In need of a c-section pep talk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would start thinking of ways to make your c section special. Ask to have your catheter inserted after your epidural. Ask to have the baby placed right next to you while they finish. Ask to carry the baby out of the room in your own arms.

I would try not to waste another minute thinking of what could have been and focus on the amazing thing that is about to happen- you are going to meet your child. You are bringing a baby into the world- in the manner which is safest for your baby. What a gift you are giving your child. My second c section was so special becuase I went in with a great mindset- and my positive attitude rubbed off on everyone. Good luck and congratulations!

Very sound advice .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah-hem.

It sounds like YOU are the one who has lost her mind.

Seriously. Somebody picked a bad day to stop sniffing glue.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious how far along the OP is. I just read in my Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy that once the baby is down far enough, it may be impossible to turn the baby in the correct position, so a c-section would be required. The Guide noted that prior to that point, there were various techniques (such as manually pushing the baby) to get the baby into position. I totally understand this - my son was really low toward the end of my pregnancy (head-down, thank goodness) but if he had been in the wrong position he would have been stuck (he was, however, turned the wrong way, as in facing backwards); my daughter on the other hand was really high, so I think she would have been a good candidate for cajoling her into the right position had she been breech.

Again, I say if you trust your OB, then go with that. Your delivery will be special no matter what!

[Anonymous]

I had three great c-sections with no complications. I left the hospital early all three times and was up and around immediately. I would love to say it's because I was so healthy and fit, but actually I was only fit for my first pregnancy!

Good luck - you'll love your c-section. Just get ready to meet your baby!

[Anonymous]

Some breech babies turn even up until birth at 40 or 41 weeks, so there is a chance that your baby will still turn. Go to Dr. Noya (www.noyachiropractic.com) for the Webster technique, which is known to help babies turn. Follow it by acupuncture (moxibustion), which is also known to help babies turn. Kelly Welch at 18th and I is a great acupuncturist, but obviously there are others that can do this as well. Explore the option of and ECV (external cephalic version) as well, which is the technique various posters have been mentioning that pushes the baby from the outside to try to encourage it to turn. There are some OB's who are extremely skilled with ECV (Dr. Tchabo being one of them) so if you do seek out this option, make sure it is done with someone who really knows what they are doing. Some OB's require an epidural for the ECV so it doesn't hurt and so you can have an emergency c/s if it winds up becoming necessary. These are ALL helpful and worthwhile things to try to turn your baby, along with waiting until your baby is 40 weeks to see if it will turn on its own.

I'm offering these ideas just in case you are looking for options. I'm sure you will be thrilled with your new baby no matter how she gets here!

[Anonymous]

Sorry that you are bummed, OP, but I totally get it. I had a planned c-section at the last minute, and despite being really disapointed at first, it was great. I think most of the terrible recovery stories you hear are from people who labored first. And, as someone else said, all of your "business" remains intact, which is great!

My tips for success, or at least what I think helped me recover quickly are:

- Have a spinal instead of an epidural. If you have an epidural, you will probably use that as your pain killer for the next 24 hours, which means you won't be able to move your legs. With the spinal you are still stuck in bed for at least the rest of the day, but at least you can move around and get the blood flowing.

- Use the pain killers and stay ahead of the pain. When you transition off the narcotic and the advil or tylenol, never go off of it at night. You don't want to wake up in the morning in agony.

- Get up and moving ASAP, and take lots of walks in the hospital. It's honestly not as bad as people say it is. Also, take a shower right away, change your clothes, etc. The more quickly you feel normal, the faster you will recover.

- Ask for a laxative, not just a stool softener - even if they try to talk you out of it. Have someone bring you lots of fruit. The pressure in my stomach felt a million times better once I went to the bathroom.

Also, take TONS of pictures of your little one. C-section babies are honestly the most beautiful things in the world. And, most importantly, enjoy yourself. It's such a special time, even with this twist.

[Anonymous]

There are lots of positive aspects to a planned C. A lot of my friends had 30 hours of labor and then had to have Cs anyway - you won't have to deal with that. It's nice to be able to plan when you're going to have the baby, you get to stay longer in the hospital -- which I think is a plus with your first pregnancy. At the time I would have been discharged for my first if I'd had a natural birth, my milk hadn't come in yet and breastfeeding wasn't really established yet. It helped to have the nurses and on-site lactation consultants help with the breastfeeding process on those two extra days in the hospital. For me, I recovered very quickly from two Cs - although admittedly I was in pretty good shape at the time. No pain after a week, and pretty much completely normal after two.

Will you have help at home after the birth? My husband was home on paternity leave, plus I hired a night nanny. That helped speed my recovery I think.