Educate Me on C-Sections?
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Anonymous
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As I stare down my due date, is a chance I may need a c-section. This does not necessarily bother me; whatever is best for the baby and me is good by me.
This will be my second baby, however, and my first delivery was a textbook vaginal delivery so it would be a new experience for me. I’ve found a lot on c-section recovery but surprisingly little detail on what the actual surgery experience is like for various people. Would anyone be willing to share what exactly happened during their c-section? Was your partner/support person with you the the whole time? What was surgery prep like? How long did the c-section last? When did you get to see and hold your baby? What happened during post-op? Not looking for opinions on c-sections generally—really just focused on the experience itself—though I’m sure I’ll get some 
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Anonymous
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My first pregnancy was a vaginal delivery. I had a bit of a tear and was pretty uncomfortable for a week or so. Second delivery, with twin, with C-section.
We arrived to the hospital and Maureen how are prepped in a regular patient room. Stayed in the same bed and DH came with me as they will be down to the OB/GYN OR. I had a spinal, so I was awake all the time. There was a drape over my stomach, so I did not see that incision. It was pretty quick between the time decision was made to both babies were delivered. The physician basically pulled them out and put them on my stomach initially. Then the nurse took the babies to check weight and Apgar test. DH went with nurse. They brought the babies within a few minutes to me. We all went to recovery initially, but then I had to stay in recovery while DH went with the babies to the room. We weren’t separated long, maybe 30’. |
Anonymous
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I had to have a planned c section with my second. I had to arrive 6am I think, surgery was scheduled for 8 and pushed back a bit. I walked into the OR. My husband was able to be with me the entire time after epidural was placed. I think the surgery itself was pretty short - maybe 15 minutes? After baby was born he was suctioned and weighed/examined for a few minutes. They were communicating with me the entire time and I could see baby. Then baby placed on my chest while I was sewed up. After - wheeled to recovery room and baby started nursing right away. My only complication was that meds made me vomit so I only ate saltines for a good 24 hours.
Healing was straightforward. No issues and much easier than I had anticipated. I did take the pain meds as prescribed. Overall it was a positive experience! |
Anonymous
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For my scheduled c-section, I had to fast the night before and no liquids a few hours prior. Arrived at the hospital about 2 hours before surgery. Nurses hooked me up to IVs and monitors. DH was with me in pre-op.
When they wheeled me into the OR to get a spinal, DH stayed behind to change into a gown. He joined me in OR after I got my spinal and stayed by my head during the procedure. We opted for an opaque sheet so didn’t see our baby being born. My OB lifted up the baby real quick for us to see before the other drs and nurses whisked the baby away to other parts of the OR room to weigh/clean/etc. My DH went with the baby. After all that was done, they brought a swaddled baby to me for the first time. The anesthesiologist was by my head the whole time giving me updates on everything that was happening in the room. She also offered to take family photos of the 3 of us. My memory is a little fuzzy on the time duration, but sewing me back up felt like it took forever. The surgery itself was fine. It is a bit weird to not be able to move from the chest down. I did feel tugging when they took the baby out. At one point, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like there was a heavy weight on my chest. The anesthesiologist said it was normal and my vitals looked good, but adjusted some things to take the pressure off. I was in the post-op recovery room for about 2 hours. DH was with me the whole time. I did a lot of skin-to-skin with baby here. Overall I was just so tired and dozed off often. |
Anonymous
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My experience is in line with those above. I had a scheduled c-section with twins. I actually preferred it to my vaginal delivery.
The OR is big and bright compared to the room for vaginal delivery. The spinal block was a breeze compared to the epidural with my vaginal delivery (I think I had an especially rough epidural though). The tugging sensations were bizarre but kind of cool? And the recovery was different but I didn’t feel like it was significantly more difficult than the vaginal delivery (I had tearing). I had pretty epic tremors/chills from the anesthesia during recovery for maybe 30 min. Not painful but weird. Do all the things they tell you to do, take stool softeners, and schedule PT to check on your core and pelvic floor. |
Anonymous
+1 to this The baby comes out right near the beginning Rest of the time they are closing you up which takes longer |
Anonymous
PP here. Reading others posts. Yes I had to fast from midnight on. A nurse took a bunch of photos in the OR which we loved! |
Anonymous
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OP have you ever had surgery before?
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Anonymous
OP here, thanks for all the stories. And yes, I’ve had surgery before—though I was fully out for those experiences. Basically remembering the anesthesiologist saying “hello” and then waking up super groggy in recovery. |
Anonymous
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My experience: unplanned but not 'emergency' C-section.
My husband changed into a gown while I was taken into the surgical room but he was brought in pretty quickly. The entire surgery took about 40 minutes but the baby was out in 5. The doctor showed us the baby's face quickly and then the nurses took the baby over to get checked/weighed. I could see the baby if I turned my head. My husband was able to go back and forth to me and the baby and after about 20 minutes (i think?) they both went into the recovery room where I would soon meet them. I felt pressure on my chest during surgery but it did not hurt -- just a sort of odd feeling. I had significant tremors at the beginning of surgery and after (I thought this was from the epidural but my doc said hormones). And my right shoulder hurt a bit during the procedure. I was told this was referred pain. I also got very nauseated. I was told this can be different for everyone! I didn't hold the baby until the recovery room but I was too nauseated to try to do so in the surgical room anyway. Overall, the surgery itself was happy, exciting, not painful and not scary. Best of luck!
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Anonymous
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I had a scheduled c-section. I had heard a lot about constipation so I had soup for a couple meals before I started fasting, and took my laxatives as instructed: no issues. I fasted the night before and also they had me wash at home with a special antibacterial soap.
When we checked in at the hospital, they sent us to a billing office first, which was kind of weird. I had Kaiser insurance and everything was covered but I still had to sign a bunch of papers. I wrote a check for my hospital stay copay. Then I got processed in - wristband, gown, etc. DH also got a gown and a hairnet. There was a lot of waiting around while sitting on a gurney. We'd shown up at 6:00 for an 8:00 a.m. surgery but we got pushed until 9:00. At some point a woman came by and shaved the top of my pubic area where the incision would be. They'd told me ahead of time that if I shaved myself, they'd still do it again so don't bother. Eventually they took me in to get the spinal; DH stayed outside for that. But then they forgot to bring him in and actually were starting the surgery! I asked for him and they went and got him. The anesthesiologist had one arm for monitoring and probably IV stuff, and DH held my other hand. The anesthesia made me feel really cold and shiver uncontrollably, which is apparently common. They gave me heated blankets, and there was a loud fan blowing warm air on me under a plastic bubble across my torso. The surgery itself happened really fast and baby was out quickly. They took her over to weigh and measure, and DH was allowed to go over there. They inked her hands and feet and made prints on his surgical smock, with the date; we kept the smock. Then the nurse brought her over to me and asked if I wanted to nurse. I did, so the nurse put the baby on my breast and DH helped keep her steady. Baby was wrapped in a blanket so not technically skin to skin. Nurse took a great photo of the three of us, one of my favorites. As part of the closing process they vacuumed up some bits of the placenta that hadn't come loose (one bit went to the lab) and that was another loud noise. My overall impression of the OR was that it's loud. Also, the nurse and anesthesiologist talked to me, but the surgery team didn't; it was weird lying there while they sewed me up and talked about a difficult labor happening down the hall. When they were about done closing, they sent the baby to the nursery and I went to recovery. DH had the option to go or stay: we had decided ahead of time we would stay with the baby. So he went with the baby and took pictures while she was washed and got various treatments. I saw the pictures later but during that time I was in the recovery room, still shivery. Pretty boring, hah. When the shivers receded, they wheeled me to my postpartum room and brought the baby in. I still had a catheter and couldn't feel my feet, although that wore off over time. We stayed in that room 2 nights. We were allowed to stay 3 but it was not restful at all, with people coming in at all hours to clean or take my vitals or whatever. We asked our nurse to limit people in the room; she put a sign on the door asking people to stay out, which caused the other nurses to think we were losing our baby. After about 24 hours I could carefully walk around, and by day 3 I felt amazing (it was the drugs) and the nurses scolded me not to overdo it. They gave us a real meal before we checked out: it was the first food I'd had in like 4 days and it tasted fantastic. My scar looked terrible at first, but it flattened out and faded with time and now it's invisible. So don't stress when you first see it, it's only gnarly for a while. |
Anonymous
| Thank you, everyone! |
Anonymous
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I had three c-sections (one unplanned)
The unplanned one was a little different so for the planned ones I got to the hospital at the assigned time, hung out in the room until they were ready for me. I did not have to fast the night before, just not eat anything that day. When it was prime time DH was given scrubs and they took me to the OR to put in the spinal. To do that they have you sit on a table, back exposed, and they insert the needle. It feels funny, not wonderfully comfortable but not bad, sometimes they will ask for input on how you are feeling it (I was at a teaching hospital). Then they had me lie down and everyone started getting everything ready, its a busy room. Everyone is moving around. DH came in and they got the screen up and then they prepped the area (basically put a lot of antibacterial stuff on your stomach). I didn't feel this but you can see them swabbing you. At this point you start to feel a little fuzzy. The anesthesiologist was always right there with me in every surgery, talking to me and asking me how I was feeling. I frequently felt nauseous during this part and they would administer some medication to make me feel better through the tap or the IV or whatever. Then the surgery starts, they get the baby out. I will say this was sometimes more physical than I expected. For my third baby in particular they really had to PUSH on my stomach to get her down and out. It was not painful but you could definitely feel a LOT of pressure (imagine a very heavy blanket, like the weighted kind, pushing on your stomach). Once the baby was out they (I saw them as they pulled them up), they would take the baby over for their APGAR, get cleaned up etc. This was always in my sightline and DH would go see the baby. And then they would bring the baby over for skin to skin while they sewed me up. This is also a lot of pressure as they kind of put everything back where it is supposed to be but then you enter kind of a hazy state with the medication and the baby as they finish up. It takes about 30-40 minutes post baby for the surgery to be done. And then you and the baby get taken to the hospital room to recover! In case this is valuable I will go over what was different in an urgent section: 1) I was only able to stay awake because I had opted into an epidural when I arrived at the hospital. I had HELLP and if my epidural wasn't already in place they would have had to put me under general anesthesia 2) My baby was in distress and went to the NICU immediately 3) I had a magnesium drip because of pre-e and so was VERY out of it and not able to see my baby for about a day |
Anonymous
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Oh this is pp, I will say overall that scheduled c sections were not scary, not that painful and as others have said actually quite exciting if not a bit relaxing.
My tips on recovery would be to make yourself walk as quickly as possible and keep moving. The more you move and walk the quicker you will heal (slowly of course! but don't sit there in the bed all day, take short slow walks every hour or two, even if its just getting yourself to the bathroom without assistance). Take colace before the surgery and after and take it for like 3 weeks, the pooping is the worst part of the whole thing. Focus on that first bowel movement, once that is over you're really all uphill and you don't want to get into a situation where its been a week. Truly its better to push yourself to get things moving on day 3 than it is to be REALLY stopped up on day 8. My primary focus for the whole first 10 days was making sure I didn't go too long without pooping. I would take fiber, colace, etc, anything to keep things moving (I didn't do this the first time and I would just not recommend that). |
Anonymous
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Both my kids were going to be induced - first was late, second was - let's get her out because I don't want her to be late Both came on their own the day before my induction date.
First baby was sunny side up so Dr. was an idiot and wouldn't/didn't/couldn't manage it and it was an emergency C section. Horror story I'll spare you but it was awful. I don't think this will happen now but 13 years ago, they just kept giving me drugs for pain post op and I ended up in the emergency room due to over Rx painkillers in my system. So go easy on the drugs
It was a difficult recovery in that I felt I had to re-learn how to walk. I had never so much broken or sprained anything in my life and C section had been the worst thing medically that ever happened to me. I was not prepared, I had not researched, I just was caught completely unawares. The fact you are digging into things to prepare is a very good thing. I had a really hard time physically but no complications medically. My second was a whoooooooole lot easier. My Dr was just so good. It was calm and well executed C section and as I had been through before, things did not seem to be as bad. This was 11 years ago so I'm fuzzy on the details but my recollection is I didn't have such a hard time recovering - walking, etc. I think being prepared is everything psychologically. I went through the labor process with my first in preparation for a vaginal delivery so from that perspective, I don't think a lot differs in C section preparation until delivery. DH was with me in both deliveries and I had the chance with C section to decide if I wanted also to get my tubes tied. In addition, I have really bad endometriosis (my Dr couldn't believe I was pregnant on my own!) and had the opportunity for that to be cleared out which was awesome the past few years. I have to admit my second experience was a good one. My first was a nightmare. The drugs were under/over and the pain psychologically and physically were intense. |