Very anxious about c-section #2

[SoBlessedMama]

I'm so sorry in advance, because this will be a long post! Feel free to bail out halfway through. ; )

I had DS#1 via c-section in 2010. Overall, it was a positive experience, and he was born healthy, which is what matters!

However, over the past 4 years (and specifically over the past 9 months lol!) my anxiety about the procedure has gone through the roof.

I have a c-section scheduled for DS#2 on October 21st, and I actually think it will be before that. With each passing day, I get more and more anxious...mostly about three things (and some of these I've posted about before, so I'm sorry if you're reading about my craziness two times over lol!)

1) The anesthesia. I felt like I was smothering, and it freaks me out that it will feel that way again, or worse.

2) The blood clots. TMI, but last time I had several large uterine blood clots that my doctor had to remove manually. That HURT. I think it was worse because I had only dilated to a 1, and her arm was in there, no kidding, up to her elbow. To make matters even worse, last time my doctor was a tiny woman, this time my doctor is a big man lol. Are blood clots and removal like this common?? Because it will definitely be worse with him, if so!

3) The spinal headache. I had a spinal headache after delivering my son. They attempted to fix this with a blood patch on my spine, and it didn't work--I had to wait two days and get another patch. So I was flat on my back from Tuesday-Friday with a skull splitting headache.

If all of these things are common place, and the answer is "suck it up" then I am okay with that--I will deal with it. But it would be really reassuring to know that these three things really are kind of rare. And then maybe I will go out and buy some lottery tickets since I have such amazing odds. ; )

If you've made it this far in my ramblings, thank you! And best of luck with wherever you are in TTC, pregnancy, or recovery. Any positive stories are most definitely welcome!!!!!

 

[Feathers]

I didn't experience any of those on either of my c-sections. The anaesthesia was great and wore off within a few hours, certainly no smothering feelings!
Also I had no clots removed in that way, at least none that I knew! No arms up there or anything definitely.
Spinal headache wasn't something I suffered from either although I know that is a possible side effect. I think if you get one they can help if you tell them?
Good luck with it and try not to worry

 

[lisa1980]

Was your first an emergency section?

My first was an emergency section and although it was fine and baby came out healthy I had more complications with that one than my recent planned section.

With DS1 I had an epidural which made me feel liked couldn't breathe when I was on the table and I started to panic. My blood pressure went sky high and the anaesthetist started to get panicked too. It was quite awful but went as soon as DS was born.

I also developed a spinal headache and had to have a blood patch which they could only do three days later so I spent those first few days flat on my back, struggling to BF and care for a newborn. It was so painful to sit up even....worse than labour I felt.

This time, with DS2, it was a totally different experience! I had a spinal instead of epidural so it didn't feel like I was suffocating and it's wore off much more quickly afterwards so I could get up and about. The risk of spinal headache is much smaller with a spinal as the needle is much smaller, and thankfully this time I had no problem. I don't know about the manual clot removal but hopefully the risk of this happening to you again is minimal.

I was worried about similar things to you before going in but it was honestly such a calm and positive experience this time round, and my recovery has been surprisingly easy. I really hope it's the same for you this time round

 

[SoBlessedMama]

Thank you, girls : ) each time I hear, "oh, no, that didn't happen with me!" it eases a little of my anxiety.

I honestly don't know if last time would be termed an emergency c-section or not. I didn't go into labor--it was 2 weeks before my due date. But over the course of a weekend, my blood pressure went up, and baby wasn't moving nearly as much as he should've been. So it was very much wham-bam from the doctor's office, but it was just quick--it didn't seem rushed or panicked, and everyone was very calm. Also, since I hadn't been in labor, they used a spinal block instead of an epidural.

Honestly, the anesthesia scares me the most. The pain from the clots and the headache I can understand, and I can handle. But I'm a bit of a control freak lol, so being strapped down and feeling smothered and claustrophobic just wasn't the best experience for me!!

That being said, I love my doctor, I love his nursing staff, and I love my hospital. I definitely trust them. It is still just a bit un-nerving. But hopefully since I've been through it once now, I will feel more prepared on that day this time. : )

 

[lisa1980]

The suffocating feeling was what I was most scared of too. I made sure that I took slow, deep breaths and thought about meeting my baby and I didn't get the same panicky feeling this time at all. It was all over so quickly this time too, and I wasn't worried about LO as much as the first time (DS1 had been in distress and his heart had stopped at one point so I was already stressed out!).

I think knowing what to expect this time made me much calmer so this probably helped. Will you get a chance to voice your worries to the anaesthetist beforehand? I did this and the reassurance he gave also helped me.

 

[SoBlessedMama]

Lisa, how scary!! I'm so glad your LO made it through okay.

I will have an appointment with the anesthesiologist before the procedure, so hopefully anything that I am concerned about can have a pretty decent answer. : )

It definitely makes me feel better to know that the second time around felt more relaxed and calm to you!

 

[cherrylips100]

I didn't experience anything bad at all and the lady next to me in hospital had just had her second csection and said that procedures and techniques had actually improved since she'd had her first a couple of years before.

 

[wookie130]

I've had 2 consecutive planned c-sections, 17 months apart, and while I didn't experience the things you did with my surgeries, they were both very individual and different experiences. The first surgery was a breeze, but my recovery was tough. My second c-section was a tougher surgery, but a wonderful recovery! So...it can be different w/each birth.

 

[DragonflyWing]

I think the manual clot removal is rare...in fact, I'd never heard of it until now! The spinal headache is a known possible side effect, but I believe the incidence is only around 25%, depending on what type of needle is used (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762227/). So you have a good chance of not experiencing that again!

As for the smothering sensation, if that starts to happen again, tell the anaesthesiologist right away. They keep a constant eye on your respiration, oxygen saturation, and heart rate, and can give you instant reassurance that you are in fact breathing fine. I had a similar smothering sensation, and I felt 100 times better when the anaesthesiologist showed me that he was watching everything and could see that I was breathing fine, even though it felt like I wasn't.

 

[SoBlessedMama]

I SO appreciate all the replies, girls!! Every time I hear stories where these weird things didn't happen, it does loads to reassure me. I am feeling better about surgery, and really hope I can remain calm. Two weeks from today!!!

 

[SoBlessedMama]

UPDATE: Little guy came early!! I had him via c-section yesterday at 12:32 pm, and so far, have seen NONE of the complications from last time. : ) No smothering sensation during the procedure (although I did have a slight moment of panic as they were prepping me lol, but that was ALL me), no blood clots to be removed, and (so far) no spinal headache. I really appreciate all the encouraging words, and I wish all you lovely ladies the best! : )

 

[wookie130]

Congratulations! I'm glad to hear there hasn't been any complications! Feel better soon, and enjoy your time in the hospital, snuggling your newest addition!

 

[lisa1980]

Oh I've just seen this!

Congrats So glad it went well.

Xx