For those who have had a C-section

[wishingforbub]

Hi ladies

Just wondering for those who have had a C-section, what were your experiences? Healing process.... scar... holding baby... breastfeeding... getting your tummy back in shape...does your foof feel any different... how soon after you had sex...getting your period again.... etc etc

Thanks ladies!

 

[Kimmer]

Hey hun, I had an emergency c section.

I found it to be pretty awful to be honest. It felt bloody horrible at the time. When I had to stand up after less than 24 hours, I thought I was being ripped in half. I couldn't pick my baby up myself, I could change her nappy, change her clothes, comfort her if she was crying.. I had to depend on the nurses.

As soon as I came out of the theatre, I looked at my belly where my huge bump used to be, and it was GONE! Just flab. Nothing left at all. I haven't done much to stay in shape, so I don't know about that

The healing wasn't nice, the scar got infected a few times and was very unpleasant!

Every thing downstairs was completely normal, I bled for 3 weeks, before the section I had no idea you even did bleed after a section. That wasn't nice.
I had sex again as soon as the bleeding stopped, so 3 weeks.

Then I got my first AF after 7 weeks (I combination fed too)

Hope that helps

 

[amygwen]

Hello!!

I had an emergency c-section and it was terrible to recover from. Prior to getting induced, I actually wanted to have a c-section, had I known how horrible it would be, I wouldn't have wished that upon myself! Haha.

Anyways, the healing process for me took about two weeks to get back to normal. It was really hard though to carry the baby, because you're in so much pain - but you do it do it because you have to. The first few days of Kenny's life, I was in the worst amount of pain. I couldn't walk around, I couldn't get out of the hospital bed, I couldn't go up and down the stairs. It was really difficult to breastfeed him, but the hospital taught me how to do the lying down position, so I didn't have to have the added pressure of holding him while BFing. It's been 4 months since I had Kenny and my stomach has not gotten back into shape, it's quite disgusting what it looks like now but it's getting better as the dieting goes on! I didn't have sex for 10 weeks after Kenny. Even though they don't have to do anything vaginally you're still sore ont he inside since you had a major surgery, so I waited the 6 weeks and even longer to have sex. But I didn't mind - sex was the last thing on my mind! Periods vary woman to woman. For me, I bled for about 2 weeks PP, then it went away.. then it came back for a couple of days and went away. Now I've been spotting bleeding for about 1.5 months! It sucks.

 

[wishingforbub]

Thanks Kimmer that was very helpful. I plan on breastfeeding/ expressing as well.
Sounds a bit painful ... did you have a spinal block or epidural>?

 

[wishingforbub]

Thanks amygwen.. do they give any meds to numb the pain pp?

 

[Laura80]

I had a planned section and it wasn't as bad as I expected. Yes I had a lot of pain afterwards but the hospital sent me home with a lot of painkillers so I found I could manage ok with a bit of help from the hubby. I won't lie, the first few days were awful, but it wasn't long until the pain died down a bit and it was more manageable. I bled for 6 weeks and had my first pp period at 10 weeks.

 

[wishingforbub]

Thanks Laura80... Good to know pain subsided after a few days.. and I guess if you have someone to help you then it makes a HUGE difference too.

 

[bky]

I had an emergency section, but a really pain free recovery. I was ready to do things right away (but I was good and didn't). The hardest time for me was stuck to the bed in hospital with a catheter unable to pick my baby out of the fishbowl thing they had her in.
I did have a lot of bf issues as a result (edema of the breasts among others), but no real issues with incision pain and bf.
I had an infection (don't skip showers when you get home! and use baby wipes to keep it clean and pads/liners to keep it dry throughout the day), but wasn't ever in much pain.

 

[Kimmer]

I did want to breast feed, but because of the 'shock' my body took longer to produce anything. My baby was left with no food for 48 hours before they agreed to give her some formula, by this point she was jaundiced.

She then couldn't latch because of the lack of skin to skin, she never was able to. My body wasn't getting the demand from pumping so could never exclusively express. My supply went completely by week 6.

I also had low blood pressure and kept passing out. I lost a lot of blood so had low iron levels, the tablets made me very sick. The anti blood clotting injections I had to have (everyone has that after an op) hurt like a bitch!

Oh and I didn't poop for 5 days

I definitely wouldn't recommend a section unless there's serious reason to put yourself through that.

I thought it was the 'easy' way!

 

[OmarsMum]

I had emergency CS. It was traumatic, not the operation itself, the operation was good & only took 20 mins frm starting to end but my baby was stuck & he was born poorly with a bump on his head. My milk dried out immediately, & LO couldnt latch on & we had to give him formula after 18 hrs frm not feeding as he was jaundiced. I didnt have much pain after leaving the hospital & recovery was ok. We had sex after 6 wks & it wasnt bad but I still feel tighter than before although I didnt have any stitches down there. I lost all pre-preg weight but my tummy didnt get back to normal & I still have a fold. The scar is heeling nicely but it's showing & a bit red but it's not infected (my skin is sensitive & when I get any mark or scar it doesnt usually fade). As for periods, I went back on the pill at week 5.

 

[Charlii Lou]

I had a planned c-section as Lucas was breech & i can say it was a really good experiance

I didnt experiance any pain, just kept taking all the pain relief they were offering! I was up and walking the same night, catheter came out the day after & i was home on day 3

I breastfed Lucas straight away in recovery & had no problems or pain.

The nurses were very helpful with passing me the baby but after i was up and walking i didnt need there help

The stitches came out on day 6 and no infection & no pain at all.

Im still bleeding 5 weeks after but hardly nothing just drips and drabs, so waiting to have sex till it completely stops

Really isnt at all as bad as i thought it was gonna be...i think emergency sections are more painful and traumatic

 

[Kimmer]

I had a planned c-section as Lucas was breech & i can say it was a really good experiance

I didnt experiance any pain, just kept taking all the pain relief they were offering! I was up and walking the same night, catheter came out the day after & i was home on day 3

I breastfed Lucas straight away in recovery & had no problems or pain.

The nurses were very helpful with passing me the baby but after i was up and walking i didnt need there help

The stitches came out on day 6 and no infection & no pain at all.

Im still bleeding 5 weeks after but hardly nothing just drips and drabs, so waiting to have sex till it completely stops

Really isnt at all as bad as i thought it was gonna be...i think emergency sections are more painful and traumatic

Completely different experience to me then! So glad yours went well. My midwife/doctors have told me to have a planned section next time. They don't want me going through that again. My baby was in distress and at one point they thought she'd died

I've heard planned sections are better, but I still wouldn't have one unless there was a real reason!

 

[wishingforbub]

I had an emergency section, but a really pain free recovery. I was ready to do things right away (but I was good and didn't). The hardest time for me was stuck to the bed in hospital with a catheter unable to pick my baby out of the fishbowl thing they had her in.
I did have a lot of bf issues as a result (edema of the breasts among others), but no real issues with incision pain and bf.
I had an infection (don't skip showers when you get home! and use baby wipes to keep it clean and pads/liners to keep it dry throughout the day), but wasn't ever in much pain.

Thanks Bky... is it uncomfortable to have the catheter in you?... what is edema of the breasts? So when you can't pick baby up, I guess the nurses/ hubby will pass baby to you 'til you can... thanks for the advice.

I did want to breast feed, but because of the 'shock' my body took longer to produce anything. My baby was left with no food for 48 hours before they agreed to give her some formula, by this point she was jaundiced.

She then couldn't latch because of the lack of skin to skin, she never was able to. My body wasn't getting the demand from pumping so could never exclusively express. My supply went completely by week 6.

I also had low blood pressure and kept passing out. I lost a lot of blood so had low iron levels, the tablets made me very sick. The anti blood clotting injections I had to have (everyone has that after an op) hurt like a bitch!

Oh and I didn't poop for 5 days

I definitely wouldn't recommend a section unless there's serious reason to put yourself through that.

I thought it was the 'easy' way!

yes true Kimmer...it is major surgery after all. I heard that when some ladies have natural birth they struggle majorly to poop and urinate/ they leak urine..
Do you have a spinal block or epidural when you have a section? does that hurt too...?
Thanks for sharing your experience

I had emergency CS. It was traumatic, not the operation itself, the operation was good & only took 20 mins frm starting to end but my baby was stuck & he was born poorly with a bump on his head. My milk dried out immediately, & LO couldnt latch on & we had to give him formula after 18 hrs frm not feeding as he was jaundiced. I didnt have much pain after leaving the hospital & recovery was ok. We had sex after 6 wks & it wasnt bad but I still feel tighter than before although I didnt have any stitches down there. I lost all pre-preg weight but my tummy didnt get back to normal & I still have a fold. The scar is heeling nicely but it's showing & a bit red but it's not infected (my skin is sensitive & when I get any mark or scar it doesnt usually fade). As for periods, I went back on the pill at week 5.

Thanks nmwb. I am sorry you had a traumatic experience...can i ask with regards to your tummy not going back to normal.. do you do any tummy exercises? That's one thing I am worried about LOL is the tummy going back to normal

I had a planned c-section as Lucas was breech & i can say it was a really good experiance

I didnt experiance any pain, just kept taking all the pain relief they were offering! I was up and walking the same night, catheter came out the day after & i was home on day 3

I breastfed Lucas straight away in recovery & had no problems or pain.

The nurses were very helpful with passing me the baby but after i was up and walking i didnt need there help

The stitches came out on day 6 and no infection & no pain at all.

Im still bleeding 5 weeks after but hardly nothing just drips and drabs, so waiting to have sex till it completely stops

Really isnt at all as bad as i thought it was gonna be...i think emergency sections are more painful and traumatic

Thanks Charlii Lou... so glad you had a great experience I guess as long as baby is safe, it doesn't matter how they come out LOL. and now you don't find it hard to hold baby and breastfeed? xx

 

[MrsDramaQueen]

I had an elective C-Section because my baby was breech. I had her at 7.30pm and was out at 9pm the following day. They wanted me to stay longer but my hospital experience was not that great so i wanted to be home where my husband could help. The C-Section itself was fine. But as soon as the epidural wore off i was in an huge amount of pain (i have a strong pain thresh hold too). The nurse didn't bring the painkillers when she should of, and i found it difficult to breastfeed because it hurt to get in the right position. I also found it hard lifting the baby. For about a week it was hard to walk, especially up and downstairs and hard to get out of bed. Luckily my husband did most of the night feeds. We had switched to formula so that he could help.

It was about 6 weeks until i could walk normal. I had an infection in my stitches so it was about 12 weeks until my scar closed up fully. I was on antibiotics and painkillers on and off until then. It took 4 courses of antibiotics to clear the infection up.

It's now nearly 5 months. My scar has nearly faded, and i'm not far off my pre-pregnancy weight. I haven't done any exercise because of the problems with my stitches but you get a lot of exercise running around after a baby.

Next time i plan to have a VBAC unless i have to have a C-Section. For me it frustrated me to not be able to do a lot of normal things like lifting and going upstairs without a lot of effort.

 

[OmarsMum]

Thanks hun. My tummy grew really big during pregnancy & had split muscles. I was tiny before, & I added 24 kgs during my pregnancy. I wasnt allowed to do any sit-ups or tummy excercises before 6 mnths. I started exercising at 6 mnths but as I lost lots of weight after delivery during the 1st 6 mnths (frm 76 kgs to 60 kgs) I was left with the skin. It takes time to get back into shape, I'm not working hard as I dont like leaving Omar for long hrs to go to the gym. xx

 

[wishingforbub]

mrsdramaqueen, thank you for your experience... sorry that you had a bit of a tough time, but you seem to have come along nicely! So good they do the incision on the bikini line now compared to down from the navel like they used to !!
Oh nmwb, ouchie to the split muscles ! that must have been painful...and I totally get not leaving your lil man LOL

 

[littleblonde]

I had a planned section. It was lovely. My baby was breach so i had time to get used to it. I went into theatre 1st and had a spinal. that was the worst bit of the whole thing. ALthough they did numb it 1st. I then lay back and they test how numb you are by spreying cold water on you and then put a sheet up. Then my OH came in. It took 8 minutes for them to cut me open and get kacey out. She sneezed 1st and then cryed. She was cleaned up and OH then got to hold her. I was crying. I couldnt really feel anything. But was told to expect a feeling like someone was washing up inside you and then a feeling of pressure. It took 40 minutes to sow me up. Then in recovery we got skin to skin and i breast fed her. No problems what so ever. I then went to the recovery ward. I wasnt able to lift her out of her cot but could hold her and brest fed her when needed. My Oh dressed her. The morning after i got out of bed and had a shower and moved to the normal ward. There i did all of kaceys care myself. i had discomfort but nothing i couldnt handle and im a wimp. I never had bad pain. By day 5 i was going for walks with kacey and by day 7 i stopped taking the pain killers. I bled for 6 weeks in total but never heavy. I still wish i could of done it the natural way. However i had a great experience. The only time i didnt do kaceys care for the whole time was when my OH did it.

 

[wishingforbub]

I had a planned section. It was lovely. My baby was breach so i had time to get used to it. I went into theatre 1st and had a spinal. that was the worst bit of the whole thing. ALthough they did numb it 1st. I then lay back and they test how numb you are by spreying cold water on you and then put a sheet up. Then my OH came in. It took 8 minutes for them to cut me open and get kacey out. She sneezed 1st and then cryed. She was cleaned up and OH then got to hold her. I was crying. I couldnt really feel anything. But was told to expect a feeling like someone was washing up inside you and then a feeling of pressure. It took 40 minutes to sow me up. Then in recovery we got skin to skin and i breast fed her. No problems what so ever. I then went to the recovery ward. I wasnt able to lift her out of her cot but could hold her and brest fed her when needed. My Oh dressed her. The morning after i got out of bed and had a shower and moved to the normal ward. There i did all of kaceys care myself. i had discomfort but nothing i couldnt handle and im a wimp. I never had bad pain. By day 5 i was going for walks with kacey and by day 7 i stopped taking the pain killers. I bled for 6 weeks in total but never heavy. I still wish i could of done it the natural way. However i had a great experience. The only time i didnt do kaceys care for the whole time was when my OH did it.

Thanks Littleblonde for your experience... so good you had such a good one. Did your milk come in straight away?

 

[SamGames23]

I had a simi planned c-section, planned 3 days before having it. I was super nervous but it actually wasn't to bad at all. My biggest problem was them putting trying to put in the spinal, cause of my weight it was hard for me to lean far enough forward to do so. It hurt bad kept hitting nerves in my back. We were just about to knock me out when they tried the epidural and it worked thankfully.

Recovery went fine, my scar you can't really see it. Holding her was fine, breastfeeding was fine. Guess my biggest problem was 2 things was one getting up and down was super hard, and two was when she tried to "breast crawl" cause she'd kinda hop off my tummy and that was unpleasant.

I didn't DTD until 6+ weeks PP cause I wanted to be on birth control first and didn't have my period either until after that I don't think. Not sure though cause I got an IUD that in some people the period stops.

Hope all goes well, good luck.

 

[wishingforbub]

I had a simi planned c-section, planned 3 days before having it. I was super nervous but it actually wasn't to bad at all. My biggest problem was them putting trying to put in the spinal, cause of my weight it was hard for me to lean far enough forward to do so. It hurt bad kept hitting nerves in my back. We were just about to knock me out when they tried the epidural and it worked thankfully.

Recovery went fine, my scar you can't really see it. Holding her was fine, breastfeeding was fine. Guess my biggest problem was 2 things was one getting up and down was super hard, and two was when she tried to "breast crawl" cause she'd kinda hop off my tummy and that was unpleasant.

I didn't DTD until 6+ weeks PP cause I wanted to be on birth control first and didn't have my period either until after that I don't think. Not sure though cause I got an IUD that in some people the period stops.

Hope all goes well, good luck.

SamGames thanks for your experience Sounds like it wasn't too bad after all. Ouchie on the spinal.. that must have hurt !! but your LO is a cutie x