BTDT C-section ladies please come in

Please tell me all the horrible, bad, no good details of what you went through and what to expect with a c-section.

I want to know it all, so many friends have had them and don't share all the little details. maybe because its gross or it sounds horrible but how is one to prepare.

Please lay in on me! I want to be very prepared Mentally

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

it really wasnt that bad. the worst part for me was the reaction that I had to the pain medication - percocet. I was sick to my stomach for about 2 weeks, couldnt eat or drink much and lost 2x what I gained in those 14 days.

of course you are sore but its manageable. take medication, dont be a hero and wait for pain, take it preventatively. ask your nurses how to move, how to get into and out of bed, how to bend in the bathroom/shower etc. walk as soon as you can. gas is bad, be prepared for that.

lastly, take as many nights in the hospital as they offer. day 4 was WAY better than day 3 for me. im glad i stayed the extra day.

i felt 100% myself within 2 weeks.

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

liek the pp I have to say it wasnt nearly as bad as I expected.

I have had 2 scheduled c/s.

The bad: I threw up both times while in the OR due to the meds. 2nd time once they gave me my epi (first time I had a spinal) I threw up (well tried but my stomach was empty) got really itchy, got the shivers (I wsnt cold just shivering).
And the gas....make sure you just pass gas dont hold it in, its important to pass! Mine wasnt painful either time though...

Other than that I felt great by the time I left the hospital. I was slow when getting up from a chair or bed, but this time around I kept saying the thing that bothered me the most the day I came home from the hospital was the site of my whooping cough vaccine!

ETA : With my first son I didnt take pain meds more than the motrin...and never took anything for pain after leaving the hospital. With DS#2 I took the pain meds and it really helped me sleep and get comfortable. I had such issue with the hosptial beds this time around!

Message edited 7/11/2011 3:59:31 PM.

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

I did not find the c-section to be hard at all. DD was born in the early afternoon and the nurse had me out of bed moving- very slowly- after dinner. I felt good by the next day. I didn't take the pain medicine at first, but the next day I was very uncomfortable. It was a weird feeling, not pain like ouch, just uncomfortable to the point I didn't realize it was pain. I tried motrin or something at first and that did nothing so I upped it to percocet. Once that kicked in, I was fine. I was slowly walking down the hall the next day without a problem. You have a catheter that gets removed about 24 hours after the c-section. I found that to be annoying. I was sp glad when they removed it.

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

The "bad" parts for me"

- My heartburn was so bad that morning because I hadn't had anything since the night before. I begged the nurse for something and she told me they'd be giving me something to neutralize the stomach acid anyway....I waited not-so-patiently and was looking forward to a mylanta-type thing when she brought it...not so much. It was bitter and almost made me throw up...but after about 10 minutes, it worked!

- In the OR, with DH waiting in the hallway, the anesthesiologist was having trouble getting the spinal in and had to call in the head anesthesiologist. My blood pressure was rising with each twinge down my leg...but the head guy had it done in like 2 minutes.

- After the OB was done, he sewed me up and told the nurse to "express" me...I had no idea what that meant until I felt the pushing and heard the gushing....basically, they push on your stomach to get the, um, "stuff" out...

- Recovery was fine, though I was feeling nauseous. I finally did get sick once I got back to my room, but after that I felt 100 times better!

DD was born at 1:16 and it was 4:30 or so when I got back to my room...they left the catheter in until the next morning (which in hospital speak is about 5:30am), when they got me up and to the bathroom. Do not feel bad if you make a mess....apparently, everyone does....that's what the nurses are there for!!

The first night was painful, mostly because I am not a back sleeper and I kept trying to roll over. The subsequent nights were progressively less painful. I managed to just take motrin every 6 hours, and I'd say I felt a lot better after a week, and almost 'normal', with a bit of lingering soreness here and there after two weeks.

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

My experience was not bad at all!!!

I was 41 weeks and DS was still very high up, so my OB recommended that I get a c-section. I went into Winthrop at 7:30am for my 12:30 c-section. You would usually only go in a few hours before, but they had to do my pre-surgical testing there since it was a last minute thing. So I went in and they hooked me up to all sorts of machines to monitor the baby and I. Once I was cleared, they brought me back to recovery... to the bed I'd be in after the procedure. The nurses and anesthesiologist explained everything that was going to happen and at 12:30 they took me to the OR. DH stayed in recovery until they called him back in. In the OR, I sat on the table and they gave me the spinal. I didn't look at the needle and only felt a little pinch... not painful at all! Within seconds I couldn't feel my lower body. It was the weirdest feeling ever!! They prepped me, put the cathedar in and got started. DH came into the room at that point. I had bouts of nausea during the procedure but the anesthesiologist kept giving me more drugs to regulate that. I didn't throw up during the procedure at all. I'm not going to lie, it was a little uncomfy... there was lots of tugging and I could smell my burning skin (they made the incision with some sort of laser.heat thing). Oh! There is a lamp overhead... DO NOT LOOK INTO IT! DH watched the entire procedure through it lol. DS was born 32 minutes after I stepped foot into the OR. It was very quick and a better experience than I thought it would be. They wheeled me back into recovery as I held DS. I BF him right away and then all hell broke loose for me. It was my first experience with anesthesia and it was not a good one. I threw up for the rest of the day. This usually doesn't happen... I guess I was on of the lucky ones!!!

My recovery was a breeeeeeze!! I was up and walking by the next day and had very minimal pain... I didn't take one pain killer or tylenol or anything. By the time we got home, I was up and down the stairs and walking around as usual. I did not get staples and I think that had a lot to do with my great recovery. I had disolvable stitches with this tape over the incision. Now at 7m PP, you can't even see my scar! GOOD LUCK!!!! It's really not that bad!

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

the c/s isn't bad

the first day of recovery stinks, but really every hour it gets better.

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

Ladies, about the cathedar and it's removal...does it hurt?????? I think I may be more nervous about that if I end up with a C than the actual C

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

This is SO helpful. I'm going in for a scheduled c-section tomorrow and I am FREAKING OUT!!!!!!!!!

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

I didn't notice the catheter going in or coming out.


Once you get the spinal block there is nothing to feel (except pressure) until it wears off about 6-12 hours later.

Re: BTDT C-section ladies please come in

Posted by MissingLI

Ladies, about the cathedar and it's removal...does it hurt?????? I think I may be more nervous about that if I end up with a C than the actual C