For mums who have had a C section

[Janos]

My first baby (DS, now aged 9 weeks) was born by emergency C-section, and three women (out of five couples) in my NCT class have had a C section, three were emergencies(!) and one was elective.

This has just set me thinking about what the experience of having a C section was like for other mums, how they have found it etc. Thinking about it more than two months on I feel on the whole quite happy about giving birth this way but I'd love to hear how other MNetters who've given birth this way feel about it.

who knows, maybe there will be some reassurance for anyone worried about giving birth this way.

For anyone who wants to read my birth story it can be found in 'Birth Announcements' - I know I'm being lazy but it's a long story and can't be ars*d to type it again

That is vey true beansprout - I was glad just to have a healthy baby, particularly with the Strep B and premature labour.

I was also excited to think I would be meeting my baby very soon. However,because of the C Section DP got to hold him first. I was so jealous!

Roller, someone in my NCT group had an elective section, I think that was because baby was in a transverse position. I take your point tho - perhaps some ppl view C section as the 'easy' option? Having had one I can't see why.

I spent my whole pregnancy thinking 'so long as I don't have a CS, I don't care what happens...' so guess what happened?!

My waters broke, no contractions for 24hrs, baby had v high heartrate so I had to have an emergency section. Dr said 'no rush, so long as the baby's out in the next 30 mins'!!! Less than an hour after the words were out of his mouth I was on the ward with dd in my arms.

It was a huge shock as everything happened so quickly but staff were fabulous and the whole thing was far less traumatic than I imagined.

The worst bit was not being able to hold dd for what felt like ages after the birth and also while still in bed at hospital I couldn't pick her up whenever I wanted to as I couldn't get myself up. I remember being very jealous of non cs Mums who were cuddling their babies all the time!

Janos at remembering the first wee after the cathater comes out! After having a pregnant bladder for so long I'd forgotton how much a normal one can hold!

Overall though if I needed a cs next time I wouldn't mind, although would prefer vbac. I was home after 2.5 days, walking into town with dd by day 5, far less pain than I thought.

I too had an emergency c-section nearly 3 years ago now, and found the whole thing extremely scary, although very well managed on the whole. DD was 2 weeks late so I went in to be induced - at 8pm in the evening would you believe. Because dd was still pretty active in my tum it took 2 hours for them to get round to giving me the drugs they then packed me off to a bed and sent dh home! - ahhh! I wasn't told what to expect and was just left to get on with it!!! That was really scary - being in a totally alien environment,on my own, not knowing what was going on, not being able to sleep and being afraid to go an ask! Anyway, it didn't work so they had to give me more inducing drugs at 7.30 am the next morning when I insited they call dh and get him back (sleepless night of worry for him too!). Finally things kicked off and we went down the labour ward. however, my waters had to be broken which was extremely painful as 2 nurses had a go! and I hadn't had any pain relief yet. Things progess along quite well and I have gas and air then an epidural. Small panic as my temp goes up so I get some antibiotics which the nurse/ midwife stuffs up as she unplugs the wrong tube from my arm and there is blood everywhere - someone else comes in to help and the cow blames me!!! - like i could move at that stage! Anyway at some ungodly hour of the morning my contractions just stop - my temp and blood pressure goes up and baby in evident distress. Finally the consultant is found and the decide on an ECS - I am in total floods of tears by this time, totally knackered (no sleep for 36 hours by this point) and scared out of my wits about what is going on - thank God dh was a bit more rational. He says he was terrified too but knew he had to hold it together cos he could see I was loosing it! The op did go pretty smoothly after that and I did get a blow by blow acount of what was going to happen and what was happening. I like the analogy of washing up in your tummy - certainly felt like someone was having a good rummage around. Dh says dd looked like an alien when she came out - all covered in green slime and screaming her head off - not suprising really!
The aftercare was pretty good apart from the catheter (uk!) and on the whole the c-section itself was OK - not pleasant but I guess I was so doped up then I didn't really care! I was in for 5 days after dd born which I guess is normal!
I would not elect to have a c-section again unless medically advised as I did feel that I had failed somewhat in not being able to gve birth vaginally (couldn't do the breastfeeding either but let's not get started on that one!) but can see that in some cases it is the best/only course of action. I think the problem was that I was totally unprepared for anything other than a totally 'normal' birth as nothing other than that had been covered in the ante-natal classes or by the midwife and even my books glossed over the potential problems! So not a very happy experience for me I'm afraid. Must try to do better next time!!!! (if/when there is one!). Sorry for such a long rant - it's good to be able to talk about it actually!

I had a c section cos they'd tried to induce me but nothing happened. They knew from growth scans he was big which is why he didn't want to come out. Also had pre-eclampsia and a bi-cornuate uterus with a coil fitted so with all the complications I agreed straight away!

Section itself was bit scary, hated the injection bit and the needle for the spinal wasn't long enough so it took a long time. Also felt very sick throughout. Because he was so big, there was a scary amount of pushing and pulling, no joke the consultant had his knee on the table! Cos they had put so much pressure on my chest I couldn't breathe very well but luckily got through it without a general (which I really didn't want.)

Aftercare was fab, apparently they were overstaffed which is why but they really were fantastic. Was up and about with no more painkillers by day 3, really quick recovery.

Puts me right off a natural birth though if that was supposed to be the easy option!

Nikkichik I have had problems with Breastfeeding too. It is the one thing I feel really sad about.

PS Nikkichik sorry you had a bad experience with your C section. I too was in hospital for 5 days and couldn't wait to get out by that point, even though I was still in some pain.

I guess it's all water under the bridge now but it still makes me feel like total failure as a woman - all that hard work, effort and struggle and I still had to have help - 'the most natural thing in the world' - my arse!!!!. I must admit the first few weeks were a nightmare and all dh and I did was argue - I guess we were both unsure and totally out of our depth - I am a bit of a flapper and a stress bunny. Think it took a long time for all the drugs I had to work themselves out of my system which is rather alarming.
however, is is good to see that it can be a positive experience. Anyway, the end result of a healthy baby is what is really important isn't it?

Unfortunately i have very recolection of my emergency c.section. (you are all probably bored to death with my c. section story!)
I had pre eclampsia and was in hospital for 3 weeks all in all.
DS was an undiagnosed breach which wasnt discovered till i was 10cms dilated after bieng enduced.
They just gave me a general aneasthetic and knocked me out.
When i came round, my baby had slashes up his back from them using the hook to break my waters. He has scars now to this day (18months on) but had he been the right way up, these would have been on his head or face.
As i have memories of labour, waters bieng broken and the sensation to push, i kind of went through some of the pain but have no memory of holding him for the first time, or hearing him cry for the first time.
Im glad it all happened that way because i had my healthy tiny little chap safe and sound in the end.

I certainly thought an elective C-section was going to be an easy option for me 2nd time round - nothing to it having been through it before because dd was breech - a walk in the park methinks - oh how wrong was I? If I was ever pregnant for a third time I think my own personal choice would be to try for a natural birth.

Fimbo - without going into too much detail - what were the probs with the 2nd elective section? This is what I'm thinking of doing - but maybe not .......!

Merlin-I have posted some of the details in a post further down (seventh one up from the start).

Don't let my experience put you off, some people have had wonderful c-sects. IMO its who you get on the day. My first was fine without any problems at all, infact the home visiting midwives told me my scar was the neatest they had ever seen!! (The hospital aftercare was crap tho!)

Fimob is right, it does depend who you get on the day and most of them are decent

Have to say my scars are so neat you cannot tell I've had two.

Donbean, that's terrible what they did with the hook/stick thingy. And to think it could have been his precious face! I thought I had hear it all. But, that was definitely the first time I've heard that one! What idiots!

Glad he's okay...

Due to my medical history (I suffered a brain haemorrhage 5 years before DS was born) 'They' decided that an elective was better for me. I knew from a few months into the pregnancy that this was the case so had no option but to accept it, was abit disappointed that I'd even know the day and time etc. of the birth beforehand and felt it would be abit like opening all your presents before christmas IYSWIM. However 2 weeks before my date given for the op, my waters broke and had to go straight in, they then did the op the next day. Felt very well cared for and informed, even though they did urge me to go home after 3 days as they were short of beds. The op itself was photographed by the aenethetist's assistant and was rather surreal as you can feel pulling and tugging without any pain. DS was given to me and DH quite soon afterwards whilst they finished off the job. After reading some birth stories, I feel I had a very easy option and at least I knew where my stitches were going to be!

Thanks Uwilla, yes the scarring is bad and i was feeling terribly guilty that it was something that i did.
However, my midwife was superb and the day i was going home, she went through my notes from the birth in detail. I cant tell you how much help this was to me. It answered 10000questions i had running around my head and more.
Every time i look at the scars on his soft botty and back i feel very sad, but i always think to myself that it could have been much much worse had they not have intervened and done something as quickly as they did.
The whole experience was controlled, calm and i felt safe at all times. That helped me a great deal.

I had an emergency cs first time round having planned a homebirth - waters broke, nothing happened for 3 days, induction, cascade of intervention etc etc. I was upset and disappointed and found the recovery difficult. I also had those feelings of failure others have described here. However, I had fantastic midwives and doctors (in an East London hospital which doesn't get the best press) and dd was breastfeeding like a pro an hour after coming out.

This year I had a trouble-free vbac here in Germany (well apart from a tear at the end) and having experienced both I'd go for vaginal birth every time BUT I say that because my vbac was so straightforward (I've read enough threads on MN to know that this isn't always the case - I was lucky) and my personal preference would be to suffer the discomfort of 'normal' birth rather than the discomfort of surgery, other people's comfort zones are different. By the way, ds took weeks to get the hang of breastfeeding which was a real stress after everything had gone so smoothly.

My vbac also helped me to lay to rest my cs experience - childbirth is so precarious, you rarely hear of it going exactly to plan and I realise now that dd wasn't going to come out any other way (malpresenting and too big), so actually it was a fantastically positive outcome.

I'm one of the few 'too posh to push' women the media loves to slate .

I didn't want a long labour or any perineal trauma so elected for a CS.

It was bloody wonderful. I kept fit and healthy during my pregnancy (v impt) and was walking about the same day as the op. The scar was only sore when I moved about in bed (for about 2 weeks). My tummy sprung back into shape very quickly.

Definitely do it again!!