What do they not tell you about c-section?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such an awesome thread, thank you so much PPs! NP here. Knowing what you know and reading this thread, if you had a choice between an elective C section (for context, DH was born without GD at 12.5 lbs and 24 inches and) would you just...elect for this from the get go? Seems like the ideal is:
1) Vaginal Birth- no issues, no tearing
2) Planned C section
3) Vaginal birth, vaginal trauma
4) Emergency C with hours and hours of pushing and trauma

Is a scheduled c for a first birth nuts? It sounds a heck of a lot better than some of these horrible pelvic floor tearing options.

I opted for a scheduled surgery for my first (planned to be an only) simply because that's what I preferred. A vaginal birth may or may not have gone fine. I thought a section was the best option for my peace of mind and it went great.

[Anonymous]

- gas pains! I actually don't remember pain but it did feel like the baby was still inside and kicking

- if you are breastfeeding, I found the breast friend pillow to be much much better than the boppy

- getting in and out of bed or a chair is really hard for a week or maybe two but I didn't have much discomfort walking around

- I bought c section undies that were super high and had a stretchy but tight panel that really helped me feel like everything was being kept together
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNG592Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- I did not need narcotics and was not even offered them - I took Tylenol and Motrin around the clock for a few weeks. After I was home it suddenly hit me that narcotics were even an issue because they were never offered. I think my responses to what my pain was 1-10 were always low enough (like 4 or 5) that the nurses didn't even bring them up.

- I labored and then pushed three hrs and then had to wait three more hrs for a C section because my baby was not in distress and other sections got pushed ahead of mine. I think as a result of all of that time with an epidural and on an IV, I had an enormous amount of water retention. Also the baby was pinching the connection between my kidney and bladder and I had no urine output that entire time. Hopefully you wouldn't have to deal with this with a planned C, but I seriously looked like I had elephantitis. It was about 25 lbs of water and I had to lift my legs up with my arms to get them onto an ottoman.

-Also not applicable to planned C but my arms were shaking and my teeth chattering like crazy during surgery from being on the epidural for so long. It was the most miserable part of the surgery. I couldn't hold the baby because I was shaking uncontrollably. I had wounds on either side of my tongue for days from my teeth chattering.

-My experience laboring and then having surgery after was horrible and recovery felt very manageable in comparison. I'm going to be scheduling a csection for my current pregnancy - no way I'm going through a failed labor again.

[Anonymous]

The surgeon and nurses will shoot the shit during the entire procedure. You are experiencing the unbelievable birth of your child, they are talking about what their kids like for breakfast.
Bring wireless headphones!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The surgeon and nurses will shoot the shit during the entire procedure. You are experiencing the unbelievable birth of your child, they are talking about what their kids like for breakfast.
Bring wireless headphones!!!


This was not my experience at all! My OB and the anesthesiologist talked to me the whole time, telling me what was going on.

[Anonymous]

I had a planned C section (breech), and it was an awesome experience (well, as far as abdominal sergers goes). I had asked our midwife to keep it light, and she communicated with the OR staff. It was absolutely perfect start to finish, with everyone joking and it being a very celebratory feel.

I haven’t read the whole thread, but here’s what was unexpected:

Your vulva and vagina will still probably be uncomfortable and swollen, and going to the washroom the first few times will be very uncomfortable. I was still thankful for a peri bottle for a few days, and the like, despite the fact I hadn’t delivered, or even attempted to deliver, vaginally.

They push a LOT of fluid and colloid in you during the prep. My comfy Sketchers barely fit on discharge, and it was about 7-10 days before my legs looked like my legs again. It was very weird!

Some people say they didn’t bleed afterwards - I certainly did. Now, I developed something called an organized clot, which was a (non life threatening, but very painful) complication that popped up around 9 weeks PP. I suspect it had very much with me doing too much, too soon early on.

It was discovered I had a spinal curvature when they put the spinal in. Not sure if it’s related, but I didn’t get feeling and movement back In one leg until the next morning (1pm delivery).

I only took opiates the first night, then alternated Tylenol and Naproxen. With the two, my pain was well managed, but I did have to stay on top of it the first few days to not get breakthrough discomfort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The surgeon and nurses will shoot the shit during the entire procedure. You are experiencing the unbelievable birth of your child, they are talking about what their kids like for breakfast.
Bring wireless headphones!!!

Ha ha or discuss private school 😀

[Anonymous]

Not sure if anybody said this but various tips gleaned from 4 c-sections

-avoid ice. Ask for lukewarm water to drink (you will be thirsty) and ice makes the gas stuff worse
- don’t drink from the straw. Also worsens gas pain
-you may get a huge headache from the epidural and for that drink coffee.

I had my last c 2.5 months ago and I still have a residual ache in my shoulder from gas pain. I never had it up there before and it was truly excruciating. If it had been in my left shoulder I would have assumed gear attack!

But overall it’s not too bad, and totally worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The surgeon and nurses will shoot the shit during the entire procedure. You are experiencing the unbelievable birth of your child, they are talking about what their kids like for breakfast.
Bring wireless headphones!!!


This was not my experience at all! My OB and the anesthesiologist talked to me the whole time, telling me what was going on.


No way, that is highly unusual! The patient is awake and they are telling them they are cutting them open, removing their organs, cutting open the placenta? I would be hyperventilating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The surgeon and nurses will shoot the shit during the entire procedure. You are experiencing the unbelievable birth of your child, they are talking about what their kids like for breakfast.
Bring wireless headphones!!!


This was not my experience at all! My OB and the anesthesiologist talked to me the whole time, telling me what was going on.


No way, that is highly unusual! The patient is awake and they are telling them they are cutting them open, removing their organs, cutting open the placenta? I would be hyperventilating.

They didn’t say, “I’m cutting the placenta” but they did tell me when they were making the initial incision and then cutting into the uterus. They didn’t go into all the details but enough so I understood what was happening. I found it helpful- I’m a control freak- so it made me feel comforted.

I’ve also described what happened during my vaginal birth on here and people told me I must be lying or misremembering, maybe my OB does things differently IDK!

[Anonymous]

There is a lot here but two additions:
1. After the hospital discharge, I wore the belly bandit c section parties. This seemed to help with the swelling, which will be bad.

2. My scar is still there but it healed fairly well using the scar away strips once I was healed sufficiently to use them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The surgeon and nurses will shoot the shit during the entire procedure. You are experiencing the unbelievable birth of your child, they are talking about what their kids like for breakfast.
Bring wireless headphones!!!


This was not my experience at all! My OB and the anesthesiologist talked to me the whole time, telling me what was going on.


No way, that is highly unusual! The patient is awake and they are telling them they are cutting them open, removing their organs, cutting open the placenta? I would be hyperventilating.

They didn’t say, “I’m cutting the placenta” but they did tell me when they were making the initial incision and then cutting into the uterus. They didn’t go into all the details but enough so I understood what was happening. I found it helpful- I’m a control freak- so it made me feel comforted.

I’ve also described what happened during my vaginal birth on here and people told me I must be lying or misremembering, maybe my OB does things differently IDK!

Same. I’m not a control freak but I like information and told my husband I honestly could have (and would have enjoyed) watching my entire c section on a screen if they were set up to film it. (I was kinda bummed I only got the clear drape for when they pulled the baby out and not the whole thing) but I didn’t ask my OBs to provide a play by play and yet both times (different hospitals) they told me when they were starting and what I was feeling and what would come next. Not in graphic detail or using medical jargon but they walked me through it like I was human and present and DEFINITELY did not arbitrarily shoot the shit at any point. Even when they were talking to each other it was about the surgery or briefly about the status of other patients on the floor (vaguely—not in a way that violated HIPAA.) I think PP who had nurses casually chatting had the unusual experience.

[Anonymous]

Ladies I saved this thread from last year and now I’m 38 and some days pregnant and my scheduled c section is coming up.

Scared anxious I had an emergency C w my first and fever and infection so reading this thread to remind myself it will be okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t agree with this, sorry. A planned C section is not the same as an emergency one. Trying to make all forms of birth equal and argue we need better postpartum care doesn’t pass mustard. A planned C section should be a perfectly legitimate choice that is supported and it can be protective of the pelvic floor. Certainly, it comes with other risks so everyone has to choose for themselves. But to act like the pelvic floor is a big mystery means you don’t understand urogynecology. They understand it pretty damn well - and that vaginal and instrumental births are highly associated with PFDs - they just do not have good surgical treatment options right now that don’t fail or cause other problems and good options likely many years away. And yes, pelvic PT is great, but there are plenty of women who aren’t “cured” by it and have to learn to live with really crappy conditions.

My daughter will know that she has a family history of pelvic floor disorders. She will understand the difficulties her grandmother, great grandmother, and mother faced and she will get to choose for herself her mode of delivery and associated risks with full information.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180717-the-pelvic-floor-is-still-a-mystery-in-anatomy - written in 2018 and has direct quotes from urogynecologists at highly regarding teaching hospitals.

If its something anatomically dysfunctional with your specific family then that is different. You cant take your family history and extrapolate out to all planned csections. Also pregnancy itself damages the pelvic floor so maybe just no pregnancy? Csections are supported by and large by being a choice for all women, vaginal births arent getting enough support nor is there enough understanding about how EACH women is different and should be evaluated prior to pregnancy and childbirth.

I'm a DP but this is where you natural birth advocates expose yourselves as propaganda pushers. C sections have been straight up demonized in recent years. The rise of (unregulated) midwifery in this country, hospitals publishing (and being harshly judged by) their c section records, baby friendly hospitals, etc etc etc. Vaginal birth and breastfeeding are being promoted to such an extreme extent that IMO the health and wishes of mothers are often put in the backseat in comparison to focusing on those two things.

My first baby was an emergency c section and despite having HELLP and a baby that was IUGR and fading they tried to induce me for a few hours until her heart decels triggered a c. I was ready for a c section the week before (pre e/growth issues had been clear and baby had been in trouble for 3 weeks). Maybe anecdotally this is happening here and there but by and large there has been a MASSIVE movement away from c sections, particularly elective c sections, and despite all that we still have the worst maternal mortality rate in the developed world. So I, frankly, remain unconvinced that anything to do with birthing a baby in this country in this era has to do with real concern for mothers, no one cares about the mothers.

+1000
Also, I've had medicated and unmedicated vaginal births. Guess which one was the harder recovery? Unmedicated. Fetishizing women's pain is just internalized misogyny.

[Anonymous]

My first c-section was an emergency and the docs/nurses were talking about what their kids were going to be for Halloween.

My second was planned but epidural didn’t work. I really really should have spoken up when I still felt my legs pretty well. It was horrible. I also had weird nerve thing in my one leg where I couldn’t feel temperature.

My first C-section caused some internal adhesion scarring and every time I had Would hold my poop (like at work) I would get excruciating cramps. Never had that again after my second c-section.

Percocet makes me cry and feel horrible. I can never understand how it’s used recreationally.

[Anonymous]

I definitely wasn't expecting the shakes.

My recovery wasn't bad at all. I was walking the halls of the hospital the next day. I was off thr pain meds before I got home and was fine (Opiods make it hard for me to think, it's consistent for every surgery I have had)