C section - a bit scared

[SausageDogMum95]

Hello,

I’ve discussed having a c section with two separate consultants and the midwife team due to having painful stage 3 hidradenitis suppurativa on the vulva and thighs which has already caused scarring and damage to tissues. There has also been some concern with a large posterior succenturiate lobe which appears to have some blood vessels connected to the main anterior placenta.

The consultants have booked my c section for the 26th March and while I feel this is the safest option for me and my baby girl I’m getting quite scared about the pain aspect and recovery. Can people please share how they found their c sections? Thank you.

I’ve had four and only one was painful for up to week but the others were manageable. Just take it easy, ensure you have support in case you need it and focus on the fact that the c section is a short operation where you will meet your baby, whereas natural labour can go on for days.

I was also very scared…well, it’s not the most pleasant thing, but I didn’t feel pain. Just a strange feeling of numbness, and at some point I felt a bit dizzy but they gave me something which made it better. The good thing is that it’s over really quickly. I think it was only 10 minutes until they lifted my baby up, and then maybe another 15 - 20 minutes, but at this point you’re cuddling your baby and you forget about everything else.
My recovery was better than I thought, I insisted on all the pain killers (including dihydrocodeine or what it’s called) and took them according to a schedule rather than waiting for pain to start. This did the trick, I never was in any pain afterwards. I started walking slowly after 24 hours, went for a coffee on day 4, and by day 10 I felt pretty capable of looking after my baby and myself.
I know that some friends had a worse experience with vaginal birth.
Good luck!

I had an emergency section due to HELLP syndrome. I am the biggest wuss imaginable and it was the first time I have ever had “an operation” as such. I was so anxious beforehand. But the team were so reassuring - I had a lovely anaesthetist who stood at my head and chatted away to keep me calm (obviously while monitoring everything). My recovery was ok - you just have to follow the recommendations on lifting etc. I was home after a couple of days. Hope it all goes well for you.