So - my elective section story time. I have written it in great depth in case that helps anyone who like me loves details, details, details when facing the unknown. Apologies to those who would prefer bullet points and feel free to skim through!
I had to be at hospital on Thursday for 0700, we arrived fine and I was so relieved to be there and finally at my date not in labour. I got shown to a bed in a 4 bed room and given two trendy gowns to put on, one forwards, one backwards - a preservation of dignity but sadly not of shape. I lounged on the bed reading a book and being eager to get going while resembling a tent. DH was with me and the greatest hardship was thirst and hunger as I'd had to fast all fluids from midnight before and hadn't eaten since 2100 the night before. Waited. Waited. Waited. A couple of other people in the room got taken away for their sections. Waited. I got anxious when we hit lunchtime and made sure they weren't going to send me home (I was planning on refusing anyway, couldn't face another anxious night imaging labour pains starting).
Finally the theatre had space (a very busy rush of emergencies had delayed me) and we went down at 1430. I put my anti-DVT stockings on, had lots of quick chats with staff and checklists were doublechecked with me. I was allowed to wear my contact lenses when I explained they are long use ones I normally sleep in. DH was taken off to get scrubs on and then had to wait in the corridor while I went into theatre.
A canula was put in my hand and a drip attached. Then the anaethetist realised he had it in wrong and put another one in my wrist and removed the first one, apologising for the bruise I would have. A BP collar was put on my arm, a couple of stickers attached for monitoring, then a second anaethetist put my spinal in. It was sore like any injection but no worse than the canula or normal arm ones. She said she wasn't certain it had taken fully so she might need to top it up. I laid down on the theatre bed and was squirted with super cool liquid to check the spinal was working. I couldn't feel the cold at all but my legs felt tingly though not unpleasantly so. I was asked to try and lift them and couldn't. A sheet was hung up in front of my face and DH was brought in to sit by my head.
I started to feel tugs and pushes as I had been told to expect, no pain at all, just pressure and a surprising amount of weight like someone was leaning on me. It all felt oddly high up on my chest too but was not painful at all, just weird. I chatted to DH and felt totally calm and relaxed. About 5 minutes after they started I was told the baby was almost out, then I heard crying. Wonderful noise
The midwife popped round the sheet with him and showed us our lilac coloured crying son. She held him close so I could kiss him and speak to him and I was touched that he stopped crying at my voice. Then he was taken to the side to be checked, cleaned and wrapped. His agpar scores were 9 then 9. He was soon back in DH's arms with his eyes tighly shut pulling faces. I loved being able to look at him and kiss him without pain or trauma. 8 pounds 8 shocked me as he was only 39 weeks.
I felt lots more pressure and tugging as they fixed me up and in no time at all I was told it was all done. The sheet came down, I was slid onto the bed and given Alexander to hold skin to skin while wheeled back to recovery. I was hooked up to another BP monitor and a drip. My head felt heavy but there was no pain. I was given sips of iced water and felt nausea and was then sick a little. The midwife held a pot for me and fanned me with another. I had so little in me anyway it wasn't really a bother and I was still happily holding DS. They jabbed me with an anti-nausea drug and 5 minutes later I had more water with no problem. I felt really hungry and the roll and jam they got me tasted heavenly. I had more water and some digestives and felt fine.
Then I had an annoying symptom moment as I started to feel itchy and my skin felt hot. Mostly my face, arms and back which I knew was a reaction to the spinal, as the nausea had been. The BP cuff was going off every 15 minutes and that itched too. Alexander had a breastfeed and more skin to skin. The mw told me they had nearly needed forceps to get him out! The surgeon had just asked for them to be passed over when he came loose and they weren't needed.
I was wheeled up to the postnatal ward around 1830, clutching my newborn and feeling so proud. I asked for a single room but was put onto the 4 bed ward with 3 others. Someone found me a sandwich and some orange juice and DH sorted some of the hospital bag things out for the night before he had to leave at 2000. The catheter and canula were kept in for 24 hours and the latter was annoying as it's position in my wrist meant it kept catching on things as I held DS, but we are talking very minor annoyance. I tried feeding DS every few hours but he was sleepy and bringing up foamy mucus so not interested. I was told the foam was normal as he hadn't been squished through the birth canal and he would get more interested in food once he wasn't full of foam.
The first night the mw's came to change and pass me DS for bf whenever I buzzed. One baby on the ward was very unsettled and cried all night. My MP3 allowed me to sleep on and off though. Next day I was helped up to the shower. The catheter made it awkward but I just needed to move as carefully as I did at the end of pregnancy, slow movements, legs close together and pulling stomach muscles in. I was utterly delighted when the catheter came out that afternoon that my bladder didn't collapse. I didn't have the strong sensation of needing to pee, but I didn't leak and just went every few hours roughly and had no problem in peeing then and controlling it until on the loo.
The next day I got chatting to the other mums on the ward and we actually got on really well. Not being in tons of pain did wonders for my socialability and we were able to swap stories and help each other out with the bf as we all tried to get them past the foam stage. The MW's commented that not many wards chatted like ours came to, so I know I was really lucky with that this time. The second and third nights were harder as Alexander was more demanding and I had to get up for him, but the tiredness was manageable and interspersed with odd snatches of sleep or at least rest. I was discharged Sunday afternoon with no issues raised for either myself or DS.
The recovery so far has been fine. I am sore and stiff in the tummy but nothing like my post forceps pain at all. I can sit comfortably with no pain. The worst pain has been the afterpains as the womb contracts while I feed - like bad period pain. I have taken all the drugs offered and was reassured more than once that if I felt any breakthrough pain I would be given more. When I move I find standing straight is comfortable. The worst aches are when getting up or down from bed and that's just from the cautious lowering/rising. Once up or down I am fine. I am able to walk around easily and the stiffness has gone.
As I write this epic I am laying on my bed with no pain at all, DS is sleeping in the moses basket next to me, my compression stockings are on (apparantly 6 weeks is ideal though they admitted that most people don't bother once home, I will wear them a bit as I am resting up so much with MIL here, once I'm active again I'll not bother). I am able to do anything except heavy lifting or twisting my tummy about. No problems or pain peeing or pooing (unlike post forceps). I am starting to do my pelvic floor and stomach tightening exercises as the physio recommended and feeling utterly positive about my potential to recover to being ME again.
I am delighted with the birth of Alexander and feel so happy I am able to enjoy these first days instead of immense exhaustion, pain, tears and trauma. I am still taking it a day at a time and expecting possible setbacks with the bladder etc - but so far, so good