Things You wished you knew about C-sections

I wish that I had known it wasn't going to be half as bad recovery wise as id been made to think..... I waz scared to death about nothing.

And mine was an emergency to boot.

It really isn't that bad :) its normal to be nervous and scared but for me it wasn't that bad at all coming home. :)

I had my first c/s on Sept 12 this was planned i went in knowing what to expect and it was a breeze. i am now 11pp and i am successfully breastfeeding advice is talk with your doc about your wishes let them know you want to breasted and what your hopes are. c/s are made out to be so horrible but honestly they are fine i will have another with my next one as well.

 I had 2 c sections and both of them went just fine~ ending with perfectly healthy babies. I had an epidural with my first and a spinal with my 2nd. I hardly felt a thing with my 2nd- no pulling or tugging like I did with my my 1st. Everything went very well and the healing was even quicker and better the 2nd one. I am scheduled for my 3rd one in April.

So first I recommend the spinal, it wears off faster so recovery is faster.
Second, get out of bad and walk as soon as you can! It speeds healing.
Have the doc put baby on chest after birth like they would for vag.
Don't be scared to ask for pain meds, it will help!
With DS I had them not bathe him I wanted to do it so they just wiped him off. He has the softest skin now because the vernix was able to absorb into his skin.

I've had 3 c sections with all kids of complicates with pregnancy with my last. I is major surgery and can cause serious damage.

I would do lots of research and choose:
Do you wnt your uterus taken out and then baby cut out ( most docs do it this way) or do you want your uterus kept inside?
Do you want single or double stitches? ( I got single with my first and I got a uterine infection that lasted 6 months! And I tore with my second)
Do you want dad to cut the cord or doc?
Do you want them to take the afterbirth out or pass is vaginally?

These are just some questions I would have answered before the big surgery!

I've had 3 sections and nursed after all 3. DS1 only 7 weeks because I listened to all the helpful (insert eye roll) advice from the "medical" professionals. DD I nursed for 23 months and with DS2 going in 15 days now (he was just delivered on 11/16. I am up and moving fine now and have been off my pain meds for a few days now.
For a planned section you usually go in about 2 hours early anthem ask a ton if questions, hook up the IV to start getting the fluids into you to help with your bp and set up the catheter. Then they wheeled me to the OR and put me in the table. I then got my spinal which numbs from mid chest down as far as pain goes but you do feel them pushing on you. Once they make the first cut, DH came in and sat at my head. We talked and about 5 minutes later I heard my baby cry. DH went with baby while I was stitched up. Once done there back to recovery and I started trying to move my legs. Once I was able to move my legs I could sit up a little and they normally bring baby to me. This time they didn't because DS2 took a deep breath before they suctioned his mouth and he had some fluid in his lungs so they kept him in the nursery until his Ped could come check him. I was then moved to my room and about 3 hours after delivery DS2 was brought to me. I nursed him then and he's taken to it like a champ. My hospital requires the IV and cath stay hooked up for 16 hrs just to make sure there aren't any issues. Once both of those are removed I get up and walk as much as possible, it helps with recovery. I was released on day #4 and now 15 days after birth I'm back to normal.
My first section was horrible but that one was an emergency and I had already been in labor for 3 days with contractions 3-5 minutes apart the whole time. It ended in my being put to sleep and not waking up until DS1 was already 6 hours old and everyone else saw and held my baby before me.

 You don't want my take on c-sections, I had one with DS after 37 hours of NATURAL labor and I wish to GOD I never did it, I am 22 weeks and WILL VBAC this baby 100% natural there is NOTHING in this world (other than REAL fetal distress IN LABOR) that will make me do another one...

You can't walk right for a week AT LEAST

You are in pain every time you move

I couldn't see my son for 13 hours because of complications DUE to the c-section he refused to BF for three days began to lose weight they kept him and said to pump to feed him , by the time three days was up I was  DRY ALREADY I gave up on him, and me

 

I got MAJOR PPD from having him that way and STILL 5 years later will cry when I think about it

My DS and I went through a C-section back in September.  It was pretty scary, but my medical staff was wonderful.  I had a condition called placenta previa, anterior, so my story is not the norm.  However, I remember everything.  The C-section itself was not bad.  The spinal did not really hurt, and the tugging they talk about, well that feels like turbulence.  To warn you, when they wheel you to the operating room, o my g-d!  The room is terrifying!  I wish someone had warned me.  Bright lights, a steel operating table, all sorts of equipment, very intimidating.  Make sure you ask your OB TONS of questions.  And, ask for dermabond.  I healed nicely, and was up and about within 16 hours, even with blood transfusions...

I've have had 3 and I'm about to have my 4th in a couple of weeks. My first one was the hardest by far cuz it was emergency but the planned ones go by way smoother. They will have u come do blood work a day or two before the surgery. They usually gave me a special kind of soap to wash the site where they r going to cut, u use it the night before. U go to the hospital they get u ready by putting in a catheter, IV, prepping the area and such. They also gave me some stuff to drink help with nauseous stomach. Once they take u back u have to get ur spinal and they will not have ur hubby or who ever is going back with in there for that. The spinal can be awful but it depends who is doing it, with my last one they let a student do it took them several times to get it. Once u r numb u don't feel anything from the chest down and they usually start cutting u before thy let in hubby. It don't take too long the cutting before the baby is out u might get a little sick but they will give u something Thursday IV if u need it. I don't ever feel pain, I just feel a lot of tugging and pressure. Once the baby is out they clean them as much as they can and bring the baby for u to see and my hubby takes the baby to the nursery. And it usually takes about 30 minutes to stitch u up, I usually just relax as much as i can during this. Once they r done with stitching u go to recovery until u r able to feel ur legs again, which can take up 30 minutes. Since my c sections was early in the morning I am usually up that evening taking a shower even. One thing I wished someone told me was the effects of morphiene, it made my nose itch sooooo bad that it made it raw. I felt like an drug addict lol.

Ive had 3 csections and successfully breast fed all 3 kids

Quoting anxiousschk:

I've had friends who had successful C-sections, but I don't know anyone who has had one and sucessfully breast fed.  

I had a C-section and it wasn't a pleasant experience.  I also had extreme difficulty breastfeeding and gave it up after a few weeks. 

As I've said before (in this post, to this exact wording)...I know it can be done, however it is generally more difficult.   I also do not know anyone personally who has done it.  I know women on cafemom have, but not one of the women I know that have had a child by C-section have successfully breastfed.  

C-sections bring with them a potential whole host of complications that will and can prevent successful breastfeeding.  

Quoting TheImperfectOne:

Ive had 3 csections and successfully breast fed all 3 kids

Quoting anxiousschk:

I've had friends who had successful C-sections, but I don't know anyone who has had one and sucessfully breast fed.  

I had a C-section and it wasn't a pleasant experience.  I also had extreme difficulty breastfeeding and gave it up after a few weeks.