For those that have had an elective c-section

[bew96]

Hello, I’m looking for advice / info / personal experiences from those who’ve had an elective c -section.

I’m 26, FTM, 27w and I’m considering an elective c - section due to severe health anxiety but, my anxiety is so bad that even a few things about a section are starting to set it off. I’ve done as much research as I can so I do feel pretty prepared but nothing beats hearing people’s experiences so I’d really appreciate if anyone is willing to share.

Everything from over half my body being numb, to the thought of needing a general instead of a spinal, to my heart not being able to take the surgery or my heart rate reaching too high of a level (so ridiculous, I know) sets off my anxiety. I just wanted to mention some of the main reasons for anyone who’s in the same boat as me as I find it really helpful knowing I’m not the only one.

Also, I can imagine it’s hard to believe but the thought of a vaginal birth comes with so much more anxiety. I haven’t completely decided against it yet but as each day passes, I really do feel like it’s just not the right option for me.

Any info at all would be much appreciated & I really hope this can stay a judgement free space as speaking about how bad my health anxiety is, isn’t an easy thing for me. Thank you 💓

Not pregnant yet or previously given birth, but just wanted to comment with some reassurance that I feel EXACTLY the same!

I am absolutely terrified at the thought of a vaginal delivery and the idea of an elective section is the only way I can see myself being able to do it. But I also have worries, even over small things like having a catheter lol.

If it helps...my friend has had 2 elective c-sections and says they were both amazing experiences. She went in feeling really calm and prepared, and in no time had her baby in her arms. She recovered really quickly both times thankfully and she recommends it to anyone with health anxiety (she suffers herself)

Sorry I can't give perspective from my own experience, but just wanted to send hugs as I definitely know first hand how awful health anxiety is. I'm sure you will be amazing and have a great experience too 🥰 x

I had an elective section with my second after a traumatic vaginal delivery with my first. It was an absolute dream. Staff were amazing and it was so smooth and calming and quite 'healing' from previous trauma. The recovery was a breeze in comparison too

What info would you like?

I had emcs and planned one. With planned one I told them I was really anxious and they arranged for me to meet anaesthetist beforehand. They had sedatives prepped on the day and took me down first. The anaesthetist was so lovely and it helped massively having met her beforehand. The being numb thing is weird but your baby is out super quick and the rest of it all happens round you while you get to hold this amazing baby. And the catheter was bloody brilliant. Meant I didn’t have go to the toilet for a day and a half!

I have health anxiety and I now take duloxetine low dose and it has transformed my life, as an aside!

I've had 3 elective c/sections, because with baby #1, they tried to induce me, I didn't go into labour, and baby had eaten all the placenta and needed to come out! I also have a small pelvis and had large babies, so I was never going to push them out! I have never been in labour.

I found the c/s a calm experience. It was scarey having to keep really still to have the epidural (especially with my 2nd as I had a cough!) but all my births were really joyous!

They get you up and about really quickly after, but you can get loads of pain relief - take it all is my advice!!

My obstetrician removed my first two scars when I had my 3rd baby which was probably somewhat risky, but the downside is that I still have an overhang, and get occasional pains in my remaining scar even 20 years later but nothing intolerable.

I've had a traumatic vaginal birth and an elective c section but under general anaesthetic due to spinal not working .
Although the c section didn't go exactly to plan it will still a calm experience and I see it as a positive one - although very strange to of missed the birth !
The staff in surgery are amazing and make the atmosphere super relaxed and the midwifes they help you recover are absolute angels .

I had a C-section on Sunday and was great. It is in an extremely controlled environment where many people are watching your vitals the whole time and have tools to deal with any issues.

My womb doesn't contract properly after birth so I am a post-partum haemorrhage waiting to happen. They knew this going in, medicated me appropriately, watched closely for it and while I still lost a lot of blood for a C-section, it was a wine bottle less than in my first vaginal delivery where it came as a surprise.

I wish you all the best with your delivery and would also gently encourage you to speak with a midwife and/or consultant about your anxiety. Birth is anxiety-inducing but it sounds possible your anxiety is more than just the usual.

What cardiac issues do you have? Are your care team aware of this? If so, it will be factored in, and if necessary you will have a pre-op consult with anaesthetics and they will ensure they have the info they need, or ensure you have any tests if they need additional info. They make a management plan accordingly. Of course, they are also excellent at managing unexpected issues as hoc, such as unexpected trauma related surgery, but it’s obviously best all round if they know of any issues in advance. So, you need to make sure your care team is aware of anything so they can pass your case across accordingly if relevant.

OP, have you spoken to your midwife about your health anxiety? Is there a perinatal (or other local team) that can help? While a C-Section can remove some of the fear, for baby’s health they are unlikely to schedule one before 39 weeks, so it may still mean there is an unpredictable element to birth.

I’m not going to post my experiences as I don’t they’d be reassuring…but know how debilitating and difficulty anxiety can be. Sending you hugs and hoping you can access support (as well as advice)

I had 2 elective sections and they were great. I never wanted to give birth vaginally. Never been able to watch it on TV, even fictionalised. Both my babies had to come at 37 weeks, induction was my consultant’s recommendation but I didn’t want to have a potentially long induction. I didn’t want the risks to baby of giving birth vaginally (and with my most recent the cord was wrapped around her neck 3 times so I feel vindicated on that one). I didn’t want stitches in my vagina. I just didn't want to do it.

My recovery was good. Little blood loss during surgery. A couple of days of pain, peaking on day 3 then improving. Driving after 2 weeks. I had no problems picking up my baby (or my massive toddler after a few days). I could sleep on my side after a couple of days (holding my stitches in as I turned). There is absolutely no way I can be convinced to give the other way a go.

The atmosphere in the theatre was relaxed. The actual numbing just felt like I was in a warm bath. I had a spinal only and once the surgery was over I started to feel normal pretty quickly - I could move my toes within a couple of hours.

My sections were quick too - about 45 minutes each. Baby was in my arms within 10 minutes and I didn’t really pay attention to what everyone else was doing after that.

Have you done any antenatal education classes? Tbh it sounds like hypnobirthing would really help you. If you still decide to have a C-section the breathing techniques and using your BRAIN can still be really useful for a c-section.

Have you ever been in hospital before for an operation?

Personally I was in hospitals a lot as a young adult and it was an all round an unpleasant experience. I don’t feel safe or well looked after in hospitals, that was a much bigger issue for me than the idea of birthing vaginally. So I have opted to have my babies at home which has been enjoyable and very calm for everyone involved.

I’ve had three unmedicated, one with IV pain meds, and one csection. The section was planned, it went perfectly, I recovered “as well as anyone can”, and I would never do it again. With my vaginal births I was up feeling great within 24hrs, and I felt barely human for weeks after the csection not being able to move my torso, drive, do housework, lift my other children, etc. Of course there are many variables on each side though.

The actual procedure was much better than I thought it would be so in that aspect it was nice. All very relaxed and the worst pain was the spinal injection which was over quickly. I’d never had surgery of any kind so I was totally panicked but it wasn’t an upsetting experience at all.

I had an elective c section after a previous traumatic miscarriage where I had to stay in the hospital to deliver the baby. I swore to my husband that if we ever had a pregnancy reach the birth stage I wanted a c section to avoid trauma flashbacks.

In the end, I was more open-minded and made my decision based on statistics. Every woman in my family has needed to be induced with varying levels of success so I was unlikely to go into labour before my scheduled c section. The chances of needing an emergency c section anyway were just too high for me with an induction.

The elective c section was a dream for me. A wonderful calm environment and I was up walking as soon as the numbing anesthetic wore off. I couldn't twist to put baby in the side crib but that was the only block to my movements. I could do everything else, just slower than usual.

I was nervous about what the anesthetic would feel like but they are so organised and keep you distracted with questions/chat that it's all a blur and you don't have time to be anxious as it is happening. I was a bit apprehensive about not feeling my legs, but I knew they were there just with a painless weight to them so you can't move. That's the best way I can describe it.

I had an elective c-section and it was a lovely experience. The recovery felt like it was forever, but looking back at it now, it was a really short 6 weeks.

I am also a psychotherapist, and I would definitely recommend for you to access your perinatal mental health team via your midwife, as they can really help with your anxiety. Or access EMDR therapy, as this is very successful for health anxiety.

Good luck with your birth x

I had an emergency c section after a traumatic labour with my first, and an elective with my second.

My second experience was much better than my first, but I will say that it did leave more room for feeling anxious - probably because I had my wits about me as I wasn't days into a difficult labour, so was far more aware of things like the spinal rather than it just happening to me when I was basically passed out. And also, I was worried about things that had gone wrong the first time going wrong again - namely, the infection I got in my wound afterwards. This was the worst part of it for me and the part I was most keen to avoid. I was tempted to go for a VBAC just to avoid this risk, but then I had been told the chances of infection were lower in an elective and I could have ended up with an EMCS again with a VBAC, so I chose the elective. I asked for a Pico dressing, and I didn't get an infection.

But I wouldn't downplay the recovery, because I personally struggled with it and was pretty worried about the wound getting infected, so would choose a smooth natural birth over a section to avoid that. But the pro is of course that you know what you are getting. And the only remotely challenging thing about the actual process is sitting still for the spinal, other than that it's all a breeze and nothing hurts at all.