I haven't had a planned C-section but I had an unplanned one. The best preparation you can do is to talk to other people who have had C-sections and ask them about their experiences.
I would expect a planned C-section to be very calm.
They are different to other births and obviously you won't have the full range of birth plan considerations that you would with a vaginal birth. Will you have a chance to talk to your doctor about what to expect?
I think it can be helpful to understand things like:
- Will your baby stay with you throughout the C-section, or will s/he be taken into another room for cleaning and weighing while you are still in theatre?
- Will you be able to do skin to skin straight away? If not, can someone else (such as your partner) do it?
- Can you/would you like to listen to music during the C-section?
- Do you want delayed cord clamping?
- Do you want to see the placenta?
- Do you want the surgeon to tell you what is going on or would you rather not know?
These are the things I would like to have known/thought about before I had my C-section.
In terms of what it is like, this is how it went for me.
I had already had an epidural so the anaesthetist just needed to top me up. She spent some time pinching me in different places and applying cold compresses to different parts of my body so I could describe what I could feel. I found this part quite stressful because I still had plenty of sensation even in the parts of my body that were anaesthetised, and I wasn't sure whether I could feel pain or just pressure. The anaesthetist took her time to make sure I definitely wouldn't feel any pain. When she increased the dose of anaesthetic it felt very weird, like cold fluid pouring into my body at the injection site.
When the surgeon started cutting, I don't remember feeling much. Then once the incision had been made I could feel a lot of tugging in my abdominal area, like he had his hands inside my belly and was pulling my internal organs around. Then I felt some very firm pulling as he lifted my baby out. It's difficult to describe how strange it was.
Then they showed me my baby and I immediately started crying. He stayed next to me for maybe a minute or so but then they had to put him in an incubator.
The rest of the C-section was not great. I was lying flat on my back on an operating table and I was exhausted and emotional and just wanted to see my baby. It took the doctors about 40 minutes to stitch me up again and I felt nauseous from the anaesthetic (and was actually a little bit sick).
I wouldn't expect to have the same emotions if I was having a planned C-section because it would be the way I was expecting to give birth, and I wouldn't be so tired and disappointed as I was after a day in labour.
The first few days after the C-section were quite scary because I couldn't use my abs at all. This made sitting up and standing very difficult, although I got out of bed the following afternoon (the C-section was at about midnight) to use the loo, and after that I was cleared to move around. I actually preferred to eat my meals standing up for the duration of my hospital stay. Having someone by me to bring me my baby for feeds was a massive help.
In terms of preparation, apart from the mental preparation and knowing roughly what to expect, I would recommend buying high waisted knickers and high waisted leggings for the first few weeks postpartum when you are going to want soft stretchy clothes and nothing with a seam or waistband near your scar area.
I would also really recommend buying some glycerine suppositories and using one every time you feel the need to go for a poo for the first few weeks. Don't use them as a laxative to make yourself go, just wait until you feel the urge to go and then use one. Basically it means everything will come out without you needing to push. You don't want to be straining any muscles in that area after a C-section.
I would also add that despite feeling that I had been cut in half and that my doctor was rummaging around in my belly with both hands, my scar is about 10cm long and has healed well. I still can't believe my baby came out of there.
I'm now planning my next pregnancy and would go for a planned C-section if there's even the slightest reason to think I won't have a straightforward, spontaneous labour.
Good luck!