit cross about that! I did need oramorph for the first poo, but other than that nothing needed beyond paracetamol/ibuprofen. Sneezing very unpleasant though. There were a lot of things I wasn't strong enough to do in the first 2 weeks.

I did find the swelling took a couple of weeks to go down, and that was a huge contrast to my vaginal delivery (back in pre-pregnancy clothes in 36 hours). I didn't like that. Felt like I was waddling for the first week too.

I found CS recovery a breeze. No pain, no painkillers, up and about within a couple of hours both times and home the next day. It felt slightly fragile iyswim and I knew instinctively that I needed to go slowly when doing some things but it didn't hurt and I was able to get on with caring for the DC very quickly.

Mine was horrific I nearly died in the operation then dural puncture headache, and six weeks of agony from infected wound, despite mobilising ASAP, but most people on MN breezed through them and were doing 5k races a week after their EMCS. My VBAC with gas and air was much easier to go through and recover from in spite of the episiotomy.

It wasn’t totally pain free but I think I had read all the horror stories so expected to struggle to stand up, there would be a blood bath, it would hurt to even take a step etc etc. I found I had to walk slow but it wasn’t actually sore to walk at all. The only time it ‘hurt’ was when I sat too far into a sofa or tried to get up from my bed and it was more just extremely awkward to do because I knew I couldn’t just sit up and pull the stitches. A few days in I did cry as I felt quite pathetic, mainly just not being able to put the compression stalkings on myself, having to pull myself up from the toilet using the towel rail etc but I wasn’t lying in bed in any sort of pain or anything like I expected. Some people say it’s excruciating sharp pain all the time but that wasn’t my experience at all

My c-section was great. No complications at all. Very little pain. Had cocodamol to start with then paracetamol. This was during lockdown so I was in hospital with no visitors so didn't even have someone to do the odd nappy change.

I walked slowly and was almost 100% by two weeks and perfectly fine by 4 weeks.

Oh, laughing hurt and felt fragile.

Had 2 emc C recovery really rough I imagine due to it being major surgery plus being in labour for days before

I wasn't sure if my experience was different because I was expecting it since pretty much a couple of weeks after confirming I was pregnant. We found out very late into my pregnancy (18 weeks) I had no early symptoms apart from missed periods but mine are so infrequent it was common for me to go 4 months without one. So when we went in for our 20 week scan and they told me that I had placenta previa and I would be needing to have a c-section I was like oh ok to be honest I haven't even gotten used to the fact there is a little being inside of me haha

It was a right laugh with the midwife at the later appointments going through my "birth plan". She asked me where would I like my birth to happen and I replied "preferably at a hospital, in an operating room with a spinal" and she then remembered who I was and had that "oh yeah" moment and said we could skip this