C-section - will I feel them make the cut??

[Lunamoon23]

I'm 3 and a half weeks away from my ELCS, baby is also footling breech.

I've gone down abit of a rabbit hole googling delivery of a footling breech baby with a csection but upon googling I've come across some Reddit threads where people are saying they felt the incision being made?!? Like no pain - but they feel the sensation of something running across there skin and knew that was the cut being made. It's freaked me out slightly!! Actually, a lot...

I was aware I made feel some pressure, tugging when they're taking baby out. But I was under the impression that besides that. I'd feel nothing else at all, sensation or pain wise. Have I been wrong? Need to mentally prepare myself.

If you can feel any pain at all something has gone very wrong, the anesthatist will be sat right by your head the whole time checking for any discomfort

Oooh I was absolutely convinced I’d feel the incision and was lying on the table thinking I was going to feel it and when were they going to start. Next thing I know a baby appears! Didn’t feel a thing or even the “washing up” sensation people talk about. I think I was so convinced it hadn’t started I didn’t realise what was going on.

Thank you ladies for all your replies, really reassured me and put my mind at ease! X

I didn’t feel the cut but my skin was SO stretched it was uncomfortable- when he cut through it I had IMMENSE relief, like taking off tight jeans after a big meal! 😂 then didn’t feel anything else, and mine was a complex section as I have severe endometriosis and adenomyosis.

I imagine it is similar to that strange sensation you get when your baby turns.

And congratulations on your wonderful homemade Christmas gift!

I felt nothing whatsoever. The surgeon said to me “you might feel some pressure in your chest for a couple seconds” (not sure why) and that was a weird sensation I didn’t like but literally a couple seconds and then I heard my baby crying.
The spinal block is so effective you don’t feel like your body below your chest even belongs to you

It literally feels like your body ends at the chest doesn’t it?

To check I was numb, the surgeon said “try to move your feet, go on”. And I literally could not at all, it was so weird, it was like they didn’t exist at all.

I've had two c sections and I remember being so surprised how quickly my body went numb below my chest. The drugs literally numbed me within what seemed like seconds.
I also got uncontrollable shivering for a while during the OP, but that soon subsided.

As for feeling anything, I didn't feel any pain whatsoever, but, as others have also experienced, there was tugging at some points, and I felt as if someone was 'kneading dough' in my stomach, although, once again, it was pain free.

Obs anaesthetist

So this is my chitchat

We check the height of the anaesthetic using cold as the nerves that carry pain are the same ones that carry temperature. Spinals numb you to pain but they don't numb you to sensation. You'll feel pushing pulling tugging, people often describe it like washing up in your belly. Just before baby comes out you'll get a lot of pressure up under your left rib cage, just whilst they're physically pushing baby out the opening, it doesn't last long, I'll warn you before it happens just bare with them then baby will be out. Don't worry if baby doesn't come out crying, it's v normal for csection babies not to cry initally as their lungs are more soggy than babies that come out the normal route, but don't worry they will cry long term!

It's about 8-9mins from starting to baby coming out. About 45mins to put you back together again

You shouldn't feel anything sharp, if you do let the anaesthetist know there's many things we can do to fix it

I ask them to quick their legs in the air to check its numb enough to insert the catheter. It's quite entertaining watching the determination on people's faces trying to overcome it

Not everyone gets total paralysis some can still move feet a little, my reply is "provided you can't kick my surgeons I'm happy"

Vast majority of people have no clue of surgery starting, they always look v surprised when I tell them we have

Literallly didn’t feel a thing with my c section pain wise or when they made incision. I read somewhere it feels like someone rooting around their handbag for their keys which I thought was a great description. Bit of pressure but absolutely no pain. I went into labour and can confirm I would take 10 sections over the pain of labour in a heartbeat

I also felt pressure and rummaging. But definitely no pain.

No pain whatsoever but the rummaging was bad, I felt really sick with it and was close to vomiting in surgery. I did vomit numerous times in recovery and back in the warm. The process is so quick though, baby was out in about 4 mins from incision I think. Good luck!

We use either cold spray, ice or a cold stick as cold and pain are the same nerves. I always say... so you'll always feel spray, what I want to know is when it's freezing cold, like up here on your arm ok? But tbh cos it's freezing it's normally v obvious from the woman's face when cold starts lol

Honestly, we do csections about 4-6 a day every day when we are oncall for obs (normally twice a week for 4 weeks out of every 6), we are well aware of how to check adequately don't worry

I know for a fact I was frowning while trying to do it. It’s the weirdest sensation knowing that you’re willing your legs to move, but they just won’t do what you want.

Theres still a bit of tugging but it's massively reduced once delivery and most people aren't aware of it as they're distracted by baby, the rummaging stops though. Rarely they have to lift the womb up, that can be a bit uncomfortable temporarily but the anaesthetist will warn you and it doesn't last long

I really want one for the experience having watched so many haha

What's more bizarre is when we do nerve blocks to numb an arm for eg we do the injection with their arm behind their head. Your brain remembers the location of the body part as it goes numb, so they still think their arms above their head when it's flat on the operating table, and I spend half the surgery going "yep that really is your arm, no its not above your head, yes they're really operating' lol

I couldn't feel the incision at all, felt a tiny bit of the rummaging feeling people have mentioned, but was surprised when I heard them ask for forceps, DC2 didn't want to come out at all and they had to tug her pretty hard with the forceps and her face was pretty bashed up afterwards and I hadn't felt a thing, was pretty odd!

Ive had 2,both very small babies (2lbs & 1lbs 12!) Did not feel the incision but did feel a lot of tugging and quite odd sensations. It didnt hurt, but I cant say I enjoyed it. Not sure if it'd be different with average sized babies though as they probably had to 'rummage' a bit more to find them as they were so tiny. You'll be fine though. There will never be a day as special as the day your baby is born 😊

Absolutely not. You feel nothing. I've had 4 children, 1 set of twins. All by c section. My first two were general, so i was asleep. But for the birth of my twins I was awake and had the spinal block. You feel no pain, just a weird sensation as they pull the baby out. Please don't worry you'll look back on it after and wonder what you were worried about. My only regret is that I wished I'd been awake for my first two but I was afraid, if I'd known how easy it was I definitely wouldn't have opted for a general. Congratulations and here's to a wonderful birthing experience for you.

That is crazy!

Considering a C Section is major surgery, it is quite a pleasant and relaxed experience, I found. I would probably opt for it again, if I had another baby. Yeah the recovery can be unpleasant, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever been through.

I had an EMCS, didn't feel the incision. I did feel the rummaging that others describe but baby was out SO quickly, it was crazy! The stitching up took a while but I didn't feel anything at all. Good luck

it probably is worth mentioning, while women normally do feel a range of 'stuff' happening that's weird but not painful, just every so often women do experience pain with spinal/epidural anaesthesia. No anaesthetist would let a surgeon start if they didn't think the block was working well (and there are a number of ways we can test to see what level it's working to), but occasionally blocks do catch us by surprise (either because the block isn't working as well on the inside as it appeared from the outside or because the operation lasts longer than the numbness). So on top of doing a very similar 'chat' to @Destiny123 I tend to tell women that 'once the block is working you shouldn't feel any pain, but if you do then it's important to tell us because we wouldn't leave you like that and there are lots of options for managing it depending on where they're up to in the operation'. The 'official' stats are that about 1:50 spinals don't work as well as they should and require conversion to GA. Am pretty sure most anaesthetists doing regular obs would probably say feels like much fewer than that in real life though, but it is important to acknowledge that very occasionally it does happen and women need to know they should tell us if what they feel is particularly unpleasant/sharp/painful so we can make sure we're doing a good job for them.