C-sections 11 March 2015 at 11:12AM in MoneySaving mums 27 replies 9.5K views

MrsSippi

peachyprice wrote: »

I'm assuming the elective section is so the baby can be born before you become ill this time? So you'll be in 100% better shape than last time and your poor body won't have had the shock of that whole horrible experience.

With my emergency I didn't see my babies for 2 days, they were in SCBU, I was on the ward and they wouldn't let me get out of bed, not even into a wheelchair, to go see them. The SCBU nurses brought them up to me in the end.

With my elective, she was born at 11am, I was sat up in a chair by the evening after a nap in the afternoon. I'm not going to pretend it wasn't sore, it was, but nowhere near as totally debilitating as the previous.

Thank you so much everyone for the replies. I know it won't be my first time as it were but I'm feeling a lot more positive having read the comments and experiences on here. I think also I can't quite understand yet how different it will be having an elective section instead of an emergency one. And as asked above this has been decided by my consultant as last time the baby was quite poorly anyway but then I had severe pre-eclampsia which made it worse. Obviously I am feeling very apprehensive about having a baby 6 weeks early (esp as it is expected to have a low birth weight like last time) but feel reassured that this time everything is being planned for BEFORE things start going wrong.

Fingers crossed it will all be much smoother this time.

clairec79

Most people having an elective section will have catheter removed as soon as you are able to stand and walk/hobble to the toilet (so about 6-8 hours or so - obviously if this is in the night it may well be left till morning just to save you getting up for a pee), lots of places are getting mums home within 24-48hours - obviously if baby is 6 weeks early then you are looking at a longer stay as baby may be ok to be on the ward with you - 34 weeks is one of those gestations where some are ok without SCBU - especially as they will have given steroids etc but majority do have a stay on SCBU

Tigsteroonie

I had an "emergency" CS with littl'un, I've put that in quotes because it obviously wasn't so urgent - I'd eaten at lunchtime so they decided not to operate until six hours had passed, littl'un was born at 7:40pm as a result. Catheter was removed around 8am the next day so that I could be moved to a wheelchair and taken along to NICU as soon as possible - I think they rushed this because they didn't know if he would survive for long (he's now 5 )

[Deleted User]

I've had 3 c sections. The middle was was awful cause baby was unwell and the care on the ward wasn't very good. But pain wise, I was up and moving around as soon as my legs were working again. I saw people moving around hunched over days later whereas I kindof needed to feel 'normal' so just ignored the C section as much as possible. I wonder if that speeded up my recovery? I know people's reaction to pain is different and there were times it was a little sore but I just accepted it was going to hurt occasionally and got on with it. I carried on at home as normal once I was home. I do remember one lady telling me she couldn't go upstairs for two weeks. Not my experience.

You know how you felt last time, so cater for that. I'm sure your hubby can cope with the cooking for a week or two if he needs to. If worst comes to worst, there are ready prepared meals in the supermarkets. They won't kill him for a short time. Get him to do the washing up and hoovering. Anyone can do that. Goodness knows, after having a baby and whilst getting through the first few weeks, you most definitely deserve to have a few things done for you!

I don't really know why you are making such elaborate preparations for your hubby.., you do both realise he isn't the one being born?

System

The best piece of advice I was given was once I was up and about to stand up straight- there were women walking hunched over holding their stomach ,they were still in hospital when I left after 3 days.

warmhands.coldheart

For what it's worth. My OH was advised to have a C section by her consultant for our second after a traumatic first birth.
She didn't want to and the second was a breeze. (her words not mine)
On run up to third (Different Hospital) she raised the fact she was told to have C Section with second.. New consultant could find NO record of this... wrote to previous consultant who had no memory or record of this...... Rather Convenient...
Third again was a straight forward birth..
I'm not saying C-sections don't have their place but I personally think they are recommended all to quickly as they can be scheduled by hospitals like some sort of procedure on a production schedule rather than a natural occurrence ...... just my personal view

GwylimT

My wife has a section with her first as he was bum first and no amount of persuading got her to turn, she still is awkward five years later!

She had to have a general as they thought an epidural would be risky because of an injury she has, this meant as soon as she woke up she was in pain rather than it being a gradual build up. As she had a general she wasn't able to urinate for two days without a catheter (common side effect), she was unable to go from laying to sitting for the first two days and they wouldn't allow her to shower for three. She was up and about, well in her wheelchair on day four, she and baby were discharged after 9 days.

She had to have hormone injections to help with her milk supply which is fairly common for c-sections that occur before the onset of natural labour.

I would have thought an able bodied person would be up and about quicker as they wouldn't be relying on their back and stomach muscles as much to sit up, get out a chair etc.

Maggie.Moo_2

warmhands.coldheart wrote: »

For what it's worth. My OH was advised to have a C section by her consultant for our second after a traumatic first birth.
She didn't want to and the second was a breeze. (her words not mine)
On run up to third (Different Hospital) she raised the fact she was told to have C Section with second.. New consultant could find NO record of this... wrote to previous consultant who had no memory or record of this...... Rather Convenient...
Third again was a straight forward birth..
I'm not saying C-sections don't have their place but I personally think they are recommended all to quickly as they can be scheduled by hospitals like some sort of procedure on a production schedule rather than a natural occurrence ...... just my personal view

I find this really interesting as there seems to be an all-or-nothing attitude from all the stories I've heard.

With me, c-sections were never mentioned and we all assumed I would have a completely natural birth. It wasn't until I was ten days overdue with the membrane sweeps remaining ineffective that we even considered that I'd need any help. Finally went in to be induced when thirteen days overdue, did all kinds of things between 7am and 2pm before finally going on a hormone drip and I still only just reached 4cm by 4am at which point they finally gave up and asked if I wanted an "emergency" c-section. While I had the choice to refuse (especially as there were no health concerns for either of us at this point) it would have just dragged things out for everyone and we'd already wasted a day trying to do things naturally(ish)...

So it's kind of the opposite to what you're suggesting in that everyone was really pushing for a vaginal birth until we had exhausted all other options. I have heard of the opposite too though as with your experience, maybe it depends on the overall attitude of your area? I know many of the women I shared a ward with had similar experiences to me with c-sections being viewed as the very last resort.

Valli

Maggie.Moo wrote: »

everyone was really pushing for a vaginal birth

:rotfl::T

(sorry; couldn't resist)

FWIW when I was requesting an elective for my second (having had a long, failed labour then an emergency C-section the previous time) the midwife was adamant the a vaginal birth is best...after I got the approval for my elective section she then confessed both her babies had been born ... by c-section.

Personally I feel that it is not 'so' important how baby is born but more important that both mum and baby are well. And that a mum who has a c-section is not considered to be a 'failure'.

katchambers

I'm not sure how much advice I have on getting 'back to normal' quickly, as I am sure it varies for different people, but in case you find it useful, I wrote about my c-section on my blog:

http://www.mumforfun.com/what-is-recovery-like-after-a-c-section/

Hope that helps hun
Kat x