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Scheduled c section with my 1st due to size. He was 10 lbs 9 oz at birth and that was one week early. I had a great experience and recovery wasn't bad.

Repeat c section with my 2nd. That recovery was harder - probably because I had a 20 month to take care of too.

I had positive experiences!

On my 40 week visit, the baby's heart rate had low variability. My midwife admitted me to the hospital and I was induced. I spent 36 hours laboring with various dosages of Pitocin and Cervadil, but I never dilated past 4 CM. They broke my water in the hopes that it would speed things along. When it didn't and I became at risk of infection and the baby's heartrate was becoming more erratic, I had an emergency c/s.

The c/s was the easiest part of the whole ordeal. They had to really work to get the baby out, though--she was tucked so far up into me, even the anesthesiologist had to join in the pushing/pulling brigade. I guess that would explain why I never "popped" and barely looked pregnant at all even when I went into the hospital! Despite that, she was a healthy 7 lbs. 7 oz. and had no trauma from the hard birth.

I had an unplanned c-section. LO was 2 days late and a big baby (8lbs 8oz) and I'm on the petite side. I went into labor around 3am and never progressed past 7.5cm and LO never descended. LO's heart rate dropped and I kept spiking a fever and there were other signs of distress so at 7pm we decided it was time to go get her out

My only complication was that my uterus wouldn't clamp. I lost a lot of blood which almost required a blood transfusion but they were able to get it under control. Other than that my recovery was super easy. I was able to lift myself off my bed immediately following surgery which surprised all the nurses and I was able to walk around the next day. I only took Tylenol with codeine for pain management and my scar healed with no problems - I didn't get any staples - just some dissolvable stitches and steri strips.

LO and I had to get IVs for antibiotics bc our white blood cell count indicated we both had some infection so we stayed 4 days in the hospital. It took awhile for my milk to come in which I've heard is common with c-section mamas

Overall I was very happy with my c-section and have a repeat c-section scheduled for baby #2 on my EDD

My labour stalled at 7 cm after 16 hours, had pitocin to move it along for 5 hours, couldn't get an epi, pushed for 2 hours but LO didn't move a mm (apparently, she wasn't lined up properly). The c-section was awesome. It was so good to know that it was going to be over. The recovery was easy too. My mom said I recovered faster than she did, even though she had an uneventful labour and was 13 years younger than I was.

I was induced due to low fluid, fully dilated, pushed for 3 hours, and he just wouldn't come out. I didn't have any complications with my c section, but I hated being separated from Liam so long after surgery (2 hours) and I wished we had immediate skin to skin. Still, it all went smoothly and now he's happy and healthy. I'm going to try for a VBAC with number two, but if it doesn't happen, I won't be devastated. I just want the option to try.

I had a scheduled c section at 39 weeks. It was a breeze and a quick recovery.

My water broke at 7am. I dialated quickly but stalled at 8cm. I spiked a fever, LOs heart rate was all over the place (mostly racing) and I was in so much pain after have my Epi jacked up twice that I was puking. I had an emergency c/a at 9pm where it was determined that he was sunny side up and lodged in the birth canal. The pulling was horrible and took forever. My uterus wouldn't contract so I lost a ton of blood, almost to the point of transfusion. I also had an allergic reaction to pain meds which made me loopy and I itched all over. I had some PTSD but my OB worked through it with me. My son is healthy and that's all that matters now.

I'll do a repeat when the time comes. My OB said my birth canal is so narrow he's afraid I'd have the same experience again if I tried for vbac.

I had a planned c-section at 40+2 and have no regrets. I felt empowered and in control the entire time, experienced no pain at all during it, had a complication free recovery and now have basically no scar. No complaints about my birth experience. Don't feel I missed out in any way because I didn't really labor or attempt a vaginal birth.

I had a planned c-section at 39 weeks due to a breech baby. The whole thing went really smoothly. Arrived at the hospital at 5 am. The worst part was getting the IV in my wrist - the first nurse had some trouble and turned me black and blue! Then they pumped me full of fluids and we just waited. I was in surgery by 7:45 and she was born by 8:34. Mine took a while due to some scar tissue from a childhood surgery. I got to hold her right away, although I ended up handing her to my husband because there wasn't really room on my chest the way I was laying and I felt claustrophobic with her laying practically on my throat. He held her right next to me and I got to hold her little hand while they stitched me up. Then once I was all stitched up and sitting up I got to hold her. It was a totally wonderful experience.

Recovery wasn't too bad! I was able to do a lot by the time I got home 4 days later.

On a vain note, a benefit of a planned c-section was being able to blow out my hair and put on some long lasting makeup before I went to the hospital so I felt put together in our "we just had a baby!" pictures.

I had a scheduled C-section due to a large fibroid that was blocking my cervix and LO's way out. It was also preventing LO from facing head down. She was transverse for most of my pregnancy.

While mine was fine, my recovery wasn't super easy. My C-section was more invasive and complicated than usual because of my fibroid. If the doctors cut the fibroid, I would have lost large amounts of blood. I was fine after a week, but that first week, I could barely get out of bed without help.

I am very happy to have a healthy, beautiful little girl, but I'm not going to say I loved every aspect of my experience. I'm glad that others liked theirs.

@ladybee: was M on antibiotics? I had a similar experience!

I had an unplanned cs. After 21hrs of labor, I didn't get past 3-4cm, lo's heart rate was 180s (his normal baseline was always 130s) and my midwife couldn't feel suture lines which meant he was crooked. Turned out he was OP, too big to fit through the birth canal and stuck on my pelvis. AND in distress. The cs was so far from what I expected and there's no doubt I'll have another if we're blessed with anymore babies. Great experience!

@ladybee: ugh! C had 10 days - awful! Not anything like I expected. They told me it was the nurse's curse.

@Katrocap: I'm glad that I was given the option of a c section. I can't imagine trying to push that big a baby out. When the doctor saw him, she said he would never had fit and I made the right choice. Glad you had a good experience too!

I have an emergency c-section. I started getting regular contraction around 5am Sunday morning, I laboured at home until 10pm Sunday night (my contractions were still only 5-6mins apart). I finally went to hospital and was 6cm. Things started to pick up and I was having a constant wave of contractions. By 230-3am I was 8cm.

The baby's heart beat started to drop during contractions and was taking to long to come back up so they had to call the doctor in. When she got there she noticed that it was actually my water sac that was dilating my cervix rather then the babes head. She broke my water to see if that would make him drop, but instead his head pinched the cord. Thats when things really got interesting!

They called in the second doctor, who had to keep her fingers inside of me to hold the babes head up off the cord. In the meantime the nurses were putting in my IV, catheter, and wheeling me into the OR.

I was into the OR by 3:30, knocked out at 3:40, baby was here at 3:46am. I woke up around 6am, out of recover and into my room by 7am.

I was on strong drugs for two days, then switched to just tylenol 3 and ibuprofen. My cut was vertical from my underwear line to belly button, so it healed nicely other then the odd stitch poking out!

Thankfully Max arrived a happy and health baby boy, 7lbs 13 onces. Doctor said that she didn't think he was going to fit even if he dropped so either way probably would have ended with a c-section.

I had a planned c section at 41 weeks. My cervix was not dilated or effaced at all so I was a pretty high risk for failed induction and my baby was measuring big. I opted for a planned c section over a possibly complicated delivery and am happy with my choice. He ended up being smaller than expected at 8 lb 8 oz, but he had a big head (15 or 15 1/2 can't exactly remember...). The recovery was pretty easy overall.

With LO2, I opted for a repeat c section. Everything went great, but recovery was definitely harder. Just more pain in those first few days, nothing major.

I had an emergency csection with #1 due to preeclampsia/HELLP at 34 weeks. I was not dilated or effaced and the situation was so that we couldn't wait for an induction. My recovery was really easy.
I had a VBAC with #2 and it went great. After a membrane sweep, I went into labor naturally. I'm so glad I got to experience the other side.

I went into early labor on my due date at about 6AM. When I got to the hospital 14 hours later I was only 2cm dilated. Another 2 hours later I was 3cm and my water broke. After that things got REALLY intense, constant contractions with no breaks and nothing was helping - not the exercise ball, the birthing tub, the massage or pressure points, breathing exercises, etc. 7 hours later I had only progressed another centimeter, putting me at 4cm dilated...and I caved and got an epidural. I experienced the polar opposite of what you usually hear about epidurals and how they slow everything down - for me it sped things way up, and within a couple of hours I was almost fully dilated!

Unfortunately, by that point LO's heart rate just couldn't sustain labor any longer and started dropping. The next few hours were spend trying everything - having me on my side, on all fours, swaying ridiculously, having on a mask for extra oxygen, etc. They took me to the OR for monitoring, said LO's heart rate was stabilizing and sent me back to my room, then brought me back to the OR when his heart rate got worse again and did the C-section. The back and forth was exhausting, but in the end the c-section itself wasn't as scary as I had feared, and my recovery wasn't too bad either.

A nurse came to my house one week after birth and removed my staples, and both she and my midwife commented with surprise by how quickly and well my incision was healing. I did spend that week before the staples were removed walking funny because I felt the need to hunch over, and I didn't take off the steri strips or look at the incision for weeks because I was so afraid! I'm really squeamish though.

I had a c/s after getting an infection 26 hours into labor. Have one scheduled for this time, but hoping to go into labor early and possibly try for a vbac.

After finding out LO was breech (at 38.5 weeks...) I had a scheduled C-section for a week later. All went great, super easy recovery!