C-Section Mamas

[hmbay]

Also, DH, the wimp that he is says that next time, he's going to peak over when they are pulling baby out. So gross but so amazing and he really wishes he had seen it.

Since the c/s for us was completely unexpected (we knew there would be a c/s because he was breech but I got rushed from an OB appt to L&D and prepped for a c/s when a NST was showing fetal distress at 35 weeks) we didn't really have any birth plan in place or anything. When the c/s was going on DH asked me if I cared if he watched when he could tell they were close to having DS out. I told him only if he didn't get squeemish and pass out. The dr asked if I wanted the drape lowered but I said no--I had realized I could see the blurry reflection of what was going on reflected in the OR lights and that was more than enough detail for me (who IS squeemish). DH said he's very happy he watched and that it was "very cool". Because we didn't have a camera the anestesiologist found a Poloroid and snapped pictures during the birth including a few of them pulling DS out which although they are kind of gross it is also very cool to have that for his baby book.

[dana b]

my c-section was also unexpected, so we had no clue what was normal or what to expect. they wouldn't let my husband peek at all!! he was right at my feet when i had dd vaginally and wasn't squeemish at all, he tried to peek several times during my c-section and the nurse kept tapping him to turn around :rolleyes: it makes me kinda sad that we didn't really see him until after he was all wrapped up. i eventually held him in the recovery room, but i was out of it big time and barely even realized that he was next to me in the warmer, thankfully dh asked the nurse if i could him, i don't think she would have mentioned it on her own. i nursed later in my p.p. room and vomited the whole time -- i had eggs benedict an hour before my surgery, yum :o

[Rancid13]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? They offered to let me hold him, but I was so out of it (exhausted, fatigued and hungry after 30 hours of labor) that I wasn't interested. I did hold him a short while later while being wheeled (on the gurney)to the recovery room.

How long were you in the hospital? Induction began Fri Dec 1 at ~2pm, c/s took place Sat Dec 2 at 8:30pm and I was discharged Weds Dec 6 at noon.

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? No other children, but I was able to pick up & carry DS unassisted by the 3rd or 4th day. I had a very good recovery and had residual pain only when I coughed or sneezed in the 2-3 weeks after the initial (mildly painful) first couple of days.

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? Nope, as I had been hoping for a vaginal birth and the c/s was unexpected. DH was allowed to look if he wanted to, and although he thought he'd be squeamish he actually did look as they were getting DS out and he said it was actually pretty cool and not much blood. He was able to hold DS right after they washed him off. DH also brought a camera in but forgot all about it until they were cleaning DS off (too much excitement I guess?). LOL!

[lawgirl4]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards?
No - but even if she had been born vaginally, I wouldn't have either as they found meconium when my water broke. However, my OB held DD up over the curtain as soon as they had pulled her out, and then DH went with her as they cleaned her up. After she was swaddled, they gave her to DH, who brought her over to me, and I held her as they finished up with me and wheeled me into recovery. I was BFing her within 1.5 hrs of her birth thanks to my attentive husband, OB, and nurses. She latched on immediately and we never had any BFing problems whatsoever (she is 9months now and we are still BFing).

How long were you in the hospital?
My water broke at 5am on a thursday morning, DD was born that evening, and I went home on monday afternoon - 4 nights.

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope?
(not applicable, DD is my only child)

Anything you expressed as a personal preference?
Nope. My c/s wasn't planned; I had no expectations going into it, so I didn't know what I would/wouldn't want. From what I have read here and elsewhere, though, I think I had as positive an experience as I could have had. It seems to me that there is a huge variety of policies/procedures when it comes to c-sections, depending on the OB/hospital, etc... I think part of the reason we had such a positive experience is that my OB is a family friend and she knew how upset I was that I had to have a c/s, so she tried to make it as calm/supportive as possible.

************************

What I didn't realize until I got home from the hospital was that he snapped pictures of her actually coming out of me. It is amazing to have those.

My DH not only took photos, he took video too... I couldn't look at them for the first few weeks, but as I began to come to terms with having to have a c/s, they were incredibly important to me and really helped with my emotional healing process. Those photos and videos are among my most precious "possessions" to this day.

[RobynScott]

Just posting to subscribe and answer the questions. My c-section was 11 days ago so I am still coming to terms a bit with the fact that I needed one. It was unplanned but sort of expected in my mind since I was induced 6 days past my due date.

I made it to 9 cm and 100% effaced but he never got past 0 station (was closer to -1, I think) - my water had been broken for more than 20 hours and they thought they saw meconium one of the times they checked me. I was in labor for 26 hours ending in a late-night c-section but thanks to the epidural I was pretty comfortable most of the time.

I am thankful that I didn't have to push and then wind up with a c-section.

Answers to questions:

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? As soon as I was in the recovery room he was brought to me. It took a while for them to stitch me up (or at least it felt that way) -so I'd say I held him about an hour after he was born and we started bf'ing right away.

How long were you in the hospital? Induction began Mon. July 16 at 9:00 pm (went in around 7:30), he was born Tuesday, July 17 at 11:21 p.m. and we went home on Saturday morning.

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope?N/A

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? Neonatology had to be there b/c of the c-section and the meconium (which again - was only seen once and in a tiny amount) and they said they would be taking him to the nursery. I specifically (and repeatedly) requested that he NOT be bathed before being brought to me to breastfeed for the first time (a tip I received from this board). DH was with me in the operating room but he was freaking out too much about me to really take pictures. After Seth was born I made DH get up and take a picture - I wish we had more pictures from his delivery but I think it was pretty stressful for DH to see me strapped down. Also, the meds made me shake (at the time I thought it was just me) and I think DH was really concerned b/c he wasn't used to seeing me like that.

The hospital was very good about bringing him to me as soon as I asked.

Recovery went really well. I was able to move my legs with the epidural and I was walking around my hospital room as soon as they let me on Wednesday (about 16 hours after delivery) By the next day I was walking the hallway and being told to slow down ;)

The hardest part now is knowing what my limitations are. We have a lot of stairs in our house (3 levels) and even though I feel fine, I am being told to limit the number of times I do them.

Did anyone have restrictions on stairs / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it?

[Rancid13]

Did anyone have restrictions on stairs / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it?

No restrictions on stairs (though, thankfully we live on 1 level) but even though I felt fine a week+ after my c/s EVERYone was constantly telling me to take it easy and not overdo it. It got old after the 20th time. The only time I ever felt any pain a week+ after the c/s was when I'd sneeze, cough or unexpectedly laugh and then it felt like I'd ripped my incision open (and then I'd take some Vicodin to make the pain dull down). But doing normal everyday things never caused any pain (or problems) and DH was in charge of lifting/carrying anything weighing 15lbs or more for another week or so.

[usafwife]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? No, I wasn't able to hold either child immediately after the c/s. With DD I remember her crying, looking up to see her as they held her up, then over to the warmer. I remember asking DH if she was okay, hearing him say yes, and then nothing. I was given some meds at that time that knocked me out. The c/s was unexpected as I was in the middle of pushing when we found out about the c/s.

With DS he had some breathing issues immediately after his birth. I remember being able to see him as they were taking him out to be weighed/measured. DH brought him back in with a nurse and the ped and said they were going to take him to the nursery and evaluate him there. DH went with them so when I started having my complications within minutes after he left they sent someone to go get him.

How long were you in the hospital? With DD, I was admitted in the wee hours of the morning (it was a Tuesday) in full active labor. DD was born later that afternoon. We went home Friday afternoon.

With DS I was admitted in the morning (a Friday) in labor. He was born that afternoon and went home Sunday.

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? I wasn't allowed to pick DD up until I had my 6 wk check up. At first DD went my mom's in the afternoons to help with my recovery. We would sit in the chair. I was concerned about her hitting/bumping into the incision area but she was really good about sensing it because she didn't get that close to it.

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? I had wanted a camera in the room with us to have pics taken immediately after the birth but DH later told me that it wasn't allowed with DD's birth. He didn't even ask about it with DS' birth because he thought it was the same restrictions (even though it was at a different hospital). I miss not being able to have those first few pics in the moments after their births.

I had wanted DH to be able to cut the cords (and had it wrote in the birth plan) but he wasn't allowed as they had already did that. I felt bad that DH wasn't allowed or given that opportunity.

With DS I had asked if he could be brought to my recovery room and if DH could be there as well. They said that as long as DS was healthy that he could join us in the recovery room. I was allowed to have up to 2 visitors in the recovery. I missed not being able to see DD or my family for about an hour and a half after DD's birth. No one was allowed in my room while the nurses recovered me. However with DS' issues he wasn't allowed in the room. It was at time I learned just how worried/concerned they were about him from DH (he was the only one allowed to go in to see DS). They were watching very closely to see if they were going to transfer him to a NICU. As it turned out I (nor anyone else) wasn't allowed to hold him for about 12 hours after his birth.

And I can say if there is a 3rd I will have another epidural. I had a spinal with DS and I won't go through another birth with those types of complications caused by the anesthesia. It was horrible. While I had residual issues with the epi they were nothing like what I went through during the spinal c/s.

Did anyone have restrictions on stars / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it? Yes, I had restrictions on stairs both times. Both times I wasn't allowed to go up/down stairs until my 6 wk check up.

Following my first c/s it took a while for me to feel fine so overdoing it wasn't an option. I was literally exhausted for weeks on end after the birth. We later found out it was due to a thyroid condition I developed and being so exhausted/strength drained from going through labor and then pushing (with no pain relief). Even at 6 wks I was still having issues with strength/endurance.

Following DS' birth, I wasn't as exhausted but I was still exhausted to some point. (I'd been having contractions and dilating since I was at least 35 wks....they were hoping I'd get to 38 wks but was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen given what was going on.) Then with the issues I had it took me a little while to recover from that. I had severe backpain due to the spinal and even had a touch of a spinal headache. I had the backpain for weeks. In fact it caused me more pain than the incision did.

[Irish Elf]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards?
I saw her in the OR and held her in recovery immediately after. She started nursing them (probably hour 15 minutes from birth to nurse). DH held her immediately after birth and then once they did her tests. He kept bringing her over so I could see her as they were stitching me up.

How long were you in the hospital?
Admitted 1.45 AM Thursday, DD born 1.58 PM Thursday, went home Saturday. I was so ready.

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope?
NA

Anything you expressed as a personal preference?
- My doctor asked if I wanted his initials stitched in the incision. It actually made it better to have him joking with me while stitching me up.

-I wanted less drugs Friday night and Saturday but the nurses made me take it by saying I couldn't shower or go home unless I took the medicine. I would recommend to anyone giving birth not to do it on a weekend at this hospital. (The week day nurses were fabulous though).

DH was not going to watch DD be born vaginally and he was not going to cut the cord. He must have stated this a hundred times. And since I didn't want him fainting I was totally OK with this. Then he watches the whole C-section. Odd man.

I knew I might have a C section so I was prepared for it mentally. I listed all the pros of a C-section and got all the stories I could (good and bad). When my OB said there was no way DD was getting here except C section I was OK with it - and I already had an epidural so I was pretty much OK with anything at that point.;)

By day 5 I was carrying DD in her car seat and walking around much easier. I was only taking Aleve for the cramping. I'm convinced that I had such a painless and easy recovery b/c I didn't know it was supposed to be harder.:p

[miaclear]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? Yes. They did clean him up and suction him because they found myconium in the water but while they were still stitching me up on the table I got to hold DS. I didn't have to wait till the recovery room or anything.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/953307276_4c2bcf6387_m.jpg

How long were you in the hospital? Induction started 11pm on Monday night, had DS at 2pm on Tuesday afternoon. Released from the hospital on Friday morning. They would have kept me another night but I was recovering great and requested to be let go early. Now I would have loved to stayed that extra night. It was so nice having a staff to help me ;)

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? NA...pretty much I was told to not lift anything heavier than my baby (9lbs, 2oz). I honestly felt really good and laughing or coughing was the only thing that hurt. My dr constantly was telling me to take it easier than I was.

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? DH was great, he got to watch over the screen, took pictures and video (after the birth), made sure the nurses didn't give him a paci when he followed them to the the nursery. Honestly as mad as I was that I ended up having a C after induction I am pretty happy with how it turned out. If I could change anything it would be that I remember more. I was SO DRUGGED up. After they sent me to my room and Drs and Nurses were coming in they'd be talking to me and I'd fall asleep right there. I kept telling them to talk to DH. Still today I keep remembering bits and pieces that I forgot. The best/worst one was when I remembered throwing up while BFing DS for the first time in recovery. Not wanting to vomit on him I kept it in my mouth till DH found a bucket. Nice :p

[December27JJB]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? Yes I did then I was wheeled to the recovery room where I had to stay for about 2 hours because of low blood pressure and I couldnt see DD until after I got to my regular room.
How long were you in the hospital? I got there 11 pm Sunday and left around 1 pm Thursday
If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? This was my first.
Anything you expressed as a personal preference? No, this wasnt a planned c-section. But I did demand DH to come in the OR with me because I didnt have an interpreter and I wasnt able to read the doctors lips with their mouth covered with masks.

[Jane&Andy]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? Nope, he was shown to me and then taken to recovery and DH went with him. It took about 20min (I think, it's not like I could see the clock!) for them to sew me up and then I went to recovery. I held him soon after I got there but I was having a lot of trouble with nausea so I didn't get to hold him for long before I had to hand him back so I could throw up.

How long were you in the hospital? went in Wednesday at about noon for an induction (for pre-eclampsia). The induction didn't work so he was born at 1:10 am on Thursday by c-section. I didn't go home til Monday afternoon. I could have gone home on Sunday but they recommended against that b/c DS was having trouble nursing and had lost more than 10% of his birthweight - they wanted me to stay and work with the LCs longer (which did seem to help)

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? This was my first.

Anything you expressed as a personal preference?nope

[angelgirl8]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? one of the babies had to go to the NICU, but i got to hold (as well as i could) the baby that was going to the regular nursery. i was able to nurse her a couple of hours after my c-section.

How long were you in the hospital? 4 nights.

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? i didn't have an older child, it was hard to pick up my two newborns the first couple of days, though!

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? i just asked that the babies be with me as much as they could and that i nurse them as soon as it was possible.

[betsyboop]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards?
No, I saw her briefly in the operating room right after she was born and then they took her to the nursery to be weighed, etc. They also thought she might have had an infection (my water had been broken for a while) and they had a hard time getting a blood sample from her so it took a while. I'd say it was at least a half hour before she was brought in for me to hold her. And then my MIL actually snatched her away from the nurse and held her before I did:(

How long were you in the hospital?
We went to the hospital after my water broke on a Saturday night, she was born on Sunday night, and I left the hospital on Thursday afternoon. Honestly, this was the best part about having a csection!

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope?
I had no other kids, but my recovery was SO easy. I was off all painkillers before I left the hospital. I had no trouble with stairs (which I had to use- the only bathroom in our house is upstairs) or carrying DD in her bucket, etc.

Anything you expressed as a personal preference?
My csection was unplanned, so no. Next time, I guess I'd like DH to get some photos in the OR if possible and I'd like to hold the baby before my MIL does.

[Irish Elf]

[ And then my MIL actually snatched her away from the nurse and held her before I did:(

If my MIL (or anyone else) did this, they would be needing painkillers. What a nasty witch. One good thing about my hospital is that the staff wouldn't give the baby to anyone but the parents. We could let other people hold her but no one could take her without being manhandled to the ground. It almost took an act of congress to get the baby - ok not an act but you did have to have an ID bracelet that matched the baby's. And I'm the only one that had one.

[blondegirl]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? With DS, DH got to hold him and brought him over so I could see him and give him a kiss. He was brought right to me once in the recovery room.

How long were you in the hospital? 3 nights

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? DD was 11 months when DS was born. I got to hold her if someone placed her on my lap, and after a week or so, I lifted her onto the couch. But it was about 2 wks or so before I would actually lift her up, out of her crib and such.

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? Wanted DS with me as much as possible during the day, but asked that he only be brought to me at night to nurse so I could get some rest before going home and getting none!!!

Did anyone have restrictions on stairs / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it? No restrictions, just to not lift my older daughter and to take it easy.

[Medako]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards? No, I had to be put to sleep for the birth, so I didn't get to hold him until after I woke up. By then he'd already been cleaned up, checked out, etc. and DH had been with him for a while.

How long were you in the hospital? 3 nights

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? no older children

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? not for the surgery itself...but I did want him in the room with me unless they were doing something with him. I didn't want him just hanging out in the nursery. And I didn't want them to supplement with formula at all.

Did anyone have restrictions on stairs / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it? I had to limit stairs as much as possible, no driving for 2 weeks, and lift nothing heavier than the baby.

[jennapeach]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards?
Nope. Hubby got her right after he clipped the cord and they quickly wiped her down and swaddled her. He held on to her until they wheeled me into recovery, which took a long time since they had to do a LOT of stitching for some reason. I remember my OB nurse telling me that she was surprised I could move my feet so quickly since I had so much repair work done.

How long were you in the hospital?
I went in for induction on a Tuesday night. Didn't have the c-sect until Thursday around 2pm. Didn't leave the hospital until Monday morning. I was READY to go after being there almost a week.

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope?
N/A

Anything you expressed as a personal preference?
No. Something told me I'd have a c/s as soon as the doctor started pushing for inducement. My OB is very into risk management and would rather try interventions sooner than later, thus increasing the c/s risk. I found out later that she had pushed for an induction because she was leaving for a humanitarian mission in India. I found this out while I was on the operating table, being stitched up. Thanks! She actually went to the airport directly from the hospital after delivering me! :rolleyes: To this day, I'm pissed that she didn't at least give me the option of just having a colleague deliver me after I went into labor on my own.

Did anyone have restrictions on stairs / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it?
No stair restrictions - thank goodness, since we live on the second story! Unfortunately, I had a gallbladder attack exactly one month after M was born and I had to be hospitalized to have it removed. So, my c/s recovery was going great until that... it set me back about a week. Still, my BFF came to visit me about a week after I gave birth and she was amazed at how well I was getting around. I think I had a pretty easy time recovering. I did, however, have a lot of trouble sleeping comfortably... laying flat was very painful for the first two weeks or so. DH had to rig our bed so that I could lay at an incline.

[Hula1974]

Most people seem to complain about getting in and out of bed (and laying flat).
Did anyone discover any great tricks to make this easier?

[Katie&Micah]

Most people seem to complain about getting in and out of bed (and laying flat).
Did anyone discover any great tricks to make this easier?

Not really.. At the hospital you have the electric bed so I usually just sat the back up as far as it would go, but once I got home I was kind of screwed. That's the only thing that makes me wish I would have stayed more than 1 night after my c-section. I'd love to know if anyone else came up with a good trick for next time..

[hmbay]

Hmm trying to remember exactly how I DID get out of bed once I got home. I remember laying there going how the hell do I do this without bedrails? I think I either rolled to my side and pushed up with my elbow or I must have grabbed the side of the headboard (we have a bookcase headboard with attached nightstands/hutches) and used that to pull myself up to sitting then threw my legs over the side of the bed. I do remember it sucked though.

[jennylou]

I sort of rolled out of bed.

[vjel]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards?
- w/ DD I had to wait 2hrs til the anesthesia wore off (i had to be able to wiggle my toes) before i could hold her.

- w/ DS I was able to hold him soon after getting to the recovery room. I had a great anesthesiologist this time around. I told her that I was concerned about puking in the OR before surgery (happened last time) and she said it was b/c for my first c-section the anesthesiologist gave me too much drugs. he prob gave me the same dosage that he would give anyone else. Where as she takes into account size. When I started getting nauseated, I let her know and I think she increased my BP which made a great difference. she rocked!

How long were you in the hospital? 5 nights w/ DD, 4 nights w/ DS

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope? My dd is 3 so we don't really pick her up much anymore. However if she asked I would tell her that I had a boo boo and couldn't pick her up for awhile.

Anything you expressed as a personal preference? Since dh went home at night to take care of dd's night time routine (just to keep some normalcy for her) and sleep, I had the staff take ds to the nursery after he left. They brought him to me for feedings which was much easier on me.

Did anyone have restrictions on stairs / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it? I was told after both surgeries that I should only go up and down once/day for the first month. I really tried to stick to that the first time around. This time, not so much. It's so much harder to take it easy when you have another little one at home. I recovered much faster the 2nd time and I think it's b/c I did move around a lot more than the first time.

Most people seem to complain about getting in and out of bed (and laying flat).
Did anyone discover any great tricks to make this easier?

laying flat wasn't really a problem for me. After my 1st c-section, we put a mattress on the floor for me to sleep on. It was much easier to roll out of bed (literally) than to use my stomach muscles to try to get up the normal way.

[Sophia]

Did you get to hold your baby immediately afterwards?
No. The babies were taken to the nursery and I was stitched up and then taken to recovery for a short time. As soon as I was in my room I was able to hold them.

How long were you in the hospital?
DS: birth Friday morning, home Monday evening
DD1 & DD2: birth Friday morning, home Sunday afternoon

If you had another child, how long before you were able to pick them up and how did you cope?
When DD1 was born, DS was 2y8m. I dion't really recall when I started picking him up again. I had stopped about halfway through my pregnancy, and it's been so long I can't remember. I don't recall it being an issue, though.
When DD2 was born my older children were 1yo and almost 14yo, so I wasn't picking them up anymore anyway. ;)

Anything you expressed as a personal preference?
Not really. I wanted to BF all of them, and the staff was generally suppportive but could have been better.

Did anyone have restrictions on stairs / have advice on recovery when you feel fine but don't want to overdo it?
When DS was born I lived in an upstairs apartment. I wasn't given any restrictions about them and they were much easier to navigate than I thought they'd be.
When you start feeling better, don't overdo it. You'll pay for it later. Slow and steady.

Most people seem to complain about getting in and out of bed (and laying flat).
Did anyone discover any great tricks to make this easier?
Roll onto your side, gently swing your legs over, and then use your free arm (the side you're not laying on) to push yourself up. The idea is to keep your body from the hips up in one solid block to avoid straining your incision.

[dana b]

getting in/out of bed this was the worst -- i dreaded ds waking up for a feeding b/c i could not lay on my side and had to sit up. i slept in our guest bed that has an iron headboard and i would pull my arms through the slats and use my arm muscles to get myself up. if dh was around i would try to relax as much as possible and have him put his arms behind me and push me up. i also used a step stool to get in and out of the bed.

[pocahontas]

Hi ladies...I briefly read through this thread and it seems I may be in the wrong place since all of you ladies are post-Csection and not currently pregnant. But I couldn't find a thread on "scheduled C-sections" and since some of you may have been "scheduled" you may be able to help anyway. I have now had 2 people at my hospital tell me I have a fibroid located right between baby and my cervix...perfect place. :rolleyes: Both of them have alluded to the fact that this will be watched because if it does grow (as most fibroids do during pregnancy) I am a shoe-in for a C-section since I won't be able to push baby out vaginally with that stupid boulder blocking the way. :( Anyway, my question is when is a "scheduled" C-section usually done. 38 weeks? 39 weeks? I am sure it is never done AFTER the due date. But I was just wondering for the folx here who fell in that category...when was yours scheduled. Thanks in advance.

[allyray231]

pocahontas my DS was breech and it is usually scheduled between 38w 5 days and 39 weeks.

[jmvan74]

Pocohantas: They will usually schedule a c-section in the 39th week.

[jennylou]

Hi ladies...I briefly read through this thread and it seems I may be in the wrong place since all of you ladies are post-Csection and not currently pregnant. But I couldn't find a thread on "scheduled C-sections" and since some of you may have been "scheduled" you may be able to help anyway. I have now had 2 people at my hospital tell me I have a fibroid located right between baby and my cervix...perfect place. :rolleyes: Both of them have alluded to the fact that this will be watched because if it does grow (as most fibroids do during pregnancy) I am a shoe-in for a C-section since I won't be able to push baby out vaginally with that stupid boulder blocking the way. :( Anyway, my question is when is a "scheduled" C-section usually done. 38 weeks? 39 weeks? I am sure it is never done AFTER the due date. But I was just wondering for the folx here who fell in that category...when was yours scheduled. Thanks in advance.

I had a fibroid removed during pregnancy that was on my cervix.

[vjel]

pocahantas, I had a scheduled c-section for ds and it was done at 38wks but that is due to health issues I have (I was induced at 38wks w/ dd).

[LDS Angel 19]

Getting in/out of bed Honestly, this was one of the big reasons (besides staying near my girls) that I stayed in the hospital an extra day. The adjustable bed was SO nice. :) And by the time I went home, I could get up and down pretty easily. My only real tip is to use your arms a lot.
And yeah, laying flat on my back sucked for a good few weeks. But I didn't do it much anyway since I was so used to sleeping on my side while pregnant.

[blondegirl]

pocahantas- My 2nd c-section was scheduled at 38 wks. My doc told me they don't like to schedule more than 2 weeks before due date.

[MidwesternGal]

I'm almost 10m pp and my scar is still very very keloid (raised, red, purpley) and often hurts still when bumped or pressed upon.

Does this ever go away??? How long??

My friend who had TWINS via c/s has a better looking scar than I do, and she's only 4m pp!

Is there anything I can do at home to help it?

[jesseybell]

Midwestern Gal - I was examining my scar this morning seeing that is now one year old - mine is weird because some parts are still purple and raised and some are perfectly flat - I am going to bring this up to my doc at my next visit and see if he can fix it when I have another kid! I am squimish and even now I hate to touch it.

Restrictions/Getting Out of Bed - I had the normal restrictions of no driving for 2 weeks, carrying nothing more than the baby, limit the stairs. I was horrible at limiting the stairs. We have a PNP downstairs so everything for the baby was there, but I still was up and down, up and down.

When I was in the hospital I kept thinking about how I was possibly going to get out of bed without the automatic bed - I had visions of having a rope to help me pull up. I couldn't imagine being able to get up seeing that 48 hours before I left I was still having a hard time getting up and down. I did spend an extra night in the hospital since DD was born at night, so I felt amazingly good when I got home. Everyone says that with #2 you want to go home faster to be with #1, but I'll say now, not even pg yet, and I will remind DH when the time comes, that I will want to spend the 4 nights just so I have more time to recuperate and feel as good when I go home as I did last time.

[blondegirl]

midwesterngal- My scar from my first CS was like that - raised and ugly! My OB w/ my 2nd CS (we had moved during my pregnancy) said it was like that because of the way the previous OB sewed me up. She was able to remove the old scar tissue and my new scar is amazing! Can harly see it.

[jennylou]

My scar is over two years old, it's completely thin and white - you have to look for it to find it. My Dr hand stitched me up, as opposed to staples.

[dana b]

wow, my scar is totally ugly and it's the first thing you notice when i'm naked (dh and i talk about this often). one side of it is just red and flat, but the other side where it was infected and opened is dented in really far and lumpy. nice to know that it can be fixed if i have another section. oh and mine still hurts a bit, too. if i'm laying side by side w/ ds, he kicks me right there and that hurts.

[Katie&Micah]

I'm getting ready for my 6 week checkup next week and I'm wondering what I can expect. Will I have a vaginal exam even though it was a c-section? What else will they do?

[LDS Angel 19]

I'm getting ready for my 6 week checkup next week and I'm wondering what I can expect. Will I have a vaginal exam even though it was a c-section? What else will they do?

I had my 6w checkup about a week ago. She did an internal exam, I think it's pretty standard procedure, just to make sure everything has gotten back to it's normal size/place. She also took a quick peek at my scar and then just spent a few minutes talking with me about my "emotional state" ;)

[craftgenius]

Pocahontas - My scheduled C-section was to take place at 38 weeks. Although, as you may remember, I ended up having the c-section at 37 weeks due to low amniotic fluid.

[pocahontas]

Thanks a bunch ladies!

[jennylou]

I had my 6w checkup about a week ago. She did an internal exam, I think it's pretty standard procedure, just to make sure everything has gotten back to it's normal size/place. She also took a quick peek at my scar and then just spent a few minutes talking with me about my "emotional state" ;)

When I had my c/s, my pp visit I didn't have an internal - but AF had started, so that may be why. I was also going to be starting clomid and was having and u/s.

[jesseybell]

I had an internal for my 6w pp visit and a pap smear as well so I would be covered in that area for a year.

[basketcase]

I've had really great results with Neosporin Scar Solution (http://www.neosporin.com/scarsolution/scarsolution.asp?page=5)silicone sheets. You are supposed to wear them for a minimum of 12 hours a day, for 4-8 weeks.

I started wearing them at 5 weeks pp and started noticing a difference after only a week, but I continued to wear them for the full 8 weeks. My scar is so smooth I can't tell where it is just when feeling around. The redness went away and it's mostly a tan, skin-color.

This was my second c-section, and my scar looks better now than it did years after my first c/s. It's supposed to be effective on old scars, as well as new.

[MidwesternGal]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Good to know that I can get it fixed at a second c/s if we have a 2nd baby.

Femmie--I'll have to give those a try! Thanks!

6w Exam--They did not do an internal. Instead, they just checked my scar, talked about birth control, and talked about my emotional state. If you're BFing, expect a question or two about how that's going.

[Katie&Micah]

Thank you all.. I'm hoping to not have another pap smear since it will be my 4th in the past year. But I'll be ready if he decides to do one.

[Tonysweetie]

I didn't have one at my 6w check up either. I'm having one in a couple weeks. Blah!

[usafwife]

I'm getting ready for my 6 week checkup next week and I'm wondering what I can expect. Will I have a vaginal exam even though it was a c-section? What else will they do?
After my first c/s I didn't have a pap at my 6 wk check up but I did have a vaginal exam to make sure it was back to nomal size. We discussed how I was feeling, BC, how the baby was doing, looked at the incision, etc.

After DS was born I did have a pap at my 6 wk check up. I also had blood work drawn, discussed how we were all doing, how BFing was going/any problems, checked my incision, etc.

I'm almost 10m pp and my scar is still very very keloid (raised, red, purpley) and often hurts still when bumped or pressed upon.

Does this ever go away??? How long??

My incision area is still tender when bumped/pressed upon. The actual incision is white and is hardly able to be seen (mine is extremely low due to close DD was when I needed the first c/s) at almost 7 months PP.

Anyway, my question is when is a "scheduled" C-section usually done. 38 weeks? 39 weeks? I am sure it is never done AFTER the due date. But I was just wondering for the folx here who fell in that category...when was yours scheduled. Thanks in advance.
When I went for my first OB appt we were told that she liked to do repeat c/s at 38 wks. It surprised me as I was thinking more around 39 wks. However we didn't want to schedule one. When I began having complications at 35 wks (and nearly delivered then) I was put on the schedule for 38 wks. They hoped I'd make it to then but I didn't. DS was born at just barely 37 wks.

[Tonysweetie]

My OB scheduled my C/S at 37w3d but only b/c I had Pre-E and high blood pressure. Otherwise I would've had it at 38 weeks or closer to 39. Of course I wouldn't have had a scheduled C/S if it wasn't for the Pre-E and high blood pressure.

[RobynScott]

Question - how long did you bleed for and did your lochia ever change from spotting back to bright red? I am 4 weeks and a few days post-partum - when I came home from the hospital I was pretty much just spotting - it was light and brown for a while. Now it is back to bright red and heavier (not heavy per se - just heavier). I thought I just 'overdid' it but it's been like this for at least a week now (maybe more) - wondering if I should call the doc or if this is 'normal'.

Also - TMI here - 'odor' - obviously I am wearing pads so it smeels to me like blood being exposed to the air (ie, not very good) - I don't know if this is the type of 'odor' to call the doc for or again, if this is also normal.

Thanks for any info!

[Katie&Micah]

Robyn.. my bleeding lasted for a little over a month. And like you it was pretty much nothing when I came home but got brighter and heavier after a few weeks. It also stopped twice for a couple days and then came back bright red and heavier (but still not much bleeding). So it sounds pretty normal to me. I'm not sure about the odor though.

[jesseybell]

Robyn - I bled for almost 8 weeks. There were a couple of times that I thought it was slowing down, only to speed up again. I may have overdone it though.
The smell was gross. I hadn't used pads since I was 14. But as far as I know it was normal gross odor.

[Chicksinger]

my bleeding...got brighter and heavier after a few weeks. It also stopped twice for a couple days and then came back bright red and heavier

Me, too. Thought I was done, then had almost 2 more weeks.

[allyray231]

Yup mine stopped and then picked back up.

[Jane&Andy]

I only bled for about 2 1/2 wks. And then at 7wks pp it started again - just like a light period, only a few days. I thought it was a pp AF but I didn't get another one til 9month pp so after awhile I decided it must have been just more pp bleeding.

[hmbay]

I had on and off pp bleeding for around 8 weeks. It was actually longer than my bleeding after my VBAC with #2. As for smell I've thought both times it smelled "odd" but never bothered to call my dr--I just figured my hormones were out of wack and so was my sense of smell since I was very sensative to smells while pg.

[tgr68]

I don't think I've ever posted in here before, but I could really use some support. I posted this thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35753) over in the ES forum. TIA.

[dizylizy]

My 2nd c-sec Birth story

Spent Tuesday getting ready, packing my bags, napping, and going to doctor appt’s. I had a lab draw at 11 which showed my platelet’s at 67K. Not good. Needed Dr. Acharaya to see the results before I left. She ordered a shot of Salumedrol-a steroid to help boost my levels. I was told to come back at 4 pm for another CBC. I went to lunch and shopping at Babies R Us. Then hoe for a nap- didn’t get it. Then back for the lab. Numbers were not higher. Now the questions, if the levels are not higher than 75K, the docs want to have me under general rather than risk a spinal. The risk of bleeding and spinal fluid leakage is higher for me. Talk about disappointing.
I was told to go to the hospital to get Type and Crossed early so the blood bank would have my steroids and units of platelet’s ready for the morning. That was an ordeal. 20 minutes to get signed in at the hospital, go to the lab and told to wait. After 15 minutes, I got upset. Turns out all the techs were doing rounds at the hospital and the one tech (who couldn’t draw blood) didn’t know when they would be back. She asked if I wanted to have someone paged to help me. I asked her what she would do – I am 38.5 wks PG, I am tired, stressed and I need to pee. You do the math. She paged someone. The guy was very nice. Once he was there we done in 10 minutes. And off to dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s. Yummo! Big salad and a tall cake. Loved it but ate too much!

Home to finish packing. Didn’t get to bed until after 10 p with a 4:30 am wake up call.

Off to the hospital. Check in at 5:45. Up to room by 6 am. Let the fun begin.
The nurses were wonderful. I had another CBC. Met the anistieologist. He was so informative. I learned more about this procedure than I did last time. We all did a happy dance when my results came back ay 91K platelets! I get to be awake and see Rocky born. At one point there were 6 nurses in the room, the NP’s for Rocky, the charge nurse, the c-sec nurse, the anestiologist assistant, Eva. Lots of questions to be asked and answered. Pete got in scrubs; I went potty one last time. Got a kiss and walked (!) to the OR.

Once there in the freezing room, my ani got started on the spinal block. He was great. Told me everything he was doing. I had asked him to tell me so I wouldn’t be so tense. Eva helped too. It hurt a bit at first and one of my legs jumped a bit but OK for having something inserted in to your spine.

Once I was lying down, my Dr came in. She helped with the final prep, and walked Pete into the OR. Pete watched a bit of the final cutting. The best part was lowering the drape. They lowered it just as she was pulling out his head. Remarking at his full head of hair! Then I saw them pull the rest out. Pete has a picture with his foot still in and Rocky crying. AMAZING! It was so great. He was slimy and crying and beautiful. The NP brought him over for a bit closer look and then took him to the table. He got a 9 on his APGAR. Hardly any c-sec babies get a 9. My doc was guessing his weight since he was a big boy. She remarked at how great my first c-sec was but she found a weak spot on one side and was glad I had done a c-sec and not a VBAC. As the size of baby and the weak spot would have led to a c-sec. Told us to wait at least 18 months before getting pg again. No problem! To add more weight to the c-sec, turns out Rocky’s head circumference was 14 cm. Holy buckets, could you imagine pushing out a 14 cm head out a 10cm hole. Augh. No thank you.

Pete went to the nursery with Nate. I went to recovery. Which turned into a 3 hour stay. The lab was having issues with my levels. I did lose more blood then the docs wanted so I was to get one of the bags of platelets on hold for me. But the lab gave them away after they were told I wouldn’t need them before the surgery. Ticked off my nurse and my ani doc. Pete ended up giving Nate a bottle of formula since I couldn’t nurse him until I was out of recovery. It all worked out in the end.

I had some trouble with nursing as it took my body an extra day to have my milk come in. We supplemented for one night. I got a pump the next day and the lactation consultant was in my room 3 times to help the next day. By 6pm, my milk was in and Nate was a champ! We have had no problems since (and I got all new pump parts for free rather than buying them)

[CarolinaGirl]

dizylizy. Congrats and thanks for sharing your story! I'm having a repeat section and now that I'm 34 weeks, I'm really wishing I'd waited and labored longer last time rather than consenting to a c-section for failure to dilate after 13 hours (I was induced). I haven't even really considered a VBAC because I know about the risks, but just lately a small part of me just wants to have a normal delivery. Anyway, it's good to hear another positive story! How long did you have to stay in the hospital, and how has your recovery been so far as compared to last time?

[RobynScott]

Thanks for the advice ladies - some posters on another board I am on had me afraid it could be an infection (which is why I asked here) - glad to know everything sounds normal.

Congrats dizylizy on your DS! Glad everything worked out as you hoped! Interesting comment -
He got a 9 on his APGAR. Hardly any c-sec babies get a 9.

Interesting - DS's apgar's were also 9 and 9.

TGr - I saw your post. I just had DS so obviously not pg but I understand how you feel. Neither my dr nor my hospital do VBAC's so it's almost a foregone conclusion that any future babies will be c-section - I'm kind of disappointed that I will never get to go into labor on my own (most likely) - or experience a vaginal birth. I've got some time obviously before facing the issue - but I wanted to let you know I understand how you feel!

I hope things work out for you and you can find a doc willing to attempt a vbac!

[jimmysgirl424]

Neither my dr nor my hospital do VBAC's so it's almost a foregone conclusion that any future babies will be c-section

I'm in the same boat, Robyn. I have a wonderful OB-Gyn and absolutely would not want anyone else to deliver any future babies we may have. That said, she has already advised me that should I become pregnant again, a c-section would be the only option for me, period. Given the high birth weight of baby girl, I'm not very inclined to argue. There was no way she was coming out any other way. I just wish my c-section experience wasn't so awful; I still have nightmares about it. :(

[bensgirl1222]

I had an emergency c-section when I had my son and my doctors will not do VBAC;s either. That being said, I'm ok with it. My recovery hasnt been bad at all. I was up walking around the very next day and for the past 5 days, I have cut back on my meds, if not completely sometimes. Besides, like Kym, I love my OB.

Kym What happened that was so awful? Hope everything is ok now.

Has anyone here had staples?? My doctor used disolvable stichces and stirry strips and you can hardly see the scar. But I heard that sometimes they use staples and I was just wondering why? I also heard they have to be taken out before you leave the hospital. If it were me, they would have had to fight me to do that if I had staples. Seems pretty awful.

[roberta]

I had staples for my emergency, under general anesthesia, c-section. I am not sure why they choose staples. I was afraid to have them taken out ( they did do it at the hospital before I was discharged) but it did not really hurt, just a tiny bit of pulling and it only took about 3 minutes. At 10 months PP, you can't see where the staples were, but my scar is still raised and pink.

[dana b]

Has anyone here had staples?? My doctor used disolvable stichces and stirry strips and you can hardly see the scar. But I heard that sometimes they use staples and I was just wondering why? I also heard they have to be taken out before you leave the hospital. If it were me, they would have had to fight me to do that if I had staples. Seems pretty awful.

lol! i was *freaking* out all morning before they took out my staples -- i was totally visualizing them removing metal staples with a staple remover from my incision :eek: turns out i could barely feel it and they just looked like little strings.

[bensgirl1222]

Oh ok. Doesnt seem so bad then. I too was imagining metal staples! Luckily I had the epidural a half hour before they called the c-section. Otherwise, I would have had to be put under also. That was probably scary! I was pretty freaked out bc they gave me so much meds in my epi that I couldnt move any body part, inc my arms, and couldnt breathe thru my nose. But the aneth. said that was a normal reaction. But I wasn't able to hold my baby for a while afterwards which sucked.

[bensgirl1222]

Why do they say to avoid stairs? I did for the first week or so but now that I'm feeling better, I use them alot more.

[allyray231]

I had staples and had them out a few days after I left the hospital. It didn't hurt to have them out.

[sparkle&shine]

I had staples and they were metal. They just kind of cut them and plucked them off a day before I left the hospital and put steristrips on. I was so afraid when they were going to take them off but I couldn't feel anything except maybe a tiny tug. They told me to just let the steristrips fall off on their own.

My scar is awesome looking and you can barely see it. Just a tiny line if you look hard.

[jimmysgirl424]

Kym What happened that was so awful? Hope everything is ok now.

Well, before the c-section itself actually took place, the whole experience started badly with a traumatic IV insertion. The first nurse tried on the left arm, and immediately missed and said she blew right through the vein. Then a second nurse tried in the same arm and the vein rolled away. A third nurse was called in and stuck in my right arm and after much digging around, got it in. I was hysterical at that point and bawling my eyes out, and sweating so much that they had to use like a pound of surgical tape to keep the IV in place once they had it in.

The epidural was a nightmare. Remember, I wasn't in labor, so no contractions to take my mind off of the actual insertion of the needle. The lidocaine was administered via a smaller needle, and it hurt so bad that I nearly came off of the table. DH was standing outside of the operating room and could hear me crying from out there. :( After the lidocaine, they tried to insert the actual epidural needle and I completely freaked out. I could feel immense pain and pressure, even with the lidocaine. So they gave me more of that and then tried again. My surgery ended up starting nearly a half hour later than scheduled thanks to that mess.

Recovery. Was. A. Bitch. Where do I start? Lets see....I ended up swelling up like a friggin' balloon in my hands, fingers, legs and feet thanks to all of the IV fluids that were pumped into me. The carpal tunnel syndrome that I had all through my pregnancy worsened by about a 1000% for the remainder of that day plus the next day as well. Literally, I couldn't hold my daughter safely because my hands and fingers were so numb.

I ended up having a bad reaction to one of the pain meds that was being given to me through my IV. Severe itching all over my body, but mainly concentrated in my lower body. I just about gouged myself open scratching my lower legs, thighs and buttocks. They kept giving me Bendadry though my IV to counteract this, but it didn't do much to relieve the itching, just basically made me so stoned that I couldn't even speak or function.

On Day 2, the itching and Benadryl doses contined unabated. Then, I kept feeling a trickling sensation in the epidural site. I kept telling my sister that I felt something leaking and she got scared that it was spinal fluid. She took a look for herself and immediately called for a nurse. Two nurses came in, took one look, and called for the anasthesologist. At this point, I'm panicking because nobody is telling me a damn thing. Turns out that the epidural catheter was slipping out on its own, which explains why I kept feeling that trickling sensation. So because of that and the itching I was experiencing, the doctor made the decision to pull my epidural out early. At that point, I agreed because of how bad the itching was. BIG MISTAKE!! Once the medication fully wore off, I was in so much pain that I couldn't move. It was horrible. Really horrible. :( They kept giving me Lortab and Ibuprofen, and it did eventually make a dent in the pain, but the first four hours or so after the epidural came out were almost unbearable.

And lets not leave out the constipation issues that I ended up with. TMI coming up....I didn't have a bowel movement for six days. The hospital kept giving me stool softeners, when what I really should have gotten was a damn laxative. By the time I got home, I think I was very close to being impacted. I don't want to get too personal here, but suffice to say that the whole thing ended very, very badly...with an enema and DH's help, much to my mortification.

Ah well. I am fine now, of course. Some numbness in my actual incision area, but I feel absolutely fine. I am ready to begin exercising on my elliptical again and haven't taken my pain meds since 2 weeks post-partum.

[Katie&Micah]

Oh my God Kym!!

That sounds like absolute hell. Fortunately what you experienced is not the norm. Hopefully next time will go much more smoothly for you. I think my experience was about as opposite as possible from yours. But now you've got me scared about the pain of the epidural going in while not in labor. I didn't feel it at all.. but that could be because it was in comparison to my God awful contractions.

[jesseybell]

How much swelling is "normal"? One thing that made my recovery more difficult than it could have been once I got home was the incredible swelling in my feet. I had minimal swelling at the end of my pregnancy, despite it being August, but I had serious Fred Flinstone feet for 2-3 weeks after. It made going up and down stairs more difficult (but I still did it way more than I should have).
I don't know if this is something that can be avoided the next time or can I have them do something differently, or will I just have to grin and bare it if it happens.

[Hula1974]

Kym - I just want to say that you are not alone. I had a very similar experience attempting to get an epidural. Luckily when they did the spinal (at the time when we decided to do a c-section) it was much easier.

[jimmysgirl424]

Kym - I just want to say that you are not alone. I had a very similar experience attempting to get an epidural. Luckily when they did the spinal (at the time when we decided to do a c-section) it was much easier.

Sorry, I keep calling what I had done that day just an epidural. In reality, I got a spinal for the actual c-section and epidural for recovery. I never knew you could have both till it was done with me.

[Katie&Micah]

How much swelling is "normal"?
My swelling after was horrendous! It lasted for 2 weeks and a couple days and I honestly wondered if it was ever going to go away. Not sure what you can do about it. I tried everything I read but nothing reduced it.

[bensgirl1222]

OMG Kym! That sounds horrible! I agree that that is not the norm. They actually took my epidural out before I even went into Recovery. I didn't even know it was out. However, the doctor administered morphine thur my epi andthen took it out. So I was on morphine for a few hours afterwards. Then they had me on motin 800 and percocets (sp?). I did have a bad experience wit hthe epi. They kept giving me the Lidocane and had to put the epi in like 4 times before they got it in right. BUT...I was on Stadol and was having really bad contractions so I had my mind off it. I did have some itching after surgery but nothing too major.

I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience. Hopefully next time will be a piece of cake!

[allyray231]

Jessy that is EXACTLY how I looked-

[gardenmommy]

I have to start out saying OMG Kym!!:eek: That is the most horrendous C/S recovery story I have heard. Bless your heart, I would have gone batshit crazy after an experience like that! Thank goodness your sweet little girl probably helps distract your memory of that time huh??

Ok, I've begun to freak out about my repeat C/S...my first one was fine...nothing traumatic. But I'm having a scheduled second and freaking out about 2 things...

#1, how will I recover with DD around? She just turned 2 and although I wouldn't say she is needy I just wonder how we will do it the first few weeks home if I can't lay in bed with her at bedtime or get her in and out of the tub etc...Any advice?

#2...I can't for the life of me remember what we did for 4 days in the hospital. :confused: I know the first day, the hours after our C/S were chaos...DH bathing our DD, and changing diaper after diaper, calling friends and relatives, me trying to come down off all the meds etc...I think day 2 or 3 was concentrated on breastfeeding 101 with the lactation nazi (a horrible time I will never let myself go through again) but for the life of me I can't remember what we did those other 2 days:confused:...Can some of you refresh my memory and remind me of what I can expect to happen after the baby is actually delivered??

This will also help me with worry #1 about DD and her visits to the hospital...I want to make sure I have enought time for her to visit each day.

[bensgirl1222]

gardenmommy Not sure about your question #1 but I'm also wondering bc by the time this one is a year, we want to try again. So Benjamin will be 2 at the time when have another one and I will also have a repeat c-section. My DH gets 2 weeks paid paternity leave off work so he will probably be doing most of the work with our first. By the time I came home, I was able to get up by myself (in and out of bed) and pretty much do everything myself with the baby.

#2- 1st day I sat in bed until 12 hours after surgery then I got up. 2nd day was probably the worst as far as pain but I still managed to get up and walk around and as long as I was on my meds, I felt pretty ok. 3rd day I got my dressing taken off my incision and was allowed to take a shower. I sat in a chair most of the day bc I hated sitting in bed. My DH and I took a stroll around the Maternity floor. But this day i was eager to go home but my dr wouldn't let us leave until the next morning. I was able to change the baby, get out of bed to feed him and pretty much anything I wanted to do. By the 4th day, I got up early, packed up everything, stayed out of bed and waited for my dr to come around to release us. We were out of there by noon.

Other than that, we had dr's, nurses and the pediatrician come by everyday. The 2nd day he had his circumcision. Hope that refreshed your memory.

[dana b]

wow kym, we had really similar experiences. you are so lucky you didn't end up with an infection with that catheter hanging out. i thought i was a major wuss b/c of how much then spinal insertion hurt. she stuck me soo many times and everytime i would jump up, it felt like she was jabbing me in a kidney or something. i was also majorly itchy, right after surgery i was digging at my eyes, they itched so bad. over the next couple of days it worked it's way down my entire body and ended at my feet, it was so weird. i also had constipation issues and had horrible pain every time i needed to pee or try for a bm. does everyone get those bladder spasms? after i got home i went to the e.r. twice -- once because my incision opened and was infected and the second time to have thrombosed hemmorhoids removed. those were hands-down the most difficult weeks of my life.

[Tonysweetie]

gardenmommy: I don't know about you but I was pretty busy those 4 days. The first day was of course the actual C-section and learning to breastfeed. Day 2 was spent nursing, getting out of bed, showering, and having lots of visitors. Day 3 was nursing, walking around the halls and more visitors, day 4 was preparing to go home. :)

[Jane&Andy]

My DS will turn 2 right after I have baby #2 (by repeat c-section). I'm hoping to have him set up in his big boy room with a toddler bed so that getting him in and out of the crib won't be an issue. I hadn't even thought about the bathtub. :confused: My DH is planning to take a few weeks off this time to help out which I think will be a huge help. Last time (even though it was just the one baby and no older kids around) was really hard . We were both exhausted and his crazy boss was pushing him to work long hours.

As far as what we did in the hospital - DS wouldn't eat at first so we spent A LOT of time on that (luckily my hospital had wonderful LC's). I had a vicious spinal headache so I wasn't able to get up and walk around. We stayed busy the first few days just sleeping, admiring the baby and trying to get him to eat but by the end I was going stir crazy and wanted out so badly. My Mom spent all day at the hospital with us, which was wonderful. But next time she'll be watching DS for us.

[Jane&Andy]

gardenmommy: I don't know about you but I was pretty busy those 4 days. The first day was of course the actual C-section and learning to breastfeed. Day 2 was spent nursing, getting out of bed, showering, and having lots of visitors. Day 3 was nursing, walking around the halls and more visitors, day 4 was preparing to go home. :)


you got to shower on Day 2?! I'm so jealous! I went in on Wednesday at noon for an induction and then DS was born at 1:10am on Thursday. They didn't let me shower til Saturday! I thought I was going to go nuts! :rolleyes:

[Katie&Micah]

you got to shower on Day 2?! I'm so jealous! I went in on Wednesday at noon for an induction and then DS was born at 1:10am on Thursday. They didn't let me shower til Saturday! I thought I was going to go nuts!
I got to shower the morning after the c-section (less than 24 hours later) but that's only because I begged every time I saw a nurse or my dr. Hell I was asking during the induction and they thought I was nuts. But I felt so nasty after they broke my water.

[Jane&Andy]

Hell I was asking during the induction and they thought I was nuts. But I felt so nasty after they broke my water.


yea, I hated that part.

[Tonysweetie]

Remember...I had a scheduled Csection. :) So DS was born early in the AM on day 1.

[gardenmommy]

Thanks for the feedback ladies!

Reading your posts reminded me that I didn't even get out of bed for over 24 hours...I had the itchies too and got prety sick from the morphine the first night. Day 2 I think was better but I know I didn't get out of bed to shower or walk around until day 3.

We didn't have many visitors since our families all live hours and hours away, so I know that didn't take up too much of our time. And I forgot how long it took to breastfeed and get the hang of that.

I guess I'm just dreading being in the hospital that long. The first time I was so nervous about caring for a newborn it felt great to have support and help from the nurses, but I feel pretty confident this time about caring for a newborn and am anticipating that I'll go stir crazy.

I'm also super nervous about still caring for DD...like will she be able to sit with me in the hospital bed for a while without buting me in major pain?? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.:rolleyes:

[Eliezrah]

Hi everyone! Can I join you? I'm Lisa & I'm PG with #3. This will be my 3rd C/S. DD (Jackie) was born at 28 weeks via emergency C/S and she'll be 4 in November. DS (Seth) is turning 2 this month and I was going for a VBAC but ended up with an ERC when labor wasn't progressing. This time I have no choice, but I have to admit I'm looking forward to the percocet! LOL

Anyway, I didn't read the entire thread, but I did skim this page. I can tell you that what we did to get Jackie prepared when I was close to being due with Seth was have DH do more with her at home. We started a few months before I was due and we started off slowly. IE at first he'd sit with me while I read to her at night and then he'd read with me in the room. Then we got it to where he'd tuck her in w/o me and I'd go in later to kiss her. We put her in a toddler bed at 18 months, which gave her 4 months to get used to the crib no longer being hers (they had to share a room in our old house). Seth is 23 months and we just put him in the toddler bed on Friday. We also talk about the baby in my belly a lot. Once we knew Seth was going to be a boy, we'd use his name so Jackie got used to that as well.

I didn't mind being in the hospital for 5 days last time since ours is THE best in the area and is literally like a hotel! My parents stayed at or house with Jackie and brought her in almost every day for as long as she could stay w/o going bonkers, and they'll do the same this time. Unfortunately, the week we think I'll be giving birth is Jackie's vacation week at school, but my parents will keep the kids busy.

[silentbunny]

Steri-strips(sp?) -- I had staples put in after my c-section, and before I left they took them out and put on steri-strips (not sure how that's spelled). I've been told that they will come off on their own... but it's been 10 days and they're pretty secure. Anyone had these? When did they come off? They're driving me crazy!

[gardenmommy]

Steri-strips(sp?) -- I had staples put in after my c-section, and before I left they took them out and put on steri-strips (not sure how that's spelled). I've been told that they will come off on their own... but it's been 10 days and they're pretty secure. Anyone had these? When did they come off? They're driving me crazy!

They told me the same thing and I removed them myself after abut 2-3 weeks...Not sure how long they were supposed to stay on but 2-3 weeks seemed like plenty of time!

[jimmysgirl424]

Silentbunny My doctor instructed me to remove them two weeks PP if they hadn't fallen off on their own by then.

[solongtogo]

silent 2 weeks for me too....some of them are stubborn little suckers and won't come off on their own :)

[jesseybell]

silentbunny - Yeah, those suckers do stay on pretty tight. I am pretty squeemish so I hate to admit I don't think I took them off for like 4 weeks. Except for one corner of one of the ones on the end, they hadn't budged at all.

[Eliezrah]

My doc took mine off at my 2 weeks post-op appt.

[bensgirl1222]

My doctor took mine off 2 weeks post-op. They didnt hurt at all. I thought they'd be sticky like a band-aid but not at all.

[Irish Elf]

I had the glue (no staples). At 6 wk PP check up my doctor laughed and said i could peel off the glue. He said if the incision couldn't hold everything in then he hadn't done a good job. :) I finally pulled off the last of it at about 10 weeks PP.

[Rico'sAlice]

Interesting about the strips. I had staples. They came out at 10 dpp, and then that was it. They just had me tuck some gauze between the cut and the elastic in my underwear.

Also, I had an unplanned section at noonish after 2-1/2 days of labor. They had me get out of bed the next morning after breakfast and I took a shower that afternoon.

[usafwife]

Ok, I've begun to freak out about my repeat C/S...my first one was fine...nothing traumatic. But I'm having a scheduled second and freaking out about 2 things...

#1, how will I recover with DD around? She just turned 2 and although I wouldn't say she is needy I just wonder how we will do it the first few weeks home if I can't lay in bed with her at bedtime or get her in and out of the tub etc...Any advice?

#2...I can't for the life of me remember what we did for 4 days in the hospital. :confused: I know the first day, the hours after our C/S were chaos...DH bathing our DD, and changing diaper after diaper, calling friends and relatives, me trying to come down off all the meds etc...I think day 2 or 3 was concentrated on breastfeeding 101 with the lactation nazi (a horrible time I will never let myself go through again) but for the life of me I can't remember what we did those other 2 days:confused:...Can some of you refresh my memory and remind me of what I can expect to happen after the baby is actually delivered??

This will also help me with worry #1 about DD and her visits to the hospital...I want to make sure I have enought time for her to visit each day.

#1 ~ For the first week or so after we were home DD would go to my mom's in the afternoon (DH came home at lunch and would take her in) so I could recover without her around for a few hours. If I needed to sleep I could once DS was asleep. DH took over bathtime, diaper changes, and bedtime while I recovered. Instead of her going to bed in the crib (which would require me lifting her out which wasn't possible due to severe back pain and not being allowed to pick her up) we put her on a blanket on the floor in her room. We got used to the new routine and DD didn't really have real problems adjusting. She was way too interested in wanting to help me with DS.

#2 ~ I never stayed 4 days with either baby. With DD, we left on day 3 after the c/s. The emergency c was in the late afternoon and the next few hours were spent recovering, holding DD (or attempting to hold her), DH calling friends/family. The next day was filled with visitors, feeding, showering, holding DD. Day 3 was more of the same.

With DS, he was born in the early afternoon by emergency c as well. I went home on day 2 after the c/s. I didn't get out of bed until around 11pm/midnight when I needed to go to the bathroom. I was very itchy from the meds and trying to recover from the complications I had during the actual c/s. DS wasn't allowed to be with us due to his problems so we (DH, my mom, and I) talked about different things. Then DH would go check on DS every so often (he was the only one of us allowed in the room with him) and come back and tell us what was going on. The next morning I got up to shower, DS had the circ, took pics, talked to family/friends, went on a couple of walks. The following morning we started getting ready to go home but ended up staying longer than planned due to some problems with DS. DH went down to install his carseat. I started to dress DS to get ready to go home but found out the outfits were TOO big so DH ended up having to go buy a preemie outfit for him.

As a heads up for the hospital, I took DD to a silbings class offered by the local hospital. They had some suggestions about introducing the older sibling to the younger sibling. They suggested for me to not be holding the baby when DD saw me/us for the first time. Have a small gift from the new baby to give the older sibling. Include them in helping feed the baby, getting diaper supplies, bathing, etc. And also reading some books about becoming an older sibling (they gave us a list of ones available at the local library). I can find the papers for all of the suggestions.

Has anyone here had staples?? My doctor used disolvable stichces and stirry strips and you can hardly see the scar. But I heard that sometimes they use staples and I was just wondering why? I also heard they have to be taken out before you leave the hospital. If it were me, they would have had to fight me to do that if I had staples. Seems pretty awful.

I had staples with DD. My OB preferred to use staples so that's why I had them. Mine weren't taken out before I left the hospital (but I do know someone whose staples were removed before leaving the hospital). Mine were removed at one my one wk PP visit. I never really felt mine being removed. I only had one that hurt for just an instant and then it was over.

Swelling ~ I had horrible problems with swelling during DD's pregnancy. I was even put on modified activity/bedrest because of it. I had some swelling after delivery but I also had been pushing for a while when the emergency c/s was done (I had other areas that were swollen as well...and very tender/sore). The swelling was gone within a few days. I still had some the day we left the hospital but by one week PP it was gone.

[SQ2]

Bump.

Looking for some support. I'm still dealing with the disappointment of having a c-section after wanting a non-medicated birth. I went in trying to be very open minded, knowing that anything could happen, but hoping for the best. Well, I ended up having a VERY long labor (53 hours total) and pretty much every intervention in the book (except vaccum/forceps because DD wasn't low enough.)...first narcotics and pitocin, then an epidural when I got to 8 cm because I hadn't slept in 3 days and my doctor knew I'd need strength to push. Basically my labor was progressing, but very slowly. I pushed for 4.5 hours and DD was moving down, but not fast enough so I ended up with a c-section. My doctor and the nurses kept telling me how strong my pushes were and how great I was doing, yet it still wasn't enough to get the baby out. I feel jealous of people that push for half an hour, or even a couple hours and get their baby out. I know I could have done that. But with the way things were going I would have had to push for many more hours which was just not humanly possibly with how tired I was. Even at the end of 3 hours of pushing I was confident I could keep pushing for another hour, but by 1.5 hrs later I knew it was no use.. I'm still mourning the loss of the moment I'd been looking forward to forever...getting to hold DD on my chest right after delivery. Instead she was whisked away and DH brought her to me in my drug-induced haze. I remember it but seeing her for the first time and the couple hours in the recovery room afterwards are very foggy because of all the drugs I was on. I remember I was shaking uncontrollably when they wheeled me in and I felt angry that I couldn't be fully present when I held DD for the first time and tried to BF.

I felt cheated by my body because I worked so hard through labor and pushed for so long, only to end up with a c-section. :( My doctor recommended repeat c-sections in the future because of my pelvic shape, although VBAC is not necessarily out of the question either. Anyone else deal with this type of emotional loss after giving birth via c-section? How long did it take for you to process the entire experience? I keep asking DH to tell me exactly what happened after they wheeled me to the OR and what his first moments with DD were like when they were weighing her and cleaning her off. It helps to piece things together to get a clearer picture in my head of what happened.

Of course, we have a beautiful, healthy baby girl and that's really all that matters. I had a great pregnancy and no problems getting pregnant so I want to be clear that I'm grateful for that as I realize others may not be as lucky. But I think people that have c-sections often go through these type of feelings so I was wondering if anyone else could relate.

[jennylou]

Of course you're allowed to be disappointed in your c/s! I felt that way too. The key to VBAC for me was researching, educating myself and DH and getting a wonderful nurse at the hospital. Ask for one who has attended the most VBACs or NCBs - you'll often get the ones that are most open minded and are not going to push every intervention on you. I too had every intervention with my c/s, and I too was in a cloudy haze. That part still pisses me off, to be honest, as those first few precious hours I was not able to really enjoy DS. Being as we had too few hours with him anyways, that's the part that I really missed out on.

Oh, and as a bonus, you get to eat right after a vaginal birth. With my c/s, I ate at 4 am Friday (my water broke). Thank God I did, because I didn't get another morsel of food until Saturday afternoon!

[Katie&Micah]

SQ2
I felt pretty cheated afterwards too. I wasn't in labor as long as you were (only 34 hours for me), and I never had to/got to push so my situation is a bit different. What I feel most upset and guilty about is the fact that when my dd was born I didn't really care. I was drugged up I remember them showing her to me, I glanced at her for a second and then went to sleep. After they took me back to my room everyone else held her but me. I had absolutely no interest. All I wanted to do was zone out. The good news is that you might forget those feelings eventually. I certainly am not over it, but I feel much better about what happened. I was so mad at my body though. Why couldn't it do what it was supposed to do??

I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.

[Jessie]

SQ2- I'm sorry you're feeling disappointed in your birthing experience. I felt that way for a long time after my first c/s. I too had a very long labor (36+ hours). It took me a long time to get through my disappointment. I didn't have a ton of interventions but ended up with an emergency c/s due to DD being distressed (she ended up with permanent scars from where she had been stuck :(). I hated that I missed out on the first hour of her life while they stitched me back up. A lot of what you've written is exactly how I felt after she was born.

[Eliezrah]

SQ2, first of all, congrats on the birth of your sweet DD!! Second, I agree with the others, you are NOT alone with your feelings. {{{HUGS}}}} It does get better with time, I promise.

My C/S story is a bit different since my DD was born at 28 weeks via emergency C/S. I went into labor and they couldn't stop it and since she was breech and I had a high fever from an infection, they had to get her out ASAP. I was devastated that not only could I not carry her to term, but that I didn't get the birth I wanted. I actually ended up having PPD 6 months later and went on Zoloft. Then I got PG with DS and that's when I started feeling better about things (DD was about a year old).

I was going to attempt a VBAC with DS but my labor stopped at the hospital and I had to choice to go home and wait it out for another week + or have a C/S in an hour. Since my doc was there and not his partner, and I left the house thinking I was going to have my baby that day, I decided to have the ERC. Of course that means this baby will be a planned in advance C/S and I'm totally ok with that now.

Anyway, after my novel, what you are feeling is 100% normal and natural, and in time will fade to feelings of just being thrilled to have this precious baby in your arms!

[Koala_Gurl]

I felt a little disappointment, but it does go away. Sure I am still bummed I probably won't have a vaginal delivery, but such is life. (And to be honest, now after hearing a friend complain about a touch of incontinence after her vaginal deliveries, I am thankful.)

Really it comes down to having a healthy baby. Now it is easy for me to think that I would have really regretted harming my baby because of my desire for a natural birth.

[jimmysgirl424]

(((HUGS))) to you SQ2. While my experience wasn't like yours, my emotions are very similiar. I had to have additional surgery on my ovary right after they pulled DD out, so I was pumped up with even more drugs as soon as she was born. I barely remember them showing her to me. :( And I also was totally out of it when they brought her to me to try and BF in recovery. I don't have a clear memory of the chain of events at all the day of her birth, more like separate images in my mind. I remember hearing her cry when she was born, so I guess thats something. I also ended up having an allergic reaction to one of the pain medications that resulted in me having terrible itching all over my body. So they kept pumping me full of Benadryl on top of other pain meds. I spent the first two days stoned out of my mind and could barely function at all, let alone help care for DD or even able to hold her. It really upsets me to this day. :(

[Jess71903]

SQ2- I am with you too. I had wanted a completely med-free birth as well. Because of DS's hydrocephalus, I was induced and I knew my chances of having a C-section were much higher then. I labored med-free for 12 hours on pitocin and although it wasn't fun, I feel like my pain was well-managed and I definitely could have kept going. My doc was concerned because I wasn't progressing and DS needed to get here so they could manage his hydrocephalus. I was devistated. I felt like such a failure. I felt like my laboring med-free was such a waste since I was going to be doped up anyway. I hated the epidural for surgery- not being able to feel or move my legs absolutely sucked to me. In the OR they gave me something that made me feel crazy right after DS was delivered. I got to see him for a second, but he was taken to the NICU and I only got to see him again in the isolet before he was taken to Children's Hospital. That was Tuesday night/Wed. morning and I didn't see him again until Thurs. afternoon, after he had surgery and could not be held. I was most scared about having a C-section because I wanted to hold him when he was 1st born and I knew if I didn't get to it would be a week before I got to hold him for the 1st time. I still hate that I ended up with a C-section after all the studying and preparation I did to make sure I had a natural delivery. Ultimately I had to do what I did for the benefit and safety of my baby, but it still makes me sad.

[dana b]

I also ended up having an allergic reaction to one of the pain medications that resulted in me having terrible itching all over my body.
did they tell you that was an allergic reaction? i had the same thing, i came out of surgery just digging at my eyelids b/c they itched so bad and throughout the next 24 hrs, it made it's way all the way to my toes. i can't even remember if i mentioned it the nurses or not.

[usafwife]

I felt a little disappointment, but it does go away. Sure I am still bummed I probably won't have a vaginal delivery, but such is life. (And to be honest, now after hearing a friend complain about a touch of incontinence after her vaginal deliveries, I am thankful.)

Really it comes down to having a healthy baby. Now it is easy for me to think that I would have really regretted harming my baby because of my desire for a natural birth.

I was bummed/disappointed and even devastated at first to not have a vaginal delivery. As you say the bottom line is having a healthy baby....I never would have risked my child's life nor my own just because I wanted a vaginal birth.

did they tell you that was an allergic reaction? i had the same thing, i came out of surgery just digging at my eyelids b/c they itched so bad and throughout the next 24 hrs, it made it's way all the way to my toes. i can't even remember if i mentioned it the nurses or not.

I had the horrible itching after my last c/s. It's due to the Duromorph they give. I didn't have it with DD but I did with DS. It got worse as the hours went by but thankfully by the time 24 hours later came the itching had went away. I was very close to asking for something to help relieve it but they said it would cause me to have more pain quicker and if I could deal with the itching then it would be better. It's not really an allergic reaction but a side effect of the Duromorph.


SQ2 ~ {{{HUGS}}} I felt hugely disappointed in myself and, though I hate to admit it, I was even angry at DD for a little while following my c/s. I was pushing as well when they determined that an emergency c/s was in the best interest for both of us. I felt so cheated for having gone through about 7 hours of labor, then pushing for 3 hours and then be told that I needed a c/s. In fact I refused to sign the consent form for a little while. I kept asking if there was something else that could be done. Then DH and I had a talk and I realized that having her here healthy was all that mattered...how she got here didn't really matter. I didn't receive any pain medication via the epidural until I was in the c/s operating room. I was in severe pain from the contractions, needing to push, wanting to push and being told to "just breath through it." Yeah, that's so easy to do at that moment. Thankfully I knew the circulating nurse (was well as the CRNA and the scrub nurse) and she held my hand, helped me breath through the contractions and talked me through those very tense minutes.

I have no memory after DD was born. I remember hearing her cry, looking over at her and then nothing. I was knocked out at that point and didn't remember anything until I was being wheeled out of the OR and down the hallway to my room. DH was whisked away to be with DD during that time. I felt cheated that he got to there for her first bath, was the first one to hold her, got those first few moments of her life. It took me months to deal with that.

I made it known when DS was born that I didn't want to be knocked out unless absolutely necessary. I wasn't all that thrilled to have to have another c/s but no hospitals around here would allow a VBAC (due to not having 24 hour anesthsia). I was awake for all of DS' c/s but there are bits that I don't remember doing to having a reaction to the meds (it came up too far, caused BP problems, and made me extremely sick immediately after he was born). I got to hold him for just a few seconds before he was whisked away but then I learned why he was taken away in a hurry (he was having breathing, lung, and temp issues).

If you want feel free to send me a PM.

[Eliezrah]

I do have to say the biggest issue for me with my C/Ss is that DH gets to show our parents and BIL and both SILs our babies before I really get to see them. He makes sure I get to be the first to hold the baby, but I'd love to be the one to show off the baby to our families!

[Hula1974]

You're not alone!
Next time, I want to ask them to hold up the baby immediately, bloody and all. When I saw DS for the first time he was all clean and swaddled.
Did anyone see their baby right away?

[lawphil]

Just want to chime in with my experience. After 36 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing I ended up with a c-section. I was so thankful to have it called because I felt like no matter what I did the baby was not coming out and I just wanted her out and safe.

It is somewhat disappointing that I didn't get that moment of the baby coming out and landing on my chest. I was so exhausted and drugged that I could barely keep my eyese open to look at the baby. I thankfully did hear her first cry and also heard the doctors say "its a girl".

Our baby had to go to the NICU and I didn't see her for the first 24 hours of her life. I was way to exhuasted and on too much pain medication to make it out of my bed. During that time DH took care of her. Quite honestly it was an amazing thing for our family. He is so bonded with her in a way that I don't think he would be had he not had to take over and take care of her for her first 24 hours...give her bottles, change diapers, talk to nurses & doctors.

I don't know what I will do for future pregnancies - baby was 9 1/2 lbs and I doubt future babies will be smaller - but I am glad I got to experience all parts of l&d and most thankful that we ended up with a healthy baby. And that is what I constantly remind myself when the thoughts creep into my mind - like I am sad that the future delivery will be on a pre-determined date and over so quickly (although I wouldn't want 36 hours again - it really was a bonding experience for me and DH).

It is totally understandable - particularly after you spend 9 months preparing to deliver your baby in a certain way. I hope that as time goes on the emotions will become more distant!

[Eliezrah]

Did anyone see their baby right away?With Jackie they brought her over to me for about 3 seconds after they got her breathing and intubated. I saw her for a split second but was too drugged to remember. With Sethy, they held him next to me for a few minutes before they took him to the nursery. It wasn't until I was in recovery that I was begging to see him.

[hmbay]

You're not alone!
Next time, I want to ask them to hold up the baby immediately, bloody and all. When I saw DS for the first time he was all clean and swaddled.
Did anyone see their baby right away?

My first was an emergency c/s and they did bring him over and let DH hold him up to me for a few minutes before taking him to the NICU. Because he was a preemie he then stayed in the NICU for 17 days. :( I'm not sure what the protocol would have been otherwise. I would guess DH could have held him until they transported him to my room but I'm only guessing.

BTW Hula--my first two both had helmets. I'm glad to see someone else showing off their helmeted cutie. :)

[RobynScott]

I can't really remember when I first saw DS :( I think I saw him when he was getting weighed - but maybe not. I made DH take a picture of him (Dh was still by my head and I said go check out our son!) - so my memory may be more of the picture we have. I think they did show him to me before they took him out to get cleaned up while I was getting stitched up - but I hate to say, I can't really remember :(

I also had the horrible itching after the C - my legs were all torn up from where I was scratching them! - but I think that started happening after I got the epidural.

I was also feeling bad that I needed a C - especially since I predicted I would have one once they decided to induce me. Most people did not understand that sadness over missing out on labor - but I also missed out on going into labor on my own.

I'm pretty sure the next one will be a scheduled C both b.c of my doctor / hospital and DH - but there's a while before that decison needs to be made. (thankfully ;))

[Katie&Micah]

Most people did not understand that sadness over missing out on labor - but I also missed out on going into labor on my own.
Me too. I was so excited to experience the beginning of labor. Being induced isn't the same. I wanted the surprise of going into labor on my own.

[SQ2]

Ladies, thank you SO much for your comments and support! I really appreciate it. It helps so much to know I’m not alone.

jennylou I would love to try for a VBAC in theory. But, the reason for my c-section was more to do with the structure of my pelvis than anything else. At least that’s what my doctor thinks. My baby was not that big and was in the right position, the labor just wasn’t progressing fast enough and I’d have probably needed to push for many more hours than I physically could have to get her out. The question is…do I want to risk going through such a long labor again, only to end up with another c-section. I think my recovery from this was has been harder than many c-sections because of how long my labor was and how long I pushed for. At the same time, I really do want to experience pushing a baby out. I guess we’ll see what the doctor says when the time comes for baby #2. Oh and I hear ya on the food thing. I was so upset when I heard that I couldn’t eat anything right after my surgery. It had been way too long. They did give me apple juice in the recovery room which tasted like heaven!

Katie&Micah Being drugged up was so frustrating! I remember feeling so angry that I was in the state I was in and couldn’t fully enjoy holding DD for the 1st time. That and the fact that I was shaking uncontrollably from the epidural.

Jessie Thanks, it’s comforting to know that my feelings are common.

Eliezrah Wow, what an ordeal you went through! Like you said, in the end what matters is having a healthy baby and I really am grateful for that, which makes me feel guilty for these feelings, but reading everyone’s replies here makes me feel more normal.

KoalaGurl Yup, a healthy baby is all that matters. Life doesn’t always go as you plan it. I guess me being a control freak doesn't help the situation much. ;)

Jimmysgirl424 Separate images in my mind is a good way to describe my experience too. I also experienced the frustration of not being able to care fully for DD in the hospital and in the weeks after she was born because of my need for recovery time. It just didn’t seem fair.

usafwife Having the urge to push in the OR and being told to breathe through it…wow… that must have been so hard for you! I also was so jealous of DH that he got to hold her for the first time. I feel glad that I wasn’t knocked out completely like you were, but I still feel like there are so many missing pieces and it’s so frustrating. Thanks so much for your support!

Hula1974 They did hold DD up at the top of the curtain right after she was born. I saw her bloody head and that’s all. I wish they’d held her up higher or lowered the curtain a little bit. It was such a tease and made me so upset that I couldn’t hold her in my arms right away.

lawphil I agree, it was good bonding time for DD and DH. I keep telling him to retell the story of what happened after DD was born (getting weighed, measured, etc…all stuff he got to see and I didn’t). I guess one good thing about having repeat c-sections for me (if that’s the route we end up going) is that I won’t be so exhausted from a long labor and I will know more what to expect so maybe that will make it so I’ll be able to be more present for future births.

Robyn I really need to focus on being thankful for what I did get to experience. It was exciting when labor started and even though being in labor for so long and getting into transition before getting an epidural (yeeeouch!) it’s an experience I would never give up. So you say you’ll probably have repeat c-sections because of DH too? I’m just curious what you mean by that because I asked DH about this and he said he wouldn’t want to go through that kind of labor again with me and would prefer if I had a c-section next time. It was a little hard to hear that from him because still want to keep the VBAC option open but it’s less appealing if DH is not on board 100%.

[Rancid13]

Most people did not understand that sadness over missing out on labor - but I also missed out on going into labor on my own.


I felt bad about it for a few minutes, but got over it quickly. I was in (induced) labor for over 30 hours, dilated to 5cm but stalled for a few hours, and was exhausted and ready to be done with everything. The c/s was a welcome relief to a loooong couple of days. In hindsight, I almost wish I'd just scheduled a c/s rather than been induced...FWIW, I was induced the day after my due date b/c my ob was concerned about borderline high bp.

[Rancid13]

Did anyone see their baby right away?

I did, they brought him over to my face while they stitched me up so I could get a good look at him. I expected him to be bloodier and/or covered in that white stuff, but he was pretty much clean for the most part. DH was shocked too.

[Thea]

So, I have done my best to not worry about this for 9 months, but was just wondering from those of you who had planned c-sections...how was the spinal? Many of my friends have told me that the spinal/epidural were nothing because they were having contractions and just wanted the pain over. But with a scheduled c-section on Tuesday morning I will be wide awake and no other pain to distract me. Also, this is my first pregnancy so I have no past experience to relate this to. (BTW, my c-section is necessary because of a surgery (abdominal myomectomy) I had 2 years ago.)

I also want to say I think you are all amazing women. I had to grieve the loss of regular labor 2 years ago when I had to have my surgery and was told I would need a c-section when I got pregnant. But, I have had a long time to come to terms with that, and having a scheduled c-section seems much easier to handle then going into labor and then having an emergency c-section. You are some very strong, courageous women.

[RobynScott]

Thea - I don't even remember my epidural to be honest. I hate needles - but throughout my pgcy - and during my induction - I told myself it was all necessary to get to my DS - it was just what needed to be done to get him out and that's how I got through it. Maybe if you just think of the spinal as a means to an end to getting to your DC - it won't be so bad? Hey - you've already been through abdominal surgery so it will be a piece of cake, right? ;)

Seriously - I would suggest just focusing on your DC and the spinal as a means to an end. (I wasn't in labor when I got my IV b/c I was being induced so I just had to deal with it - nothing to take my mind off of it)

SQ2- Knowing you are not alone is such a huge relief! I am thankful I had read threads like this / known of others feeling this way before my c-section, so when I felt that way too, I wasn't surprised and I knew it was normal. Thank goodness - b/c if I tried to mention it to anyone IRL after DS's birth (even my post-partum doula!) - they all just told me it was no big deal and the important thing was that DS was safe and healthy - yes, that's true - but it's ok to grieve what we missed out on.

Re: #2 - my doc has already told me it will be a repeat C (b/c of the "risks" of VBAC) - and I doubt I will be able to convince DH that a VBAC would be safe enough instead of just going for a repeat C. My doc already thinks I read too much on the internet :rolleyes:(but overall I really like her)

I think the best I am hoping for is to see if they will let me go into labor on my own and then do the C - but I don't know if that is even possible - I have a while till I need to find out ;)

[Eliezrah]

Thea, CONGRATS!! How excited are you to know you'll be a Mommy in a few short days?! Soo exciting! As for the spinal, I've had 2 so far. The first was emergency and the second was a last minute elective repeat. It wasn't planned ahead but wasn't an emergency and I wasn't in full labor.

Both times I can tell you, honestly, the needle hurt going in. BUT.... only for literally a second or two! I clearly remember with my first yelling out "OUCH" and not even being able to finish the word! I said "Ouu... hey, I can't feel my toes! LOL" So, for me, before I can finish saying OUCH, the pain is gone. I'm TERRIFIED of needles and just ask a nurse to hold me hand and/or hug me and it helps.

They have you lean far over and curl up (yeah right, who can do that at 9 months PG?!), you get stuck, they lay you down, and you're good to go! They'll do a stick test and ask if you feel any pain. You'll feel pressure, but no pain. With Seth (the non emergency) I knew when they got his head out since I actually felt the pressure of it, but had no pain.

My suggestion for after the surgery, when they offer you a percocet, take it even if you don't feel any pain yet. I didn't with Jackie thinking I wasn't in pain, but after the spinal wore off, I was in pain. I took the percocet then but it works better if you take it BEFORE the pain gets bad. With Seth I took it when they first offered and the pain wasn't as bad. Granted, he was my second and not an emergency and I didn't almost die like with her, but I was up and out of bed and going potty by myself the next day with him.

Good luck and try not to be nervous. It's perfectly normal to be (heck, I'm not looking forward to my spinal and I have until Feb 15 for mine!) but i swear the pain is over in a second, literally! I'd never lie to a fellow Mommy!!

Come back and post when you get home to tell us how it went! Congrats again!

[Eliezrah]

Robyn, we cross posted. I asked my doc with my 2nd if I can go into labor on my own and the have an ERC so I wouldn't have to plan out my baby's birthdate and he said no. The reason being is that it's MUCH easier for them and SAFER for Mommy & Baby if you aren't in labor during a C/S. Not sure if all docs feel that way, but it's what I was told.

BTW, LOVE your son's name!!! I don't hear of too many other Seths besides my DS!

[hmbay]

Thea--my first was an emergency c/s without labor. I remember the spinal hurting a bit but nothing major. I think it was kind of a pinching burning sensation then it was done but perhaps I'm not remembering clearly as it was a while ago and I was a bit freaked out at the time to have been sent from a routine drs appt to L&D to have an emergency c/s when a NST showed fetal distress.

[ejs]

Thea, it's nowhere near as bad as you think it will be. You'll sit on the edge of the table and hunch over. The first shot is an anesthetic, which does sting for a couple of seconds. Then you might feel some pressure when the spinal is administered, but you won't feel any pain.

[Lanapoo]

Thea - It's a small world I guess. I'm also going in for a scheduled c/s next week for the same reason as you. Abdominal myomectomy, those darn fibroids are the pits! My c/s is on Wednesday morning. I haven't been concerned about the pain with a spinal but I'm very nervous about the fact that I have scoliosis and had to wear a brace when I was a teenager. So...

Any ladies have any trouble having a spinal or epidural placed with a curvature in the spine?

[Jenean]

Thea, I had a planned c/s b/c of my babies' positions (one was breech) after going into labor on my own. The initial shot with the Novocaine pinched a little, but hurt way less than even a paper cut. I felt the spinal shot - it didn't hurt, but felt weird, like a nerve was being pinched. After that I felt nothing for 24 hours, which was great!

I did see our babies right away. The doctor held both boys up and then they were immediately swaddled and put on my chest. I had my arms free and was able to hold them both before they were taken away to be checked out. One boy had to go to the NICU b/c of some minor breathing issues, but the other was with me and nursed w/in 2 hours of being born. I requested that neither be bathed before being brought to me so that they would recognize my scent and the nursery complied.

[usafwife]

Did anyone see their baby right away?
With DD, I don't remember them holding her up over the blue screen. I remember looking over at the warmer and scales and seeing her. I remember her crying. That's all I remember.

With DS, they did hold him up to the blue screen just after bringing him out (still bloody). And then they let DH bring him back in after being weighed. That's about the time he started having his breathing/lung issues so they took him out immediately. DS was going to be able to join us for the hour I was in recovery but didn't due to his breathing problems.

usafwife Having the urge to push in the OR and being told to breathe through it…wow… that must have been so hard for you! I also was so jealous of DH that he got to hold her for the first time. I feel glad that I wasn’t knocked out completely like you were, but I still feel like there are so many missing pieces and it’s so frustrating. Thanks so much for your support!
SQ2, yes it was hard. It's something that I'll never forget. I hated being knocked out because I wanted to remember everythin