C-Section Questions, hey that kinda rhymes!

hiya ladies!

Well, had my doc's appt. yesterday and we got more ultrasounds.. everything is fine.. but baby is still breech! I'm not TOTALLY anti-C Section.. if it's necessary.. But i must admit that I'm kinda worried about it if it comes to that.

What's the healing process like with a Cesearan Section? How's it different from vaginal delivery healing? And any other info you have.. or tips and tricks to make healing easier would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks guys!

well I have only had a c-section it was an emergency. I dont have anyhting to compair it to but I can tell you that the hardest thing for me was just getting out of bed, but after I was unhooked from everything, I had to learn to get in and out of bed, OUCH! not fun. what they asked me to do was get up as much as possible and go for walks in the halls, I did find that helped it not feel so tight and hurtfull. Also I was not allowed while hooked up to anything to be alone with Kaitlin. Oh and my first shower was no fun but I felt soooo gross and smelly I had to, that was no fun either, I was gonna wait un DH was there but I could not stand it anymore.

HTH

Have you read my birth story yet? I wrote about my experience in there. In "General Discousions".

I have only had one baby and she was delivered by c/s, so I don't have a lot to compare to. Healing time is about 6 weeks. I think it took me a lot less than that, though. The biggest thing was learning how to get in and out of bed. I stayed in the hospital 5 days after mine, mostly to get help with breastfeeding becuz DD was not latching on well. So while I was in the hospital it was a lot better to move around in bed, etc becuz of the hospital bed. I also made the nurses help me alot in that area.

When I got home, I slept a lot in our Lazy Boy because it was easier to get in and out.

You just want to make sure you have lots a pillows around you for padding. And if you are going to breastfeed you can still do it but might want to use the "football" hold while nursing. I couldn't get the hang of it at first and just nursed her in the cradle hold with a pillow under her to cushion my tummy.

The meds they gave helped with the pain, but I felt so "loopy" on them that as soon as I got home I tossed them and just dealt with the pain by taking some tylenol or motrin. It REALLY wasn't THAT BAD!!! I personally would rather heal in my tummy than down below, OUCH! Even if it does take longer, LOL.

You are not supposed to lift alot for a few weeks, but I only listened to that advice for about a week.

I think what drove me bonkers was the incision healing. It itched like crazy and was numb feeling which was really weird.

If they staple, it really doesn't hurt to have them out, either.

My incision still hurts on occassion when my 11.5 month old kicks me there.

Well, I hope I covered most of it. IMO, at the time it kinda sucked, but now looking back 11.5 months later the healing wasn't all that bad. What was worse and still is for me is the "mental" sadness of having to have an unexpected c/s. I would have one again if it was necessary, though.

Thank you guys for the information!

I didn't have a c-section, but wanted to wish you luck and maybe the baby will flip at the last minute!

Hugs!

OK, I've delivered both by C/S and vaginally. I would have to say that my first C/S was much worse than the second one. I think that was partially because of the anesthesia. With the first one, I was petrified of having a spinal or an epidural, so I chose to have general anesthesia. IMHO (of course in hindsight) that was a major mistake. It took so long to come to, (and they don't put you totally under, so you do hear everything but can't move at all).......my recovery time was terrible, and it was the hardest thing to get up and get going. It was very very difficult to get up and down.

With the second C/S, I had already had an epidural, so they didn't need to do any other anesthesia. I was alert thru the whole operation, I was able to hear Anders cry and I was able to get up and about MUCH sooner than I was before. I had him a 3:30 and was up walking at 6 - that is one thing that I would give you the most adamant advice about. The sooner you can get up and around, the better your whole recovery will go. I had Anders on Saturday and went home on Monday. My recoup time was about 1/2 of what it was the first time, and it was so much easier - I didn't hurt near as bad, I was far more mobile, etc, etc......I was "pleasantly suprised" between the first and last one.....

And as far as pain management, my doc recommended I alternate tylenol and advil (generics, both) every three hours. It seemed to work much better than just one or the other. ITA with boogabearzmom, the staples don't hurt, but the itching drove me nuts for a while - kind of like when you have a booboo that is healing itches - eek!!

Of course, the three vaginal deliveries were far easier with the recoup time, but I do understand that there are medical necessities for having C/S. Have they thought about trying doing an external manuever of the babe to try to turn him/her? I know there's a medical term, but can't for the life of me remember what it's called.

HTH, and if I think of anything else, or if you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate ask.

I had a c-section also. I had to also be put totally under cause the epideral block didn't work. For the first 2 days I didn't feel anything but a little tummy pain, but on the third day I got up to take a shower and I felt like they broke something in there. The water didn't hurt on the insision,,just the pain in the tummy. But as soon as I got back in bed they gave me some motrin and Percaset (sp?) and in about 10 minutes I was fine. And asleep though. I didn't get staples, I had those desolvable stitches and I healed up pretty quick. I would have to agree with the itching thing.. That was the worse part of my c-section recovery. That is origionally why I came to this site. Was to ask if anybody had a remedy for the itching. Plus I got blisters on my insision from leaving an ice pack on it. The next time I have a baby and IF I have to have a c-section this is what I would make sure I did. Overall I would say my recovery time was about 2 weeks. I was better once I got home to my own bed and stuff.

1. Make sure I ask for a bed that is lowered or make sure I have a step stool cause I am only 5ft1 and the hardest part for me in the hospital was getting in the bed. It was way to high,,,not everybody is 6 ft tall. I eventually gave up and would only get out to go to the restroom. If mckaylee cried I would call a nurse in to hand her to me.

2. Ask about what I can put on the insision to make it stop itching if possible.

3. Don't listen to the nurse when she says to leave the paper strips over the insision for 4 weeks cause they disolve....they do not disolve,,,I don't know where she got her info, but if not for my mom,,I would have kept them on....They probably contributed to the itching.

4. make sure you specify that you don't want every Tom, #$%^ and Harry in your hospital room. I think I had everybody on earth in my room.

5. Make your dh bring you food......I was upset because they kept me on clear liquids for too long ( I know cause I worked in hospital dietary for years) . Well when they gave me food,,,,I would have rather had the clear liquids. YUCK!

I think as long as you prepare yourself for either a c-section or a vaginal birth and make plans for your stay to be as pleasant as possible then you will do ok. I kind of had a feeling I would have a c-section anyways. But I would have probably been more disapointed if it was out of the blue. KWIM?

Anyways ,,,good luck...

I had a c-section with my DD because she was breech. I had the anaesthetic that blocks all feeling from your chest down. The worst aftereffects were uncontrollable shaking, be aware of that, my whole body shook for about 4 hours afterwards. Getting in and out of bed was bad, and even rolling from one side to the other caused terrible pain in my abdomen. I used pillows to help breastfeed her. True recovery time was at least 4 weeks, and then I developed a cyst on the incision site which took another couple of weeks to heal. It wasn't a pleasant experience (sorry). I am expecting my 2nd baby in about 3 weeks time and am going to try for a natural birth (VBAC) if all goes well. Good luck.

You know, it's funny--I was about to type that the C-Section wasn't too bad--and I still don't think it was but as I am reading other posts I am remembering all the things that occured. It is so true that you forget about the pain--now I will NEVER forget the pain of pushing at 10 cm and the epidural wearing off --TWICE but I did also experience much of what the others experienced as far as the C-section recovery--The shaking-- I forgot about the shaking, and the itching, and the paper tape that I finally ripped off and the tall bed--not only was getting into it a problem but getting off--almost having to jump down was a chore.

My recommendations would be make sure you are not separated from the baby right away if possible. I went to recovery and Jamison went to the nursery for 5 HOURS because they didn't have my room ready so I missed that early breastfeeding and bonding that I dreamed about. All worked out in the end and we have more than made up on the bonding thing but make sure you get what you want--this is your birth experience and you may want to have another person who knows your desires there to help fight for you--it is hard to fight for yourself at that time--best of luck to you and hey, having a c-section is just another way of giving birth--it is all wonderful in the end

I have had two c-sections and I hate to be blunt by they are a nightmare. Everyone stated everything I would say. I was not allowed pain meds after the surgery. The epidural wore off very fast. I am allegric to almost every pain med available. Make yourself get out of bed when they ask you to, thats what gets you going. When I got home I slept in the baby rocker also, noway was I pushing the bed issue. I hope your baby bean turns by the time your ready. Do your homework and talk to your doc about every detail before the c-section. I hope all goes well. Good Luck.