C-sections

[shootingstar22]

I am due to have a c-section on my due date as baby likes to sit up atherosclerosis than be head down!

Anyway has anyone got some c-section experiences they could share asbi am quite worried. What worries me is that something may go wrong, or I might have a reaction to the drugs they give you- is it a spinal or epidural?

I hve a history of depression, and one main reason I ddnt want a c-section was because I was/am worried that it will trigger post natal depression. Why? Well I fear that the baby will be pulled out and handed straight to DH and I only get a peak. Then I have heard that you get tuck in a recovery room while your hubby and baby go off to the ward where he/midwife will dress and tend to baby.

I liked the idea of natural birth because I would get skin to skin straight away and I could breastfeed as soon as. Now I'm worried I won't get this and I would get that initial bond...and probs bs up beating myself up about it.

Not also looking forward to being stuck in a ward for over 3 days wihout DH and with snoring mothers and crying babes!

I have a consultants appointment Monday, so would be nice to know if I can request certain stuff?x

 

[flexilexi394]

Hey! I dont have any c section experience, but I had a spinal for my after labour stitches and it was awesome! Couldnt feel a thing. I would think there are certain things you can clear up with them before, just make sure you mention anything you want. My baby wouldnt feed straight away anyway, it was like an hour or 2 after she fed. I know it's nice to be able to offer them food straight away though. Just see what they say. Really hope they can offer you some skin to skin. Xxx

 

[Esoames]

I had an emergency section in October and it was nothing like I expected.

My baby was a "missed breech" so a decision was made to operate quickly as I had gone in to natural labour.

A catheter was put in (that pinches a bit) then the hand drip thing was put in (can't remember what it's called!)

Then I was took to surgery (while contracting I might add and they made me walk!) I was sat on the table, told to lean forward for the local anaesthetic once done I had the epidural. The hardest bit was holding still during my contractions.

Once in my feet started to tingle, then a few minutes later was numb from top of bump downwards. A blood pressure monitor was hooked up and checked every 2 minutes.

The surgeon checked what I could feel with cold water. The surgery started and after some tugging Isla was born.

She was took to a side room first to be checked and cleaned and passed to me first. I had skin to skin until they needed to stitch me up. Then dh went with the midwife and Isla to recovery. I was another 30mins.

We all stayed together for 3 hours in recovery before moving to the postnatal ward. She only left my side when she was born.

I successfully breastfed upon my return to the recovery ward. I needed help to sit up and latch so make sure someone helps you.

I hope this helps xxx

 

[flexilexi394]

emma you remember so much detail! well done! lol x

 

[AugustMum]

I had an emergancy section so it was all a bit of a rush and Ive been told that a planned section is sooo much more relaxed and can be a very enjoyable experience. Generally as its not rushed you can say that you want skin to skin (I was an emergancy and they still asked me) so you can deffinatly have that straight after baby is born (theyll want to check baby first but after that )

The wards arent that bad. I loved just sitting around, because once youre home youll start doing things that your body may not be ready for (visiting people, housework ect) so it helps give you time to rest. I found the wards to be very quiet although obviously sometimes the babies will cry but usually not for long. You can ask for someone to take pictures if you wanted. Theres LOADS of people in the room and most are stood around not doing alot so theyll take the photos for you. In recovery I was allowed to have skin to skin and breastfeed straight away (I asked FOB to hold her first as I couldnt move much from the neck down, but most spinals arent that strong, I think they paniced with me and shoved loads in lol) so try not to worry about that.

 

[fairydust1984]

Hi you want to read jj's labour story it had loads of detail on planned c section c

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[Laura_C]

I have had both an emergency and a planned c section - so have had both epidural and spinal. The planned section was much more relaxed but I knew I was only having the section at that time because my baby had to be delivered as he was very poorly, so in that respect it was much harder for me. The process was much more relaxed though. I had a spinal, which you will probably have for a planned section as it it much easier to do that an epidural. Spinal takes effect almost immediately you will feel a warm tingly feeling going down you legs, bum. They found it difficult to get my spinal done though as they kept hitting bone! I bent 2 needles! If he didn't get it in the next time then they would of done a general which I obv didn't want. I didn't get to have any of the birth I wanted unfortunately as they had to stabilise my son and take him straight to NICU but I had been prepared for that before so I knew thats how it would be.

The emergency section went by in a little bit of a blur as I had been through 24 hours of established labour and 4 days of slow labour before that - so was out of it really. I already had an epidural in from my labour so they just topped this up when I was rushed to theatre.

The baby is delivered very quickly, you don't have to wait long once you on the table, its the sorting you out that takes the most time! I was chatting away throughout the births and it isn't half as bad as you would probably imagine. The anaesthetist will look after you the whole way through, he kept talking to me to check I was ok and to see if i needed anything. Asked if I felt sick etc. Both times I started to shake uncontrollably but they can manage this with some drugs, I think its morphine but they wont give you certain things until baby is delivered. I think it was very much nerves as neither of mine were under great circumstances.

In my case when i had my daughter she was born healthy and she was initially handed to my husband who held her by my face until they finished stitching me up. As soon as they had finished they whipped her onto me for skin to skin and she never left me after that I had skin to skin from operating theatre to postnatal ward and my hubby got her ready after she had plenty of time with me. She latched on very quickly and we were breastfeeding very well from the start. I must admit I never felt like I had missed out any, it was wonderful overall. I was up and about within 24 hours, but even when I was still in bed recovering I had Grace with me all of the time. I was lucky I was able to lift and move her back into her cot at the side of my bed with no help by the evening (had her at 7:16am). I must say though the first day you will feel quite good due to all the meds your on, by day two/three you may feel much sorer.

I never got postnatally depressed and we got on well with breastfeeding but after 3/4 weeks I decided formula feeding was the way to go with her. She was a very hungry baby! I had a very good milk supply though after about 3 days post delivery.

 

[Amy_J]

i had a planned c-sec (done by my oh dad lol) which was weird but good at the same time. it wasplanned for 38weeks as i had growth probs and my lo was 5lbs 2oz. it was a good experience although now i wish i could have done natural. however.... i was up about and walking within 24 hours, my scar is perfectly healed and the neatest smallest thing i have ever seen. towards the end of the procedure (when lo was born) i started to feel sick but the was due to the anasthetic (sp?) and it soon wore off. the thingi founf the weirest was not being able to move...my brain was telling me to move my legs but it wasphysically imposisble!!! the whole thing barely lasted half an hour and my fil was talking to me the whole way thru which was so nice and reassuring!!!! i didnt get skin to skin as my lo was taken staright to the nursery for checks etc as he was rather little!! i was sad about that and i didnt get to see him until 5 hours after he was born!!!! =(( good luck with everything it will be fine!!

 

[mdsremos]

I've had an emergancy and a planned section.
The emergency one was after 20hrs of labour and once delivered little one was taken to a sideroom as he needed some help to breathe.
The planned section was at 38 weeks as i had gestational diabetes and this little one was permanent breech. The whole experience was nervewrecking but the staff put you at ease and let you know all along what is happening and before you know it your numb with a spinal anaesthetic, lay on a table and it feels like pressure as though they are squishing your tummy about (I didnt even know they had started and thought they were constanting checking the babies position), then he was screaming his little lungs out!
Oliver was given a very quick rub, he was very sticky being 2 weeks early, then i had immediate skin to skin contact with DH sat next to me crying.....whilst I was being transferred to a bed once stitched up in theatre, DH took little one to the recovery room and I met them in there for more skin to skin and I attempted to breastfeed but Oliver was very restless so we had to use formula to get his blood sugars up due to my diabetes.
I was up and about 24 hours later, spent all my time in a side room and was well looked after by the staff, dont worry about asking them for help, and discharged 2 days later. My stitches were removed on the fifth day and I was up and about and going shopping within the first week, although made sure I didnt lift or strain!!
Best advice in hospital - take pain relief every four hours, even if you dont feel too bad still accept or ask for it!!!!!

 

[Momma`Kat]

Ah Ha! The c-section was the best bit of the whole hospital for me Lol. It was the only time they dan well did somthing the right way!

Had two different sited epidurals, and neither of them worked, so ended up with a full spinal. Wow thats weird! With an epidural they say you can feel pressure and such but i dont think its the same with a spinal, i didnt feel anything atall.

Definately ask someone to take pictures for you! There was a guy standing next to me making jokes the whole time to keep me relaxed.. he could have easily taken them but i forgot to ask!

Afterwards.. Its horrible. I couldnt move atall in recovery, i was shaking and going in and out of conciousness. Totally overdid the spinal. I think someone latched her on for me then, i know she was put next to me.

Im not sure if i just had bad luck, or they are all like this and im a wimp.. but i couldnt walk for 3-4 days afterward without Tramadol and Morphine. (Morphine injections BURN LIKE FIRE) ask for tramadol first!

Also had internal stitches come apart after 2 days that was agony. All i had done was put the baby in the cot and i couldnt move my legs without searing pain. But they refused to give me morphine till i was laying down! And never fixed it >.<

Morphine sounds fabby.. but its really not that great when you are there so like i said, ask for tramadol first!

What else.. Umm i had a bead stitch put in, no worries with that, bit weird sensation when they took it out but all fine.

When you go home.. i know people say take it easy.. but REALLY take it easy. Im 8 weeks on, and i still cant lift things. I still get shooting pains across my scar (which by the way is like invisible!)


Sorry if i scared ya.. But i not gonna paint it rosey.

Also as someone said. Panned c-sections are generally better, mine was an emergency.

 

[purpleisa]

I had an emergency section five years ago with DD and have just had a planned section for DS just under two weeks ago.

I'd agree with previous posters that a planned section is much more relaxed than an emergency which in most cases (including mine) follows some long and horrid labour experience.

I had post natal depression after DD and had fluoxetine and counselling and got there in the end. I also felt physically very weak and had sore aching muscles for a long time after. After the emerg. section I got skin to skin after about an hour and did manage to breastfeed (until I gave up on day 4 - whole other story). I was quite scared during the op. Got the shakes and felt really horrid for a while after. It took me ages to get over it physically.

The planned section was totally different - I asked if I could watch (I thought I'd be much less freaked out if I could see what was going on. They couldn't let me see cause of the angle but lowered the screen a lot so I could see some of what was going on in the reflection on the overhead lights!! The surgeon was great and talked me through what she was doing the whole time - which I had asked for! Fraser started crying before they had finished fishing him out and they dropped the screen temporarily to plop him direct onto my chest for skin to skin right away!!! It was great. Fraser didn't breastfeed until an hour or two after the birth and I felt able to hold him but needed some help with attachment. (Again I didn't continue bf but again another story).

The spinal wore off much more smoothly than the topped up epidural used during emerg. section.

I'm driving again (yes, I checked ok with insurance and doc!) and feel fit as a fiddle and Fraser is less than two weeks old. (Although I have somehow managed to hurt my back yesterday so that's not so good - really hope its better before DH goes back to work!!) It could just be down to luck that this time recovery (so far) is going so well but i think not having been through the horrid exhausting labour befoore the op also helped. I also stayed much more active during the second pregnancy which I think helped.

About the depression I have had occasional "baby blues" weepy moments and am anxious about coping with two kids when hubby back to work next week. The nursery run and DD's swimming lessons are playing heavily on my mind! But I think having been through despression before (not just the post natal episode) has given me lots of coping strategies and I'm not nearly so hard on myself as before. I also don't panic about the wee weepy moments. Just try to worry too much about getting depresssed - in my experience that can be a self fufilling prophecy!

Anyway - I think everyone and every op is different and recovery does vary but the fact that your section is planned is a good thing as the experience does seem to be better. Ask for what you want to happen and good luck - I bet you can't wait to meet your baby!

 

[kellylou]

I had an emergency c section as I was induced and not dilating. I had wpidural before we knew I needed a c section but as my blood pressure as dropping rapidly and so was babys heartbeat it was all stations go. I had a spinap block and it was over very quickly I had wanted skin to skin straight away but as my blood pressure continued to drop alex was passed to my hubby but he stayed with me until I stabilised whilst I was being stitched he went back to my room with alex but waited for me until I came back then we had immediate skin to skin and he fed almost immediately then hubby dessed him for me. The only downside I felt was that I couldnt move for a good few hours so changing his nappy was a no no but othr than that thre is nothing else I would have done differently x

I was also fully recovered within 4 weeks as I literall just rested x

 

[shootingstar22]

How did you all fin tending to yuor babes when your partner wasnt around in hospital? I keep thinking "how am i going to be able to change nappy and feed babe if i cant move!!"

 

[Momma`Kat]

I didnt have an OH Lol, Midwifes helped me out a lot. Though i did get pissed at them snatching her up when she cried and whisking her off, rather than letting me have her, or even TRY to do it.

 

[Laura_C]

I think it is very different from hospital to hospital as to the type of care you receive. I had a little help of the midwifes/healthcare assistants but not a great deal. My OH came in the morning and was there most of the day with me, so just the evenings from about 8pm that I was on my own. I was left to my own devices really but if I was ever stuck I just rand my bell and asked for a hand. If you keep up to date with your pain/inflammation meds you will feel better for it. Don't be afraid to ask for something stronger if you need it after the birth.

When I had my daughter I was given really good pain relief, I even had an oral morphine thing when I was struggling - thats probably what helped me through and able to do more with baby in those first few days. This time around when I had my son they refused to give me anything more that paracetamol and diclofenac even though the doctors said they would prescribe because they wanted me comfortable. I had a very bad cold when he was delivered, they probably wouldn't normally do it when I was so poorly but little man was poorly and had to be delivered. He died whilst in NICU and this midwife wouldn't even give me stronger pain relief, I was in bits - tbh I should have complained but I had more important things on my mind.

 

[Elfs Mummy]

The staff never took Maisie from me i just asked them to help and most were happy for me to have her in bed with me. I only had one really bad day as you know but the staff where so helpful it made it alot better xx