Getting ready for C section?

Question

I am going in for a c section this Monday morning. It is our first baby and I am so scared about the surgery. Dont get me wrong, I cant wait to see and hear my baby but I feel like my fear is overrunning me. Is this normal? I really need support and feedback. What should I expect after the surgery?

Answer 1

Can I ask why you are having a scheduled c-section with your first baby? Is there a medical reason why it is necessary?

As far as what to expect afterwards, you can expect to have pain for sure. Just how much depends on each person and how their body responds to pain. Some will breeze right through it, others will not. Either way, with a c-section don't expect to get to hold your baby right away, most don't get to hold their baby until they are in recovery or after. I personally had a severe case of shaking while in the recovery room from the shock of the surgery to my body and from the shift in hormones from pregnant to not pregnant so I couldn't hold my twins until about 3 hours later.
Not to scare you but to be honest it will feel like your insides are going to fall out when you stand up. Of course they won't but it's an odd sensation to say for sure. You will have a hard time standing up straight and walking will cause pain for several days at least. You want to make sure you stay on top of your pain meds for sure. Take them before the pain gets too bad, they work better that way. You won't be able to lift anything heavier than your baby for quite some time. I personally only lifted mine while I was sitting because I was afraid I would drop them. You can expect to have pain from your incision but the area for several inches on either side of the incision will be numb which feels strange. This lasts for weeks or months, for some women it is permanent. This is caused by the nerves being severed during the surgery. They may reconnect in time or they might not. If you have to cough or laugh try to hold a pillow over your incision. It will hurt to laugh, cough or sneeze.
When you get home make sure you have help lined up. You will be caring for a newborn and healing from major abdominal surgery at the same time. You will need help. When I came home from the hospital 4 days after my c-section I wasn't able to sleep in my own bed, I had to sleep semi-reclined on my couch as laying down flat and then trying to sit up in bed to tend to the babies was near impossible due to the incision. Sad to say that is where I had to sleep for several weeks until I could manage moving better. You will want to keep your incision area clean, I recommend daily showers allowing the water to run over the area and then pat the area dry. Besides the shower try to keep it dry to help avoid infection. You do not want to get the incision infected, you face having to do wound care (packing it and dressing changes if it opens, likely by your spouse, significant other or a home health nurse) or repeat surgery to fix it. Keep it clean and dry and you should be fine.

Know in advance that if you intend to breastfeed that it may take longer for your milk supply to come in than if you had birthed vaginally. This was the case with me.

Also want to warn you that if you have a c-section and then choose to have future children you will have a harder time getting a vaginal birth with those future children. It is possible to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section), but you may have a difficult time finding a care provider who will support your decision. Just know that going into your first c-section. Also, you may experience fertility problems with future pregnancies, a higher risk of placenta previa, adhesion pain (scar tissue on the inside which forms between your internal organs). All these caused by c-section.

I have had both a vaginal birth and a c-section. The vaginal birth was by far the easier recovery of the two. I was better able to focus on and enjoy my new baby after the vaginal birth.

I'm not trying to scare you by any means, I just want you to be aware of some of things people don't tell you before you go into it. I wish someone had given me the details before mine.

Lastly, if this c-section is not medically necessary please, please, please cancel it! This decision could have a big significance on your future reproductive life. Natural birth is always the best option for you and for baby. Also, avoid an induction of you can as they greatly increase the likelihood of a c-section. I hope this info helps you out. Please check out this website: www.ican-online.org. It's the website for the International Cesarean Awareness Network. They try to prevent unnecessary c-sections, help women prepare for necessary c-sections to make th experience the best it can be, and help women find suport and information for VBAC's.
I hope you find the information there helpful.

No matter which way you choose to have this baby I hope it is a safe and healthy delivery for both of you. Congratulations!

Answer 2

I had a planned c-section with my first child and I was pretty scared. You should expect to be in the recovery room for a little while, they will keep you there until the anesthetic wears off, they will make you get up and walk a little that night (with help of course). It will be a little harder to lift and breastfeed your baby at first but it will get better, and depending on whether you get stiches or staples and how long your stay in the hospital is they may be taken out before you leave. Also, I had a catheder in for a day after the surgery. It is scary, but I was 19 and recovered well, there should be no worries, if there are any extra risks involved your doctor would have discussed them with you already. Everything will be fine. Congrats, you only have a few more days till you see your bundle of joy! . . . Oh, recovery should last about 2 weeks more or less, dont over do it!

Answer 3

Being that scared is normal. i was tooo with my C section. When you go in they will give you a spinal block.... doesn't hurt at all. Next thing you know your body is totally numb. You wont even know they have started when suddenly about 2 minutes into the surgery you hear your beautiful baby cry. they will show him to you real quick then wisk him away to get cleaned up and get you closed up (another about 10 minutes) Then they put you in a room alone for an hour to recover. As your feeling comes back you will have a stomache ache but will be on a morphine drip to keep it from getting too bad. Then you get moved into your room where yu will finally get to hold and nurse your baby. The pain is not horrible afterward because you are on morphine for the first couple days. You should be able to get up and move around as soon as you feel your feet. A shower will feel amazing. When you go home make sure you have a lot of help with meals ect the first couple days. Don't lift anything heavier than your baby. even if you think you are ok to. I did and pulled a muscle and it was worse than the whole c section experience, so just listen to them and you will be fine by end of the week.

Answer 4

I know how scared you must be. In the end, you will have a beautiful baby. You will feel pain afterward, but they give you medicine for it. It will be hard to walk and sit upright. The incision could get itchy. Once you do go home, please listen to what the MD says about taking it easier. You are more likely to be more sore at home than when you were in the hospital. That's only because I'm sure you'll walk and do more than you did when you were in the hospital. In a couple of weeks, you will be back to yourself and in about 2 months, the C-section would be a mere memory.
It might sound bad reading this, but it's not meant to scare you. You asked what to expect afterward and I thought you should know the truth.
Most important though, once you see your new baby, nothing else will matter to you in the world. No matter how much pain you might be in, one look at that baby and you'll go through it all over again if you had to. Babies bring with them a type of euphoria and blindess. Don't worry, everything will be okay including you.

Answer 5

Don't worry, everything will be fine. I had a c section with my first too. I was dead set against it, but my daughters heartbeat was decelerating so they had to. Just remember its a heck of a lot easier and shorter than a normal delivery.

After the surgery you will probably be tired. I was exhausted the entire next day. I couldn't remember everyone who came to visit us. But don't worry, you'll be awake enough to feed and hold your baby. I'm sure you'll have a catheter in for at least a day. To me that was the worse thing about the entire experience. Ask the nurses if they can give you your epideral before they put it in, it will be a lot easier. But with the catheter you won't be able to get out of bed much at first.

By the second day I felt normal again, granted the pain meds helped out with that. But by the afternoon of the second day I didn't have an IV anymore, I just took pills for the pain. So that second day is a lot better. You can walk around a lot more.

Usually you get to go home on the third day. I had almost no pain after I got home. The only time it hurt was when I was putting my daughters car seat in the car, or taking her out. Even then it wasn't more than a dull pain. You won't be able to drive for a couple of weeks, so if your husband is going back to work right away, stock up on supplies tonight and tomorrow. Otherwise you can make him go get everything. You'll have the bleeding of course (vaginal, not from you incision) the hospital will send pads home with you, but they are huge and bulky so you might want to get some thinner ones. Although I can't say it bothered me too much at first. Plus they give you this horrible net like underwear so you don't ruin yours. Its so attractive. Bring cards, books, DVD's if they have DVD players in the room. You may not need them but if you have some down time between guests and feedings you might want to relax a little. The nurses will take the baby at night if you want so you can sleep. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS. You won't be getting much sleep for a month or two. We kept our daughter with us the first night. And finally at about 3 in the morning the nurse came and got her. Then next night they took her a lot earlier. Don't worry, if you are breastfeeding they will bring her into you when she's hungry, or supplement with formula with your consent.

Its such a great experience. Probably the best of my life. I even enjoyed being in the hospital. Don't forget the camera. And bring some comfy loose sweatpants and a shirt or two that you can breastfeed in easily. Like an old button down shirt of your husbands. Make sure you bring maternity clothes because you won't be fitting into your old clothes for awhile. Good luck, and don't worry. Everything will be great!!!

Answer 6

I had to have two c-sections (first and third child) because both were breech. While I didn't worry about the actual surgery, my recovery on both was the worst experience of my life. The second time around I rented a hospital bed for 8 weeks and hired a house cleaner to come in once a week for 8 weeks as well. My husband stayed home with me for the first week and my mom came over everyday for the following two weeks.

Now I have a friend, on the other hand, who did remarkably well with her c-section. She did not have the same BAD experience I did.

Assuming the worst, take a pillow with you for the car ride home. Put it up against your tummy as it will help absorb the bumps in the road. Have a hospital bed lined up in case you find it hard to sit up and lay down with out help (they are only about $200 per month). Do the same with a maid service. Have one lined up in case you can't do housework. Preplan your daily meals for a week at a time and have your husband go buy all of the groceries (you may be eating lots of frozen foods for the first while). Make sure that your husband is prepared to help, help, help................. especially in giving you the baby and tending to the baby as much as he can. Also, try and have someone (or several people) lined up to help you during the hours that your husband is at work.

Good luck. Just remember, "this too shall pass". Each c-section I thought I was going to die BUT each time the pain and inconvenience of me being on down time only lasted about 8 weeks. It goes by faster than you think and then life will get back to as normal as it can with a newborn.

Good lluck!

Answer 7

I'm going to be the bearer of bad news but my c-section didn't go very well.. and no I'm not going to just let you go on thinking c-sections are all cheery and happy.

Things go wrong.. it's important to know:

You should only accept the lowest amount of medical intervention as absolutely necessary.

You CAN ask to be put under completely.

It IS ok to stay in the hospital the full 4-5 days your insurance covers. Recovery is very, very hard.

They will push on your stomach almost immediately after. This will hurt very bad- prepare yourself.

Have someone purchase or rent a shower-chair so you can sit in the shower when you get home. Standing made me lightheaded.

Ask for TWO girdles (one to wash, one to wear) and WEAR THEM ALL THE TIME FOR A GOOD MONTH!!

If you have problems coping afterward- there are c-section support groups.

Answer 8

I think it's probably normal to be a little worried. It is major surgery, after all. Everything will be okay, you just need to relax. Plus, look at it this way. You don't have to deal with the hard labor pains and contractions! Woo hoo! Your job is a sinch! All you have to do is lay there. In fact, the recovery is more difficult than the surgery itself. Just relax and enjoy the experience. It might be a little scary, but if you have your support person there they can help keep you calm and the doctors will explain everything very thoroughly if you ask them to. Good luck Monday! It'll be great.

Answer 9

After the surgery you'll be moved to a recovery room for about 40 minutes to an hour. After my first c-section I didn't see the baby until I was out of recovery, for the second my hubby brought her up to the recovery room. If you're going to breastfeed, they'll start right away. If you'd like to watch the first bath, let the baby's nurse know before your surgery and she'll wait until you're back in your room, if you don't care about watching it they can do it while you're in recovery. Expect to have the feeling back in your legs about an hour to two hours after the surgery, but you won't fell any pain in your incision. You'll have a catheter so you won't have to get up and use the bathroom. They'll try to get you up and moving that evening, and trust me the sooner you get up the better even though its tough. They'll probably leave your IV in your arm until at least the next morning and for about a day you'll be on a liquids only diet. Depeding on how well you're getting around you may get out of the hospital sooner than you think. I spent 44 hours in the hospital with my first, and 48 with the second, though most women who have c-sections spend an average of about 3 days.

When you get home you might want to sleep on the couch the first couple of days, for my it was a better height than the bed. The doctor will send you home with a prescription for narcotic pain killers, but depending on how you feel you may not need them (I only took ibuprofin after my first, and ibuprofin and tylenol after the second). You'll feel a bit better each day and should be feeling pretty much back to normal by your six week checkup. If your doctor uses staples to close your incision you'll have them removed a few days after your surgery, if he uses stitches they'll probably dissolve on their own.

If you like cranberry juice I would suggest stocking up and drinking a lot of it the first week. Because you'll have had a catheter your risk of a bladder infections (UTI) will be higher and cranberry juice can help fight it, otherwise you'll need antibiotics. If you have any burning with urination give the doc a call.

Answer 10

Try not to worry too much, they will do everything they can to make sure you are pain free both during and after the section, and there will be a screen between you and the action which will only be lowered as they're showing you your baby.

Remember they do literally thousands of cesareans a year, they're very experienced, and there won't be any surprises. Try to discuss your worries with your midwife, they don't want you to go into this terrified and may be able to reassure you much more than we can here.

Focus on meeting your baby, everything else will be forgotten as soon as you hear it cry!

Answer 11

MAKE SURE THEY GIVE U ENOUGH MED. AFTER!! Otherwise it is not that bad. Your baby will spend the first maybe 2nd night too in the nursery. You wont be able to move without help the first night. Also I would recommend talking to someone about nursing or bottle feeding. They tell u not to eat for 12 hrs well my c section was delayed another 1hr so when she was born her blood sugars were low and they gave her a bottle. I had issues with her wanting to nurse after that. But other than that, it goes very fast! Recovery is a little longer. Enjoy your baby and enjoy your first moments!! Bring a camera in too!