need stories/links to POSITIVE c/s stories.

[CorasMama]

Yes, I understand where I am, thank you.

But here's the situation. We had planned a great waterbirth, with midwives, in their free-standing birth center. That all got turned on its head when baby was diagnosed with a Giant Omphalocele. Because 2/3 of her liver is out of her body in a sac, a vaginal birth could be quite disastrous, and cesarean birth is absolutely the safest option, by far. I've made peace with the fact that we NEED a c/s, but not with the c/s itself.

I have anxiety problems, and a severe anxiety about a cesarean, in particular. Mostly, it's the "being awake while being cut open" thing. But it's also the "feeling the tugging" bit, and the "needle in my SPINE?!?!?!" thing. I am so anxious about this that I'm concerned that I won't actually be able to force myself to lie down on the table! It won't be a crash section, hopefully, it'll be scheduled. So I can totally see myself just freaking out and not cooperating.

I've been seeing a shrink about this, and we've agreed that one of the things I should try is something like desensitization. Obviously, we can't just have a few "practice" surgeries, so I need to read stories, eventually see if I can't find some pictures and videos of positive cesarean births, and imagine how mine will go. By positive, I mean, not a crash section, and mom doesn't hemorrhage on the table, etc. We're also going to try to get me a tour of the OR, so I know what to expect.

Does anyone have any positive cesarean stories, preferably easy ones, or have links to some? I really don't want to go ask on ICAN*, because I'm afraid that the prevailing sentiments toward c/s there will not help me get over this. At some point, I'll probably be asking for links to pictures, and then videos, but I'm not there yet. Just even asking for stories is freaking me out enough (I'm tearing up over it, how dumb is that?)

Thank you in advance!



*I understand the reason behind ICAN's prevailing sentiments, and I tend to agree, re all the unnecessary cesareans in North America. I think it's an important place and group, and I'll probably use them to help me process things afterwards, but right now, any exposure to "c-section=bad" isn't going to be helpful.

[sanguine_speed]

[tinybutterfly]

I don't have any links or pictures, but I did have a c-section with ds#1.

I read tons of baby/ birth books when I was pg. I was freaked out looking at a pic of a woman having an epidural and I was so glad I wasn't going to do THAT! Well, then I ended up with one when they decided I needed a c-section!

I had regular labor, pushed for 2 1/2 hours, but he couldn't get past my tailbone as it was bent like a J and he was sunnyside up. It just was.not.happening. They tried and tried to turn him...no luck.

First, the epidural was not as bad as I had imagined. Not at all. And after about six hours of unmedicated labor, 2 1/2 hours of pushing, back labor the whole time...the relief from labor was kind of nice.

The being awake while the surgery was going on...it felt weird, but everyone was very nice and answered all my questions. It's an odd feeling...being numb and the gentle tugging...but it's not horrible. They put up a sheet so you can't see.

I did FINE. Ds#1 did FINE.

I am pretty highstrung, I really, really don't like doctors and had never been in the hospital before.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

Ds#2 was a VBAC, so a c-section doesn't mean later births have to be by c-section.

((((((((((((((((BIG HUGS))))))))))))))) to you and your little baby.

[tinybutterfly]

P.S. You might ask them to give you a mild oral sedative to take the morning of the surgery.

They may give you a sedative in your IV before the surgery, but they usually don't do that until right before and that won't do you any good if you are really, really worried about not being cooperative.

Ask your doctor if a little ativan or valium would be okay to calm you down.

[mum4boys]

I do not have any stories or links but I have had 5-sections. I had to have general anesthesia for the first and missed out on a lot. My husband was in desert storm there was no one there to witness my oldest son's birth. I would never recommend it. My next c-section was a piece of cake. I actually walked back from the OR and got to go home after a half of a day in the hospital.
I have had a previous incident in surgery (not c-section) where I was not sedated enough and removed my hand (which they were cutting into) and started screaming because of the pain. I have deep fear of feeling something since then. I have had to have other surgeries and nothing compares to a c-section. The people involved in the c-section are far more compassionate and caring. Each and every c-section afterwards they made double sure and triple sure I could not feel a thing. They never ever dismissed my feelings. I have had both epidurals and spinals and both together. The very worst part is being 9 months pregnant and curling up into a ball. It pinches. I have had worst blood draws. My birth plans have always been honored and my husband has always been allowed to be in the room with me while I was getting anesthesia. The tugging and pulling does not hurt. It is just weird. One of the keys to remember is if you can talk while it is going on you are fine.

Oh just a note on the side. I have never ever had any problems with breast feeding (just the first and that was because of the learning curve). My kids have all breast fed within the first hour of delivery except one and he was in NICU for two weeks because of other problems and even when we were allowed to breast feed he took right to the breast.

Oh oh oh the key to a quick recovery is movement. My first I was not allowed out of bed for 5 days. What a huge mistake. The more you move and walk the faster you will heal. I really believe and no for a fact I heal a lot faster then a lot of my friends who had natural child birth.

I would recommend also having a birth plan. Mine has always been honored. Good luck with the birth of your DD. I pray that everything will go well for you and your family.

[milosmomma]

Originally Posted by tinybutterfly

I don't have any links or pictures, but I did have a c-section with ds#1.

I read tons of baby/ birth books when I was pg. I was freaked out looking at a pic of a woman having an epidural and I was so glad I wasn't going to do THAT! Well, then I ended up with one when they decided I needed a c-section!

I had regular labor, pushed for 2 1/2 hours, but he couldn't get past my tailbone as it was bent like a J and he was sunnyside up. It just was.not.happening. They tried and tried to turn him...no luck.

First, the epidural was not as bad as I had imagined. Not at all. And after about six hours of unmedicated labor, 2 1/2 hours of pushing, back labor the whole time...the relief from labor was kind of nice.

The being awake while the surgery was going on...it felt weird, but everyone was very nice and answered all my questions. It's an odd feeling...being numb and the gentle tugging...but it's not horrible. They put up a sheet so you can't see.

I did FINE. Ds#1 did FINE.

I am pretty highstrung, I really, really don't like doctors and had never been in the hospital before.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

Ds#2 was a VBAC, so a c-section doesn't mean later births have to be by c-section.

((((((((((((((((BIG HUGS))))))))))))))) to you and your little baby.

Yeah...pretty much all of that...exactly. The one thing that you'll have going for you that really bothered me was having the epidural WHILE in labor. "Okay, I know that you're having a contraction, but could you lean over and hold perfectly still because I'm going to put this in your SPINE."

I feel like I've seen threads with ways to make a C/S more comfortable and a bit more on the patient's terms (as much as possible), but I have no idea where it was. If I find it, I'll let you know.


Just remember, while this isn't your ideal delivery situation, when it's done you'll have a wonderful little baby and you'll have the rest of your life to be a fantastic mom.

[Drummer's Wife]

The spinal/epidural was hard for me mentally with my 2 scheduled sections (the other two were after laboring - and the needle part was still not fun, but I was distracted by the pain of the contractions, yk?). You will be sitting, leaned forward for that part - so as long as you can get yourself to climb up onto the table and sit, it's really only a couple seconds. It's hard to describe the pain/sting of the injection, but honestly, to me there are many things that hurt much worse (like the frequent migraines I get are horrid compared to that needle!). By the time you feel the meds going into your back, they start to work and you will feel numb. That is why I say it only lasts for seconds.

I know you have a huge anxiety and fear about this process, as well as the cutting and tugging. I can honestly say that these parts were not near as bad as I imagined. For me the recovery is much more of an issue, the actual section doesn't take too long. The one thing I wasnt expecting was the pressure in my chest where I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was a combo of them getting baby out, and the anesthesia.

I feel like my c-sections were positive, happy events - during the procedure, as well as looking back. I am grateful my mom (and DH) were there, and my mom took pictures all four times. I will say that as soon as I walk into the OR I feel like I'm in survival mode, id that makes sense, where I'm just wishing it would be over with and trying to distract myself to get through each moment. Maybe a mind over matter type thing, similar to how I feel at the dentist. LOL. But that may be to prepare myself mentally for it to be painful, uncomfortable, and awful... when in reality, the c-sections went smoothly, and physically, besides the chest pressure, I was just fine. I was so focused on that precious baby I would soon getto meet, that that excitement made it all so worthwile, and helped distract me from what was going on.

Anyhow, I'm just rambling and am typing on my phone so I'm sure there are errors in my post - but I will have to come back and see if I have anything helpful to add.

I wish you the best.

[kltroy]

I've posted in response to a couple of your other c/s related threads - my first was a planned c-section for breech presentation. Like you, I had some anxiety (maybe not as much) and a real overwhelming sense of *disappointment* that I wasn't going to be able to experience a vaginal birth, which is what I had planned and hoped for. (Happily, I did have a VBAC 2 years later). I'm a pretty scientific person, so knowing what to expect during the surgery was reassuring for me - it may be for you too. The NIH has surgical videos online and there's one of a c-section. The link is here:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/surgeryvideos.html

I do have some pictures from my son's birth, but no video (not allowed in the OR for liability reasons). There is one that the anaesthesiologist took of my husband, my son, and I, and that is my favorite picture from his birth. Even though the whole experience was very surreal, I have many fond memories of the birth day. If you PM me with your email, I'll send you a few pictures (there's nothing gory; I didn't care to look at the actual surgery that was taking place - mentally, I was more comfortable chit chatting behind the screen while tracking their progress relative to the video that I'd seen online).

I will say (as an ICAN chapter leader) that you might want to contact your chapter leader either in person or over the phone and simply talk about what to expect during a planned c-section. In my experience, ICAN has been a very supportive and non-judgemental group, and while everyone's experience is unique, the goal of ICAN is to educate and advocate and support women so that they can make informed birth choices and have good birth experiences. Working through the sorts of issues that you describe here is well within what ICAN can help you with. (Although, admittedly, you may encounter individuals who have strong opinions that can make you uncomfortable -- I suppose that's a risk with any group).

In any case, I wish you a healthy rest of your pregnancy and a peaceful birth.

[mamabadger]

You might want to give some thought to support during and right after the surgery. I have three times been hired to be doula during a CS, and once for postpartum care after a CS. Nobody thinks about doula care for a surgical delivery, but the mama might need the support even more than usual.
Even if you have your DH with you, you might discuss in advance what he can do to help you stay calm on the operating table. Maybe you want to be kept apprised of what is happening with the surgery; or maybe you would rather be distracted until it is over. Give it some thought and talk it over with him, or with whoever will be with you in the operating room.

I will mention one other thing I have heard complaints about very often: operating room chatter. HCP's often chat casually with each other during surgery. Often your doctor will keep up a stream of jolly banter with you, supposedly to lighten your mood, or give a running commentary on the delivery. Some women who are already nervous about the CS find this unbearable. You can make a point of asking the surgical team to keep a lid on it, if you want, and asking your support person to remind them if they forget.

A big thing for me and for other CS mothers I have talked to is help immediately postpartum. The first BF is sometimes easy if the epidural is still in effect, but after that it gets difficult. Even minor movement required to shift a nursing baby around, place him back in his cot, etc. can be painful at first. Making sure you have somebody with you at all times, just to hand you the baby, turn him so you can switch to the other breast, do the diaper changing and washing, would allow you to have rooming in when it might otherwise be impossible for the first day or two. If there are not enough family members or friends to take it in shifts, you can hire a PP doula to stay with you for a few hours.

Good luck to you.

[JessicaS]

I was also terrified of a planned c/s.

I can say that they gave an anesthetic before administering the spinal and it was completely painless. I have tattoos that hurt a lot more than the spinal. It was just the tiniest scratch and there was no pain.




If you do not have family close by or they might not be a valuable source of support then I agree in seeking the help of a doula. I did not have a doula with my son and regretted it. I knew walking into surgery that the situation could be serious but there was no time. When my son went to the NICU I was left alone in a different hospital because of course I sent my husband with our baby. I hadn't used a pump before and it was difficult.

You will be comforted knowing your husband is with your daughter and the doula can stay with you.

[happyhats]

I had an unplanned c/s with my dd. I will probably have a second c/s because it's extremely difficult to find vbac friendly hospitals in my rural area. Honestly, it wasn't bad at all. The spinal didn't hurt, though I was pretty sleepy for a couple hours after the surgery. It was odd feeling yourself go numb, but I didn't even feel any tugging, etc. I was extremely stiff after the surgery, more than actually in a lot of physical pain. It was hard to move, but if you take it slow you'll do just fine. I was back to my old self in a week. I did have breastfeeding issues, but I don't know if that had to do with the c/s or not. Just be easy on yourself, try to relax, and keep thinking about that wonderful baby coming your way. I hope she's healthy and wonderful, btw.

[tangledblue]

I had a c-section (baby was breech, nobody here will deliver a breech baby). Went into labor and by the time I got to the OR the epidural was quite welcome, actually. Did not really notice the needle. Nor, really, the sensation of tugging. I was just so excited to meet the baby. My husband was there the whole time. The surgery was really all kind of a blur--I swear it took about 5 min. for them to actually get DD out once all the prep was done--and then I was so busy looking at her that I barely noticed them stitching me up. The only thing that was a bummer was that I couldn't hold her in the OR as they were doing this, but her father could and held her right next to me so that I could touch her. The stitching was over in prob. 15-20 min and then we went to breastfeed right after that in a recovery room.

My scar is really minimal and I had a pretty easy recovery--it just hurt a little to climb stairs for a week or two (anything that involved groin/lower stomach). Otherwise, no problem. I took nothing stronger than ibuprofen for it after leaving the hospital.

Breastfeeding was not much of a picnic at first, but I don't think that was related to the c-section. Ultimately, it worked fine.

Overall, I was much happier than I expected to be with the whole experience. I was disappointed at having to have one before I actually did...and now, if the next one needs to be a c-section...I'm pretty at peace with that. My doctors were all fabulous and respectful.

[CorasMama]

Thanks everyone! Keep 'em coming! This is really actually helping.

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

Mama, I relate to your fears of being cut open awake, spinal, tugging...
For this reason, my birth plan includes the information that if I am to require a c-section, I will have to be heavily sedated or completely knocked out. I know this means I 'miss' the birth and my partner couldn't be in the room, but I just couldn't do it.

My doctor has actually said that, even though they don't usually do general anaesthetic for a scheduled, non-emergency c-section, if I can't get over my anxiety enough, they'll go ahead and knock me out. She thinks that, since I won't be in labor, and there won't be any complications in getting in there, that she'll be able to have Fiona disconnected from my blood supply (and therefore, the drugs) within five minutes of starting the anaesthesia. But obviously, for a number of reasons, this isn't the ideal.

Originally Posted by tinybutterfly

P.S. You might ask them to give you a mild oral sedative to take the morning of the surgery.

Heehee. Forget that "mild" nonsense! J/K. I'll probably have them give me a valium or some other benzo, like you suggested.

Originally Posted by mum4boys

The very worst part is being 9 months pregnant and curling up into a ball. It pinches. I have had worst blood draws.

Awesome! I've been so afraid of this, and probably building it up in my head way worse than it is.

Originally Posted by mum4boys

The tugging and pulling does not hurt. It is just weird.

How weird? I'm worried I'm going to relive the "weird" feeling, knowing what it was, over and over again afterwards. (My shrink and I are both concerned with my developing some PTSD-type issue after the c/s, especially since the first weeks/months after she's born are also going to be traumatic.)

Originally Posted by mamabadger

You might want to give some thought to support during and right after the surgery. I have three times been hired to be doula during a CS, and once for postpartum care after a CS. Nobody thinks about doula care for a surgical delivery, but the mama might need the support even more than usual.
Even if you have your DH with you, you might discuss in advance what he can do to help you stay calm on the operating table. Maybe you want to be kept apprised of what is happening with the surgery; or maybe you would rather be distracted until it is over. Give it some thought and talk it over with him, or with whoever will be with you in the operating room.

I have had one of my former midwives offer me doula services for this, but we just can't afford it. I will, however, have my bff waiting for me the second I get out of the OR (they only allow one support person in the OR with you).

Originally Posted by mamabadger

I will mention one other thing I have heard complaints about very often: operating room chatter. HCP's often chat casually with each other during surgery. Often your doctor will keep up a stream of jolly banter with you, supposedly to lighten your mood, or give a running commentary on the delivery. Some women who are already nervous about the CS find this unbearable. You can make a point of asking the surgical team to keep a lid on it, if you want, and asking your support person to remind them if they forget.

Yah, I have already instructed, and will put in my birth plan, and remind my OB, that I want as little talk as possible. I do NOT want a blow-by-blow. With non-invasive medical stuff, by which I mean, nothing goes INTO my skin, I'm all about the details. But I even tell phlebotomists not to tell me when the needle's going in for a blood draw. I understand that the doctor(s) and nurses will need to communicate about the procedure, but I don't want to hear anything unnecessary. I am even thinking of asking if I can bring an iPod, so I can avoid hearing the stuff they have to say to each other. Basically, DH can pull one earbud out and let me know "ok, she's been born, look quick before they whisk her away", but other than that, I do not want to hear them talking about the procedure.

For those of you who've mentioned breastfeeding, that's a whole other ball of wax. Baby will be heading straight off, with DH, to another hospital (Children's). Even once I'm discharged, and staying over at Children's with her, she won't be breastfeeding for a while. She's going to start on TPN (IV nutrition), then at some point be moved to an ng tube, at which point she'll get what I've pumped for her. And sometime down the road (seriously, we have NO WAY of knowing how long, it'll be sometime between a few days and never), she'll be able to tolerate nursing.

In the meantime, I'll have my best friend there, and I'm going to start pumping immediately. She's been instructed to hook me up to the pump asap, if I'm still shaking from the anaesthesia. She and I both used Medela pumps daily for a year each with our daughters, so she knows what she's doing. And given that I watched her give birth, we've nursed anywhere and everywhere together, have used, warmed, and even medicated (pinkeye) each other's breastmilk, and I've nursed her daughter (we were roommates at the time), neither of us have any problem with her manhandling my boobs into the shields!

One blessing-in-disguise of Cora having been born early without the ability to suck properly, and a host of other breastfeeding issues we had for the first few months, is that I already know I'm capable of establishing AND maintaining a full supply on just a pump.

One thing I'm concerned about, a reason that I don't want to just take the general anaesthesia, is that if I'm still out, or groggy, I might not be able to see her at all for a day or more, since she's going off to Children's. So I'm really motivated to work through this issue and get myself over it enough to accept the spinal.

So thank you all for your help. Keep it coming. Does anyone know of a website with some good cesarean birth stories?

[GoBecGo]

I hope it's ok for me to tell you my own birth story (MY birth, not my DD's)...? This story is how my mama told me about it, and she managed to tell me before she died in 2005 so i really treasure it.

My mother had to have a T-cut when she had my brother because he was premature (31 weeks) and they had an abrupting praevia happening and she and he were minutes from death.

So when it came to me the Ob was nice, but said to her, "it needs to be surgery, sorry" (mum had 4 vaginal births before my brother). Mum and dad looked the calendar over carefully and picked a day when my sister (16) could be home as schools were out, to care for my brother (3.5) while she was in. She was 37+4 on the day they chose.

On the day of the surgery there was a big buzz when mum walked in because she was going to be the first woman in that (small, local) hospital to have a spinal block and be awake for her c-section. The anaesthetist spent half an hour with her beforehand, getting to know her and talking to her about the upcoming surgery. Spinal blocks were "done" in those days (late 1980) of course, but she was to be his first unsupervised spinal-block-for-birth patient (he'd been on special rotation in a bigger hospital learning all about it) so he was telling her things like "i'll never forget your face" and she was saying "yeah i think i'll probably remember yours!" and they were giggling about it all - they got on great.

My dad wasn't allowed in (due to it being normal policy in the OR not to have anyone non-medical - that policy changed as spinal-block c's became the more common sort) but the anaesthetist reassured him that he was going to take the best care of his life of my mum and that the nurse would be out directly with his baby. Dad sat in the corridor.

When it was time they did the spinal block. Mum said it stung initially, then she felt like she was a doll from the waist down - all fuzzy and warm like she was stuffed with goose down or something. They used ice cubes to test how numb she was and when the anaesthetist was satisfied (she said he was very particular about making sure there were no "windows" anywhere on her hips or belly) he gave them the go-ahead to begin. She was on her back and they positioned the lights and everything and the ob (knowing mum used to be a nurse) talked her through everything he was doing. She could see the procedure reflected in the theatre light above her (she said she could have easily looked away if she'd chosen, it wasn't "in her face") and she watched fascinated as they worked.

The anaesthetist himself held her hand, and gave it an excited squeeze when the ob said "and here's the uterus". They cut through, and the surgeon said "more suction" and then "oh!" and then i started to cry (so did my dad, hearing me from outside in the corridor). The ob then said quite surprised "oh, she looks perfect!" (mum was 43 and had declined all scans and testing because she had lost a baby between my brother and i and was determined to have me, no matter what, due to relatively new (in those days) research, the ob was convinced there would be something terribly wrong with me, which arguably, if he knew me now, he'd feel was justified! ) and my mum said "SHE?" (she already had 4 sons and one daughter) and then the anaesthetist teared up at me apparently all naked and pale purple with a cerise chest as i screamed and plucked the air while the ob held me up for my mum to see.

Then the nurse, a big cuddly black woman (who incredibly i actually have a memory of!) took me to the warmer, dried me off, wrapped me up and cuddled me and laughed with my mother while they closed her. The nurse took me into the corridor for my dad to have a quick hold and kiss (my dad's only other child was my brother, who spent his first 3 days in an incubator and wasn't held by anyone except the nurse who changed his nappy for a week) and then i was taken to the ward to have all my checks and such done (this was 1980, i know now the same hospital has newborns in recovery unless mum is totally unconscious) and my mum joined me about an hour or so later when she'd come out of recovery. The anaesthetist came to see us every day we stayed in (5days, mum left early due to feeling fine and ready to "get on with it") and she sent him a pic of me on my first birthday.

She never told me about my first breastfeed, but i was breastfed for 9 months, so i must have had one. There is a photo of her holding me up in the postnatal ward, a big smile on her face, me looking like a scrunched up wee monkey (just like DD looked when she was born in fact) about 6 hours later. I was 8lbs 6oz, apgars of 10 and 10, with silver-white blonde hair, and mum said the nurses would fight over who got to hold me when she napped during the days.

I know a lot of ladies have a lot of different feelings about their c-section scars, but as the baby born that way, i must admit that i always felt an affectionate attachment to hers. I remember when she got really ill (cervical cancer) i would help her in and out of the bath and so on, and i always loved her scar, it was such a strong, tangible mark of my arrival on her body (i am not saying that i wouldn't have felt the same if i'd been vaginally born, just that i wasn't and that her scar actually had special meaning to me), and reminded me of the "us" we once were. Perhaps that's overly romantic - i was 24 when she died and she'd been terminally ill for a decade before then, so i guess there was opportunity for a lot of sentimentality to creep in there.

I had a good cry typing some of this out, in a good way. Thanks for the opportunity to talk about it, most of the time, especially here, people don't want to hear that c-sections can be ok for mama's and magical for the babies who begin earthside after one.

[CorasMama]

Thank you. That was so beautiful. Your mom sounds like she was awesome!

[Monkey Keeper]

Here is mine:
http://daraluzwebirth.blogspot.com/2...mackenzie.html

My c/s was a healing experience for me--my first birth was so out of my control, and as you can see from my story, it impacted my 2nd. Having the control of deciding when and how my baby was born and having complete calm made for a beautiful birth experience.

Regardless of what many may think about my choice, I have no regrets. I firmly believe God, through my body, was guiding me, and it all turned out just as it should have.

[kltroy]

Wanted to add that many of the labor-coping techniques -- especially things like Hypnobabies -- may be very helpful for you during your c/s. You should also talk to your Dr about a c-birth plan. For my c-birth, my MW was there with me (along with DH), and I found that to be helpful. I know of doulas who have been there too.

FWIW, I have a friend whose baby was on TPN for over 2 years, but she still breastfed him too. His issue was a food absorption issue, so he could suck, but she figured even if 10% of the nutrients made it into his system it was better than nothing. I'm sure you will do a great job taking care of your little one.

BTW, haven't read many of these, but there's a whole section on scheduled c-section - I get the feeling many/most are quite positive:
http://www.birthstories.com/stories/

[Norasmomma]

I've had 2 positive c/s experiences. DD's was an emergency after a long labor. My issues in her birth were similar to tinybutterly's, but my labor was 30 hours with 3 of that pushing. Unfortunately the pushing wedged DD so far into the left of my pelvis that she was so stuck a T incision was done internally to get her out. Even with all that it was a positive experience considering. I was deathly afraid of getting an epidural, but after 18 hours of natural labor I was fine with it.

A VBAC wasn't an option if I ever got pg again due to my T incision, it runs a higher risk and so I knew if I got pg again I'd have another c/s. That was actually more scary due to the anticipation of the whole thing. I researched questions to ask, things that I wanted, unnecessary procedures etc...The biggest thing for me was meeting the anesthesiologist he helped so much, I learned about the spinal, what would happen, he put me at peace. He was a very wonderful man. We did not find out gender due to the fact we didn't feel we needed to know everything, so that was exciting for all involved. Dave(the anesthesiologist) told me what was happening the entire time, he told DH when to take photos of DS coming out. After DS was born he told him that he'd take good care of me and that DH should go with DS(that was one HUGE difference between the 2 c/s, dH stayed with me because it was so much of an emergency). DH went with him to put his diaper on etc...DD had to be in an incubator with our awesome L&D nurse for about 20 minutes until DH came out of the OR.

Both of mine I did get a lot of info due to DH being completely fascinated with the surgery(with DD's he asked if he had to sit or if he could watch), for my son I also had a resident present that was training with my Dr-that was my choice. I am a pretty open person and I already had informed everyone I was ok with hearing of what was going on. My c/s with DD it was more surreal, I heard what they were saying, but it didn't really compute. I was in and out with hers from pure exhaustion. DS's I was wide awake the whole time, I did however kinda go into a meditative state after he was out-I also had my tubes tied, so since I had the resident there too they were showing him the how to's.

As far as c/s experiences DS's was a fairly zen experience, I mean it was the best it could be. Dave helped make it a *pleasurable* experience. It was exciting and yes it was still a bit scary, just because it is surgery.

I hope that this has helped you, my experiences though not my ideal births(DDs was planned to be a waterbirth, but sh** happens) were our babies births and they were both wonderful considering the situation. I pray for the safety and the well being for you and your baby, I hope that she and you make a quick recovery.

[franciemack]

I haven't read all the responses yet, but I will add my positive c-section story to the mix.

I had a c-section for the birth of my twin girls 16 months ago. It was not planned. Baby A was vertex and B was breech. Very common with twins. My OB was very supportive of a vaginal delivery and that was what was planned, although I would have a epidural and would likely delivery in the OR "just in case". So mentally, I was all prepped for a vaginal delivery, but that all went out the minute when my water broke due to placental abruption. It wasn't a severe abruption but enough to warrant an ambulance ride and a fairly hasty although not emergency c-section.

I won't deny that it was scary, but I do have anxiety most of the time so it was similar to my feelings of flying! ;-)

But the spinal was painless, the surgery was quick, surprisingly so. I did find the closing up part tedious, as the babies were out and were being weighed and checked over. But it was over really fast. I was in recovery nursing the babies before I had stopped chattering from the spinal. But once the effects of the spinal had worn off, I felt really calm and elated. I definitely had the post birth high.

My husband and I just kept looking at each other in astonishment. We did not sleep at all the first night, just stared in wonder at our perfect little babies.

I was in the hospital three nights - the time flew by. I had excellent nursing care and lactation support. The babies did not leave my sight even once...not even in the OR. They stayed within my vision the whole time. The OR is set up so the Mom can see everything. But parts of it I was concentrating more on myself, so I didn't watch everything.

My pain was very manageable by Tylenol and Advil. I had no complications from the surgery. I used a good nursing pillow and it helped keep the weight off my incision. Within two weeks I was feeling pretty good. By four weeks I was feeling really good. And I even went snowboarding for 3 hrs at 6 weeks!

I have no regrets or unresolved feelings about my birth. Me and my girls are perfectly bonded and nursed successfully for a year.

You have a lot on your plate, so I hope your c-section goes as smoothly for you as it did for me.

Best wishes.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by CorasMama

Awesome! I've been so afraid of this, and probably building it up in my head way worse than it is. How weird? I'm worried I'm going to relive the "weird" feeling, knowing what it was, over and over again afterwards. (My shrink and I are both concerned with my developing some PTSD-type issue after the c/s, especially since the first weeks/months after she's born are also going to be traumatic.)

Okay. I've had PTSD after my c-sections. I also hate the pulling and tugging. Seriously. When I'm on the table and feeling it, I have trouble avoiding out and out panic. To me, it's an incredibly weird, creepy and invasive feeling.

HOWEVER, it doesn't hurt at all, and honestly once it's over, it's over. I don't think about it much, because it does weird me out...but it's also not difficult to put out of my mind, yk? By the time I'm moved to the maternity ward, I'm done thinking about that part of it. It does help tremendously to have dh there to focus on while they do the surgery. I know some people are interested, or even fascinated. I prefer to pretend it's not happening.

In many ways, I prefer general anesthesia, but it is good to be able to see the baby asap. I have a major "thing" about drugs, so I don't use any sedatives or anti-anxiety meds, but that may be the way to go.

I don't like getting a spinal (I don't even get freezing for dental fillings). However, it generally doesn't really hurt...it's more uncomfortable to stay hunched over in a ball - over my big pregnant belly - than it is to get the actual needle.

All I can really say is that I've gone in for three scheduled sections, and have been almost frozen with panic every time, but they've all gone quite smoothly. As much as I hate them, anticipating them is way, way worse than actually having them, imo.