C Sections

[Cat]

Hello again ladies, thought Iought to start a seperate post for this one. I just wanted to know from those of you who had planned sections as oposed to emergency section, what the recovery was like for you. Its an option Im contemplating, but Im just concerned about what the recovery is like, did it take you ages to heal, were you in a lot of pain post section, did you have trouble holding your baby, or getting into shape afterwards etc. How bad is the scar?

Dont need to know what the feeling of the section itself would be like, as will have to have it under general anesthetic anyway due to spine problems. Just want to know what I will be waking up to!

 

[Helen]

That's a good question Cat. I have no idea on the answer but would love to know what people thought too as it's an option for us.

 

[Imi]

Lynnie just had hers ... she might not be on as she has family over the next few days ...

Think she wrote about it in her birth story ... but she getting round great!
xxx

 

[Tootsie]

I honestly didnt have planned c sections but i dont think the recovery time would differ tbh.

Either way its classed as a major operation

 

[Cat]

I honestly didnt have planned c sections but i dont think the recovery time would differ tbh.

Either way its classed as a major operation

I kept finding before that people I knew who had had emergency sections had had them after having gone though a natural labour for ages first, just to hit problems, therefore they were physically trying to recover from both, and normally had bad experiences, got infections etc and generally found the whole thing a lot more traumatic as it was so unexpected etc. I should have imagined planed ones are a bit more stright forward as your mentally a bit more prepared and its a bit more organised instead of a rush if you know what I mean.

 

[LynnieH]

I had an emergancy section with jonny and a planned section with Frankie. tbh in hindsight as I didn't have to have to have one, I would have tried natural. It was fine except for about six hours after as the spinal block wore off and I needed morphine.

I would recommend natural over section if possible. I recovered equally well each time and was driving (with docs permission) at four weeks. The best way to cope is to get up and moving as soon as possible.

 

[Cat]

I had an emergancy section with jonny and a planned section with Frankie. tbh in hindsight as I didn't have to have to have one, I would have tried natural. It was fine except for about six hours after as the spinal block wore off and I needed morphine.

I would recommend natural over section if possible. I recovered equally well each time and was driving (with docs permission) at four weeks. The best way to cope is to get up and moving as soon as possible.

See my tailbone injury from the last labour is starting to play up now, and if Ido the same damage again or worse, Icouldnt sit properly for 6 months after my natural child birth last time, I couldnt even sit in a car or at the dinner table and had to lie down most of the time or sit on very soft chairs with lots of cushions, that was hard enough with noah to look after at the same time, but with him and another baby it could pose a major problem, so Im trying to think which will be the lesser of two evils, section recovery or tailbone recovery.

 

[sparkles]

I had a emergency section the first time after going into labour. 2nd time I planned the section but still ended up with an emergency section as Joe decided to come 4 days before the date. The recovery 2nd time round was longer as I got a blood clot in my wound and lost a lot of blood.

I can honestly say I wish I had pushed (literally) for a natural birth. It was my choice though, but i made the wrong one.

Laura.

 

[Cat]

sparkles, how long was your recovery first time round, and how long did you have to stay in hospital?

 

[LynnieH]

By the way I was only in hospital 48 hours after my second section

 

[Tam]

My sister had 2 emergency c-sections, and both went fine, the second was a little bit longer to get over, but on the whole she did great, then she had a planned C-section in November, again it all went well and she recovered over that one quicker than all of them.......she had no complications with any of them and would always have a c-section over a natural!

 

[stephlw25]

Well after an emergency section i really dont know how people could choose to go through such pain!! the recovery was awful! i have vivid memories of crying my eyes out when i sneezed! oh the pain! and the journey home from hospital had me in tears too, every time the car jerked or went over a bump etc i was agony !!! i def dont want to go through that again, hoping for a natural next time. Although the experience may be differnt if planned but i cant see how the recovery would be any differnt|!

 

[Cat]

I have been reading up on people experiences today, and it seems to be so mixed, Iwould say an equal number of people found the whole experience terrible and painfull and took a while to recover etc, and then the other extree of people that seemed to find it no trouble at all, so there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

Its so hard to work out whats for the best at the mo, if I go natural I stand a good chance of doing reasonably long term or even permanent tailbone damage, and have to have cortisone injections regularly into my coyccyx. Or have a section and have major abdominal surgery with all the possible complications and recovery, or go induced early, which may still cause the tailbone damage, and may make a far more painfull labour if I have to go on the drip to help, and no option of an epi.

So whatever route I take seems a pretty crap outcome

 

[Tam]

Well after an emergency section i really dont know how people could choose to go through such pain!! the recovery was awful! i have vivid memories of crying my eyes out when i sneezed! oh the pain! and the journey home from hospital had me in tears too, every time the car jerked or went over a bump etc i was agony !!! i def dont want to go through that again, hoping for a natural next time. Although the experience may be differnt if planned but i cant see how the recovery would be any differnt|!

I had all that from my natural birth, I was so tender and sore down below, it was agony....any sort of pressure, from coughing, sneezing, to being out in the car was awful!

I think C-sections are the same as natural births in the sense that everyone has a different experience, and how it happened for one person or in one pregnancy does not determine how it will happen all the time and for everyone........

 

[Amanda]

My boobs hurt more than the section pain!!!!!

I had a natural birth with Kayleigh, was cut and had stitches, and couldn't sit down for weeks. With Charlie, it was a planned section, and the pain wasn't anywhere near as bad. The worse bit was trying to get out of bed on day 3 when I couldn't sit up straight because of my section, and couldn't roll over onto my side because of my Jordon-stylie tits!!!!

Seriously though Cat - I am going for a section next time for definite. The scar sometimes still hurts a little inside - a bit like ovulation pain on the one side. It's not pretty, but I don't think the scar from being cut with Kayleigh is any oil painting either!!!!!!! The getting back into shape is harder. I've still got a bit of a tum, but can't do sit-ups as it pulls. And the tummy sticking out stops at the scar and then goes flat under it, so it looks a little strange from the side. I've just changed my wardrobe though, so no tight trousers!!

And I'm going to talk the surgeon into giving me a tummy tuck during the op at the next section!!!

 

[sparkles]

Hiya,
Im not on much till my internet is sorted. With my first pg i was in for 5 days but i would have been out a day earlier had Jessica not lost weight.

2nd time I was in for about 5 days again because I had a wee problem with my wound.