C-Section Mamas?

[chely7425]

I know there are quite a few of us who had c/s... how is everyone feeling both physically and emotionally??

Personally, I feel great physically. My incision seems to be mostly healed but still has some tenderness if I wear the wrong pants. Still waiting to not look pregnant though... Emotionally I feel fine. A bit sad I didn't get the VBAC I wanted but very ok with how things went if that makes sense. I gave it my best shot and I am just thankful me and baby are both healthy!!

[phrogger]

I am doing great with both. I knew going into this pg there was no chance at all at a vbac. That is the one advantage of knowing my cervix was scarred shut. It will not dilate at all so there was just no chance at all at a vbac. This was also c-section 5 so I knew what to expect in general. I do however think this has been my easiest recovery with all of them. I however had a lot of emotional stuff with deal with, with the last 4, so this one was SO healing in that sense. I truly felt fine the day I left the hospital (about 36 hours after delivery). I think stressing over the NICU helped me forget about my own pain.

Emotionally I am doing good. I do get a little sad watching my little man grow right before my eyes knowing he is my last baby ever, but other then that, I am totally great, just tired.

[annekh23]

Well, because of my connective tissue disorder, the doctor had to stitch more layers and use the strongest stuff available, so one layer in particular is expected to be slow to heal and that I'll feel lots of pulls and twinges for upto 6 months. I'm 7 weeks post op tomorrow, I did a lot of walking today and I did feel moderately sore - but, I'm comparing this recovery to the recovery from my last vaginal birth, where I dislocated my hip and did lots of soft tissue damage to the pelvis and I definitely wouldn't have been up to walking around the zoo at 7 weeks pp. So whilst my recovery may be slower than some, I'm still pretty pleased with how it's going!

Emotionally things are harder, but it's not related to the c-section, I became depressed midway through the pregnancy, I changed medication 3 weeks ago and in the last couple of days I think I'm starting to see an improvement, I hope it lasts.

I have no plans to have any more babies, but if I did it would definitely be c-section, as the reason for this c-section would still apply. It would also be an early c-section as I'm considered higher risk for uterine rupture.

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I'm about 2.5 weeks post-op and physically I feel great. I got lucky and, somehow, I'm already in all my old clothes and below my pre-preg weight. Emotionally I'm doing pretty well. Evie fusses A LOT and it wears on me; I've had a few breakdowns, but nothing bad.

I'm actually happy about my c-section because it was medically necessary and I had, as much as possible, a home c-section. Being discharged 30 hours post op was nice.

[chely7425]

I was discharged really quickly post op too... it was definitely nice to be home!! I wish I was in my old clothes already... right now NOTHING fits! Maternity stuff is too big, pre-preg stuff is a bit too tight... bleh!

[Storm Bride]

I'm doing better than I expected. This was my 5th (and last) c-section. The recovery has been better than any of the others, on both fronts. I'm still dealing with a lot of...stuff about never having the VBAC I've intended to have since my first section in 1993...but I'll be okay.

I'm definitely hoping my two girls take a different path than I have, though.

I left the hospital in two days this time, which was nice. I also got stitches, instead of staples...huge improvement in both pain and mobility - HUGE. I was expecting more pain this time, because I had a tubal, as well as the c-section, but it's been much, much better than my earlier ones.

[apparitions]

I'm 6wks Postop Wednesday and I'm "eh"
Emotionally I'm doing a ton better than I was-- I struggled like crazy for weeks.
Of course my mom chose today to tell me that when my DH went out to tell them they were prepping me for a c-section and she came in my L&D room to see me and I was already gone.. which drudged the whole mess of emotions up all over again!!

Physically, I don't understand it at all. I was smaller-- could wear pre pregnancy clothes and this last week my tummy has poofed out again and I'm back in maternity which is too big of course. It doesn't make much sense to me... even my hubby noticed it which was depressing. I still haven't gained an appetite, either!

[chely7425]

I got stitches instead of staples this time too, and I agree... HUGE difference!! I am much more comfortable this time.

And my tummy keeps doing weird things too.. one day I will be ALMOST back in my normal clothes and the next not so much at all.

[phrogger]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

I left the hospital in two days this time, which was nice. I also got stitches, instead of staples...huge improvement in both pain and mobility - HUGE. I was expecting more pain this time, because I had a tubal, as well as the c-section, but it's been much, much better than my earlier ones.

Did we have the same delivery

[musiclady]

Originally Posted by sunflwrmoonbeam

I'm about 2.5 weeks post-op and physically I feel great. I got lucky and, somehow, I'm already in all my old clothes and below my pre-preg weight. Emotionally I'm doing pretty well. Evie fusses A LOT and it wears on me; I've had a few breakdowns, but nothing bad.

I'm actually happy about my c-section because it was medically necessary and I had, as much as possible, a home c-section. Being discharged 30 hours post op was nice.

Nah- just kidding.

I'm STILL not in regular clothes and Lilah is 3 months old. Not to mention I missed the last 2 months of pregnancy, so what is up with that?!?!?!?

Emotionally, MUCH better.

[MamaMem]

I am 4 1/2 wk pp and doing good. Except for the breast infection. (Guess that really had not much to do with post-op recovery though. ) This section went much better than last. I tried valiantly for my VBAC and have no regrets.

How in the world do you girls leave the hospital 30 hours later??? I am still so trashed at that point - barely walking yet, truthfully. Plus, if I had tried that this time I would have ended up back there anyway bc my bleeding suddenly jumped. I actually asked to stay an extra day bc I was not ready to go home. I was too worn out, I knew it would set me back. BTDT.

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I have no idea how I healed well enough to leave 30 hours post section or how I'm already back to normal, physically. I'm guessing it's a good surgeon + being 25 + lots and lots and lots of luck.

[chely7425]

I agree that leaving so early just had a lot to do with luck!! Even the nurses were surprised at how quickly I was up and about and allowed to leave. Wasn't as quick last time so who knows?

[phrogger]

My leaving so soon was because I had a baby in the NICU 60 miles away. I NEEDED to be with him. My ob let me go however before he even knew the baby was gone. He does know me and knew how many prior surgeries I had and knew I knew what to look out for etc. Then when he found out that the baby was in the nicu, he got the nurses to let me go asap rather then waiting for a few hours to do up the paperwork like they normally do. Had the baby been there with me, I would have stayed the full 3 days.

[annekh23]

There is no way I could have left the hospital at 30 hours, even if my baby had been in a different hospital, as it was, she was in the NICU just down the corridor and I only made two visits in a wheelchair on day 2 after my section.

At 36 hours I was only just getting my catheter out and for the next 12 hours ish I needed to use a walking frame just to get to the toilet a few feet away.

I don't know if the type of internal sutures made a difference in the early healing, I've been told that one layer will take 6 months to heal. My ob used the phrase "cemented your insides together"!

[simplykate]

i had an unplanned c-section after a supposed to be homebirth on June 18th. Just the past few days I've started feeling a lot better and have been able to go for some walks.
Emotionally I go back and forth. I feel pretty good about because I know it was necessary, but I would like answers as to what exactly went wrong, but nobody really knows. That's frustrating, especially because I don't know what my chances of vbacing are.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by sunflwrmoonbeam

I have no idea how I healed well enough to leave 30 hours post section or how I'm already back to normal, physically. I'm guessing it's a good surgeon + being 25 + lots and lots and lots of luck.

I have to say that being 25 may be a contributing factor. I healed up pretty smoothly after my first one (I was 24), even though that was after labour, being up all night and all day, not having any food for over 24 hours, etc. Looking back, if they'd let me have some real food, I'd have probably bounced back pretty quickly. (I was on liquid diet for 3.5 days post-partum, in addition to the 24+ hours of no food while in labour. I was so weak.) That one was also under general anesthetic, which knocks me on my butt.

I left about 48 hours post-section this time. I hurt - I hurt a lot. But, I was quite mobile, and I find the hospital harder on me than being at home. I just wanted to get out of there.

[annekh23]

I dread to think what healing will be like as I get older, I'm 29 now. My hip surgery at 28 took a full year to recover from and at 8 weeks post section I still have moderate pain after being on my feet for a while.

[musiclady]

I stayed as long as I absolutely could. It wasn't that I enjoyed being in the hospital, but I can't adequately explain the emotional heartbreak of having to leave Lilah. I didn't even expect to have a baby for two more months. Much less one soooo tiny. If they would have let me stay a week, I would have. There is absolutely *nothing* like being right at the hospital, a few floors away from the baby.

They were going to discharge me and I hadn't even held her yet. God bless the kind nurse upstairs who insisted that I be able to Kangaroo her.

The worst part was being wheeled down from my milk run (tiny bottles of colostrum) at all hours of the night and hearing mamas in their rooms with their babies crying. I just cried while my husband wheeled me back. It all seemed so very unfair. Just knowing those mamas were itching for sleep and a quiet baby. I would have given anything to have been able to have her in my room, squaling at 3am.

Of course, I try to remember that now.

The recovery was fairly decent for me. I had my right ovary removed 5 years ago and knew that I needed to get moving ASAP, and also to keep ahead of the pain. Once it catches up to you, it's hard to lick. Staying in front of it really helped me keep putting one foot in front of the other.

honestly, I'm kind of amazed that my body held up so well in the face of so much emotional turmoil. I honestly have never been so low in all my life. Some days I think I'm still dealing with that. Seems silly, I know. I've just never hurt so much in my life. And now look how blessed we are!

Amazing how we get through things. Think of how many CS mamas there are on here who planned for VB, UC, HB, or VBAC. Somehow we all got through it. And now we have sweet little ones.

Sorry- I'm really kind of messed up tonight. Vascilating between irritable, sentimental, and exhausted.