I'm not having an elcs but I'm already having nightmares

[Tea1Sugar]

Due to a horrific birth with dd I've already been told in writing I'll need an elcs. I'm only 9+3 but freaking out.

Due to stomach problems I've had several ops before under GA and I always recover badly. When my appendix came out I had the most terrifying shakes for ages afterwards I thought I was dying. After two of my ops I've suffered nasty incision infections and after each op (I've had four) my body goes into shock and my weight crashes. I'm 8st4lbs normally but lose a stone in about a week somehow. I'm petrified of a horrendous recovery and that horrid feeling of going numb from the anaesthetic. I don't want to spend the next 7months so scared

That thread title should have said *until April

Did you have an epidural with your DD? It is a different type of feeling to general anesthetic. Speak to your midwife about when you will see a consultant and ask if you can speak to an anethetist at the same time to see what options may be better for you.

Do you have a good support network? It may help you feel calmer and more in control if you can work out a plan of who can help you best and when, whether thats DH having extra time off work, mum comes to stay for a week (or 5) after the birth etc.

You have my sympathy, i am having an elcs in January as i had a horrific time & 4th degree tear giving birth to my DS.

Thanks cake. Lots of luck to you. I had a 3a tear with dd amongst a catalogue of other problems. There is NO way I'd contemplate another vaginal birth but the sunroof option terrifies me too!

I had an ELCS a few months ago after a traumatic first birth. It was strange but fine. Everything proceeded at a steady, controlled pace, I was kept fully informed as to what was happening and it was all very calm. The CS recovery was hard, it is all very sore afterwards, but I had my mum to stay for over a week which was great. Despite being tough, the recovery was nowhere near as bad as the recovery I had from DD1s awful birth and I had no mental trauma to get over. If I were doing it again I'd have a ELCS without hesitation and I wish I'd had one the first time.

I don't know about your previous issues with surgery but is there any preventative action you could take, or at least be prepared for if the same problems arise?

I found the staff to be very sympathetic about my anxieties. I'd second talking to them about it.