ELCS - everything you need to know!

[Bubbles021]

Hi everyone!
My elective section is booked for 11 weeks time. I had a vaginal delivery with my first baby last year, however he had passed away and was born sleeping at 33 weeks. It was a completely straight forward and uncomplicated delivery, but obviously very traumatic to deliver a stillborn. Following his death, genetic testing showed that I carry a rare genetic condition that had been passed to my son and was the reason he died. I never knew until then that I have this condition, but it makes my risk of an aneurysm during labour much higher, and as a result I've been told that this time I would only be allowed to push for 40 minutes before being taken in for an EMCS.
The doctors are confident that the risk of anything happening during labour is low, however I'm pretty set on an ELCS to avoid any kind of emergency situation. Due to the genetic condition this will probably be my last child, so I want it to be as nice of a birth experience as it can be!
So what are everyone's experiences of ELCS? I've been warned about bleeding which terrifies me. Was your baby okay when they were born? I've also been told there's a fair chance they may end up needing help with breathing, which also terrifies me. How was your recovery? Is there any advice you would give to someone going for an ELCS?
Thank you so much for your help 😊

Bump

I had an elective c section in January 2021. It was very calming and nice. Baby was okay had to go on a heat mat for a day as his temp was half a degree lower than it should be.

Recovery was fine, make sure you take your painkillers every four hours and stand up straight. I remember bleeding a lot but I wore adult nappies which I found helped a lot more then a pad would have and it subsided within a couple of weeks I think - I was more annoyed I couldn't have a bath.

I'm having another baby in November and opting for a c section again.

Mine was semi planned. I was in labour and chose to have one.
No issues with bleeding.
I have heard that there can be minor breathing difficulties if you're not in labour as the contractions help clear fluid from lungs but I was told it's only minor.
Recovery compared to EMCS with my first was super easy, discharged in 24 hours back in the gym 6-8 weeks.
Experience was amazing. Music, lovely atmosphere in theatre.
I'd say top tips are get out of bed as soon as possible. Get up and move around frequently as the scar area just seizes up if you sit too long.
Scar massage, for some bizarre reason this isn't really mentioned in hospital or by midwife but look into it, it's incredibly important. If you don't there is more chance the scar adheres to bladder and other bits, they had to cut away loads of scar tissue with my second where it was attached to bladder.
Get a womens health physio after to help with abdominal rehab, pelvic floor etc.

Another tip, they'll give you lots of codeine, you'll also probably be given iron, this is a brilliant combination for unimaginably bad constipation. Second time around I stopped the strong painkillers as soon as possible. Have plenty of food that helps you go ready.

I’m sorry to hear about your first baby xx

The recovery process is different for each of us and I had a positive experience as did 5 of my friends who had c sections around the same time. Hopefully you will too but it’s also ok if it takes you a little longer.

I had an ELCS due to my baby being breech. It was an amazing experience. I remember asking DH to tell me when they had made the cut and he said the baby was almost out!! She was 6lb 8oz and didn’t need any extra care. I had her on the Saturday and went home on the Sunday.

Try and get up about about as soon as you feel comfortable. For a about a week or so it was uncomfortable getting out of bed, you almost have to roll out! I went for a pub lunch and a glass of champagne 4 days after she was born.

Like PP said, keep on top of your painkillers, let people help you and just enjoy the cuddles 🥰

Sorry about your previous loss.

I'd recommend getting a copy of Why Caesarean Matters by Pinter & Martin. It's factual information about the whole CS process - great book to understand everything.

I had an ELCS at 37+2 for breech (had PPROM a couple of weeks earlier) and other than the cock ups with postnatal care for me immediately following the op, everything was fine (they didn't give me pain relief on time and I ended up with a cascade of issues from that so I would recommend being very clear about when meds are due etc...).

My LO didnt have any breathing issues or anything. I'm not sure why you've been told it's a fair chance - yes it can happen, but...

I had a small PPH (750) in theatre which was a bit more than they expect (500), but didn't have much bleeding after that - really light and ditched the maternity pads in favour of normal sanitary towels pretty quickly.

Get hold of some lactulose to take to help with the first bowel movement. I was horrendously constipated but that was exacerbated by having to be given morphine and then ondansetron to alleviate morphine sickness after the pain relief cock up... I wasn't prescribed iron I had to speak to my GP about that after I got home.

They suggest peppermint tea to help with gas pains but peppermint makes me vomit so I didn't have any. Next time I plan to get hold of peppermint capsules as they apparently have the same effect.

Thank you all for some great advice! I know the doctors run through the risks and what to expect, but I much prefer hearing real life experiences! Thank you all 🥰

I had an EMCS on Monday - I was in labour but not progressing and opted to have one, so it wasn't a proper emergency. I came home yesterday evening when baby was around 42 hours old. I’m a bit sore but very mobile already - managed a very slow walk to a local café this afternoon. I’ve been taking painkillers at slightly longer intervals than they're given at in hospital and have been moving around the flat easily. I’m crossing my fingers that I continue to recover this easily: midwife is coming to check on us tomorrow so we'll see what she says.

I didn't like the spinal block much (made me REALLY shaky, my teeth were chattering!) but it wore off quite quickly and once baby arrived I didn't care anymore!

Thank you 🥰 and congratulations on your baby! I hope you have a speedy recovery xx

@Bubbles021 you're welcome and good luck!

Oh, also, I struggled to breastfeed until today - baby was tired and shell shocked so struggled to latch, and I was exhausted and getting stressed out. Don't be afraid to top up with a bit of formula if you need to (assuming you're planning to try breastfeeding) - my milk has already started coming in and baby is more alert, and things have really kicked off this afternoon ☺️