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@Dandelion: I think I was around 4-5 cm when they did the c-section. Its kind of funny, but my biggest worry was that I wouldn't know I was in labor, which is what ended up happening. I had BH contractions every day from 30 weeks on. After a couple hours of what I thought were BH, I called my OB and they just had me go to the hospital. Since I was high-risk as a twin pregnancy, they never took any chances. I got to the hospital around 9:30 pm, they hooked me up to check for contractions and did an exam, waited for an hour or so to see if they would atop, then my OB said we should move forward with the c-section. (Baby B was breech and we didn't want to risk a double whammy if he didn't turn after A delivered.) Babies were delivered at 2 a.m. There was a delay in the big operating room they had to use for me which held things up a little.

@dandelion: Best of luck! Honestly, I'm opting for a c-section again next time. It's 3 days of killer pain but afterward, the healing seems so much better than a vaginal delivery.

1. How long ago was it? 5 weeks
2. Was your section planned or unplanned? Planned due to breech position after failed ECV
3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Epidural? Spinal Block
4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure? Just some tugging...otherwise didn't feel a thing!
5. Did you watch? Did your SO? I couldn't see because of the curtain but DH got to see them pull out ds by peering over it (the doctor encouraged it)
6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it?) Horizontal about 6" long, lower than a bikini bottom would show
7. Who held baby after it came out? The baby nurse while she did measurements, then dh, then me, all in the OR
8. Who cut the cord? The doctor (much higher up) so that they could get him to the warming table but then dh did the official cut for his belly button
9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again? Minutes...maybe 10.
10. When did you get to hold your baby? In the OR while they finished sewing me up. It was more like touching him while dh held him near me because it was hard while strapped to the table. This happened about 5 mins after he was born. The first time I truly held him was as soon as they got me off the OR table and were wheeling me back to my room (about 5 minutes after that)
11. How long did it take for your milk to come in? Colostrum comes right away, milk came on day 3.
12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough? I was given ibuprofen and oxycodone. Both are supposedly fine for nursing. I took both regularly well after I left the hospital.
13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own? About day 5-6.
14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out? I had staples that were removed on day 4 right before I left. Those were replaced with steri strips (which I was allergic too and hence had to have removed - but those are supposed to fall off on their own).
15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section? I chose to stay 3 nights, but you can stay up to 4 if you'd like, in our hospital
16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay? Yes, we had him with us the entire time. I would recommend sending him to the nursery at least for an hour or two each night though so you can get some sleep. I will definitely do that next time
17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section? No ongoing problems - just in the process of healing still.
18. How does your section scar feel now? It's sore and hurts if something presses on it too long (pants, the carrier, etc.) but otherwise it's fine.
19. Anything you’d like to add? It's some killer pain the first few days, so take all the pain meds you can get. At my hospital they gave you the option of 1 or 2 oxycodone each time, and I almost always opted for one but I should've just taken both because later I'd be in a lot of pain. Peeing after they remove the catheter is hard but your first stool is HORRIBLE! For me, it wasn't necessarily the pain of pushing it out, but that the spinal and pain meds had turned my stool literally into large rocks. Take all of your stool softeners for weeks! Also, going from laying down to sitting up while holding the baby can really cause pain so take it easy and make your DH help you lots!

Glad you bumped. Didn't see this before!
1. How long ago was it? August 2012
2. Was your section planned or unplanned? Planned. I was 41 weeks with a big baby and cervix was doing nothing! Chose to go this route over an induction with risk of failure and needing a c section anyway
3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Epidural? Spinal
4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure?
Nothing. I guess I just felt a pressure release when they pulled his head out.
5. Did you watch? Did your SO? They had a drape to block my view (but I was trying to catch a reflection in the lights to no avail). SO watched from my head but glanced that way a bit.
6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it?) Horizontal, right at top of pubic hair
7. Who held baby after it came out? SO after they checked him out
8. Who cut the cord? He cut the cord, but over on the baby's table to the side. The placenta was already out but baby was still attached to it, if that makes sense.
9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again? Maybe 10 min. Not long
10. When did you get to hold your baby? I held him leaving the OR so 10-15 minutes?
11. How long did it take for your milk to come in? 3 days
12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough?
I had Percocet or something. Can't recall. I did hurt a decent amount and needed pain meds to control it, but just for a day or two
13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own? I'd say I had trouble moving around the day after the c section but by day 3, I was fine. Not ready to run a marathon, but able to care for baby and myself no problem.
14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out? Dissolvable stitches
15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section? 2 nights (he was born Friday am and I left Sunday morning) You can stay up to 4. I asked to go home early and they were fine with it. The hospital is so noisy and I was getting zero sleep and I felt ready to go.
16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay? I did.
17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section? Not at all
18. How does your section scar feel now? Don't notice it.
19. Anything you’d like to add? My sister had a loss similar to yours and she has had c sections since and done very well. The idea of birthing a baby after such a traumatic loss was just too scary. This way its sort of quick and easy, low stress during the process. Its like 20 minutes (maybe less) and baby is there

I already posted about my c-section (posted 2 months ago, wow how time flies!) but I needed to add that the most painful part for me was getting the epidural. It took several attempts for the anesthesiologist to find the ideal spot, meanwhile I was hunched over my big belly, being held still by 2 nurses, I was really uncomfortable and miserable during this process. I tried to contain my tears but just couldn't and cried for a little bit. However, the great c-section experience helped me forget the miserable epidural experience.

@Dandelion: for me the epidural was a piece of cake. I was more afraid about that than the section. Now, I felt more during the actual section than I was expecting to. Lots of pulling, pressure, and tugging. But it was over quickly. I didn't feel anything during the stitches, etc.

How long ago was it? 2 weeks ago
2. Was your section planned or unplanned? Planned due to iugr. I had her at 39 weeks 2 days
3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Epidural - the kind that is immediately removed, not the kind for labor that stays in.
4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure? A tiny bit of pressure when they pulled her out, but no pain or discomfort.
5. Did you watch? Did your SO? Nope, dh stood by my head and talked me through it until she was born at which point he went back and forth between me and the peds until she was ready to be brought to me.
6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it?) Horizontal below my bikini line. It's very low!
7. Who held baby after it came out? DH after they cleaned him up and then he brought her to my cheek while they stitched me up. Because of the iugr there were 4 peds on hand so that part took a little longer.
8. Who cut the cord? Doctor - DH didn't want to
9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again? Maybe 30 minutes? Baby was born in minutes, and the stitching felt super fast because I had a baby to gaze at!
10. When did you get to hold your baby? After the procedure, I was taken to recovery and held her and breastfed immediately. I held her for 2 hours while we were both monitored. It was literally minutes after they finished the surgery.
11. How long did it take for your milk to come in? 1 day!
12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough? 600mg motrin every 6 hours. It was plenty, I felt no pain! And I kept taking it for just under a week then reduced to 400mg every 8ish hours, then just stopped after a few days. It is totally fine for bfing.
13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own? The first few days I was really sore but after that for the first week it was just hard to get up from lying down or sitting and I couldnt change positions while holding her. I walked fine but a but slowly. After the first week, I moved pretty well and gradually have gotten more independent.
14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out? They didn't use stitches on the top layer - I don't know what they used but it didn't have to be removed and they just put suture strips over it until it scabbed over. Doc took those off (They were just little adhesive strips) 10 days pp.
15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section? 3
16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay? Yes
17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section? No
18. How does your section scar feel now? It is still a little swollen but not painful unless I touch it and it feels like a bruise I guess. Its still hard to put on normal pants because the zipper hits the incision but once it's done scabbing over I'm sure it'll be fine. And once the swelling goes down. For two weeks pp I'm doing great!!
19. Anything you’d like to add? I had an awesome experience in every respect. Everything was easier than I expected. And 2 weeks pp I'm already feeling like my prepreg self again! I can feel my abs already, which surprises me.

1. How long ago was it? 5.5 months ago
2. Was your section planned or unplanned? Unplanned. Labour didn't progress, something about LO's head being cocked at a weird angle prevented her from decending.
3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Spinal block (and they added some morphine in there which didn't wear off for 24 hours)
4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure? It was so cool! I got a little freaked because I could feel them cleaning my abdomen. I told the anestesiologist that I could feel it and he said that I will feel things, but no pain. To demonstrate, he pinched my leg and asked if it hurt. It didn't, then he pinched my arm with the same force that he pinched my leg and it HURT! So I knew I would be fine. So during the c-section, I felt them touching me, I even felt them remove LO, I felt lighter after she was out. But nothing hurt. I felt no sharp edges. It was the coolest feeling. I loved that I still felt part of LO's birth.
5. Did you watch? Did your SO? No! I think it's discouraged. They let DH pop his head up to see that LO was a girl, but then he had to sit back down. I think they don't want any fainting. After I was sewn up (mostly) they let him cross the room to get LO and he said the floor looked like a murder scene. So I gather it can be pretty gory.
6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it). Horizontal, very low, covered up mostly by my muffin top
7. Who held baby after it came out? LO was cleaned up first, then DH got her. I just looked. Would have been too awkward to hold her, plus the anesthetic made me very shaky.
8. Who cut the cord? Doctor
9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again? It was fast. 10 min maybe. I think the whole procedure was only half an hour. Took longer to prep me.
10. When did you get to hold your baby? LO was taken away to be monitored for inhaling merconium, but I think I still got to hold her within the hour.
11. How long did it take for your milk to come in? Day 3
12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough? Morphine was added to the spinal, so I felt wonderful on day 1, day 2 i had motrin and t-3. Definitely enough. I think I only too it for 3 or 4 days.
13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own? Day 2 I was feeling pretty good. I could move slowly and took a shower on my own. By Day 3, I was moving fairly easily, by Day 7 when they took the staples out, I felt like a million bucks and could do stairs (slowly).
14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out? I imagine they did dissolvable stiches inside, but the top layer was staples. Felt weird and there was tugging as I healed. They came out on Day 7 and then it felt good.
15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section? 1 night (that was unusual though. The hospital was crowded and DH couldn't stay, so I begged to be let home early. They let me because I promised to stay on the couch).
16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay? Yes
17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section? No
18. How does your section scar feel now? It's a raised reddish line. But doesn't hurt or itch or anything.
19. Anything you’d like to add? It was really nowhere near as scary as I expected. I'd do it again in a minute.

1. How long ago was it? 18.5 months but I'm pregnant again so it's good for a refresher

2. Was your section planned or unplanned? Unplanned- had to be induced, after 17 hours of labor I "failed to progress" so consented to C-section

3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Epidural? I had a spinal because I didn't labor with an epidural.

4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure? Just felt tugging, no pain. However, my arms were shaking uncontrollably and had to be strapped down.

5. Did you watch? Did your SO? I couldn't see, but my husband saw a lot of it- he announced what the baby was (we were team green). I think it was unsettling for him to see my uterus outside of my body!

6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it?) at my bikini line, horizontal

7. Who held baby after it came out? DH got to hold her after they got her wiped down and cleared her lungs. They were able to stay with me while I got sewn up and I held her in recovery (though I was nervous because my arms were still shaky!)

8. Who cut the cord? Doctor

9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again? Probably 30-45 minutes

10. When did you get to hold your baby? In the recovery room. Best feeling ever.

11. How long did it take for your milk to come in? 3 days

12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough? Gosh, I don't even remember- I know I ended up taking ibuprofen for a long time after, but I made sure everything was BF safe

13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own? I started walking as soon as spinal wore off, but I wasn't back to myself for a few months...

14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out? External stitches, no staples. I think they came out on my first visit to OB after the surgery.

15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section? My scar was not healing properly so we ended up at the hospital for 4 nights.

16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay? We did send her to the nursery at night, they brought her every 2 hours for feeding. I didn't think I would want to do this but I'm glad I did.

17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section? Not now, other than occasional numbness. But it took my scar 8 weeks to heal- it was essentially an open wound that I had to have dressing put in and a home health nurse come to check on. My husband had to change the dressing in my wound every day after I showered. It was painful and bloody and a mess. The doctor said there is no reason it happened, it just did. But it made my recovery so much worse.

18. How does your section scar feel now? For a long time it seemed shameful, but I don't really notice it now. I went to therapy for a while due to PP issues (mostly surrounding the type of birth as I had planned on an intervention free natural birth). Therapist suggested that I put BioOil on my scar to minimize how it looked and that really worked.

19. Anything you’d like to add? I'm not saying all of this to scare you or anything like that- most everyone else I know that had a C-section had no complications and had a quick recovery. But that's not how it goes for everyone. I think it's probably easier if you're planning on C-section initially and don't go into labor... Good luck!! It's all worth it in the end.

1. How long ago was it?
4 months ago

2. Was your section planned or unplanned?
Planned, breech baby who flipped at last minute but we decided to go through with the scheduled c-section

3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Epidural?
Epidural

4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure?
Didn't really feel much at all. According to DH, the midwife was "jumping" on the top of my stomach to push her out. Didn't really feel it. Maybe a little pressure.
5. Did you watch? Did your SO?
DH was above the curtain and could not see anything. I actually could look at the reflection in the lights over the table so I did watch. I don't get grossed out that easily and found it super interesting to watch.

6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it?)
Horizontal, just below hip bone level.

7. Who held baby after it came out?
DH, but they placed her near me for a picture

8. Who cut the cord?
Doctor

9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again?
I had a cyst on my ovary that they removed while they had me open so my procedure was not normal. It was actually another 90 minutes after the baby was out until I was stitched up. But that was due to removing the cyst.

10. When did you get to hold your baby?
Two hours after delivery, again the delay was due to the cyst removal. If I hadn't had that done, the baby and DH would have actually stayed in the operating room and I would have held her within a half hour.

11. How long did it take for your milk to come in?
Three days. C-section Tuesday at noon, milk came in Friday afternoon

12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough?
Don't remember everything that was given to me in the hospital in the first 24 hours, but then it was percocet and prescription dose of ibuprofen. Sent me home with 30 percocets, I took one the first day as a precaution and then Advil for the next couple days. Less than a week post c-section I wasn't taking any meds.

13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own?
Thursday evening/Friday morning? I had no problem moving around by the time I was discharged.

14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out?
Staples that were removed the morning of my discharge.

15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section?
Three nights.

16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay?
Other than going to the nursery while I was having the cyst removed immediately after the birth, she never left my side.

17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section?
Nope. Occasionally has slight tenderness but nothing I would call a problem.

18. How does your section scar feel now?
Honestly, the stretch marks I got on my lower belly are way worse than the scar.

19. Anything you’d like to add?
Our c-section was technically elective since baby girl did flip at the last minute, but making the decision to go ahead with the scheduled c-section is one of the best decisions. The recovery was so much less than what I had thought it would be.

@Dandelion: yeah, it was something they found during the 8 week ultrasound and was monitored via ultrasound for the duration of the pregnancy. Getting it removed was another reason I went with the elective c-section.

@Dandelion: yeah, it was great. I figured if I was going to have to have surgery anyways, why not avoid labor at least. Obviously a c-section is more major surgery and a surgery to remove the cyst wouldn't have been as major, but it all worked out for the best!

1. How long ago was it? 5 weeks ago

2. Was your section planned or unplanned? Unplanned

3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Epidural? Epidural

4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure? I was exhausted from pushing for 3.5 hours and dealing with a fever so I was shaking from the anesthesia. The operating room was a stark contrast from the labor and delivery room.

5. Did you watch? Did your SO? Nope.

6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it?) horizontal and it is just below my bikini line

7. Who held baby after it came out? Dh

8. Who cut the cord? Doctors

9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again? Don't remember. I was in and out of conscienceness (because of exhaustion) that I had no concept of time

10. When did you get to hold your baby? As I was being wheeled to the recovery room

11. How long did it take for your milk to come in? 4 days

12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough? I was given Norco, and ibuprofen and I felt that they were enough for me.

13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own? About 2 weeks where I felt like it didn't need help and didn't need meds too.

14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out? I had staples and the staples came out on the 5th day after the surgery. Then they put surgi strips and medical grade glue.

15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section? 5 days

16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay? No. My baby had low blood sugar and because I had an infection/fever, my ds had to be on antibiotics in the NICU

17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section? No problems

18. How does your section scar feel now? It feels like a slight ridge, but pretty unnoticeable

19. Anything you’d like to add? If I knew what I know now, I wished that instead of pushing so long, i wished I was given the conclusion that I needed a c section before I developed a fever / baby was in distress. I think it might have saved us the time and anguish for having our full term baby in the NICU for 16 days.

1. How long ago was it? almost 5 months
2. Was your section planned or unplanned? planned. I found out LO was breech @36 weeks. Spent two weeks “encouraging” him to spin. Water broke @38 weeks (the day before I planned to attempt an ecv. to spin him)
3. What kind of anesthetic is used? Epidural? A spinal? not sure what the difference or if there is one between Epi & Spinal
4. What did it feel like when they were doing the procedure? Felt some pressure. No pain. I felt very disconnected from what was going on. I was cold & shaking from the anesthesia and mentally battling my own anxieties regarding surgery & hospitals – so I couldn’t really “stay in the moment” as far as the anticipation of LO being born.
5. Did you watch? Did your SO? Nope. Curtain was up & SO avoided accidentally seeing anything.
6. What direction is the section scar? (Where is it?) Horizontal. Very low.
7. Who held baby after it came out? Dr. then nurse, then DH
8. Who cut the cord? Doctor cut it long & then DH trimmed it! He said it was exciting so I’m glad they offered the experience. We didn’t think to ask about it before hand.
9. How long after the baby came out did it take for you to be stitched back up again? Honestly – I don’t remember. Maybe 30 or 45 minutes? But I could be totally wrong.
10. When did you get to hold your baby? In the operating room once I was stitched up. He rode in my arms to the recovery room and DH walked along side.
11. How long did it take for your milk to come in? 24 hours.
12. What kind of pain medication was given to you afterwards…was it ok for breastfeeding? Did it feel like enough? I alternated between Motrin & Norco. It was enough once I gave in and took the Norco on schedule. I am freaked out about pain killers/meds so tried to tough it out. Bad idea. Take the drugs
13. How long did it take for you to feel like you could easily get around on your own? Surgery was at 5:59am and I was told that by 8pm that evening I had to walk across the room w/ the assistance of the nurse & walking pole. By the next morning I was shuffling about through the halls... SLOWLY.
14. What kind of stitches did they use? When did the stitches come out? Internal stitches of some sort that I assume dissolved. The outside was stitched up in some way where I couldn’t see them and they also weren’t removed and then a coating of “glue” (don’t know the medical term) was also applied. My surgeon used something the nurses and her referred to as a plastic surgery stitch on the outer suture. Her husband is a plastic surgeon & taught her the technique. I guess it makes for a very clean scar. The nurses all said she’s the best at it. Lucky me I guess?
15. How many nights did you have to stay in the hospital after your c-section? Surgery Thursday morning – three nights – left Monday around lunch time. I was ready to leave Saturday but I would have really needed to fight for 2 nights only. So I just stayed.
16. Did your baby room with you your entire stay? Yep. They took him to the nursery to do measurements and baths each night and DH went with. I could have gone as well, but didn’t want to walk/stand that long.
17. Do you have any ongoing problems from your c-section? No.
18. How does your section scar feel now? A tiny bit numb on the scar if I press on it. But I don’t notice at all.
19. Anything you’d like to add? When I found out I was pregnant the idea of a csection scared me to death. It was the most important thing to me to avoid it. I “planned” for a med/intervention free birth at a birthing center. I did Bradley method classes and all that jazz. Obviously LO had other plans. Honestly it took me a while to get over it emotionally afterwards – but physically it wasn’t as bad & scary as I’d made it out to be in my mind. I will say that I didn’t feel connected to LO when he was first born because I was completely focused on me and the idea that I was sliced open on the table. It sucks that I didn’t have any emotional “high” from his birth. And to this day, 5 months later, while I have completely connected w/ my son I still don’t fully connect him w/ my pregnancy or birth. It’s like they are just difference experiences completely… if that makes any sense? I think this is csection related. So, if I had one piece of advice for myself going in it would have been to just relax and take in the experience of the birth you are having. I wish I would have.
Also, I did panic a bit when I read (on this thread) about how quickly people were up & moving about and feeling great. It took me til 8 weeks before I honestly felt like I could go for a walk around the block w/o being uncomfortable. I wasn’t in pain but wasn’t even close to feeling like “myself”. This was tough as I was active & in great shape before & during my pregnancy. I felt like I’d never not be sore. Obviously that isn’t the case – but I shouldn’t have compared myself to others experiences in that dept.