Can anyone tell me a positive c-section story?

[Jackaroo]

This is now my reality, so I'm trying to get to grips with it; I'm reading general articles online that yesterday I would have agreed with "Oh, yes, vaginal birth is SOOO much better for you and baby", but frankly from the perspective of now having to have a caesar, I'm less impressed by feeling that I'm inevitably going to have an awful time and do my baby out of the best start in life....

Can anyone tell me good stuff?

Cheers

J

Oh yes I took arnica and hypericum, which really helped with recovery

I had a crash after 20 hours spine to spine and a placental abruption . Recovery was fine, and I really envy those with elective CS who get to be conscious for the birth ...

Couple of points - expect a lot of mucus to come out of the baby in the first few days - this is the stuff which would normally be squeezed out during birth, apparently. May mean baby's a bit sickier than usual. And should you get scary heart-attack type pains, it's almost certainly the trapped air migrating as far as your shoulder (which no-one warned me about and was a delightful surprise ).

Set things up so you don't have to carry things around - nappy change things both upstairs and down, carrycot/moses/bouncy chair in all the rooms you want to put the baby in, if you can beg borrow or steal them from friends?

You're not allowed to do laundry for at least 4 weeks after , ditto shopping (apart from small, luxury goods that will fit in your handbag ).

Oh, and if you can get on your feet as soon as possible, get yourself to the bathroom in the hospital etc, then you don't have to have the blood-thinning injections.

Don't worry too much about establishing BF - my personal take on this is that it might be a prob where you've had an emergency CS following a long labour, just because you're both knackered and sharing all sorts of anaesthesia. With an elective you should all be happier and more energetic

The first line of my birth plan said
"I REALLY DO NOT WANT A CAESAREAN SECTION UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL"

I was scared that DS and I would be traumatised, how I would bond with DS and how I would recover.

After 7 hours labour ds was found to be an undiagnosed footling breech, who was ready to come NOW! (So much for being hard and staying at home for as long as poss) and a em CS became absolutely vital.

I was rushed into theatre under strict instruction not to push and DS delivered about 10 minutes later. It was quick, painless, easy and not half as scary as I thought it was going to be when I wrote my birth plan. In fact, as it had to be done so quick (as DS was footling, the doc really didn't not want him to get stuck feet first in the birth canal).

The most important thing is that DS arrived safely (which was unlikely otherwise in this situation). I recovered quickly (out of bed in 24 hours, up and about after about 3 days, driving in 4 weeks, swimming in 6 weeks, running in 8 weeks) and DS and I have bonded just fine.

However, I knew a bit what to expect because I went to NCT antenatal classes which included a CS simulation, so I knew that there would be about 10 people in the theatre and why they were there. All those people might have freaked my out otherwise. Also, a friend of mine had had a (diagnosed) footling breech baby a few weeks previously so, once I saw the scan showing his position, I knew what was coming a few seconds before the docs told me.

In my case a EM CS was the only safe way of delivering DS. The medical team lept into action like a well oiled machine and everything when very smoothly. I never felt scared or out of control and the aneathasist talked me through everything as it happened. DH sat on the other side and held my hand. And the lovely lady ob left me a very neat scar!

What I think I am trying to say, is that sometimes a CS is the best option, and in my experience, nothing to be scared of. I would do it again.

Good luck.

I had an emergency cs after quite a few days induction/labour. Found the recovery tough but still managed to drive after just over 4 weeks. The surgery itself was far less scary than I expected. Was upset at not having skin to skin etc after the birth but consultant insists that with a planned one we can make sure of that if all goes well, getting the chance to plan it 1st with the person doing the surgery, can even have screen down to see baby coming out if we wish, apparently bump means we shouldn't see any goryness. Am told I'm much less likely to need transfusion than for one following labour, so that should help recovery too. Have been thinking about vbac hoping for better recovery but that's assuming we have an ideal birth which given our circumstances is unlikely, reckon on balance a planned cs will leave me in better shape. Not sure the 'natural' route is all it's cracked up to be, yes people used to have their babies at home all the time blah blah, but the mortality rate was a bit different too. Oh and found starting bf a bit hard but in the end did so for over a year. Support in hosp not great but loads available once we got home (NCT, local health authority BF support etc)

When I was pregnant with my DD (now 15mths) my worst knightmare was that I would end up with a section, I am the biggest wimp in the world and am very very squeemish. And guess what, I ended up with an emergency section!

I can't tell you what the actual section was like as I was under GA but the recovery was absolutely fine no where near as bad as I was expecting it to be. I didn't drive for 6 weeks and although I thought I would crack up at that I actually found it really good. My daughter and I had that time to ourselves to get to know each other and I got the time to recover and when we were going out together I was really ready for it and felt very confident and I don't believe I could have bonded with her any better.

I have been advised to have a section in the future and it definately hasn't put me off having more children and that isn't just because I have forgotten what is was like over time because I said I wanted more when DD was only 1 week old

I think one thing about the EL CS that was really good was that it really did make me do nothing but sit around and cuddle DD. After the dreadful VB, I felt I should be up and about and acting 'normal', even though every movement was agony. After an official operation, you have no choice but to rest and enjoy your baby!

peppermint tea or cordial will help with trapped wind. I forgot about that although mine was not too bad.

I would second what Polar Mummy said about a CS giving you no option but the sit around and cuddle! Those first few weeks were fantastic for that. DH and Mum took 2 weeks off each to look after me, run around and make tea, drive me around etc. Me and DS just cuddled!

The whole time i was pregnant with my first i was terrified of having a section, and sods law i ended up with an emergency c section! and it was nothing like i had imagined i was lying ther joking with my dh and the docs it was really relaxed. recovery was ok bit sore but i think i was frightened of hurting myself more than actually being in pain. as a result i have opted for an elective this time, a natural birth would scare me more now!

I've had two sections - and can say without hesitation that the elective one (the second) was a much better experience than the first. But with both, I recovered really quickly - much quicker than people say.

With DD2, who was breech, I really liked knowing when she was going to be born, and her birth was such a calm and positive experience compared with DD1's (when we had to be rushed to theatre at top speed because DD1's heart-rate was dropping rapidly).

I think if you've been advised that this is the best option for whatever reason, there's no need to fret about what you're missing - I just don't believe it makes any difference to bonding etc.

I have two DSs. The first was born by VB, the second by Elective CS. DS1 was born quite quickly and was quite big and I had a 3rd degree tear. DS2 was breech (shown on a scan at 38.5 weeks -oops!). Elective CS was very calm and I have nothing bad to say about the experience. The healing for both 'injuries' - the tear and the CS wound -took about the same amount of time, were about as painful and sometimes now (3.5 years and 1 year respsectively) both twinge, but caused relatively few problems at the time - you just need to pace yourself and not get too overwhelmed by feeling trapped and unable to drive after baby is born, if it's a CS birth.

Bonding was instantaneous with both boys and I have breatsfed them both exclusively and extendedly. I never felt pressured into the CS and I certainly don't regret not doing the natural birth thing second time around. All that mattered was safe births and gorgeous babies.

Would love another baby, but I don't know which brith I'd opt for next time around if I'm honest...this is the only dilemma it leaves me with...I think the thought of a 3rd degree tear becoming a worse brith injury is more alarming than the thought of recovering from another CS...

I had an emergency cs after 30 hours in labour, had bit of a crap time after but think this was much more to do with the horrific labour than the section itself. One thing I would say is avoid baths for a while after, know this sounds silly but both my friend and i had infections when we came out of hosp and after taking baths, could be an old wives tale but seems kind of logical when you think about it. Hope all goes well and at least you wont have to go through hours of labour only to end up having a section.

DD2 was a crash section under a general, after a shortish labour.

I missed seeing her born, but had no problems with bonding or breast feeding, and made a quick recovery.

The important thing in my mind is ending up with a healthy mother and baby, and for us that was the only way to get it, so how could I regret it?

She knows her birth was different to the other two, but that is just one of the many things that makes her special

I've had 2 c-sections. The first was emergency after a long and difficult labour. The second was elective. I would choose my second birth experience over my first any day.

Recovery from both c-sections was fine and much more rapid than I had heard about.

I'm TTC a third and will opt for an elective if I am so lucky as to get pregnant.

Breast fed both until 7 month-ish.

And you are not missing out on anything by having a c-section. Once you have your baby in your arms it won't matter how exactly he/she came into the world. Only that they did :-)

So, I think that's a positive response then!

Wow, great to wake up to so many postings, thank you so much. It has made such a difference to my view on it.

Last time I was induced for 6 days barely ate or slept, in retrospect I fell between the two (birthing)stools of having community midwives, with whom I'd planned a homebirth, and then them trying to keep me away from a c-section if at all possible. Then on day 6 the drip/syntocin was given, without epidural and it was overdosed because they didn't believe me that it was working/by mistake. I lost touch with reality and it was like being in a horror film.

The hospital apologised, and I feel that it's pretty much in the past, but as to bonding, I bfd, but didn't do anything else with my DS for about 10 weeks...... and then had 2 years of cracking PND. I don't even get bothered by the thought of the 3rd degree tear, it was pretty secondary to everything else at the time.

So, whether I have a c-section because of getting pre-eclampsia again, so I don't get another bad tear, because if IUGR, or just to try and keep me sane, it's great to know it could be an exciting, safe option, not just some dreaded second best.

Thanks again, stars, all of you.

J

dd1 breech. section was fab, very relaxed and surgeon told me every thing he was doing. recovered quickly went home took paracetable for a few days and scar healed nicely. HAd skin to skin for 3 hours and breastfed for 10 months.
ds2 vbac took 6 months before prop healed and could have sex. now wish I had gone for section with just one part of body ruined instead of two!!!!!!!!