C Section

I have c section scheduled for May 18th. I'm actually hoping (despite the pains of pregnancy) to make it to the date because #1 I'll be 38.5 weeks, and #2 I'd rather have the c section planned than an emergency or surprise.

So I'm sure it's probably been brought up on this board over and over, but can you please share your c section experiences with me? Good and bad, I just want to feel more prepared for what to expect. I'm sure every person, pregnancy and hospital is different, but somehow it makes me feel more relaxed to hear all the successful stories of people who have been through it. I'd also like to know if there is anything you wish someone would have told you about beforehand, whether it's surgery related, recovery or otherwise.

Thanks in advance. I don't know what I would do without TS!!!

 

Hi there Here's what I went through (it's probably a lot more detail than you want ):

1) pre op:
They took me to the recovery area and shaved and prepped me (got me hooked up to monitors and fluid i.v. while we waited for my doctor to get there). I had to drink a shotglass full of something that tasted like grape flavored pickle juice. Supposedly it keeps you from puking. My nurse gave it to me too soon, and the anesthesiologist got kinda irked with her. Then, when my doctor got there, I walked into the operating room. The nurse had me sit on the table kind of hunched over, and they gave me some local anesthesia for my skin, and then more anesthesia to prepare me for the epidural. Then they gave me the epidural. That felt like a combination between a pinch and a sting. It was unpleasant, but nowhere NEAR as bad as I had expected. They didn't let me see the needle before hand, which probably helped. Then they immediately had me lay back down, with my feet slightly elevated so the epidural could take. The nurse put in the catheter (this wasn't as bad as I imagined either. It felt like putting in a tampon.) They put up the drapes at this point, so I couldn't see them when they tested me (they poked me at various places below the waist with little needles). It took a while for it to set in, (for some reason it takes anesthesia a while to work on me) but it eventually did, and we were good to go.

2) the operation:
I could feel the doctor making the incision, but it felt more like someone drawing a line across me with their finger or something, just pressure really. Baby A came out pronto, I think she sort of just flew out when he cut me open . Baby B, however, wasn't too keen on getting out, and I could really feel him poking and prodding around. It felt a lot like when the babies moved inside of me, except more-so. Eventually (it was maybe a minute of tugging) baby B came out. At this point I got very nauseated and barfed up the grape pickle juice. The anesthesiologist was prepared for this, and was at hand with a little basin. I think I was sick just from having my intestines wiggled around so much, and after that I was good. The doctor put in a few stitches, then glued the rest of me back together and off I went to the recovery area.

3) recovery area:
This was seriously farking boring. They brought the babies out to me to try nursing for a little bit, and they did well (eventually I failed at nursing, but that's another story). I spent about 2 hours trying to get my toes to move while my husband kept poking my feet saying "Can you feel this now?!" After about 2 hours, they wheeled me up to my room.

4) hospital room - day 1:
The first night wasn't so bad. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with my legs trying to get them to move. All in all, I think it took about 4 hours to regain control of my lower extremities. I still had my catheter and my i.v. fluids and i.v. pain medication. Mostly I was feeling peppy and excited. I had to make the nurses bring me some bullion and crackers since they were scared I was going to get sick. I won and got my crackers. They brought the girls in and we all tried to nurse and sleep.

day 2:
OMG! PAIN! -- I woke up and felt fine, then the day nurse came in and made me get out of bed! This took some doing, because you can't just sit up. You have to get on your side and sort of lever yourself up with your arms. You absolutely cannot use your abdomen to get up (aside from pain, they worried about me coming unglued). That sucked. A lot. I staggered to the bathroom and she took out the catheter. I went to the bathroom and then staggered back to the chair. (She wouldn't let me get back in bed.) I spent a few hours sitting there and then got back in bed. That afternoon, they took away my i.v. pain meds :cray: Don't worry about the oral pain meds. Take them and don't hesitate to call the nurses if you need them.

day 3:
Gas pain. Lots of gas pain. I looked like I was 6 months pregnant again. So my nurses got me walking. This helped A LOT. After I started walking, recovery went pretty fast. As soon as I got horribly swollen, I'd go back to bed with my feet propped up, then after a few hours go walking again.

At my hospital, most of the baby tests were done at 3:00 a.m. when everything was quiet. I would shuffle around the corridors following the nurses to the NICU where they took the babies to do their car-seat test and their eye/ear exams and what not. I'm a night owl, so that was kind of fun.

Things I wish I had known:
It may sound dumb, but the gas and bloating caught me totally by surprise. I knew the incision and my muscles would hurt from surgery, but I had no idea about gas build up. Walking really helps cut that down.

Stay as long as your doctor will let you. That extra day or two of someone bringing you food and helping you lift and bathe is really helpful. I think I stayed in the hospital for 6 days. By then, I was pretty much ready to come home. I was able to walk up and down stairs, and do some bending and squatting by then as well, but absolutely NO lifting. By week 2 of recovery, I was able to do some light lifting (I could lift the babies (5 lbs.)).

If you want to breastfeed exclusively, don't let the nurses take the babies for nighttime feedings. I let them do this for me, and although it did help my recovery (I got to sleep), I think it ultimately sabotaged my chances at breast feeding. Some moms have probably done this and had better luck, but my midgets got REAL used to the bottle REAL fast.

Emotionally, I was a lot more blubbery than I normally am. One night, I went down to see them during their car seat test in the NICU. I started crying because they looked so tiny in their seats, and I felt like a bad mommy because I had let the nurse have them that night and so I hadn't seen them for a few hours. I don't think I was prepared for the exhaustion of having to wake up every few hours to try and nurse/take pain meds.

Grossness - for the first 2-3 days I couldn't really bathe, so I just wiped myself down as best I could. I felt disgusting, which probably didn't do wonders for my personality. If you can, get your husband to help with sponge baths. If you're allowed to shower, do so, but get some help. Standing up is very exhausting.

I know that was probably much more than you were looking for, but I figured a detailed account might not hurt

Good luck!

 

Orestia - wow are you as organized in the rest of your life as you were in that reply? If yes, can you please come and organize MY life? LOL

I had a bit of a different experience, but not drastically. I fortunately didn't have the gas pain that so many have (i read on an earlier post that someone wished they had told her not to drink any carbonated beverages teh day before, which sounds like a good idea)

the epidural was a pain because you have to hunch over, and if you've got a big belly full of babies (w/one lodged in your upper rib cage as i did), it's not so simple.

I was a bit freaked out when i lost sensation in my legs, which happened really quickly - i was afraid taht it would never come back and i would start twin mommyhood as a paraplegic (ok, so my hormones were m overdrive!)

However, when they talk about 'you'll feel some tugging and pulling, but no pain" - yeah, i felt like there was an entire construction crew building a fifty story building in my abdomen, with backhoes and everything.

Perhaps it was the way my girls were positioned, but - it felt crazy, seconded only by the weirdness of feeling my ob shove my organs BACK inside!
I had a horrid recovery experience because i had pre-eclampsia so they took the girls (who were delivered early so none of us would die) to the NICU and put me on magnesium sulfate; a horrid drug which made me hallucinate.

after a bunch of ghastly hours a nurse helped me get up and clean myself (tal(everyone says you lose all modesty during delivery - well, when soe stranger is helping you wash teh clotted blood from your pubic hair with your gown flapping open in the back and showing your beautiful pregnant butt off, you
really understand what that means!

they wheeled me back to my room downstairs (i had been in the hospital on bedrest)l i asked them to keep the foley catheter (emptyng your bladder) in so i wouldn't have to get up to pee five times. I never thought i'd be so glad to have a catheter!!!! You don't feel anything, it just empties your bladder.

Getting out of bed - Orestia has it right; you need a LOT of leverage since you cant use your core strength. Thank G-d for those hospital beds!!

DEFINITELY take pain meds: i took mine prophylactically for days, and when i forgot i really paid the price. WALK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and as many times a day as possible!

Expect to be incredibly tired - AND, i was terrified to cough and dind't for three days. One of the nurses told me to hold a pillow onto my belly, which helped, also helped w/the fear that i would pull all the stitches out.

in terms of breastfeeding; if you are planning to, make sure that you and your partner are EXPLICIT with the nurses about what you want
' lots of women want the kiddos in teh nursery for a few hours at night so they can sleep, but MAKE SURE THEY KNOW to NOT feed them bottles and to bring them to you AT LEAST every three hours so you can nurse. If you are planning on bfing or are on the fence, iw ould talk to the lactation consultants at your hospital BEFORE you deliver, so they can help you set up a system to make it successful.

You will be EXHAUSTED, and remember taht as common as c0sections are, someone is cutting through all of the layers of your abdomen: it is major surgery. My doc told me only 2x up and down teh stairs when i got home (a week later, due to complications); i thought she was kidding but the first step i took i understood.

DONT DO TOO MUCH - no lifting, or cleaning, or cooking or washing dishes. your job is to be w/your babies, and have someone there to help you lift them, esp. if you want to BF.

I was pretty scared of teh anesthesia, but tthe anticipation was worse than the reality. Good luck, can't wait to hear your birth story!

 

The two PP have covered it in such detail. My experience though was a little different. I was scheduled for an induction at 38w1d and went in they broke my water and gave me the potossion. My blood pressure immediately began to spike extrememly high and platlettes began to crash. They took blood every hour to check me.......with in four hours they were going in to do an emergency csection because I was in danger. I do not remember much because they had given me a pain pill an hour or so after the induction began........I just remember being given a spinal tap. The head nurse was my friend from childhood so she stayed with me through it all and I had the whole staff of nurses that had been with me the past two months for my twice a week NST tests. The two OB/GYN from my husband were very meticulous and had the boys out quickly. I was in recovery for an hour or so. After that I was in the hospital for over a week.......the first 4 days I was so out of it from the loss of blood and the low platlettes. My husband and mom stayed with me and the babies. I could not breast feed due to all the mag sulfate. Finally, after they stopped giving me the mag (it is used to prevent seizures) the next day I was helped out of bed.....I had been lying there for 5 days. Helped with a shower (goodness did I need one!!!!) Then I was doing better within a day or so.

The best advice I can give is do not lift. Have someone bring the babies to you. After two weeks of no rest, my mother went home while my MIL came. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way about the not lifting. My mom had been helping me with everything. My DH had started a new teaching job and was swamped and exhausted. Mom went home thinking that while the FIL and MIL were there I would be okay. My MIL apparently is not a "baby person". I had little help in the day since she believed in letting them fuss and I did not at 2 weeks old. Nights, my DH helped as much as he could but, he needed rest for work. SO, I was alone taking care of two newborns getting up and down and lifting. Needless to say, since I was so week from all the blood loss I eventually crashed and my DH went bonkers and had his parents leave so my mom could come back up to help. My mom was great she basically lived with us during the week and went home to dad on the weekends. She did this for three months.

Just rest when you can. Take help when given.

Good Luck.

 

Wow, Orestia and Jordari, you guys rock! They covered it well! :a_smil09:

I just wanted to add that I had 3 vaginal births and was scared out of my mind to have a c-section with the twins. I asked tons of questions(I have no idea what I asked!)of the docs and nurses beforehand, and they calmed some of my fears. Bottomline is that you really don't think about it when it is happening, it happens so fast. And then you have your babies to focus on! :wub: :wub: My recovery from the c/s was much more difficult than my vaginal deliveries, but some people don't have such a hard time. I found out in recovery that I am allergic to morphine and got hives on top of everything else!

Good luck! Can't wait to hear your story! :hug99:

 

The other ladies seemed to cover the operation part. I just wanted to add that my blood results came back bad after my c-section. Something to do with their concerns I would have seizers. So they put me on a magnesium drip. I will say that has to be the worst drug in the world and if I ever go through this again I am demanding to talk to a doc. before they order that for me. I want to really believe I need it before I go on it again. Yuk!

 

I'm so glad kareks mom posted this question. All of you have given such GREAT DETAILED information that I'm so glad I've read all of theses posts. I'm scheduled to have my c-section at 38 weeks.......so in 2 1/2 weeks and I'm VERY nervous. Knowing what to expect with this much detail, really helps. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

I had an emergency c-section at 33.5 weeks and it was a breeze. I shook the whole time, and fell asleep after the girls were taken to the NICU while I was getting cleaned up. I went in at 5:40. The girls were born at 6:07-6:08pm and at 7pm I was in recovery. At 8 pm, I saw the girls and then they took me to my room, gave me so more painkillers and ambien and I was out. At 8am the next morning I was up and showered with assistance for the nurse. I was walking a little by that evening and by Monday (the day I left the hospital) I was walking alone (with a little aid from painkillers). I healed up quickly and though I would have liked to gone vaginally, it was a good overall experience. I had great doctors (even though I just meet the surgeon as we went into the operating room and my surgery was watch by a group of 5 medical students) and I feel very lucky. The scar isn't bad either because you can't really see it unless you are looking for it.

 

My experience was a really good one. Going into it I was so nervous and scared. They wheeled me into the Operating room and thats where they prepped me and did the surgery. I think the epidural was the worst, DH couldn't be in there with me and all I wanted was him. DH didn't come in until after they made the incision. Shortly after they did the epidural I lost all feeling in my legs, it really is the strangest feeling. After they took the girls they showed them to me and wheeled them out to get cleaned up and checked out. After they closed me up they sent me to recovery, I was there for about 20 minutes. My mother and DH came in to check on me and to bring me all the info on the girls. I was then wheeled back to my room and I got to hold the girls for the first time. The nurses kept me laying down as much as possible to help fight against a spinal headache. Thankfully I never got one, from what I hear they are the most painful thing. For the first 24 hr they kept me on some really good drugs , it hurt to roll side to side so I stayed on my back. The next morning I was determined to take a shower, so made them take out the catheter and I took the most painful shower I had ever had. My DH was in there helping me the whole time, thank God. I was up walking around that afternoon. Like the PP said get up and walk as soon as possible it will help tremendously and make for a easier recovery. I stayed in the hospital for 4 days, on the day they released me I felt so good I went for a mile walk and took the girls shopping. My OB was very impressed with how soon I healed up. The only thing I hated about my experience is (sorry TMI) the constipation. I still struggle with it a year later, and before I had the c-section it was never a issue. In the first 6 months it was so bad it caused incision pain and during my periods the pain was so intense I need help taking care of the girls because it was hard to move. Overall I had a very good birth experience, and I hope you do too. The best advice I can give you is to relax and enjoy it.

 

Wow, what an amazing resource for mom's with c-sections! WTG ladies! My second experience was better than my first, mostly because I resolved to get up sooner and walk more this time than last and that really helped my recovery. Also you can ask your OB or anesthologist if they have the Astro Morph shot for your initial pain med. I got a spinal shot for the surgery and then the Astro Morph at the same time. When the spinal wore off the Astro Morph was already in and it was way better than an epidural. I got a little more nauseous during the 24 hours after but the anesthologist took care of that with my IV. I have to say the AstroMorph was still a life saver!

Good luck and welcome to the "Mommy of Three Boys" Club!

 

Okay, here was my experience -

Mine wasn't a planned C-section. My water broke at 8 in the morning on Sunday the 17th. We got to the hospital around 11 (I calmly showered, got my bag, etc. while my honey ran around wringing his hands.) Had the epi done around 10 at night to help progress labor. That was terrible. The doc tells you to hunch over but with baby B right under my ribs, there wasn't much room to hunch, he did the numbing shot and that was OK but when he tried to thread the cath in it hurt so bad, I yelled out, he asked, Left or Right side? I told him, he tried again, bad pain again, and then I just freaked out. I started bawling and couldn't stop. I had been in labor for a long time at that point, was scared about the epi in the first place and just freaked. He had to do another numbing shot, then I hunched as far as I could, bore down on my honey, and breathed through it and it was find. I couldn't feel the contractions anymore, yay!! But my legs felt like logs, it was wierd, and feeling would come and go depending on how I was laying. Well, by 1030 the next morning I was only dialated to a 6 and started spiking a fever so they decided to get the babies out ASAP. It was decided so fast, no one was in the room with my but my mom, everyone had gone to grab a bite to eat! I begged them to hold off until DH got there but they just kept going ... I had already shaved so they didn't need to do that, they gave me a little vial of foul green stuff to drink (I'm a bartender so I tried to just take it like a shot but it was still yucky), then wheeled me down to the operating room ... I was scared and nervous because I was all alone at this point, wondering where DH was, would he make it in time, etc.

I get into the operating room and they transfer me to the table. They immediately put the blue sheet up so I can't see what's going on down there. They put an oxygen mask on my face and strapped my arms down. I'm still alone and starting to kind of freak out. They put the stuff in the epidural and you can feel it go through you, just kind of a cold feeling. I felt like I had to vomit, I told the nurse I was going to puke, they didn't get me a container in time so first I puked all over the floor and then in the bucket they held out. I started getting the shakes and was laying there shivering and chattering, I wasn't cold, it was just shaking. Kind of wierd. Finally DH comes in and holds my hand and the world was a better place again.

The doctors didn't describe what they were doing but my honey was telling me, OK, they made the incision, etc. I felt a lot of pressure and pulling and then baby A came out! We were suprised on the sexes so Christian comes running and says, It's a boy!!! IT's a BOY!!!!! I was waiting to hear a cry but i didn't for a few seconds and kind of started to worry but then there was a cry, and I started crying ... .and I remember thinking, OK, the second one is going to be a girl now ... then I hear the doctor say, "Here's the second baby!" and DH comes over and says, it's another BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have two sons!!!!!! Baby B started crying right away, I'm crying, we're all crying!!! I didn't get to see a baby right away, it took like 15 minutes and then they held Chase up to me for a minute before he went to the NICU - he was making some grunting noises and they were checking it out. I remember listening for their Apgar scores and hearing 8/9 for both and feeling hugely relieved that so far everything seemed OK. DH was running around all over, trying to videotape this, cutting both thier cords, getting weights, staring at his boys, coming to me ... I'm getting tears in my eyes reliving all of this. :blush:

The sewing-back-up honestly hurt worse than the whole procedure. There was a lot of pulling and tugging and when they rinse you out with this saline solution, that actually made me yelp out loud. The whole thing was VERY uncomfortable. I just wanted them done quickly so I could see my boys. I had wanted to try and nurse as quickly as possible but that didn't happen. Chase was released from the NICU after getting his grunting checked out but then Con was put in the NICU overnight for an infection in his lungs - amniotic fluid got in there, he needed antibiotics for awhile and I got him back the next day. I was able to nurse Chase later that evening, around 8:00 pm. He latched on right away and it went well. I pumped some colostrum for Con (I got such a tiny bit out but hey, they only need a little bit) and DH ran it to the NICU for him. The next morning I went to the NICU to see Con for the first time and to nurse him, and he nursed like a champ from the getgo as well. So for me, having the delay in nursing didn't affect us at all - I'm still nursing today!

Post-op: Like PP said, I had no idea gas was such a bad problem! I didn't sleep the whole second night because of wicked gas pains, it was terrible. They had pills for that but I thought it was the raw veggies I had eaten so I just suffered for nothing. I also had a suppository to help with the gas, which I took and then just went into the bathroom to deal with it when company came. Uncomfortable and embarrassing!!! I sent them to the nursery to look at the babies while I did my thing. Definitely tell your nurses stuff like that and they'll help you out. I started walking a bit when they told me to, that first attempt at getting out of bed was pretty dang hard. You can't just sit up, you have to kind of slide over and shift up and take these little baby steps because anything else is too much. Ha, I had to laugh at PP because I did the same thing, I wanted the cath kept in so I didn't have to worry about going to the bathroom! I kept it in as long as they'd let me. I thought getting the cath pulled out would hurt but I didn't even feel it. GOing to the bathroom the first time sucked too, it hurts to sit down and get up from the toilet and shuffle in the bathroom, plus you finally get a good look at yourself in the mirror after delivering twins and it ain't pretty. But the more you walk, the better it gets, and it definitely helps with the gas pains.

One thing that was terrible that happened was a friend stopped by to say hi, she leaned over to give me a hug and put her forearm on my tummy and leaned down!! I screamed and started bawling, it hurt so bad I was shaking. She had just bore her weight down on my freshly ripped-open tummy! She felt so bad she started crying, she didn't mean it, but oh my GOD did that hurt. So WATCH YOUR VISITORS!!! Have them give you pats on the head instead of hugs!!!
I took any and all pain meds I could get. I nursed the boys and had a note in their bassinetts saying that I didn't want any formula or pacifiers given to them. But with a lot of pressure from my mom I gave in and let the nursery take two nighttime feedings the 3rd and 4th nights and it helped tremendously. Come to think of it, that's been the most sleep I've gotten since the kids were born, I think!!! I fed them their last feed around 10-11 at night and let the nursery handle them until 4-5 in the morning, did that feed, then slept again until 8. I think getting sleep like that definitely helps you in your recovery and preps you for those first crazy days at home, so take it if you can. I was worried about it sabatoging my BF efforts but it didn't effect that at all. My milk came in on the third day and that was PAINFUL. My breasts were huge and engorged and hurt something fierce. There's not much they could do about it either, it lasts a day or so and gets better but I couldnt lay flat down because the gravity on my breasts hurt so bad, I had to lay sitting up. Bring your BF cream with you as well to put on your nipples, it will help if they get sore, which mine did.

Stuff to bring - there was nothing I missed or wished I had, except maybe a book or DVD for the 27 hours of labor. I had my robe and comfy socks which helped make me more comfortable. Lotion, chapstick, and the travel sizes of shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, deodorant, helped when I got a shower. I did forget my pants to go home in and ended up wearing scrubs home!!! As for recovery at home, for the first week or two I really couldn't walk much or I stared to hurt and my incision would get sore. I came home on a Friday and Saturday we took the kids to Target for some stuff and all the walking was a bit too much. Make sure you take good care of yourself and don't push it.

Good luck!!!

 

I had a c section b/c my guys were transverse. It was not planned ahead of time since I was 33 weeks and 5 days. I started with a slight cramp during the contractions which was different than the usual tightening that I was getting for months...I wouldn't have called but I also had a weird thick mucous thing (sorry to be gross) that came out so I thought I better call..So I went in and found I was dilated 1 cm.
Since there was low fluid with one and their sizes were quite different they decided that they would do better outside than inside and a c section was determined.
Contractions started to get a little more intense while I was waiting..(I was waiting b/c there was another twin mom that started before me and they had to wait for her in case she needed the OR..yes she was going vaginally..what a trooper)
So I got stayadol (have no idea how to spell it) while I was waiting..that REALLY helped.
Then I went to the OR. They gave me spinal. Which I didn't even feel other than a tiny pinch. Then I wasn't able to move my legs. But everything happend so fast that I barely had time to think about it.
They laid me down on the table. Put up the curtain and then brought in my husband.
Before I knew it they were "tugging"...I knew they were cutting in b/c I was able to see some of it in the light above me. But I did not feel any pain at all.
They delivered the babies..showed me each of them and quickly took them away...
The only "problem" I had was I started to feel a little nauseous and light headed. I told the anesthesiologist and he just continued to monitor my vitals. Nothing happened but my eyelids got really heavy and I closed my eyes for a bit while they sewed me up.
Like I said it was so fast that I don't remember having any pain (other than the contractions before).
During recovery I felt GREAT !!!! I had NO discomfort whatsoever. I even went upstairs to the NICU to see my babies at 12 am. I delivered at 8Pm and didn't start feeling the discomfort until the next day. That's when everything started wearing off ..so I started percocet and it took care of the pain. The side effects from the surgery included:
pain in my shoulder (referred pain)
pain in my chest
trembling
pain when I would bend/stand etc.

Within a week I was fine and off the meds.

 

WOW! This is a great thread. You ladies have really done a great job.

I had all natural vaginal births with my first two so this was different for me too.
I want to add:
My pregnancy was really uneventful until my pelvis sepreated and I went to my 36W appt in tremendous pain. My doc took one look at me and decided I would be having a C-sec immediately. I called dh and he thought I was joking but then realized I wasn't. He had 2 hours to leave work, get home, get my things and come to the hospital. He made it about 10 minutes before they wheeled me in!

They had me in a l&D room to prep me. I was in so much pain from my pelvis that I didn't even feel the epidural put in. I drank that yucky stuff too. They came to shave me put I had a "fear" of being dry shaved down there (Weird I know) so I had started shaving a bit on my own. She had to shave only a little. Everyone was really nice and answered all my questions.

Dh came and they had him change into the scrubs. They wheeled me into the OR and dh had to wait outside while they got me settled. They put you on the smallest table in the world. I thought I was so big there was no way I was going to stay on without little door stops under each side of me. They draped me with lots of things and put the shield up by my neck. That was fine but I didn't care for not being able to see a little more. The Anesthesiologist talked to me the whole time about what she was doing and I told her when I didn't feel well. I almost passed out a couple times but she was able to fix the medication to make things right. (Later I found out my BP had several severe concerning drops during that time). Dh was let in and we chatted a bit. I then asked the Doc when he was going to start. (I couldn't imagine what the heck he was doing down there) He laughed and said he almost had the 1st baby out already. I felt nothing.

About a minute later my dd was born and a minute after that ds was born. IT was amazing to see them. the nurses were great about bringing the babies to see me (I wish I could have held them right away but wasn't allowed) and they moved the baby cribs so I could see what they were doing with them.

Immeditely after, they brought me back to the L&D room. My mom and 2 big kids were there and were introduced to the babies. They then went home. I suddenly felt very ill and started throwing up. That was not pleasant at all and they gave me more medicine. I fell in adn out of consciousness and have vague recollection of them moving me to my room where I would stay.

Recovery. Because of my pelvic seperation, the doc had my epidural stay in for 24 hours after my surgery. That meant a catheter too. That was a bit annoying and I was glad to see that go. It felt strange and a bit uncomfortable (pinching) to pee for a while after that but it was back to normal in a few days. I hated being in bed not moving but it was nice to not have any pain. After I got my epi removed, I forgot to take all the pain relievers they said and OMG!! THE PAIN!! I recommend taking everything they tell you when they tell you even if you are not in pain. It really does a good job of controlling the pain but if you don't keep on top of it it gets hard to control.

3 days later we all went home. I was quite sore and it took a while to feel totally normal but overall it was a great expereince. Moving as soon afterwards wo uld have helped me feel bettter sooner I think. It was hard being in bed for so long after having them.

 

These girls covered the details well, but I just want to say that having a C-Section was one of the easiest surgeries I have had. I was very scared about it, but had no problems. I had my epidural out first thing the next morning and was up walking around. I would have another in a heartbeat. I haven't had a vaginal, but I am glad that I didn't have to go through all the typical labor.

 

Everyone has given some great details here. I just want to add that I freaked out right before they took me in for the c-section. I had a scheduled c-section and I was very nervous. I had a vaginal delivery with my oldest Gavin. Right before they took me in, I started shaking, crying and begging for them not to do it. It was so weird. I copmletely panicked. the nurses said I had a panick attact, which they say is very common with scheduled c-sections. I would just tell your DH that this might happen so he will be prepared to help calm you down. my husband also started to panic because i was freaking out.

other than that the c-section went good. my second advice would be to eat and takes lots of fiber after the babies are born. getting everything back to normal was the hardest part.

 

What great stories you've all shared! I can't thank you enough for sharing your personal experiences in such detail. It has eases my mind a lot to have a much better grasp on the realities of the surgery. I had an OB appt today and everything still appears to be on schedule, so next Friday should be our big day! Thanks again for sharing and for your support!

 

Wow, I wish I had thought to ask for all the details before my c-section! This is a great thread, good idea Jolene!

My c-section was schedule but I was in labor the day I went in for it, so I guess it was meant to be.

-Pre-op: for me there was a lot of waiting around, and it helped to have my family and DH there to keep my mind off what was going to happen and stay calm. I also requested to have my catheter put in after the spinal was done, which I'm glad I did because I've heard it hurts like heck when it goes in!

-Surgery: I didn't actually feel them make the incision and start but I knew they were in because there is ALOT of pressure, moving things around and discomfort and let me tell you, it starts to register as pain after awhile. It does go pretty fast but don't be afraid to tell the anesthologist (sp?) if you think you might be sick, they can fix it w/ meds, I thought I was going to vomit on the table (which the thought of freaked me out) and told him and he shot something through my IV which made me feel better. Like pp have said, Baby A seemed to come out pretty quick but I didn't even know he was out because they didn't show him to me over the curtain as he had a tight knot in his cord and wasn't crying so they whisked him away to check him out (turns out he was fine and was crying minutes later). Baby B required a lot more digging around for and that seemed to take forever! But when he was out, they peeked him over the curtain for me to see (just to forwarn you, they will be bloody!). Also, if DH will be in there with you, make sure he is prepared to see some yucky stuff. My DH got a nice view of me full-on cut open with my uterus being examined when he went around the table to see the babies once they were out!

-Recovery: Despite not having anything to eat or drink for almost 20 hours, I was sick and vomited a number of times, conveniently when family came in to see how I was doing! Actually most of it was dry heaves, which is terrible after having your belly cut open. Just hold/hug a pillow across your incision. Be prepared to give BF'ing a try and don't worry if it doesn't go well. Baby A (Jackson) was brought to me and we did okay with it, but we were all pretty tuckered out. Baby B had to go to the NICU, so the nurses kept coming in to give me updates on what was going on with him. I don't remember much from recovery because I felt pretty bad, mostly from nausea and dry heaves. I was also really, really itchy from whatever drugs they gave me during surgery, so I got some Benedryl in my IV which helped.

-Post-op: I will admit, I was a bit of a wimp and milked the nursing care for all I could! But in retrospect, I really should have tried to get out of bed ASAP on day #1 post-op. I was afraid to and didn't get out of bed until almost 24 hours after. So, despite the pain and discomfort, get up and move! I also made the mistake of having some Sprite with my first meal, which result in terrible gas pains, so I recommend no soda! Also, it took me forever to pee after the catheter came out! Drink a ton of water and sit on that toilet until you do! Also, be prepared to not have a bowel movement for a few days and take the suppository in the hospital if offered to you (you'll feel better!). I didn't and went home taking laxatives and didn't have a BM until 6 days after surgery (sorry if TMI). Definately stay in the hospital as long as you can. I had them on Friday and when my OB saw my Saturday am, she said I could go home on Sunday am (um...no way!!). Sunday am her partner came in and I honestly told her I was still in pain and didn't want to go home (and I had a baby in the NICU). So she let me stay and prescribed more pain meds. Just remember, you can stay 72 hours, so don't let them send you home before you are ready. Also, when you are ready, try to get up and take a shower and put on clean PJs from home, it'll make you feel so much better, even if it takes all day! And if you plan to BF, get all the help you can. Ask to see the lactation nurse too. I had so much help, even our pedi was grabbing my boobs helping me! Every time it was time to feed, I was ringing the call button asking for help (I'm sure the nurses were glad to see us go!!).
The first week was the worst in terms of pain. DH had to help me out of bed and it hurt to cough, sneeze, laugh. But after the first week, it gets a lot better. Take the pain meds, drink lots of water, and try to have help (family, friends) come in. That was a lifesaver to not have to worry about cooking dinner, doing laundry, etc.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

These are definitely great posts! Here's my story and my recommendations echo those of many others.

Pre-op: I developed Pre-eclampsia as well out of nowhere at 33 weeks, 3 days. They immediately admitted to L&D and I was sobbing the whole time because I had only gone in for a routine stress test. Sheesh, was that fun. They put me on a magnesium drip, and boy, do I agree with the other posts. That stuff is HORRIBLE. Nasty, nasty stuff. That to me, was the worst part of the whole experience. They scheduled me for a c-section the next morning, and I couldn't eat anything all day because they thought they might have to deliver that day and I was starving! They finally let me eat that night once they scheduled me for the next day.

At 10:45 a.m. the next morning, they wheeled me in to the OR and I received a spinal block. I expected it to be uncomfortable, but whoa, what a bizarre sensation. The needle going in didn't bother me, but the sensation of the needle in my spine is something I'll never forget. It's not even like a "pain", it's just a sensation that is extremely uncomfortable and I'll be happy if I never have to experience it again. I think my husband's hand turned purple from me squeezing so tight. I kept hearing the anestheologist (sp?) say, "I need a bigger needle". Good lord you don't want to hear that. It took fifteen minutes to get the block and that was way too long. But it worked almost immediately. Thank god for this guy though, because he had my anti-nausea medicine ready to go at a moment's notice. My blood pressure dropped drastically, I began to feel faint and sick to my stomach and thought I was going to pass out. Before I could even finish the sentence "I don't feel so....", he said, "I've got you covered" and within two seconds, it went away. This happened a few times, but all I had to do was look at him funny and he had my back . He even came in to check on my hours after the surgery - what a sweetie .

During the operation, I really didn't feel too much other than some slight tugging, so I was lucky in that respect. Everything was so surreal, you honestly feel like you're watching a movie about someone else even though it is happening to you in real-time! I can't think of any other way to explain it. My husband says that he has one good visual that he'll never forget, and that is watching his son and daughter being born. The other one is not so good, and that is seeing me cut wide open with my insides on display for him. Of course, once I heard them cry and saw them, I immediately started crying.

After the operation, I was still on the mag drip and feeling generally yucky. They had taken the babies to the NICU as they were in respiratory distress and one required CPAP, and the other just needed a bit of oxygen. I really regret feeling so disconnected from them during the first hours and days after surgery. I wasn't in excruciating pain all day, but getting up and moving around was HARD and the mag drip made me feel completely out of whack and not myself. Other posters have described this and what should you do quite well - just MOVE as much as possible. It is all such a blur now, and unfortunately, that was because of the meds. I didn't really start to feel like myself for about 5 or 6 days (mentally). On top of that, it was so hard to see my babies in the NICU crying and uncomfortable with all the equipment on them knowing there was nothing I could do to help. That was really, really hard. I have to say, though - ask questions as often as possible and don't feel uncomfortable asking them! The nurses are usually great about being patient and explaining things really well.

So, the biggest thing I would also recommend, is try and keep visitors to a minimum. I know it is hard, but I really wish we had had better crowd control. There are all these people streaming in day in and day out and you need time to rest and recuperate. You don't feel like yourself, you want to bond with the babies, and the gas - oh my goodness. I too was not prepared for that one. The last thing you want is horrible gas pain and having all these people in your room (when you already look and feel like ****) and the gas pain starts up and the only way to relieve is it something you definitely don't want to do in public! That was the big thing for me .

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Carina