C-Section Mamas?

[chely7425]

How is everyone doing?

I am doing pretty good! I got my staples out yesterday and it is INSANE how much better I feel. Travis is 6 days old and I feel mostly back to normal, which makes me very happy. I am being careful about not lifting too much (and my parents have been a huge help) but I really feel so good for 6 days post-op. Travis is nursing really well so hopefully he will chunk up at some point... he is still such a peanut at 5 pounds 11 ounces. We met with the LC at the hospital yesterday too and got some goodies to help my poor left nipple heal. He has a really good latch but I have a little sore spot under my left nipple from one bad latch and it just isnt getting better!

[October_Mama]

hi, mine was 8 days ago. my belly is still a little sore, it doesn't help that my little guy kicks and knees me constantly, especially at night. i didn't have staples, they glued me and used steri-strips, so i'm waiting for those to loosen. my little guy nurses like a champ! i'm trying to feed him every two hours during the day, hoping the consistency will make the nights a little easier. we're still struggling with nights as he doesn't sleep wel unless he is snuggled up against me. we trying to get him to use the co-sleeper more, but it's a gradual process.

[chely7425]

I had the glue and steri strips with my first 2 c/s but this time I had to have the staples because apparently the glue doesn't work as well on scar tissue or something? It is definitely a relief to have them out. My little guy starts out sleeping in an in-bed co-sleeper and then comes and sleeps on my arm. I don't mind it but he is swaddled so he can't kick or anything

[CherryBomb]

I'm 9 days out and still fairly sore. I had my staples out before I left the hospital and then steri strips, most of which have come off. The did the cut over my previous scars and the initial one is apparently super low and weird shaped, so I think that's why I still feel sore. Plus last baby I had all natural so I think it's making the c/s recovery seem worse because I'm comparing it to that. My scar looks a little gross in the middle, but it's not showing signs of infection so I think it's just ugly I hate to touch it though, with three scars there it feels so weird, just a big thick mass of scar tissue, yuck.

I hate to admit I'm having a tough time emotionally with the c/s. I worked so hard last time to have my vba2c and it went so great, I feel disappointed in myself for ending up with a c/s this time (I never felt that way about my first 2 c/s).

[Pineapple Head]

im doing great! im actually surprised at how fast i have healed, i thought i'd be out of commission for a few weeks like my sister was. i had steri strips which were taken off by my midwife last sunday(a week after surgery)and i think i was able to get out of bed by myself about 4-5 days after. the skin is numb around the scar but other than that its fine. clover is a champ at feeding, my nipples actually feel softer than before! weird. she does spit up a lot but apparently its nothing to worry about. she gained 13oz in 3 days so i'm not worried about her not getting enough!
sleeping has been hit or miss, some nights are great, some....not so much...sometimes she goes hours 4-7 without any big sleep during the day, tiny naps but if i try to put her down she's like"HA! fooled you!"

I have to admit that i am still processing her birth. i am having a hard time emotionally when i think about the c/s, i know it was needed but at the same time i feel like a fool for planning a home water birth and telling every one i wouldn't get an epidural and then ending up with c/s. i know that sounds dumb, but i can't help it.

at least the ob that did my c/s reassured me that it wasn't my body, i have a nice roomy pelvis apparently and there is no reason i couldnt have a vbac. maybe thats part of the emotional bit though because were pretty sure clover will be our only child so i probably won't get a chance at a vbac.

sorry this is so long i obviously needed to off load some stuff!

[chely7425]

Unload as much as you want and need! It surprised me after my first c/s how quickly I healed as well, although I usually end up shooting myself in the foot by doing too much too fast...

[mangosink0]

I go in for my c/s this morning! Can't sleep cuz I'm so excited. And nervous.

[CherryBomb]

How exciting, mangosink0!! Can't wait to hear an update

Pinneapple, I know what you mean. My second c/s was supposed to be a HBAC, so it was really embarassing. And even worse because dd2 had serious health issues and is permantely disabled So I got a lot of "told you so" looks and comments. Sigh. I'm glad VBAC is an option for you, though. I don't feel like it is for me, which really sucks.

[happythistle]

The emotional piece is a big one - I still have feelings from DS birth more than 4 years ago. It's especially hard when it's not planned and totally opposite your birth plan. At times I still feel like a failure and that I should have labored longer ( than 36 hours). Babies just have their own minds!

[chely7425]

I have definitely been doing too much the last few days... I am hurting tonight. Mostly the left side of my incision because it is off center and the left side gets stretched and what not a lot more. I am going to try and take it easy this weekend but it is SO hard because DH isn't here (stupid deployment) so me taking it easy means my parents are doing everything with my big kids. It sucks.

[CherryBomb]

I've been overdoing it, too. It's hard not to when you've got 4 kids! My left side hurts the most, too, my scar is really low and comes out really far on the left (out to my hip, wtf?!) Plus I have a lopsided pannus and the larger side is on the left so it puts pressure on that side of my incision.

mangosink0, I hope everything went well!

Rachel, OT, but how are things with your dh? I hope you guys got everything sorted out!

[chely7425]

My scar goes out almost that far on the left too!! Very annoying... and, yes things with DH are SO much better! We still have some work to do obviously but I think we are going to be ok

[Pineapple Head]

im so glad that i have this board to come to. it makes me feel a bit saner!
i keep getting this pain in my right side, i have no clue if its related to the c/s or just my body adjusting.
i finally looked at my scar today its a lot smaller than i thought it would be, they had to make the incision bigger than they normally would because she was really stuck in there, they had to use a vacuum to help get her out. unless i get some creative bikini waxing done no one will be able to see it.

[corban's mum]

oh CHERRYBOMB

i can kinda relate to the feelings of embarassment after "failed" hbac, i was all "hypnobirthing will help its all gonna go great and calmly".... 14 hours into labour cue hysterical screaming for hours as my adhesions ripped apart in my belly and my old scar started to peel.... that happening and no drugs being available was no fun i can tells ya! so i just tell ppl that she got stuck due to her size so i had cs, they tend to accept that n not pry deeper lol

[October_Mama]

i knew ahead of time that i would need one b/c ds was a footling breech. being able to prepare mentally beforehand really helped.

[CherryBomb]

corban's mum

I think whether or not you feel it was necessary probably helps a lot. I know with dd2 I never felt bad about the c/s because she obviously needed and probably wouldn't have survived without it. This time feels more like it happened because i got stuck with an on call ob who doesn't like to do vbacs :/ Of course, I could have refused, but after 24 hours of labor with no progress (and regresssion, since he moved UP instead of down!) I felt pretty defeated. I really wish my OB had been there, sigh. I'm having a hard time emotionally dealing with the c/s and I feel guilty about it.

[corban's mum]

it's hard when u read stories of mamas who give birth to hbac footling slow progress 15lb triplet babies etc etc (ok slight exaggeration i kno lol) to not feel like we couldve done more/fought harder etc but in reality we got our babies here safe n well and worked way harder than a straightforward vag birth, both labouring hard for hours and going thru cs... so yeah someone hand out the medals already cuz we're hardcore! lmao

in truth- regardless of the fact i was jammed stuck at 7cm for hours after my waters (which were holding me open to 10 cm n her head had started to come out- i saw it in the mirror, nearly born en caul lol) burst, sending her head shooting back up inside, and the internal bleeding due to ruptures etc which gives good enough medical reason for a cs, i would have had one anyway because IT HURT so badd...

...yup i was one of those mamas screeching for an epi and a cs RIGHT NOW lol so yeah, i'm at peace with it, i made my peace right there and then... i remember thinking "eff this, gimme drugs n an OR i dont care anymore"

sure i cried a bit for the first few days n found it hard to come on here and announce my cs, and of course i wish that it'd all gone smoothly n i'd just farted her out into the birth pool and been up and about 10 mins later baking cookies but hey ho..... :P

my first cs was very traumatic n left me mentally very sore about it all, but i've found peace with that too, my kids are so great and each have their own birth story and life ahead of them, i can't regret the way they were entered into this world, im just glad they were

i know in time u'll find ur peace with it all too, though i totally get how huge it all seems right now!

[CherryBomb]

Originally Posted by corban's mum

it's hard when u read stories of mamas who give birth to hbac footling slow progress 15lb triplet babies etc etc (ok slight exaggeration i kno lol) to not feel like we couldve done more/fought harder etc but in reality we got our babies here safe n well and worked way harder than a straightforward vag birth, both labouring hard for hours and going thru cs... so yeah someone hand out the medals already cuz we're hardcore! lmao

Yeah, tell me about it! My neighbor got induced at 39 weeks after two weeks of harassing her OB, got an epidural right away and was in labor for 4 whole hours and pushed 3 times. And I know plenty of women going for vbacs who haven't even had a successful one yet who get induced at 40 weeks and have no problems. It's hard not to be bratty about it and whine that it's not fair!

I'm glad you have such a positive attitude about it, I hope I get there at some point! I did with my first two c/s so I'm sure I'll work through this one, too.

[corban's mum]

i've never had a vag birth so i can't really feel poopy about my recovery as i only have cs to compare it to, and my recovery last time was hell in was in hosp for weeks so this time im dancing around farting rainbows that i'm not still hooked up to an iv with my baby outgrowing the hospital cots lol

you'll get there mama x

[CherryBomb]

You crack me up!

I'm feeling pretty good now recovery wise, still get sore if I do too much, but all my steristrips are off and my scar seems to be going down. I can feel a mass of tissue on my left side above my incision, which is gross, but it doesn't hurt, just scar tissue or maybe an adhesion.

I hope the rest of our c/s mamas are doing well!