Traumatic Experience - any positive stories?

[maggz]

Hey ladies, I ended up in a c-section to deliver my baby boy last week. It was quite honestly the most horrible thing I've been through, and here I was thinking that the procedure would be easy on the mama! I was just wondering if that is typical of a cs or if it's usually a calmer affair.
The memory of how horrible I thought it was is already starting to fade but this was our first baby and I know if I have the possibility of that happening again hanging over me during a pregnancy I'll just be a wreck!

So please, tell me it won't necessarily be this bad next time (if I can't do a vbac)!

 

[Gym knickers]

Hi Hun,
I'm sorry you had such an awful experience and I hope you manage to get past it and recover quickly. I had two planned c/s due to my babies positions and they were both very calm and relaxed and I recovered well. I decided not to go for a vbac with my second because of the risk of rupture and a stressful emergency section- this turned out to be a great decision as she was back to back and stuck so vbac would not have happened.
A planned section is a lot different- doctors are relaxed, music on etc. it might not be what you envisaged in your head but it's not like an emergency one with all the panic. For now just enjoy your little one and see how you feel next time around!

 

[LDC]

I'm sorry your experience was bad

I had an emcs with ds due to non progression of labour, she was also back to back and a bit of a chunk. My labour itself was the worst thing as they kept pushing for a natural and by the time someone said "get her to theatre" I could have kissed them.

My emcs was very calm; there was music on and the surgeon was a lovely woman (even commenting on not taking the cut too far to the right as to not ruin my tattoo!!). My recovery wAs also very good and generally a very easy experience to go through.

So much so that I am hoping for a CS with this baby, so long as everything is ok. I know people who have had planned sections and have said how calmer they are...essentially because there is no rush to get the baby out.

Please don't worry too much x

 

[Clarabell543]

I has an EMCS under general anaesthetic and never really got over it because by the time I was really with it my baby was a few hours old, I felt like such a failure. I don't want to risk another general anaesthetic so I plan to have a planned c section to ensure I can have the spinal and will be awake for baby to arrive, I don't want to risk VBAC to end in another EMCS!

 

[Clarabell543]

Oh and congratulations!!!

 

[lisa1980]

Congratulations on your baby!

Sorry your experience wasn't good.

I had an EMCS with my first. He was back to back, a big baby, meconium in waters and he couldn't handle the synto drip and HB started to go so off I went for a section at 8cm. To be honest I was so relieved to get him out ok and get the epidural in that I found the section not that bad. I ended up with dural leak due to rushing to get the epi in, could only lay flat for the first three days after he was born, and had to go back in for correction of this.

With DS2 I had a planned section. This was partly due to my own health issues which made a VBAC risky but also because I just knew in my bones that a VBAC would end either in an awful tear requiring surgical correction or another EMCS and I didn't want either of those things.

The planned section was so calm and lovely. The spinal went in fine with no pain or complication. I had skin to skin immediately and was breastfeeding within 30mins. I stayed in one night and went home the next day. I had minimal discomfort which was fine with simple painkillers for the first few days and then I was right as rain.

I think the difference between a planned and EMCS was really striking for me. I'd definitely go for another planned section if we decided to have a third child. The panic and exhaustion of the first EMCS was the worst bit, whereas the second one I felt relaxed and excited to meet my baby

 

[bumpwishes]

Congrats on your baby. I had an emcs a month ago and ended up having a general anesthetic. I'm so upset that I missed out on hearing or seeing my baby straight away. It was hours before I saw him and I felt awful when I came round and really couldn't enjoy that moment. Like you, I'm weighing up whether a planned section would be best next time. I've heard it is much better and obviously safer but I think I'll try a vbac unless told it's risky because I have a huge desire to experience delivery this way.

I'm trying to forget my horrible birth experience where nothing went right. Main thing is my baby is here and safe. In the future I'll always try to remember that just getting the baby out safely means the most.

 

[lachicasola]

Hey Maggz

Congrats on your little boy. So sorry you had a difficult experience getting him here though.

Mine's a positive story which I hope will help I had an emergency c section in March and although it all happened in a hurry it was as good an experience as I could have hoped for. Everyone was calm, I had no pain and the team explained everything all the way through. My partner was there with me and although I couldn't hold her straight away, I knew that he was with her until I could.

I was also lucky that I had a very easy recovery - I was up and walking the following morning (my little girl arrived just before midnight) and was totally mobile without any pain from then on. Actually, the hardest thing was remembering that I shouldn't be lifting and stretching for a few weeks after since I felt so good.

I've been warned that there's a chance I'll need a further c section for any future pregnancy, and although I'd prefer a natural birth, I don't have any worries if a c section is the way it turns out.

Hope the bad memories are fading and you can focus on recovering and enjoying your gorgeous boy. Sounds like you had some horrible luck, but I'm sure next time will be much much better x

 

[wiiwidow]

I chose to have my second baby boy by planned c section after a traumatic first birth. Quite honestly it was the best decision ever, it was calm and controlled the staff were excellent and though the recovery is tough, it's way easier than my recovery last time around. I have bonded with my son and have felt the wave of love, something I also never experienced first time around. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have this and I'm so so thankful for my section.
Hope these positive stories help? Xx

 

[maggz]

Thank you all for sharing, it definitely helps to know that it doesn't have to be awful. My recovery hasn't been bad at all, so that's a bright spot haha. And of course my perfect little boy is here now, I'm so glad I've regained full mobility so I don't have to depend on DH anymore for picking him up and stuff.

 

[Pearlie]

I'll be going for a planned c-section this time due to a horrific experience first time around. I am hopeful it will be calm and as natural as can be, I want to see the baby come out and have skin to skin and I'll be more vocal
This time on what I want since last time all control went out the window!!
X

 

[x__amour]

My failed VBAC/RCS with DS was a MILLION times better than my EMCS with DD. I have both stories in my signature if you'd like to read them.