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I had a c-section at about 5:30pm on a Friday; my husband was with me the entire time (except while they prepped the OR; to keep it sterile he couldn’t come in until everything was prepped and ready) and they didn’t strap down my arms (I’ve never heard of this happening to anyone IRL) or anything negative like that. The spinal wasn’t bad at all; the prep shot hurts more. I had an oxygen mask on though I didn’t really need it and was chatting to my OB and the other doctors in the room the entire time. My OB walked us verbally through absolutely every step, so we always knew what she was doing.

After LO was delivered, she had a little fluid in her lungs so they took her to remove the fluid; otherwise they would have given her to me/DH immediately. A few minutes later, they handed her right to me for skin-to-skin contact while they stapled me up. Staples are not as scary as they sound; it doesn’t hurt at all to get them out.

DH, LO and I were all taken up to our recovery room and had a “golden hour” together where no one is allowed into our room so we can bond with LO and bf her.

The pain was definitely very manageable, and I was up and walking (slowly) the next morning and showered the next day without any issue. I was discharged on Monday late morning, and was able to go out and walk several miles with LO in the stroller within a few weeks.

I’m 6 months pp now and the scar is very small, and very light pink colored. It’s not really noticeable, and sits below a bikini line, so no one but me or my husband will ever see it.

My c-section experience was positive; but I think that delivery is a lot what you make it. If you “know” you will hate having a section (or having an epi, or whatever) and dwell on it; yeah, it’s unlikely you will have a positive experience if you end up needing one of those things. If you go into telling yourself that your midwife/OB team has your, and you baby’s best interests in mind, and you need something; then that’s what has to happen. At the end of the day you’ll have your LO, no matter how they came into the world; which is what matters most!

I had a really positive experience. I had a scheduled C-Section on a Friday morning (5 months ago today!). I was super anxious about being too aware of what was going on on the other side of the sheet, but I knew once the baby was out, I'd be fine.

When they took me into the OR, I told my OB and the anesthesiologist that I didnt want a play by play (even thinking about the surgery makes me cringe), and that I completely trusted them to do their jobs. DH knew that he had to focus on keeping me distracted, not checking out what was going on or chatting with the nurses. Between him and my nurse, I never even thought about the surgery and was shocked when they told me I'd have a baby in about one minute....I barely knew that the surgery had started! (for the record, I remember hearing my OB tell me she was starting, but I was focusing on calming myself til DH came in the room). My arms werent strapped down either (just laid on the arm rests).

The recovery wasn't bad at all. Take the pain meds! They had me sitting up that evening and up walking the next morning. They gave me a support band for the incision which was really helpful - I used it on and off for a couple weeks after.

I was very lucky to have a lot of help once we got home. DH and I pretty much focused on caring for the baby and me, and family did everything else for us (cooking, laundry, etc). If you don't have help, I'd suggest having meals in your freezer. I wasn't able to stand longer than 10 minutes for the first week or so. I only did the stairs once a day, and did them on my butt for about 2 weeks. Getting into bed can be challenging, but I was prepared for it - I used a step stool to climb in and pretty much built a nest using 4-5 pillows.

Good luck!!

I haven't had one, but a friend of mine just had a second one. She chose it actively, and has a picture of herself and her new baby from right when they placed him on her chest where she just radiates with joy and happiness. I'm a HUGE natural birthing fan, but what I really believe in is women having the birth they want, and that makes them feel empowered. If choosing a section makes someone feel powerful, I think it's awesome.

I recommend getting in touch with your local ICAN chapter. They should have some ideas about how to make your c-section as mother- and baby-friendly as possible. Doulas are another good resource--they go to c-section births too!

My c-section was also an emergency, but the recovery was way easier than I expected. They had me up and walking the next day (I delivered close to midnight) and by the time we went home, I was pretty much back to normal (as normal as you can be after major abdominal surgery!). During the procedure, my husband was there and the OB did a great job of making sure I was comfortable. It really was a very positive experience for me. My advice - take ALL the pain meds they offer post-delivery. You might not feel like you need it, but trust me, they schedule the meds so you good enough to be up caring for your newborn

Here it is, pasted from another site but some irrelevant info truncated. Sorry so long!

"Warning..this is LONG. But its all sorts of in depth of a c-section and my amazing Livi-Bug’s birth story

So on Thursday July 21, I went for my weekly ultrasound. The lab tech noted that my amniotic fluid levels were still high, and my blood pressure was still really elevated, so the doctor told me to go to L&D immediately for an induction. I panicked and said “no way, Im going home” and they insisted I go over. So I went home lol. They at least wanted me to go in for monitoring, but I knew if I did that Id end up being admitted and induced (remember, i was having an elective c/s) and mentally I needed some time to process. My doctor told me that we really need to go, so he made an appointment for me on Friday night at 9pm. That I could at least process mentally, so we made final plans and set off to enjoy our last night at home as just the 2 of us.

We slept in the next morning (July 22), and when we finally got up, I had a voicemail waiting from my doctor. Because of my BP, they thought it was best for me to get there between 2 and 3 instead of 9. Again, panic sets in and I spend the better part of the morning crying about plans changing yet again. I don’t handle change well apparently. Regardless, we ate at about 11 (I had about 3 chips with some guacamole) and finished packing, got the dog in the car, and set off to the hospital (quick stop at my sister’s to drop the dog off, which KIlLLED ME) and got there around 3:15. I was admitted, got in a gown, and hooked up to a hep-lock, BP, and fetal monitor by about 5, and made damn sure that every doctor, resident, nurse, and med student that came in there knew I wanted a c-section. C-Section it was. They said they’d have me in the OR by 7 (which turned into 8 bc an emergency one went in ahead of me.) It was about that time that my BP started going down a tiny bit, but it was still really high ( 160s/110s. It was 175/110 at its highest)

So 8:00pm rolls around, and doctors and nurses come get me prepped and into a sweet surgical cap and my husband into an awesome set of scrubs (it was a full jumpsuit that zipped up the front with bootie covers, a head cap, and a surgical mask. They brought me in to do that spinal block, and told DH he’d come in when they were just about to start the incision. Honestly, the spinal block was scary, but not awful. They had me sit on the edge of the operating table and hunch over “like an angry cat” while I held my doctors arms (I totally would have preferred DH there...I was shaking BADLY out of fear) The local anesthetic stung, then it went numb. The block was weird though, I didn’t feel the needle go in, but when they started drawing the fluid, it felt like electricity running down the left side of my spine, then they were done. My toes went numb first, then it sloooooly moves up your legs and body, and eventually makes you go numb from mid chest down. So they lay you down (my arms weren’t strapped down) and put an oxygen mask on you and keep doing checks to see how numb you are, which is weird. You can feel them doing the check, but no pain. Then the curtain raised, the doctor drew the incision mark, and some point they put a catheter in, which I didn’t feel, so I knew I was numb. Then they turned on the music and brought DH in and told him to sit in the stool next to my head. Next thing I know, I hear the doctors starting the recording and nurses counting instruments over and over and smell something, which was the cauterizing. The surgery had started. At this point, Im still feeling great and cracking jokes with the doctors and nurses. Matt keeps standing and peeking around the curtain (and taking pics with his iphone lol)

So it was around this point the anesthesiologist says to me “tell me if you feel nauseous” and so I start overanalyzing like “hey maybe I feel nauseous..” Then I start feeling like I cant breathe. The anesthesiologist tells me its perfectly normal because with a spinal block, you are numb from mid chest down, so you cant feel your breaths, but assures me I’m getting plenty of oxygen. Then I hear “ok, get ready for lots of pressure” and I turned to Matt and said “go watch, that means she’s coming out!” Then I heard “wow, cord around the neck several times...you wouldn’t have been able to deliver naturally.” Then a TON of pressure and tugging, a weird feeling of lightness, and the doctors said “HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Time of birth 9:12pm. Wow this is a big baby!” Then the best sound ever...her crying. Then I started crying and said “WAIT!!! Is it still a girl?!” and they all laughed and assured me she was. THEN...I turned my head and said, “I’m gonna puke” and started throwing up. Poor DH, they cleaned up the baby and brought her over to him, so he was beaming while holding her with one hand and wiping my face with gauze in the other hand. I stopped long enough for him to put her to my face and give her a kiss and touch her sweet little face and I was INSTANTLY head over heels in love with this little person that we had made. Then I threw up some more..for the next 3 hours lol. They took her to the nursery quickly to weigh and measure her (they don’t do official weight and length in the birth room or OR at my hospital) and brought her right back to us and let her stay with us for several hours after that.

I did have some complications, just a bad reaction to the morphine and anesthesia, but I was better by about 11am the next day. Honestly, for me, the pain has been so minimal. I’ve managed it with just motrin or advil since Ive been home from the hospital. In the hospital, they kept me on a schedule of motrin every 6 hours and percocet every 4 to keep my pain level down to manage my blood pressure, but really, it wasn’t bad. I was up and walking around the next day as soon as the catheter came out.