Caesarians

Hi ladies,

My baby is due soon and I found out today that if he has not arrived on his due date I will be having a caesarian that day. I trust my obstetrician's advice so don't want to hear any opinions telling me to push for a natural birth instead. However, I'm VERY nervous, so I would love to hear any POSITIVE stories / encouragement / advice from those of you who have had C-sections.

Ta

Oh I just wanted to add ... I wouldnt have one again lol (if I could help it .. obviously if Elias needs to be chopped out then fine, but Im avoiding another cs like the plague!)

My first was an elective c/s because of being breech. I found it to be just as positive as giving birth naturally although the recovery was longer and harder than a natural. With an elective there are still aspects of it that you can plan, like if your DH wants to cut the cord, having kangaroo cuddles whilst they stitch you up etc. Obviously there are some limitations as to what you can plan but it can still be a good experience.
There are lots of people in the theatre with you which is kind of odd but they are all necessary but then once we were in recovery only 20 mins after he was born they popped him on the boob and then we were pretty much left alone to have some bonding time.
If you DH is ok with blood and guts and stuff then he will be able to take pics of the birth and will also be able to go over with the baby when he/she is weighed and suctioned etc. My DH went over and took pics of him on the scales then they wrapped him up and DH brought him over to me and I had cuddles whilst being stitched up.

Once I found out I would be having a c/s I read up everything I could on the actual procedure, so not people's experience of it but just the medical factual side of it all, I find knowing what is going to happen, what is happening and why it is happening helps me feel more in control so that might be something to think about. CWH had a really good folder all on c/s which I read so you could ask your obs if they have something for you to have a read of.

Yeah I had three weeks sitting around bored in the maternity ward to read before mine would be a bit different trying to read up on it as you are being wheeled into theatre

Hope - can i ask why you will be having one? is the baby big?

I had an elective based on my OB recommendation as well and I don't regret the decision.
I preferred to have time to prepare for the c-section rather than deal with the chance of having an emergency c-sect for Aoife. She was the second baby, was the one under stress and it we didn't know how she'd cope enduring 2 labours.


The most valuable thing I was told was that heat and pain senses are in the same nerves but not touch, hence why you can feel them rooting around in your tummy. Which to be honest I was happy about this as I could feel the babies were coming out of me IYKWIM

Also I'd have been a lot happier in all those years at the dentist if I'd known about the touch nerves as so many times I was petrified that the anesthetic hadn't worked

ETA: added 'senses' to make more sense

Edited by tishy

I had an elective due to breech presentation and loved it. DD was crying as soon as her mouth was free (even while her head was still inside) so that was cool and even though I was on my back I got to sort of cuddle her while DH held her.

I got to joke with the OB and MW and it was all very relaxed. I was worried about the spinal block but I couldn't feel it at all as they numb the area first. The most discomfort I had was getting the IV line put in my hand before hand (and not being able to eat or drink for 12+ hours prior)

There is a fair bit of recovery involved and that is not the most pleasant thing in the world but you are well looked after and I think a hard labour is just as hard to recover from.

As a plus she had a beautiful shaped head and my pelvic floor was back to normal immediately

If you're like me and not squeamish and like to be fully informed there's a full length video of a C-sect on YouTube that you can watch. I found it pretty interesting but obviously not for everyone.



Edited by Bobbie

Dont shave....get up the guts and wax!!!  Hairs growing back through the dressing is not nice.....still looks a mess down there due to ingrown hairs etc.  Waxing would have been worth the pain

Mine was an emergency, 30 hours after my waters broke. I would much prefer an elective (and almost hoping for one this time to be honest) as you are prepared for it, you don't ahve to go through any labour pains, and it will be alot more relaxed than an emergency.
I personally didn't find the recovery as bad as most make out (and I am the biggest wuss ever) and have heard some pretty horrific horror stories from natural birth recoveries too. I would rather stitches where I have them than "down there".   I had no bonding or breastfeeding issues, and Jake got an apgar score of 10, so no probs with him either.

Good luck ... and just think of all that pain you won't have to go through in labour --- which is FAR worse than the pain of recovering from a c section, if you ask me!

I am terrified of having to have one (I dont need one at this stage), but its one of my fears. I spoke to my Ob about half an hour ago about it.
The things she said that helped me:
The anesthetist does a great job at distracting you through the whole process... asking questions, etc
Trusting the team- who do the procedure a LOT.
They take less than 5 mins to get baby out, meeting your baby for the first time is a fantastic distraction and you wont even be thinking about whats going on down there.

I found this helpful- I was concerned about the feeling of being awake during this kind of surgery. I guess there are different kinds of fears/anxieties.... I highly reccomend expressing these to your Ob so they know where youre coming from. Hearing reassurance from them will help Im sure.
I hope it helps you.