Hellobee Boards

I felt traumatized from my emergency C-section as well. I wasn't emotionally prepared at all since I didn't really even go into labor. I was immediately admitted to the hospital and C-section happened within 30 minutes.

The first 3 weeks were so difficult for me. We were in the hospital for a full week which made things a bit easier, since we had nurses to help with diaper changes and a lactation consultant to help us figure out breast feeding. Since we were confined to a hospital room we also didn't have to worry about climbing stairs, cooking, cleaning, etc. There was zero temptation to do too much!

My advice is to take your pain meds and take it easy. I kept trying to get myself off them and I would be doubled over in pain, not able to care for my newborn. There is no rush in trying to get back to 100% right away... just take care of yourself as best as you can--remember, you just had major surgery! Good luck and congratulations on your precious baby girl!

My first c-section was the most traumatic experience of my life. The spinal failed during the incision and I felt everything during my surgery. I cried and screamed the whole time and my husband, nurses and the anesthesiologist had to pin me down to prevent me from writhing around too much.

My second c-section was a breeze....smooth surgery and no pain. I did have excessive bleeding a few hours after giving birth but I still view it as a positive experience overall.

Nope, it was better than I expected. I had saw so many bad stories I expected mine to follow those.

I went into labor and had a csection 15hrs later. She was in distress, had pooped and ended up breech. I hated waiting to see her again in the recovery room, but once we got home, I felt better. I was more tramatized that the belly button clamp was left on her even though it was checked off that it was taken off. My ex took her back and took care of it and had a few words with them. That doctor (the pediatrician, my doctor is wonderful) got a bad review on the website from us and she has a better one, not just the hospital one. At home, it hurt when I laughed b/c of the staples and when I walked upstairs. Once the staples came out, I felt better because I could move more.

Mine was way better than I was thinking it was going to be. I had to have one because LO was breech. I ended up having it a week before it was scheduled due to elevated bp issues. We got there at 7:30 and I was prepped. Then we waited because the sections were pushed back due to an emergency one early that morning. I had her at 10:52. The worst part for me was the actual section because I felt more tugging and pulling than I expected to. That was just my problem. My expectation was that I'd just lie there and wouldn't feel anything. Oh well. That didn't last long. I got to see her and press cheek to cheek. DH went with her. I think he enjoyed getting to be the one to show her off and be in charge like that. They brought her back to me, we nursed right away---she didn't have any trouble latching. I threw up the first time she nursed due to eating my ice chips too quickly. I did have some major blood loss. I almost had to have a transfusion, but they ended up giving me iron supplements. LO had her bath and then was with us until the evening when we sent her back so we could sleep some. They brought her back to me every two hours. I had a problem with my iv that night and early the next morning they had to turn off my iv and epidural. I got up that afternoon and took the best shower ever. I stopped pain meds a week after the section and have been doing most of my normal routine ever since being home. My dr doesn't do vbacs, which I'm okay with, so I'll have another section with my next one. Vaginal delivery has bad memories for me so that's ok that I'll have sections with my other ones.

I really didn't know what to expect and it was better than I feared. It still wasn't a blast and recovery was a challenge, but overall I thought the experience was better than I feared. I think that when you are scheduled it's a totally different experience than an emergency section. Sorry yours was so tough. Not fun.

My first was an emergency, and I was expecting it to be terrible. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was and recovery went really well. I had a scheduled csection with number 2, it was really easy as well, other than some lingering pain from a stitch. I'm sorry yours wasn't great

OH! And if you have another LO when your first is old enough to understand what is going on, it is SUPER easy to explain where babies come from! DD knows exactly how her new brother is going to come out of me hahaha

@daniellemybelle: I wish your C-section wasn't traumatic. But I am glad you are so in love with your little girl! My C-section was planned because DS was large and they were worried about shoulder dystocia. We arrived at the hospital at 1pm and had to wait around for a long time, because like @jennimac, there were emergency C-sections at the time. DS wasn't born until 7pm. The worst part was that no one was communicating with us. I was terrified and had a panic attack when they first put the IV line in me. The actual procedure wasn't terrible, just very clinical and impersonal. I never even met the OB because the one who was supposed to deliver DS wasn't there because it was so late and the new OB didn't introduce himself. They also didn't let me hold/touch DS right after he was born. I was shaking uncontrollably for over an hour after the procedure. And the nurses didn't bring DS to the room until 3 hours after he was born. Overall, the procedure went better than expected since, like I said, I was terrified beforehand. But it was still an unpleasant experience.

I had a planned c-section due to my lo being breech and a failed attempt to turn him via ecv. I had heard great things from friends who had delivered via c-section at my hospital so I went in with great expectations. My c-section went very well and I have absolutely no complaints. I'm sorry that yours was a poor experience. I think that an unplanned c-section is a very different experience than a planned one. I got to mentally prepare, ask questions, get a spinal without being in the middle of contractions and I was excited vs scared. I'd totally do it again!

I too had a planned c-section (breeched) and it went smoothly. It was actually a lot easier than i had anticipated (both the operation and recovery).

Reading some of your stories really makes me feel grateful for how well mine went. I can't imagine how some of you must have felt - your stories are so scary!

I guess this is why my family was so scared when they found out I would be having a c-section.

My first was an emergency, all the nurses kept talkign to me about how I had a tramatic delivery, but I knew nothing different and really the c-section was better than I expected, it was the low iron that sucked me dry, I was so tired because of that. I was told I could have a blood tranfusion with my next one due to low iron. My saving grace was my sister, who had a very similar delivery (pushed for several hours, baby and momma in distress, and wisked away for c-section.) She forced me to get up & walk even though it hurt. I was in such better shape than most mom's I saw. And my daughter was in NICU, if I wanted to visit her I had to walk to elevator and go down to see here, I went back and forth several times a day. I have no negatives thoughts about my c-section.

I am sorry that so many of you gals had such horrible experiences

I think a c-section can be an empowering experience, like any, if you feel you are in charge of it and I'm sad that so many women feel they have/had no control in their birthing experience.

My experience was what I expected; and I expected it to be smooth and relatively easy. All of my friends who had c-sections raved about their recoveries, and I totally trusted my OB who recommended a c-section due to LO's head/shoulder size vs. my pelvis size (which other doctors prior to my OB had commented on possibly being a problem for birth).

My hospital is very family-friendly c-section, with immediate skin-to-skin, "golden hour", partners in the OR, and I could watch the procedure if I wanted to (ugh, no thanks!!!!!). The spinal was flawless, I just went totally numb from the waist down but was cracking jokes with the doctors while they started my section.

The nurses in recovery and our stay were *awesome*, too, which helped a lot.

I didn't go into delivery with any hard-set ideas of what I wanted. To me, birth (vaginal or c-section) is just a means to an end and I really didn't care how LO entered the world, so there was bound to be little disappointment in the method.

@autumnlove: WTF??!?!? Why didn't they immediately do general anesthetic? That sounds absolutely horrible and I'd be expecting the anestesiologist to be working to kill the pain, not hold me down.

It's interesting how the same experience has different effects on people. I thought the uncontrollable shaking was so funny. I knew it was nornal and from the meds, so I wasn't scared. Rather, I made it my mission to try to keep my arms still. Kept me occupied.