Honest elected c-section experiences

[Cw112]

I'm hoping to request an elected section at my appointment next week due to being high risk in my pregnancy but just want to make sure I fully understand what I'm getting into! I'd really appreciate any honest and informative accounts from those of you who've had an elected section, what happened, what to expect or what didn't you expect, how you prepared yourself and your hospital bag and how you found the recovery and anything that was good/bad helpful/unhelpful. Thank you in advance!!

I've had two ELCS both for tokophobia and then medically indicated because of breech presentation. I'd really advise you to get hold of a copy of 'why caesarean matters' - it's a great book.

First one was fine, but postnatal care was rubbish & had a cascade I'd issues due to them bot giving me pain relief on time. We were in for 4 days and I think I was off pain relief by about a week.

Second one 12 days ago also fine, although I had more wound pain than last time (I think) which slowed me getting mobile. Postnatal care was much much better this time! We were in for two days. Have been off pain relief since about day 9.

Everything was sort of how I expected, but I'd done a lot of reading up about it beforehand. Elective much different to emergency ones which is where you tend to hear of the bad stories. From my experience, the fitter you are going in to the section, the easier the recovery - I was back doing things well in advance of the timelines they advise (obviously listening to my body and not pushing it).

Tips: Take a strap with you to loop over the end of the bed to help you pull yourself up with your arms - the bed adjusting wasn't enough to get up pain free without pulling on the wound.

Windeaze worked to stop gas pains this time around (peppermint makes me wretch so couldn't do peppermint tea like everyone recommends).

If planning to breastfeed: I expressed colostrum in advance both times which saved us when we had a tongue tied baby both times. 2nd time, the wound pain meant it was difficult to have the baby in a position to try to latch to stimulate milk production so I ended up using a pump a few times to do that instead while still hand expressing. Obviously if your baby has no match issues you'll be fine without this!

I've had an emergency and an elective c section. With my elective, I knew what to expect so it was much easier. I agree with reading up on it as much as possible. I didn't read up on csections at all before having DC1. When I had DC2, I read so much about csections and spent a lot of time thinking 'I wish I'd known this first time around!'

You will be in pain afterwards. Take your pain relief like clockwork every four hours even if you don't think you need it. That being said, I managed without morphine after my elective (MW thought I was mad!) so it wasn't that bad.

Don't push yourself too hard. Get lots of rest and get help with the baby as much as possible. Long story short, I tried to do everything after my emergency and it took my ages to recover. After my elective, I left DH to deal with the kids and slept as much as possible for 2 weeks. And recovered very quickly as a result.

You will still bleed after having your baby. Randomly, I really wasn't prepared for that after DC1.

Pack a nighty for your hospital bag. You won't want anything touching your incision and you will also have a catheter in afterwards. Lots of high waist pants and leggings were the most comfortable things for me.

Oh and don't eat anything for a few hours afterwards. I ended up throwing up and almost shitting myself after DC1 because I ate almost immediately afterwards.

Mine was excellent no regrets .

WhaI didn’t expect:

20 mins in total start to finish

hardly any pain / recovery - less than my ‘natural birth’

home next day - up and about, no problems

best decision I EVER made - genuinely.

No more babies for me, but if I did I would go c section every time - even if I had to take a mortgage holiday to pay privately.

Some things to think about:

The C section room is a shock - full on surgery room with bright lights and lots of people - very stark contrast to the warm fluffy maternity rooms. The staff are friendly, but very serious and rightly focused on getting the surgery right. No comforting midwife - very focused nurses. Just be ready for that.

you have to put on and wear awful surgery stockings - the most unattractive item you will ever wear.

buy some very big pants and over bump leggings - these were great to avoid the scar while it’s healing.

be ready to have to really make a fuss for an elective c section. I had to cry in an appointment to get one and be very very firm about it.

good luck x

I had an emergency section and then a planned one. I can hand-on-heart say I didn’t feel any pain at all after either one. I had a button to press when I needed drugs but didn’t ever press it.
The first shower afterwards is a bit yucky and cringy but not too bad. It was more the thought of the stitches for me than any pain.

you need to take it easy afterwards for a few weeks. I knew the days I’d overdone it because I felt stiff afterwards.
C-section babies tend to cough a bit and that can be tricky because you keep wanting to get up to check on them but that first night you can’t really.
Mine was 14 years ago now, I’m guessing things have progressed even further now.
Definitely nothing to worry about x

Hi OP

I had an emergency C-S and will be opting for elective if we are blessed with any further littles and if the health board permits it.

I had done all my research but things I found noteworthy :

1. Pain for me wasn’t too bad, it’s more of a mobility issue due to pulling the scar / the ab muscle separation. Be prepared to have people pull you off the sofa for a few weeks or have to roll out of bed etc

2. Wind. Shocked me, it’s horrible. People recommend peppermint for this

3. They shouldn’t let you eat for a few hours due to risk of vomit. Will also administer anti-sickness in the OR to combat this

4. You will be catheterised for a short time

5. Big pants and loose clothing are your friends

6. You will be sent home with a bunch of anti- biotics and self-injection blood thinners to prevent clots. Had to get hubby to do these for me as I’m a baby

7. Midwives round here were excellent at post-natal care and looked after my scar etc when I was concerned it was infected (it wasn’t) Hopefully be just as good where you are

8. it’s a big operation so just take it easy and in the 6 weeks or so they recommend you should make a full recovery. As PP says, try and be as fit and healthy as possible beforehand as this does make a difference

9. As a PP said the baby may be a bit wheezy for a while. It’s because they don’t get squashed down the birth canal and can still be a bit mucousy for a few weeks. This is normal but midwives are always happy to listen to any concerns at all

10. Superficial to some, but important to me, the scar may be neat or very prominent. You may or may not have issues with the famous “pooch” due to diastasis / where they separate the abs to reach the baby. I’m on week 20 and abdominal muscles are slowly coming back together.
    Howver a lot of this is genetics, fat-storage, where the incision is made etc

it doesn’t ultimately matter as long as mum and baby are doing ok!

Hope some of this may be helpful and best of luck you’ll be absolutely fine xx

Thanks all so much for your accounts and thoughts, is it bad that the thing that freaks me out the most is the idea of the catheter and insertion/ removal of it? Was it as bad as I'm imagining?

You won’t notice the catheter going in as you’ll be all numbed and behind the curtain thing they put up. Taking it out is dead quick, I can’t really remember feeling it at all, items honestly fine.

You can't feel the catheter at all when they put it in. Taking it out is completely painless, it doesn't even feel weird or anything, it's just a non event and takes around 10 seconds. Don't worry about that! Don't be alarmed if you pass some blood in your pee for a day or so after they've taken it out too, that's normal. 😊

Take your own paracetamol and ibrobrufen with you into hospital. If post natal is busy, you may find you'll be buzzing ages before you get it and the midwives probably won't bring it round to you as standard.

For me the catheter didn’t hurt but when I gained feeling back it did feel weird as the numbness wore off.

I was really scared and paranoid the catheter has come out and I had wet myself and it was only after I told a third person they explained the catheter was fine, I hadn’t wet myself and that the feeling was just coming back.

1 C-section, elective. It honestly was perfect, and so easy afterwards. I think it’s worth me saying (Without sounding like I’m weirdly bragging), I do (did!) have really strong core and back muscles from horse riding and that possibly did help.
I chose the date when I was at the hospital for my 20 week scan, DH and I were given the 39th week to choose from, we went for 39+5.
Had to be at the hospital for 7:30am which was kind of annoying because we lived two hours away, but I slept really well the night before so 🤷🏼‍♀️ drank those vile drinks morning of. We were last on the list because we were relatively low risk, so went down at about midday, ran through the prep, on the table at about 12:20, baby in my arms by 12:35. Sort of felt wiggly and odd but never painful or uncomfortable. I chatted about my horses and country music throughout 😂 OH actually, they struggled getting the spinal in, but I have pre-existing issues with my back and again, the muscles, it wasn’t perfect after all … near as dammit 😂 had my own music playing, all very chilled, held my boy the whole time they were sewing me back up. He was a very big lad so they did have to use forceps to haul him out, but that wasn’t really a problem.
breastfed while in recovery, had some toast (overrated). Back on the ward by about 4 I think? Had a big old bowl of pasta and a slice of cake at 5 😂 DH had to leave at 9, and I was easily up and about and picking up baby by then, before then. I’m hazy on timing, sorry!
I could get out of bed alone from the word go, same for getting off the sofa. Milk came in no issues. Scar was neat and healed really well.
Didnt take any pain relief after three days and was out walking the dogs with baby In a sling from day 3/4.
100% would have a C-section again (and will do!)