Elective C Section Stories

[Lunamoon23]

Hello ladies,

I'm currently 19 weeks pregnant with my first child, 20 weeks on Monday and have a meeting with a consultant at my 20 week scan regarding an elective c section.

I've chosen this route because I suffer from tokophobia, I've delayed becoming pregnant because of it and knew before we started trying that this would be the route I'd wish to go down: however, I'm still petrified.
I have abit of a fear of hospitals, I'm needle phobic and the whole thought of childbirth in general sends me into a state of panic. I've done lots of research regarding c sections, the pros, the cons, I pretty much know the procedure step by step. I guess I'm just looking for a hand hold. I don't have a friend who's had a child via c section so really hard to relate (and they've been quiet judgy so don't really want to express my feelings as I just get, 'just do it the normal way' dismissing my feelings) my mums been super supportive but again, hasn't experienced one. My husband has been great, but then again, he's not going through it so I think it's hard to relate or find comfort in his reassuring words.

Just wanting to hear from women who've been through it personally... elective wise. As I know an emergency section and a planned one can be very different experiences too.

Thank you in advance xxx

Not sure what the drugs are… I just went with whatever the anaesthetist decided. Not sure if they sedate you as such, but I felt calm. I did ask the anaesthetist in my first section “have you given me something to chill me out?” And she said “no…. But you’ve got some pretty strong painkillers in there 😂”. I definitely was chilled as my husband said I was super chatty and full of love for everyone 😂 But I still remember everything.

You apparently also get a pretty strong pessary as you leave theatre but you don’t have any idea that you’re being given that because you’re numb😅

on discharge I was given paracetamol and diclofenac which is same group of drugs as ibuprofen. I was offered liquid morphine on the ward but declined as I just didn’t need it.

one thing you will probably want to be aware of is that you can feel pressure during the procedure, but not pain. My legs felt heavy and warm, similar to when you’ve had a dead leg and it’s just coming back to life. You can feel them tugging baby around in your tummy but it’s not painful at all. To check that you are numb the anaesthetist will spray ice water on different parts of you and see if you feel it. They then make the decision that the procedure can begin. I thought that being aware of pressure was actually less scary than if the lower half of me had been totally completely numb.

trust the anaesthetist- they do it every day and absolutely know their stuff. To them it’s routine and not a complicated procedure. You should get an appt with an anaesthetist a couple days before your surgery where you can ask any questions and they will get a medical history and talk through your concerns. I personally would not use your own numbing cream without checking with them first. You wouldn’t want them to not go ahead because it contradicts a medication that they might want to use. I’m sure they have their own numbing cream in stock if required!

@MyGentleNavyTiger oh I didn't know you got a appointment with them a few days before, that's reassuring too, I'll be sure to double check with my consultant on Monday when I have my appt.

Great point regarding the numbing cream! I'll be sure to double check that before doing anything!

I've read a lot that you can feel some tugging and pushing, I've also heard the statement 'it feels like someone's doing the washing up with your insides' which makes me feel abit queasy I'm not going to lie!! But aslong as it's not painful, I'm sure I can handle it (I hope).
Hahaha I had heard about the Pessery apparently it's a long acting pain killer - which I welcome especially as I'll know nothing about it 😂 did they do your catheter when you were numbed? And how long were you kept in for after? I'm hoping (all being well) to be out the next day and home recovering.

@sleepandcoffee all of this was before they started the operation right? They didn't realise this mid way through?!
I might ask them to literally pinch the crap out of me just to make sure I'm 100% numb 😂 that's my worst fear, being mid surgery and feeling pain or something! I do expect to feel some tugging and pushing though, which I have no doubt will feel super strange, but I can cope (I hope) with that as-long as it's not painful.
It's nice your husband was able to be with you until you were asleep though, and that is lovely what they did with regard to your baby, really thoughtful of them especially as you'd have been none the wiser. Everything I've heard in regards to the team sounds great. X

I'll be honest, I don't think I'm cut out to hear a horror story.. my mind wonders to the worst possible scenario on my own, so don't know if it's healthy to hear it. I guess it depends just how wrong it went...

@Lunamoon23
Yes they realised before the operation ! I think it's highly unlikely they wouldn't realise or that you wouldn't realise there is still some feeling .

My first birth I had a spinal for forceps and was prepped for a c section if needed , the spinal wasn't strong enough for me so the anaesthetist topped it up apparently mid way through the birth ( I can barely remember any of it ) .
The anaesthetist is your best friend while in the operation theatre , they try really hard to keep you calm and they are constantly monitoring you and your comfort .
I can honestly say I have never met anyone that has regretted having an elective section !

@sleepandcoffee oh thank god ! I mean still not nice for you, but it would seem you have some pretty strong defence against anesthetics!!
which I hear can be quite a common thing!

To be honest, I've heard many many wonderful stories about elective c sections - I'm just an absolute wimp! Hate hospitals, hate needles, hate not being in control of my pain and body, never had surgery!
When I was a teen my dad had a bleed on the brain, he was on life support for a month and in hospital for 11 months. I saw some stuff that just traumatised me in the ICU and I've never recovered, I've even had CBT and counselling - in day to day life I'm fine with it, but the thought of me being in there, freaks me out. I'll avoid a hospital at every possible opportunity, I genuinely think if I broke a bone I'd go as long as I possibly could before going 😂

I had an elective c section with my second due to a traumatic birth with my first.

I don't have an "it's amazing" story to tell you. I was terrified, I cried, the surgeon said I looked like a rabbit stuck in the headlights when I walked in. The drugs made me feel awful.

But, all those things were fixed. So so easily. The anaesthetic made me feel hot and sick so they gave me something else to take that away. The surgery team are just brilliant at making you feel at ease.

I found the build up and the first ten minutes really hard, but then settled into the environment and felt more relaxed. I was so scared about the surgery I was almost surprised when my baby appeared as I'd forgotten that would happen!

You will be fine!

I wouldn’t describe it as a horror story - it’s all sooooo controlled in an ELCS so I don’t think it could really get to that point. Very rarely. EMCS yes, very nightmarish.

Read on if you wish! It’s not gory or anything.

Basically with my ELCS that went not-ideally, I lost half my blood volume and the physical shock of that triggered an autoimmune disease (which is quite fine really, not massively awful so far!). When your bump grows your veins that go down the front of your body are meant to move to the side of your bump, but mine didn’t so they had no choice but to go through them. But again, super controlled and they were putting blood into me as I lost it because it’s all right there ready to go if needed.
Anaesthetists are the ones who look after you in a section and mine was sooooo kind (both times but particularly during the first one which went wrong!) and calm and explained absolutely everything and yeah! Overall a good experience (light years better than my vaginal birth!).

Also yes both times I felt very faint from the anaesthetic, but you just say to the anaesthetist ‘uhhh…?’ and they sort you out immediately. They give you something to stop you feeling faint, sort out your blood pressure etc. You’re on an incline too so your head is always lower than your feet anyway I think.

For me, hearing all the things that could happen is empowering as it takes away the unknown. The unknown is the scary bit!

Good luck!

I feel like this will 100% be me!

@RobertSalamander oh no that wasn't as bad as I was expecting - although or course not ideal for you. So did the c-section trigger the auto immune disease and is it something you'll now have for life? But it's reassuring to hear they have every eventuality covered. With them having to cut through veins, how did that make your recovery go? X

Yes - autoimmune is weird though as they say the genes load the gun and the environment triggers it. So, I come from an autoimmuney family and have had various things happen in my life to lead to actually getting a full blown autoimmune disease. But yes after I had that c section trauma, I had an explosion of nasty symptoms which took 4 years to diagnose! It’s pre-lupus so could develop into full blown lupus and if not will stay as it is, won’t go away for good ever.

Recovery wise I had to be in the high dependency room (1:1 midwife at my beck and call) for 24 hours, with squeeze leg things on so I couldn’t get out of bed for 24 hrs. Then also had drains as I had lots of loose blood floating around my body they had to get out. So I couldn’t get out of bed as machines on both legs and 2 drains coming out of me. The midwife came to lift the baby to me when needed but really it always amazes me that brand new babies just lie in the cot and sleep mainly (well, my 3 all did while in hosp). My low back is still numb from staying in that same position for 24 hours 6 years ago 😅

Then had another night in a different private room (no 1:1 midwife, just a normal private room I had booked and paid for) and then was absolutely crawling the walls dying to get home 😭

Had to inject myself with fragmin for 10 days which many women on this thread will have had to too. It’s a blood thinner I think? DH injected me as no way I could do that to myself. If you have to, do it into your numb area. Some women don’t have those injections I think - age, weight, other conditions are all factors I think. Was sent home with lots of other meds - pain killers, iron etc .

My first baby I was in 2 nights. The second I was in for 1. It partly depends on what time you get to theatre because you could either be 1st on the list at 9am, or be pushed back by emergencies to late afternoon. And they need to check that you can walk and wee sufficiently etc etc before they discharge you. My second was born a few hours earlier than my first was, but I also pushed to get home the next day because I couldn’t sleep in the ward and was bored and also had a toddler to get home to.

Yes, washing up is a fair analogy, although I personally would say that to me it just felt the same as baby doing big movements, which obviously felt very familiar to me by that point! I was also super hungry and wasn’t sure if my stomach was rumbling too 😅

and yes to catheter after being numbed!

remember that pyjamas are not so great on a sore tummy, so high waist pants and a nightie is advisable. They will probably glue you up quite neatly and the wound looks nowhere as bad as you might imagine. My dressing stayed on for 5 days. I have a small patch of numb skin on one side of my scar. The nerves are probably damaged, but it has no significant bearing on my life! 😋

I've had two for similar reasons, plus two friends of friends had awful things happen to their babies (life long disabilities and one eventually died) as a result of vaginal deliveries.

It was a great experience both times and the kids love my scar. We've had such interesting conversations about operations, different ways babies come out etc because they can see the scar and know what it's from.

It's just part of our story.

Oh and I did vaginal seeding. Can't wait to tell them about that! If I did it again I'd probably wipe my arse with the gauze too lol

I can see you’ve got loads of responses which I’m sure will be really helpful for you but I just wanted to drop you a message to let you know that I also opted for ELCS because I have tokophobia.

i met some difficult health professionals along the way but generally midwives and others were very supportive and helpful

Anyway I just want to say that having my section was the best decision I ever made, the whole day was relaxed, the staff were incredible and although I was a little nervous about the surgery itself, it was really special and I’m so glad that I chose this as an option for me. Well done on everything you’re doing by the way and now I have a 7 month old little girl and she is the best thing in the world

take care, everything will be fine xx

EMLA shouldn't be 'rubbed in' so I really wouldn't worry about using it unless you know how to use it properly - you'll just be wasting your money. Anaesthetists usually use local anaesthetic before putting the cannula in anyway so you may find it's not necessary at all, but if they do think it's a good idea they'll be able to put some on in a sensible place and do it properly in time for it to work before your operation.

You may find that the labourpains website is helpful explaining some of the process of the anaesthetic for a section, but probably more importantly it sounds like you need to make contact with the mental health midwife for your Trust.

It might be worth doing a labour ward tour and seeing the theatre (we did this recently). The midwife showing us round did mention that dads usually wait outside whilst the spinal is placed, but also mentioned that most anaesthetists will allow partners in for someone who is nervous.

My friend had an ELCS at the same hospital and I can confirm, they allowed her partner in during the spinal.

My husband was allowed in for all 3 of my spinals (had one after my vaginal birth too for the stitching 😅🫣)

I was exactly the same. One of my requests was that my husband could stay with me overnight, bless him he slept on a reclining chair for 3 nights. The hospital I was in allows partners to stay on the ward although if we hadn't had our own room I would've asked him to go for the sake of the women I was sharing with.

Another thing I was offered was a tour of the theatres and postnatal ward before going in, so I could prepare myself for what to expect. Perhaps that's something that would be helpful too?

Last thing to suggest is if you have a choice of hospitals to birth in (there's 3 near us, two in one trust and one in another) then choose the biggest one. They'll have more resources to support you.

Thank you ❤️ I really appreciate that.

I definitely feel I've made the best decision for myself based on knowing myself the best; so I have no doubts about my decision, it's just all still so scary, especially never having had surgery or even a overnight hospital stay before. I feel like reading extensively all about the procedure, each stage and what it entails have helped me mentally prepare although I know I could still encounter some unknowns. I just can't help but still be riddled with anxiety.

Someone mentioned previously that you usually meet with the anesthesiast a couple days before the surgery, so I may mention to them then that I'll need my partner with me for the spinal. Hopefully they'll accommodate that, and I'll also mention it to my midwife from now on too. I've got my appt with the consultant on Monday regarding the C-section, really hoping they're not arsey about it. I understand they'll be firm in explaining the risks but I'm already well versed with them and am still happy to proceed. Just hope they're not going to make me jump through lots of hoops before agreeing as I don't think my anxiety will handle it well! Xxxxx

@Yesitriedyoga so I've got a choice on two locally, there is a 3rd but they don't perform c sections at that hospital, only water births and vaginal births but I've heard very often that if women encounter any complications they're transferred from there to one of the other two so that was never an option.

I think if I recieve a lot of push back from the hospital I've chosen in regards to the c section and in regards to having my DH with me throughout I'll explore the other hospital. I don't believe the one I've chosen allows partners to stay as standard, which I can understand, it isn't just me there and they have to consider other women too, completely get that. I think my midwife said it may be possible to be put into a private room for the evening but it depends on space as they're often used to inductions and labour - again, I understand. But knowing I could have with me overnight would lift SO much of my anxiety.. so I'm just awaiting to hear from my midwife on what response she's heard back: I have spoken to another lady who gave birth at the same hospital and they did allow it with her, but she also had autism so I don't know if it was more agreeable for that reason.

That's a great idea regarding viewing - I'll mention that to my midwife too. Will help me peice together the events of the day even better. ❤️

That's great to know - I'll have to be quite firm about it and make sure he is as it's clearly doable even if they don't like it. Just want my hand held really 😂 x

@MyGentleNavyTiger I haven't felt baby move yet ! But I did actually think to myself I wonder if it feels a lot like that ! So that's interesting to hear!

I think I'm just going to tell people to keep talking to me, distract me, and if I go quiet, break the silence because I'm then concentrating to much on what I'm hearing and feeling 😂

I've brought a nightie! And I've also brought some maternity PJs which are high waisted and not tight because I'm having a December baby and didn't want to be cold although I've heard that the postnatal wards are like saunas so probably won't be needed after all! But I'll pack them for just incase! I've brought some high waisted undies but I'm also going to buy the frida pants as I've read they're excellent and very comfy!

Completely understand your anxieties and will be thinking of you, I’m sure everything will be fine and the health professionals will help you along the way.

Just remember to stay firm if you get a difficult individual as only you can dictate what happens with your body and your baby

the good news is that my husband was with me the whole time even during the anaesthetic part, as long as he was in scrubs so I’m confident they will support you with that! . Maybe try some meditation leading up to the day and keep yourself busy too so your brain doesn’t go into overdrive!

take care and good luck! Xxx

@RobertSalamander oh wow - you really went through it! What a trooper!

Yes! My midwife has explained about the injections and said it's highly likely I'll have them due to the C-section but also because of a history of blood clots with my father. I'll definitely have to have DH do them for me, hadn't thought about getting it to be done where I'll be numb though! That's a great idea! I'm guessing that'll be on my stomach around the C-section scar?? Are you able to inject it anywhere? Or does it need to be stomach or thigh?
She said it's to prevent blood clots so yeah I assume it's a blood thinner. I can't understand why they can't give that in tablet form though - as my dad's on the tablet form.

It's certainly no walk in the park this having a baby malarkey is it! Us women don't half have to go through it!! Thankfully, both me and DH have always said we only really want one - although we are open to the possibility of another if we do change our minds but hopeful this will be a one and done situation for me 😂