Planned C-section vs natural birth - how painful afterwards?

[DeusEx]

Hello

I am keen to have a planned Csection for a number of reasons (including balancing pros and cons from advice on here). My doctor is doing her best as far as I can see to dissuade me and one thing she has said is that the pain form having had surgery is worse than pain after child birth.

Please can you tell me, from either experience, how bad the pain was and for how long? It’s rather worried me now - especially as childbirth sounds so painful anyway and I’m just rubbish at pain.

Well my natural birth left me unable to sit properly or walk for about 2 weeks. I suppose at least with a CS you’re not sitting on the wound! But I haven’t had one so can’t comment really.

I haven’t had a c section but absolutely will do next time. I ended up with a third degree tear, episiotomy and I was in tatters. In my mind both will hurt but I can psychologically prep myself for a c section. Vaginal births can do either way. I also am WAY more likely to tear again and if that happens I think my insides would fall out so that’s also swaying me 😂

I had an emergency C section. I was up and walking as soon as the epidural wore off. I took painkillers for 48 hours and was fine after that.

Vaginal Birth 1 - took about 5 weeks to walk or sit for any length of time comfortably.

Vaginal birth 2 - did the school run about 36 hours later, tiring but made up up a huge hill!

Basically, it's luck either way. Each can go super smoothly or have huge issues. There is just no way of knowing.

Its major abdominal surgery. Its painful. It takes time to heal and things can go wrong.

My experiences are not good and I am sure that you will have others say they managed fine with a couple of paracetamol and were doing yoga within a fortnight. But it can be pretty awful and things can go wrong. If this is a choice you want to make then you need to hear the bad as well as the good.

First section.

I was in hospital for 5 days. It was excruciating painful and I was on morphine most of the time. When I got home I was on strong pain killers for 12 weeks. I lived from one round of pain killers to the next. I didn't feel back to normal for 4 months.

Second section.

After post-op complications I ended up in hospital for 10 days including 5 on the high dependency ward. I don''t really remember the first 3 days. As with first section when I got home I was on strong pain killers for 12 weeks living from dose to dose because of the pain. In addition this time I got a wound infection which has to be dressed daily by the district nurse for a month. It took me 5 months all in to recover.

I haven't had a natural birth so can't compare. I would have liked a 3rd child but I couldn't put my body through that again.

I had an emergency csection and 10/10 would choose an elective if I were to have another child.

I've had 2 sections. First one was awful, wound got infected, oozing pus, the works! Couldn't walk properly for about 4 weeks, then all of a sudden it got completely better and I was on roller coasters in Florida 8 weeks post-partum!

2nd one, had enforced rest in hospital for 7 days after due to both is us having infections and on iv drip, section healed perfectly and by the time I was allowed out, I had my full movement back.

Haven't got a natural birth to compare it with though.

I didn't find it any more or less painful.
I had 3 vb's. 1st with vontouse and episiotomy due to fetal distress, I found this took longer to recover from as I was badly bruised from them pulling as I pushed. 2nd 2 episiotomy cuts only, recovered really quickly. 3rd tore from V2A, things stitched up a bit oddly, recovered quickly but the scar tissue is more sensitive. ELCS, needed no pain relief after spinal wore off, did feel like a lead weight the evening after surgery but fine the next day. I did get an infection in my wound but it was completely painless, I forget about my scar until the start of af or after heavy deadlifts.
I will opt for vbac this time but do not fear needing a cs again.

Had 2 sections, first week or so is brutal but I kept on top of pain management, moved little and often and took care of wound (fresh air, letting shower water run over it) and had great recoveries both times. In four two nights first time, home in 24 hours the second time. Not had vaginal births so can’t compare but I had two really good experiences

2 sections, the first planned at 36 for medical reasons, the second at 39, planned but became semi emergency as I went into labour 5 weeks early. Both very positive experiences, pain wise, I was up and moving within hours and off the strong pain killers before going home 2 days later. Walking about and getting on with life just fine. I've never had a natural birth, and I'm totally fine with that- main objective was safe delivery for baby and for me. I'm not having any more children but if I was to I'd have a section. In a heartbeat. X

I've experienced both.

With my first, I had a long labour with EMCS at the end. I found labour to be dreadful and the pain of the c section was absolutely nothing in comparison to the labour which preceded it. I didn't take any painkillers or anything afterwards as it was very manageable. I remember thinking afterwards 'why didn't I just get a c section instead of going through al of that!'.

After a lot of debating and agonising, for my second delivery I had a vbac. The labour itself was a bit complicated but I delivered vaginally and felt like I had been hit by a bus afterwards! It took me so much longer to recover than after my c section and I was on painkillers around the clock for a week or so afterwards. I couldn't walk properly for days afterwards and ended up with several unpleasant consequences as a direct result of the vaginal delivery.

The thing is, I was strongly encouraged by the medical staff to go for a vbac, almost with a guarantee that I would up on my feet soon after. It was a really tough delivery and I almost ended up in theatre afterwards, so how any doctor can tell you how you will or won't recover is really just an educated guess.

To sum up: 6 weeks after my c section I felt back to normal, more or less. 6 weeks after my vaginal delivery, I was shocked at how bad I still felt.

I find that my experience is quite unique and others seem to find that the opposite is true. My experience is that the pain afterwards from natural delivery was much worse than after a section. My labours were both a bit complicated and I found them to be utterly agonising, particularly the first. The contractions felt like my body was being twisted in half and I remember actually wanting to die at the time. The c section wound felt sharp and sore, like a cut, but it felt like a human pain, whereas the labour felt like something out of this universe. That was my experience.

I do find that a lot of women who have the greatest fear of natural births seem to end up having the easiest deliveries! So dont rule it out. Everyone is different and some women have horror stories of the sections too. There are risks to both.

I really wanted to experience vaginal birth, and am glad I did it, but would never do it again. If you really want a c section and you understand the risks, go for it if you can.

I had a EMCS and only very mild pain/discomfort afterwards, took pain killers for a couple of days and then I was fine.

Of course, I might have been 'lucky' just as some women who have a VB experience very little pain .

Sorry, that's aged 36 and 39, not weeks of gestation! 😬

My csection recovery was rough. But I'm doing it again less than two years later. Lots of rest is needed, keep up with regular pain relief and don't do too much - but don't stay idle for too long either as it can make recovery longer.

It's rough, really rough but I can't compare it to anything else. I was out and about after 6 days, slowly and I needed help with a lot but after about two weeks I was a lot more mobile and able

@DeusEx

Hello

I am keen to have a planned Csection for a number of reasons (including balancing pros and cons from advice on here). My doctor is doing her best as far as I can see to dissuade me and one thing she has said is that the pain form having had surgery is worse than pain after child birth.

Please can you tell me, from either experience, how bad the pain was and for how long? It’s rather worried me now - especially as childbirth sounds so painful anyway and I’m just rubbish at pain.

I’ve had both - vaginal birth with only gas and air and then planned csection. Would go for vaginal birth every time (and I was absolutely petrified before the vaginal birth!) My reasons: Vaginal birth for me, although a bit painful, it was a positive pain. I know that’s hard to understand, but it wasn’t the same as if you have surgery, or have a bad cut or infection etc. It felt like I had actually given birth. The Csection for me felt like the baby had been removed. Totally different experience and the csection was very clinical with many people in the room. For the csection, you have to have a catheter which I hated and it’s still in when you go back to your room with the baby. I am needle phobic and the size of the Canula they needed for this op was the grey one= bloody huge. It hurt me so much despite numbing cream. The spinal injection wasn’t fun either. I felt very sick after the op and needed more meds intravenously. When the morpheme wore off the pain from the cut was like someone running a blow torch over my stomach slowly. Absolutely excruciating. Couldn’t move hardly to go to the loo and couldn’t stand upright for 2-3 days. Lost a lot of blood in the csection - migraine on day 2 -3 and severely anaemic. Compared with natural birth- needed a few stitches which weren’t that painful. Up in the shower 2 hours after birth and felt totally normal 48 hours later. I would never have a csection again if I had a choice in it!

Haven’t had a c section but two different experiences of vaginal birth

BIRTH 1
Really long labour, I panicked, found the actual birthing bit painful, 3rd degree tear, recovery fine and wasn’t in pain at all afterwards (kept up to painkillers for about 2 weeks). Felt slightly like I’d been run over by a bus for a few days after. Was worried about tearing again like a pp but in the end the recovery time for CS swayed me to have another vaginal birth.

BIRTH 2
Read Katherine graves hypnobirthing book while pregnant which honestly made all the difference as I wasn’t fearful. Induced with just the propess as 42 weeks. It got labour going quite soon after and I went in the pool, had an amazing water birth . Didn’t feel scared or even in pain at all. It was a very intense, take over your whole body, almost white-out feeling but I wouldn’t say painful. Only 2nd degree tear, slightly sore and swollen after but only for a few days. I felt euphoric and absolutely full of energy after, it wasn’t like a recovery at all really. Not saying this to brag, I know I was very lucky with my second birth, but equally wanted to add my positive story for balance.

Even if you go for a CS I would recommend the hypnobirthing book - it helps you stay calm, feel in control and assess what to do if faced with decisions during the birth.

Good luck OP!

I had a 2nd degree tear and episestomy and was literally up walking up to the NICU easily 2 hours later whereas a poor lady who had an emergency c section was stuck waiting to be taken up to see her twins for a good 4 hours as there was no one available on the ward.
I d certainly bare in mind if there's still covid restrictions on the wards there's no guarantee of them having any time to help you if your partner can't be there.

i had a c section and the epidural didn't take properly on my left side. i was shouting and swearing through out and felt a lot. It was an awful experience. plenty have good experiences though. I wanted a vaginal birth, but who knows how that would have gone. I guess each case is different which ever way you deliver your baby.

It really depends on the VB & the CS.

I had a very quick VB, labour was back 2 back & no time for pain relief so the contractions were horrendous however the crowning wasn't as bad & once baby was out the pain just stopped. Very small tear with a few stitches. No discomfort whats so ever afterwards & first long walk at 5 days was fine.

CS was a bit of a surprise tbh, I had read lots about them & for some reason assumed I would have no pain after (despite having other operations & knowing this is not the case). I disliked the not feeling my legs feeling & feeling out of control. No issues breastfeeding baby straight after. Was sent on my way next day with paracetamol but those first few days were much harder then I expected, it hurt!

I had very similar experience to @Thejoyfulstar- emcs (recovery from csection was relatively straightforward) and vbac which I went for on the basis I would be out of hospital quickly and better able to look after my toddler - recovery was SO much worse. It was 12 weeks before I was remotely back to normal. If I had a third I would go for an elective.

My sister had a natural birth with my nephew. He was over 10 lbs and she had a tear and episiotomy. Said it took more than a year to heal.

With my niece she had an elective c section. She knew the date for months, was able to plan for everything for the day etc. All went really well, sore for a couple of weeks but not too bad with painkillers. She’ll be having her second elective section in September.

I was induced at 39 weeks due to predicted large baby. After two days and all the drugs and interventions I eventually had a c section for failure to progress. Up walking once the epidural wore off, bit of pain for a couple of weeks but not too bad. If I’m lucky to have another I will be having a planned c section no doubt about it.

The thing about going for a natural birth is that it could take days or end in a section anyway.

I’ve had an EMCS after failure to progress and a VBAC with gas and air. I would take the vaginal birth every time over the c-section and I say that having had a straightforward recovery.

C-section is completely painless (albeit odd) in delivery but a slow and painful recovery. It’s major abdominal surgery. I’d say it took me 3/4 weeks before I started to feel nimble again and able to go for a longer walk with the pram.

With the VBAC it was obviously painful in delivery, but as a previous poster said, positive pain. But the pain stops once you’ve delivered. I found I was easily able to shuffle around within a few hours of giving birth and was walking around quite normally and with little pain by day two.

Every birth is unique and both methods have pros and cons. Either way you get a beautiful baby! Congratulations OP!