Caesarean section experiences

Emmamumof2

I know there have been other threads on this subject and I've read those but thought it worth a new thread -

Baby is breech so elected for c-section, which suits our circumstances in that we have two children (primary school age) so at least it means we can plan when we the new baby will arrive etc and put arrangements in place for them....

I've read up lots on Caesarean sections and what is involved, they really only look to "keep you" 24-48 hours at the hospital Im under unless there are complications which is great. What have your experiences been, from an Anesthesia point of view (did you have any problems when it was placed or during the op?), your opinion of the contact with the baby imemdiately afterwards, recovery in hospital, pain experienced and how you managed when you got home (esp if you have other children!) - I've got a wedding 2 weeks post-op, so keen to hear post-recovery experiences!

Just want to be as prepared for any eventuality as I can be! I know anything *could* happen but in most cases dosesn't!

fluffnutter

I had an emergency section after a failed attempt at forceps. It was less traumatic than it sounds because the baby was doing fine throughout - a code one section because the baby's heartrate has stopped/dropped must be terrifying.

The spinal block was simple to administer although I was having strong contractions at the time (something you won't have to deal with). It's faintly alarming to have absolutely no sensation from your boobs downwards but the anaesthetist will stay talking to you throughout.

Immediately my son was out they placed him on my chest for some skin to skin. I had asked for this beforehand so they knew not to wrap him or dry him off too much. We spent some time gazing at him whilst they carried on faffing about down below. After 10 mins or so my husband left with the baby and they stitched me up - something that took perhaps another 10 or 20 minutes. Then I was back reunited with my baby in the recovery ward.

I had my baby on Friday morning and left the hospital on Saturday. I asked for the catheter to be removed on Friday teatime - it's usual for this to stay in for 24 hours but I wanted to have a shower.

Recovery was fine, I don't actually remember being in much pain. It's important to keep up with the pain management regimen for the first week, i.e. take the drugs every four hours or whatever you've been advised. For the first couple of days it was a bit of a struggle to walk or stand up straight - it felt like my stomach muscles didn't work. This soon wore off and I had no trouble in lifting, holding or feeding my baby. I was also driving about 10 days later (would have been earlier but my husband was off work so drove us about).

Things to be aware of..

* you'll probably have a patch of numbness on your stomach, possibly for many years. My son's 7 months old now and there is still a largeish patch of flesh that I can't feel at all. For the first few weeks, your stomach feels quite alien, it feels like you're carrying a dead weight that belongs to someone else. It's not pleasant but it soon goes.

* babies born by c-section might be a little dopey for a day or so. They also might not be that keen to feed. When a baby is born normally, the mucus in their lungs is squeezed out and they expel it through their mouths. During a section this doesn't happen and they tend to swallow it instead. This can leave them feeling too full to feed. It sorts itself out though pretty quickly.

Obviously I have no comparison - this is the only birth I've ever experienced. But it was fine. It's not what I would have chosen but I was brilliantly looked after, I healed quickly, I experienced very little pain or debilitation and I don't feel that my bonding was delayed or compromised.

Good luck and congratulations!

gadjah543

I have had 2 c sections.The first was an emergency the 2nd planned because I was developing the same complications (early failure of the placenta) I had epidurals with both but only had problems with the 2nd one.I think they hit a nerve and so was sick right before being wheeled in and wasn't allowed to have a drink or rinse my mouth so that was a bit gross and I had a headache after. Make sure you have your hands as free as possible above the screen.I couldn't really hold my baby but my OH held her and I could stroke her until I came out of the theatre.

Once out of theatre I could breastfeed straightaway.I got a slight infection the second time at the edge of the wound but it cleared up after a few days but I was really diligent about cleaning it with warm salted water. Physically I recovered as well if not better than my friends who had had regular births but did have a lot of support for the lifting /carrying aspect.

The best advice I can give is to buy BIG comfy knickers that will come up well past your scar and put a thick style sanitary towel inside them across the wound .I found this really helped take the pain away if I laughed or sneezed as I could press against it. Sounds weird written down but definitely worked.

moneypenny21

Hi,
I had an emergency section, the operation was fine, husband was allowed in. Heard baby wailing and she was brought over a couple of minutes later, not sure if that was because I'd written in my birth plan for her to be wiped rather than put straight on me, I can't remember what I wrote in my birth plan. She was with me for a few minutes and with her Dad for about 5-10 minutes. Being stitched took longer than getting her out and my partner had to go out for that bit. He met me in recovery room which I stayed in over night as I'd had slightly more blood loss than they would have liked (had had a long labour too so more likely that was the case). The baby came with me carried by the midwife and within about 10 minutes she was feeding from me, they kept her cuddled up next to me, not exactly skin to skin but on the bed with me propped up with cushions.

I personally didn't feel lots of pain with the c-section but I did find it hard to move and it did ache a lot. If you just bear in mind the first day is the hardest and even walking to the loo was sore and difficult but by 2 days on I'd walked from the ward down to the car park without too much hassle. I had one dose of morphine then just paracetamol. I would say that before I went in I was desperate to get home with the baby but having had the c-section you'll be glad of them keeping you in for the 48 hours. If you dont feel ready to go home, insist that they keep you in!

I just had an epidural topped up - when you go into theatre the anaesthetist will test various parts of you (with a cold spray) to check whether you have feeling or not and will adjust the dose to ensure you don't feel anything. I was glad that someone told me beforehand that you are aware that something is going on around your stomach, in the same way you know you are having a tooth filling done but can't feel any pain if that makes sense. There was absolutely no pain. The epidural was fine too, I didn't look and didn't feel more than a scratch.

I got an infection after the operation in the uterus (not the wound) which wasn't painful but did need antibiotics - you MUST keep an eye on the whole area, my tummy went red and hot. The hardest part for me was the frustration of not being able to do anything for myself for about 2 weeks, I was struggling getting in and out of bed and in and out of the bath, was desperate to go for walks with the pram but could only get as far as the end of the road and found it hard to pick up the baby from the moses basket or off her play mat as I couldn't bend that far. I was fairly impatient! I think I felt more like myself after about 3-4 weeks.

Worst thing about the c-section is the surgical stockings you'll be issued with, absolute pain in the backside to wear for 6 weeks!

I would probably elect for a c-section next time but I'd expect the initial recovery to take 3-4 weeks. Even 8 weeks on it still pulls a bit when I walk but much better than it was.

Don't read all the scare mongering, it doesn't help. Everything I was worried about about experiencing after the birth didn't happen as I had a section so the worry did me no good!! Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine

fluffnutter

moneypenny21 wrote: »

Worst thing about the c-section is the surgical stockings you'll be issued with, absolute pain in the backside to wear for 6 weeks!

I didn't have to wear these. But you have reminded me: I had to inject myself with a blood-thinning medicine (clexane) for a week afterwards. This didn't bother me as I was used to doing injections from IVF but it might be a problem for some.

Spendless

I've had 2 c-sections, 1st I was already in labour, had son on Sat PM and discharged following Friday. I'd lost a lot of blood though and was on high dependency ward for 1st night.

2nd wasn't as dramatic, I had DD just after midday on a Monday (about 7 mins past) so they only counted Tues as day 1 and discharged that Friday.

I echo keeping the wound clean, re-arrange where you need to get to items as much as you can without bending/stretching especially if you are not going to have much support during 1st few weeks.

Surgical stockings are loads easier to get back on after showering if you use talc on your legs before putting them back on.

pigpen

As a contrast to the 'It will all be a wonderful experience'.. there is another side.

I had a butcher the first time (he has since been struck off!!!). he didn't stitch my insides so the peritoneum rolled up and formed massive adhesions to my unattached stomach muscles and other internal organs. I had a perforated bladder and bowel which went undiagnosed for 2 years.. it was amazing I hadn't developed peritonitis and was still alive according to the consultant! (when I had the next lot of surgery after her they wanted to take photographs of my innards the damage was so massive.. but there wasn't time)

Because my stomach muscles were not attached to anything other than the things they shouldn't be such as my intestines, it meant I had digestive issues, I had no core body strength I couldn't pick up anything, including the kettle full of water. I could just lift my feet high enough to walk up a stair, I couldn't run or kick a ball or anything much really.

I had reconstructive surgery to remove the peritoneum, reattach the muscles, repair the bowel and bladder and remove the massive build up of scar tissue. It is improved but still far far from perfect.

I developed ovarian cysts which were agonising, far worse than the section, I had a severe reaction to the dressings so it looked like I had been burned right across my stomach and then got a uterine and wound infection and then.. on top of all that fun.. I developed an e-coli infection which is caused by contamination from the bowel due to the catheter. This took the better part of 6 weeks to find AB's that actually worked.

To top it off my Hb was 5.1 and I received no treatment for it.. I didn't even know what it was until a month later. I was booted out of bed 6 hours later for a shower and promptly collapsed in a heap on the floor.. was not helped up and still got the shower.

I refused the morphine during the op as it makes your face itch like nothing on earth and I do not like it. I had a couple of days taking paracetamol and codeine and refused any more after that because I don't like taking tablets ever.

My milk was delayed coming in (possibly due to the low Hb), the first AB's they gave me made the milk disappear.

The baby also had an inch long scar with stitches above her ear where they had cut through to her skull.

I didn't have any injections after any of mine and only had the irritating socks after 2... despite them repeating I must wear them and they would bring some.

I had PTSD and was very very ill for a while.

I know this is a minority case but it is a real experience so just as valid as everyone elses. This is the first time I have been able to even touch this subject with anyone .. my daughter was 12 in December.

I got a split catheter tube after one so ended up sat in a large puddle.. that was actually quite amusing.

fluffnutter

pigpen wrote: »

The baby also had an inch long scar with stitches above her ear where they had cut through to her skull.

Oh yeah. My baby was cut too although nothing like as bad as this.

Not a great experience all round for you, pigpen. :eek:

19lottie82

fluffnutter wrote: »

I was also driving about 10 days later (would have been earlier but my husband was off work so drove us about).

Was this a while ago? I have 2 friends who have had C's in the last year and both were informed that they couldn't drive for 8 weeks afterwards, as their insurance would be invalid?

zoesmummy_2006

ive had 2 sections

1st was dd and like you was elective section cos she was breech-though I tried everything to turn her bar the physical turning as I saw a video of that and couldnt bear the thought of it, especially as it wasnt guaranteed to work, or she could just as easily flip back round.

I was petrified as I have never had any form of surgery before that but it was a lovely as far as they go. The spinal was fine, the loss of feeling was the most bizarre sensation ever. I vividly remember my legs going dead and the nurses swinging my legs up onto the bed and them feeling bent all the way through the surgery-I was arguing with the anaesthetist that my legs were still bent and that they needed to put them flat before they could do anything. I also remember feeling like I couldnt breathe as they were tugging her out-it wasnt pleasant and I did start to panic cos it felt more like they were pushing her up into my chest lol.
My recovery with her was relatively easy, I had her wed avo and was home friday evening.

With my son, he was elective as i'd had one before and my now ex husband wanted me to have another as he was a driver and didnt want to risk being out when I went into labour. As it was I went into slow labour with him 5 days before my section date, and I was in agony as the days went on but I went to get checked out the first day I got the pains and they said it wasnt anything!!
The day of my section came and id had next to no sleep for 5 nights as I couldnt lay in any position, and a nurse finally realised I was having contractions as they came to prep me for theatre. They offered to take me to delivery suite for a natural delivery but by that point I was so exhausted I just wanted the section and it over with, though I think a part of it was also the fear of the unknown with regards to natural delivery as all id had was a section previously. He was soon born and I lost so much blood they thought I was gonna have to go back into theatre but it eventually slowed. They decided to keep me on delivery ward rather than the usual ward overnight to keep an eye and they had to wake me to tell me my son was crying for a feed as I was that out of it exhausted.
Fortunately I convinced them to let me go home after 2 days again as I couldnt sleep in hospital and wanted to get home to my daughter too and they agreed provided I took iron tablets and all the pain relief.

All I will say is take the pain relief they offer, I had co-codamol and diclofenac and took them religiously and took it as easy as I could. My scars healed fine and have faded loads, I have a slight numbness around that area still-I hated looking at the scars after the ops and got my ex to check they were ok, I washed them and patted them dry daily but couldnt bring myself to look at them lol.

The best thing I bought was a c-section belt from mothercare which was an absolute godsend, the journey home in the car was horrible as my stomach felt tender and horrible with my daughter, this gave me a little more comfort after my son. It had a heat pad, a cool pad and then a plastic shield to protect my tummy from knocks from lil knees climbing up for mummy cuddles, I seriously recommend one.

with regards to skin to skin, with my daughter they whipped her off and weighed her after showing her to me then gave her to her dad which did upset me as I didnt get to hold her until we were in recovery with my son they put him straight on me and left him there while they stitched me up. It had been in my birth plans both times but I have no idea why I didnt get it with my daughter. Its never affected my relationship with either though, theyre both the most loving and affectionate kids and love mummy cuddles even at 7 and 4 now

Good luck xxx

peachyprice

19lottie82 wrote: »

Was this a while ago? I have 2 friends who have had C's in the last year and both were informed that they couldn't drive for 8 weeks afterwards, as their insurance would be invalid?

Who informed them, their insurance companies?

My insurance company said that as long as I felt fine to drive I would still be covered. I was driving within 2 weeks of both my sections.