What do they not tell you about c-section?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had two c-sections. The second one was at a teaching hospital (GW here in DC), and the resident putting in the epidural was new and fumbling. I WISH I had the presence of mind to request someone else. In the end, it all turned out fine, but I was terrified that something would go wrong. (Later, I was told that the meds that help you feel less nauseous that they give you via the epidural may cause paranoia, so that may have been part of it.)

Mine was not at GW, but I also had a resident for the epidural and she did not believe me when I said I feel everything. She reluctantly did something to test and, sure enough, the first epidural didn't work. She also told me she'd only try one more time and then I'd have to have general anesthesia, but I insisted on speaking to another doctor. He did it right, I felt nothing, and saw my daughter being born. Don't be afraid to speak up.

[Anonymous]

Question for you all - Will be having a scheduled c section after my first kid’s emergency c section after labor which sucked (I had more bleeding that usual).

My scar is also ugly red raised and uneven - do they cut in the same place or will I have two scars? How does it look like?

Terrified ...and panicked reading these

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can request skin-to-skin with a C. I had one at GW and when I requested it they told me it was automatic unless there was something wrong with the baby. I had meconium in my waters so they checked her out quickly before handing her over but I did skin-to-skin while they stitched me up.

At Inova Fairfax, skin to skin is the norm. I nursed my second baby on the OR table while I was being stitched up with the help of a nurse. My baby was doing the crawl and rooting for it, and the nurse immediately asked if I wanted to try and nurse her. I was able to do skin to skin about 10 min after she was born, and I saw her immediately after she was pulled out. I could see her the entire time they were cleaning her and my husband was with her. It was a really positive experience.

Don’t be scared to ask for what you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for you all - Will be having a scheduled c section after my first kid’s emergency c section after labor which sucked (I had more bleeding that usual).

My scar is also ugly red raised and uneven - do they cut in the same place or will I have two scars? How does it look like?

Terrified ...and panicked reading these

Ask your doctor to cut it out. Mine did, and put a steroid in on the OR table the second time. So far so good

[Anonymous]

I am not sure if I am considered lucky or sucks. I had 2 planned c section but I was in labor before planned c section date.

For my first pregnancy, I went into emergency room a few days before my planned c section date. I was in some pain at home for weekend, and I thought it was just normal contraction. When I decided to check it out, and they told me I was 9cm diluted & I was in labor with NO PAIN. I walked to delivery room. The obgyn on call wanted me to try vaginal birth, and I was in NO PAIN with smallest dose of epidural Pushing for hours & ended up in emergency c section because baby heart rate dropped every time I pushed. They told me I needed to pass gas before they could offer me any food to eat. I asked my parents to sneak in food for me to eat because I never passed gas.

For my second pregnancy, I was in some contraction plus water broke before my planned c- section date. This time, my obgyn did not do c section on me because he had 2 mom-to-be cried in tears & in severe pain asking for him. One came before me & one came after me. I was 5cm dilated without epidural for 4 hours because no one was available for me. I was in some manageable contraction with little pain & I waited patiently (No choice) for my turn to have c section.

My pain tolerance is low, so I was considered lucky that I did not feel much pain before or during my labor. The obgyn could not answer why I was not in lot of pain in both condition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure if I am considered lucky or sucks. I had 2 planned c section but I was in labor before planned c section date.

For my first pregnancy, I went into emergency room a few days before my planned c section date. I was in some pain at home for weekend, and I thought it was just normal contraction. When I decided to check it out, and they told me I was 9cm diluted & I was in labor with NO PAIN. I walked to delivery room. The obgyn on call wanted me to try vaginal birth, and I was in NO PAIN with smallest dose of epidural Pushing for hours & ended up in emergency c section because baby heart rate dropped every time I pushed. They told me I needed to pass gas before they could offer me any food to eat. I asked my parents to sneak in food for me to eat because I never passed gas.

For my second pregnancy, I was in some contraction plus water broke before my planned c- section date. This time, my obgyn did not do c section on me because he had 2 mom-to-be cried in tears & in severe pain asking for him. One came before me & one came after me. I was 5cm dilated without epidural for 4 hours because no one was available for me. I was in some manageable contraction with little pain & I waited patiently (No choice) for my turn to have c section.

My pain tolerance is low, so I was considered lucky that I did not feel much pain before or during my labor. The obgyn could not answer why I was not in lot of pain in both condition.

To add, it was funny that 2 nurses checked on me underneath with their hands & looked at both me & the monitor in dropping jaws. The monitor picked up all my contractions & I was 10cm dilated. I did not feel much at all when they put their hands in my vagina or contractions. I was petite, under 5 feet with 110 lbs due. I wish I could have had a successful vaginal birth because I think I am a perfect candidate to do vaginal birth. Lol, I maybe able to pull off natural birth. All my friends told me scary stories of long labor in pain, begged for epidural even a few cm dilated, epidural was not working well something like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure if I am considered lucky or sucks. I had 2 planned c section but I was in labor before planned c section date.

For my first pregnancy, I went into emergency room a few days before my planned c section date. I was in some pain at home for weekend, and I thought it was just normal contraction. When I decided to check it out, and they told me I was 9cm diluted & I was in labor with NO PAIN. I walked to delivery room. The obgyn on call wanted me to try vaginal birth, and I was in NO PAIN with smallest dose of epidural Pushing for hours & ended up in emergency c section because baby heart rate dropped every time I pushed. They told me I needed to pass gas before they could offer me any food to eat. I asked my parents to sneak in food for me to eat because I never passed gas.

For my second pregnancy, I was in some contraction plus water broke before my planned c- section date. This time, my obgyn did not do c section on me because he had 2 mom-to-be cried in tears & in severe pain asking for him. One came before me & one came after me. I was 5cm dilated without epidural for 4 hours because no one was available for me. I was in some manageable contraction with little pain & I waited patiently (No choice) for my turn to have c section.

My pain tolerance is low, so I was considered lucky that I did not feel much pain before or during my labor. The obgyn could not answer why I was not in lot of pain in both condition.

Labor pain isn't like pain from an injury. I had so little pain during my labor that I didn't make it to the hospital in time. I just expected it to hurt more so didn't realize it was time to leave until my water broke, then a couple minutes later the baby was crowning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for you all - Will be having a scheduled c section after my first kid’s emergency c section after labor which sucked (I had more bleeding that usual).

My scar is also ugly red raised and uneven - do they cut in the same place or will I have two scars? How does it look like?

Terrified ...and panicked reading these

My first planned c section left me with a jagged scar. My ob revised the scar when I had my second and it looks pretty good (for a scar). It has faded a lot, also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uniqlo maternity leggings and their over the bump
Underwear are great for the weeks after the c section because it doesn’t put any pressure on the scar area

Have ur partner do all baby care in the first weeks—it is such a special bonding time for them and it will help you heal faster and better.

I always have wondered about the underwear thing. I feel like everyone says this and I never understand what they are talking about. I own no pair of underwear, and have never seen a pair that I could buy, that would come down low enough to even remotely put pressure on my scar. If it were that low, the back would not cover my butt at all. 2 c-sections here. Maybe my incision was very low or my anatomy is weird, but I have never had this issue.

You are not the only one! I have worn exactly the same underwear through 3 pregnancies and recoveries, including 2 c-sections. This is not a universal experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had two:

1) Start with miralax as soon as possible. Do everything you can to keep the poop moving. Agree the first poop is brutal an even with stool softeners and high fiber diet, many women go many days without being able to poop.

2) Steal all the mesh underwear from hospital. It is so comfortable with the incision. Don't plan on wearing anything below that incision -- with a planned, they cut low. Wear something high waisted and soft, like lounge pants.

3) Sometimes you get weird referred pains like shoulder pain.

4) Some doctors use staples instead of stitches.

5) They put a big sticky cover over the incision. If you're allergic to sticky on bandaids, tell them in advance. I had a massive allergic reaction over my incision, and it was brutal.

I slept flat and it was fine, but I rolled over to sit up.

ME TOO! This is the first time I’ve heard someone else say they experienced it. All the staff I saw in the hospital seemed totally baffled by it and did NOT give me the right treatment. It was awful. We didn’t everything to avoid it with my second c section at a different hospital but I still reacted but at least this time I got a quick visit from an in house dermatologist who prescribed better meds to treat the itching, burning and swelling. (Also I had no idea I was allergic to adhesives before my first c-section. I’d never reacted to a bandaid.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for you all - Will be having a scheduled c section after my first kid’s emergency c section after labor which sucked (I had more bleeding that usual).

My scar is also ugly red raised and uneven - do they cut in the same place or will I have two scars? How does it look like?

Terrified ...and panicked reading these

My first planned c section left me with a jagged scar. My ob revised the scar when I had my second and it looks pretty good (for a scar). It has faded a lot, also.

Same. I had a keloid scar from my first and I specifically asked my OB to fix it the second time and she did an amazing job—even got rid of the little shelf I had from the first one. But be sure to ask—I definitely got the impression that it wouldn’t have received extra attention if I didn’t bring it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am FTM having a c-section next week. As I prepare I keep stumbling over information that I didnt know. For example, I recently read an account about being shaved by a nurse and the placement of the scar in relation to pubic hairline. I feel silly but this was news to me.

The surgeon who will perform the procedure is not the OB who has seen me throughout my pregnancy (that's OK) but knowing my health system, I will be managed through by a series of very nice nurses and my time to ask questions of the doctor before they begin will be limited so I need to be ready.

Is there anything I should think about with respect to the procedure or the recovery? Thanks.

I still hurt after two and a half years but I still think it was worth it. As one of the posters said it was much less risky and you end up with a baby without complications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've had two:

1) Start with miralax as soon as possible. Do everything you can to keep the poop moving. Agree the first poop is brutal an even with stool softeners and high fiber diet, many women go many days without being able to poop.

2) Steal all the mesh underwear from hospital. It is so comfortable with the incision. Don't plan on wearing anything below that incision -- with a planned, they cut low. Wear something high waisted and soft, like lounge pants.

3) Sometimes you get weird referred pains like shoulder pain.

4) Some doctors use staples instead of stitches.

5) They put a big sticky cover over the incision. If you're allergic to sticky on bandaids, tell them in advance. I had a massive allergic reaction over my incision, and it was brutal.

I slept flat and it was fine, but I rolled over to sit up.

ME TOO! This is the first time I’ve heard someone else say they experienced it. All the staff I saw in the hospital seemed totally baffled by it and did NOT give me the right treatment. It was awful. We didn’t everything to avoid it with my second c section at a different hospital but I still reacted but at least this time I got a quick visit from an in house dermatologist who prescribed better meds to treat the itching, burning and swelling. (Also I had no idea I was allergic to adhesives before my first c-section. I’d never reacted to a bandaid.)

PP here and I had this too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry not reading everything but have had three sections. Single most important thing is that you need to move as soon as you can as much as you can. I'll preface this by saying overall that my c sections were largely positive and I recovered very quickly. Because most of what I'm going to say is negative, but overall it was actually very positive.

1) GAS PAIN IS WEIRD. It can happen anywhere in your body. My first section it was a sharp crippling pain in my shoulder, I thought I was having a heart attack or something. I literally thought I was dying and did not believe them when they said it was gas and gave me a gas x. You minimize this by moving as quickly and as much as possible.

2) Anesthesia is weird and uncomfortable and unsettling. You'll have to go in without your partner and they will sit you on the table and you'll be basically naked and they will put these weird socks on you. They'll also put these bags around your legs for air compression to prevent clots. It feels weird and you'll be sitting on this table where multiple people will be touching you and putting things on you and talking to you. I always feel this part is very anxiety provoking. While all these people are buzzing around, the anesthesiologist will be inserting a needle into your back and asking you for queues on how it feels to see if its working. Then it does work and you are laid down and they spread your legs and put up the curtain. You feel very exposed. This part isn't very long, maybe 10 minutes, but its weird. I would have liked to know this beforehand, so I hope this isn't scary to know.

3) Pooping issue is real. Start taking colace a week before and keep taking every day for at least two weeks. Work on pooping as quickly as you can because that is a problem that DOES NOT GET BETTER IF YOU WAIT. Most traumatic issue with a c section I ever had was a poop issue, and I had HELLP and almost died in my first one!

4) You'll feel a lot better after a week-10 days but you won't be at 100% for probably 3 months. Your scar will feel weird maybe up to a year after the surgery. It's not usually an issue but just so you know and don't think there is a problem.

This. I already had an epidural in place before my first c section so my second scheduled one was my first time going through the process in the OR but I already knew what to expect otherwise AND my aunt was the head nurse in the OR that day so I wasn’t even “alone” for that part and yet I was still anxious, shaking and so so weepy. It was weird how exposed and overwhelmed I felt as everyone bustled around prepping for the surgery even though they were all super nice and friendly. It can still be a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, buy stool softener in advance for your recovery

+1

And if you take all the post-op pain meds you will not poop for days. The constipation was far worse than the surgery.