Scaired to death of a C-section!

Hi everyone. This is my 3rd pregnancy and I am currently 23.5 weeks pregnant with identical twins. My Ob states that it may be best for myself and the twins to deliver via C-section. I was told that no matter how i deliver, it WILL be done in the OR. Both of my girls were delivered vagonally and I tore with both kids and it was painful. I am scaired to death about having to be cut open. I do know people who have had C-sections, and got 2 different stories. I have heard it is very painful with a long recovery and I have heard that by the time you leave the hospital, it hardly hurts at all!
IM so confused, can you ladies help me and PLEASE tell me the truth
thanks so much
Beth

 

I think you might be hearing two different stories for two different reasons. 1). Sometimes people just like to scare people with their birth stories, especially c-sections. I think over time, stories may change and become more "painful" or "terrible". And, 2). everybody's body handles surgeries differently, therefore it may be more traumatic on one woman's body over another. It depends on how your body heals and how you handle pain.

With all of that being said, I had an emergency C-section with my first child (and will have to have a c-section next week for the twins). My first c-section was definitely not planned, as I had totally expected to give birth vaginally. I am not going to lie to you - it's not fun and it is painful (it's major abdominal surgery). However, my recovery went well- much better than I ever thought it would. I was up and moving around that same night, although very slowly. I had to stay in the hospital much longer, but the help was nice during my recovery. I had my staples taken out before I left the hospital, and just moved around slowly once I was home, and felt pretty good. I would say that I was pretty much back to normal after a couple of weeks.

What was difficult for me was other people's lack of understanding and empathy. People make crazy comments like, "You're lucky you didn't give birth vaginally", or "Ohhh that is a much easier route". It is anything but that. Make sure you don't let people discount what you are going through. Besides giving birth, you will have had a major surgery, and you will need to take it easy.

I don't know if this helps or not. I wish you luck!

Heidi

 

I had a c-section with the twins, it was scheduled. It is a major surgery and you will be moving slower for a bit but I can tell you when I left the hospital, I was hardly in pain and could get around good. I think when I was home I took the pain meds only two times. Within a couple of weeks I was moving around like normal, I had stitches and they were removed painlessly 6 weeks after surgery. Big :hug:

 

I would make sure that you have the option to deliver vaginally if everything looks good! That said, I've had 2 c-sections and my 2nd one was alot easier b/c I knew what to expect and hadn't been on bedrest for months. I did get a pain ball the 2nd time around as well and that was God send! It made it so much easier to get up and move around after surgery. The key is to get up and get moving!

 

Ditto. It wasn't as bad as I had expected.

 

I'm going to admit my bias upfront - I am a HUGE fan of c-sections. I have had two elective c-sections already and am scheduled for my third - and final - with my twins at 10 a.m. on September 1. I'm not counting the days or anything ...

My experiences were great both times - recovery was easy, no pain meds after I left the hospital, etc. Part of my great experience was probably due to the fact that I had the birth that I wanted. And it probably helped that I was in good physical shape and that my body didn't have any wild reactions to surgery or anesthesia. So no horror stories here.

Based on lots of girlfriends who have had lots of babies, I've noticed a common thread among them (and myself) - attitude is everything. Mostly. There are things you can't control - things like anesthesia making you sick, major tearing - those can definitely be a downer. But you can control your attitude. My friends who have been extremely anti c-section - and then have had to have one - have almost universally had a bad experience. So I guess my advice would be to try to be open to whatever method is recommended as the best course of action by your doctor. And then remind yourself that lots of people have c-sections every day and are just fine. You will be too.

 

I haven't had one but of all my friends who had them they all said it wasn't that bad and that they would definitely do it again. :hug: I would be scared too although in a way I want one too. Good luck!

 

I had a c-section after a failed induction (wasn't really an "emergency" but still the same). I was not able to get out of bed until my 3rd day. I had a partial tear to one of my abdominal muscles and was in to much pain to walk. Once I was able to get out of bed (which was VERY hard it hurt pretty bad)I started to feel better. It took about 3 weeks before I started to feel "normal" again and about 6 weeks before I was able to do everything like before. I have a pretty high pain tolerance so for me that was bad but not every c-section is the same. I only took pain meds while in the hospital and once home I managed it with Motrin. We are going to try for a VBAC(vaginal after c-section) this time. I really dont want to go through another surgery or the pain. I've heard that a planned c-section is alot easier to recover from then an emergency or one after being in labor. I guess it has something to do with the uterus being more relaxed during a planned c-section vs. it being in hard labor for hours before the c-section.

 

I had a c-section after hours of horrible back labor due to a sunny side up baby. I really would rather have a c then go through labor. It was not painful, and it was over quickly. I did not get hemroids or tear or anything like in a vaginal delivery. My recovery was very fast. I was walking up and down stairs with the baby from the second I was discharged from the hosptial. Yes, there is a recovery period, but same thing goes with a vag delivery!

 

The truth for me is that my c-section was a cakewalk. The moment they gave me the epidural/spinal was the first moment I had not been in pain in 2 months. Afterward, I was in a sea of happy numbness that lasted through the night really (feeling did come back into my legs, etc., but they also put a painkiller in the epi/spinal). Yes, it hurt, but it was no big deal. There's so much euphoria and adrenaline and other things going on, they keep you on pain meds. To me, the lack of sleep during the first two weeks was far, far more traumatic than the c-section. That said, I do think I have a slightly higher than normal pain tolerance, but still, it was easy for me. I'm afraid of vaginal birth now, because I can't imagine it being easier or more pleasant than my section.

 

I have only heard good things about C-sections. My sister and my best friend both had them - sister's was an emergency C-section because baby's HR was dropping, so she was VERY scared going in, but had a very quick recovery. Friend's was a scheduled one due to a very large and very overdue baby - she also said it was an easy recovery. If you end up having to have one, go in with a positive attitude that you'll be just fine and hopefully, it will at least cut down on your nervousness!

 

I just had my first C section last week and like you I was scared to death. The c section was an absolute breeze, the hospital staff in the OR was unbelievable....very comforting, caring, understanding and kept me posted on what was going on. Out of all my birth experiences (due to the hospital staff and great dr) my c section went down in my mind as one of my favorite births.

The only down side to the C section for me was I had to move a ton slower and do a lot less afterwards than what I'm used to. As far as pain issues (that's what I was petrified of)~ there was none before or during. Afterwards all that I took for pain was 600mg Motrin and Tylenol 3 w/ codine~ Nothing that was very strong, but it was enough that I wasn't in pain.

Lisa

 

the hardest part about a c-section is just knowing what the procedure is. it's a scarier as an idea than it is in reality, if that makes sense. when i had mine i couldn't believe how quickly it was over. they put up the blanket, and a couple minutes later i asked them if they had started and the doctor just laughed. then i heard jacob cry, followed by owen and i didn't care about the c-section, i just knew my babies had arrived.

the first day is tough because they've got to get you up out of bed. that first time up is very painful, i'll be honest. but every time you get up after that it gets less painful and the pain meds are very effective. still, tell your family not to make you laugh! laughing is painful immediately following a c-section. i had to figure out a way to go "HEE HEE HEE" without moving my stomach if someone said something funny.

by day 2 you'll be an old pro at getting in and out of bed, and literally by day 3 you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. you'll be walking slower, and you'll be very careful not to walk up and down stairs, you'll be very conscious about how you pick your babies up, and you'll take your pain meds when needed on whatever schedule you need them. but if you're like me you'll be done with pain meds before the first week is through.

 

As I haven't had a C-section yet I can't comment on the horror storys or the happy storys.

What advice I will give you is what I did.
Ask the OB or a nurse to go through the whole procedure in detail from start to finish. Take a notebook and make notes for questions later. Communicate with them and let them know how you feel! It's their job to help you understand and even make you feel more comfortable.

I ignore most people's storys simply because it's different for every woman just like pregnancys differ.

Good luck and try not to dwell too much on your fears.

 

I had a very sudden c-section with my twins. I was terrified at the thought! I had a little bit of a panic attack going in, and while they were doing my spinal. After I was numb everything was fine. I calmed down and everything went well. Like others have said, it is major surgery and you will be sore. It only took me a couple of days to feel much better. My babies were at different hospitals, so I was up and about a lot. I think it helped me feel better sooner. Just be sure to stay on top of your pain. Don't wait until you are in pain to take your meds. It was really hard for me to get it back under control if I forgot, or was trying to be tough. If I kept up on it I felt pretty good though. It was all much better than I expected.

Good luck with everything!

 

I had a schedule c-section in March and had never had surgery. I had heard a lot of different stories, and I agree with others that attitude is everything. I was more scared for the spinal than anything, I took a deep breath and the pain was over in literally 3 seconds. My surgery happened to be a breeze - walking late that night (slowly) and recovering very quickly, although I stayed true to my pain med schedule for a few days. I had a couple chances to feel my uterus contracting down and I can't imagine not using the pain meds they give you. I'd say the most unpleasant part was the constipation afterwards, which I was not prepared for. I don't know for sure, but would imagine scheduled c-sections can be very different than c-sections after laboring for hours (my sister went through that because of placental abruption, so our tales are VERY different), but it is true that every story is different. Although you cannot count on anyone else's experience, I know when I was waiting for the date to come it actually helped me mentally to hear the variety of stories out there because I don't like the unknown, and it helped me shape my attitude. Good luck to you! :hug: