Another c-section thread...

[kblackstone444]

I know there's already a c-section thread, but that one seems to mostly talk about the emotional aspect of having a c-section.  Although I want to do things naturally, if a c-section happens, it happens, I'm not freaking out about it as a failure on my part.

My baby boy is transverse.  I know we don't have to worry for another couple weeks, since I'm only 35 weeks, but he's very comfortable in his position- me, my doctor, have tried exercises and such to move him into position, and he has flipped to head down a time or two, but then he goes right back to transverse within an hour or so.  My doctor is very into natural childbirth, and we will continue to work on turning the baby over the next five weeks, however, she also wants me to be aware that there is a very real possibility that I will be facing a c-section, and in all honesty, if I have to choose between a planned c-section or a great risk of an emergency c-section, I will choose the planned c-section- usually a better recovery time, and more chance of me being in a position to be awake and coherant enough to bond with my baby afterwards.

That being said, if I end up needing a c-section, what can I expect?  I'm supposed to go back to work at 6 weeks (single Mom, no savings in the bank).  Is that being realistic?  How long until I expect to be able to do normal things, such as carrying a full laundry basket downstairs or walking the dogs (who once in a while do pull) or walking the mile and a half to the WIC office, etc.  Is there more to it than just the regular "6 week checkup"?  Someone told me something about staples in the belly that would need to be taken out after a couple weeks or something?  How different is a c-section recovery as opposed to a vaginal birth?  Do you still bleed for 6 weeks?  More, less?  Please tell me whatever might be helpful, in case I need to know.

[CatsCradle]

Hi kblackstone444.  My DD is four now but I remember the c-section very well.  My c-section was unplanned (DD was a preemie and the whole thing took me by surprise).  That being said, I was very fortunate to have no complications myself and my doctor was very surprised that I recovered so quickly.  There are so many variables that effect recovery, so there is not a one-size-fits-all piece of advice that I can give.  I was walking around the next morning and by the end of the week, I was lifting stuff and feeling back to my normal self.  I didn't have staples, just sutures that eventually fell out.  I only had one follow-up visit to the doctor and I was back to work in six weeks after my maternity leave was over.  After four years, the scar is almost invisible.  The one problem that I do have is that it is very hard for me to hold my bladder now.  I don't know if that relates to the c-section or not.  I was in very good physical shape going into my pregnancy (long-distance runner), so I think the fact that I had no known health problems going in probably had some effect on the outcome.  As a preemie, DD was also very tiny, so my body probably underwent a lot less physical trauma than a woman's body might if the baby was full term.

Again, I am extremely fortunate in my recovery, but I do know that a lot of women have problems after, so you'll probably get responses very different from mine.  I wish you luck no matter what happens.  Congrats!

[maryeliz]

 I hope your babe stays in a good position!

I think one thing you will want going in is someone who can advocate on your behalf to have your baby with you as soon as possible and make sure that your birth plan is followed if you are not in a state to do that advocacy yourself.

Like catscradle, I think that each person will have a different experience.  When I had my c/s I was very sick with pre-eclampsia, had a magnesium sulfate drip that made me feel even worse, and I ended up having my uterus removed (and a huge midline incision to boot) due to bleeding from fibroids-so really a pretty rough c-section.  That said, my recovery was much easier than I expected.  After surgery they wrapped me in a binder, which I wore for 10 days and I think that really helped my recovery.  I don't know if binders are standard, but I would suggest getting one if they aren't provided at your hospital.  After the c/s make sure that you are getting pain meds that work for you.  I only had one day or real pain and it was because they were giving me a med that did not work for me.  They switched me and I took something that controlled pain without making me out of it.  I was back on my feet within 24 hours and the nurses really encouraged me to get up and move right away.  I was shuffling to the bathroom and around my hospital room the day after the c/s and I was walking the halls, with encouragement from the nurses, the following day. 

I went home four days after the c/s.  That first week I could move around the first floor of my house, bathe, get food from the kitchen, but not much else. I went to work at around week 3 on a limited basis and felt okay.   I started doing one flight of stairs per day ten days after the c/s.  I got my staples out ten days after the c/s and it was uneventful.  Now six weeks out, I can walk a mile, do stairs, carry stuff like a laundry basket.  I do still get pretty tired.  If I do a full day of stuff, I am wiped out by 4:00pm.  I assume that my recovery would have been a bit quicker if I hadn't had extra surgery and blood loss.  I've found that the most important thing is to just listen to my body and stop doing something if it feels bad or makes me tired-but that is really hard, I'm used to just powering through my day.

With any luck you won't even need this info!

[CI Mama]

If you go back a few months in Birth & Beyond, you will find several really good threads about having a better c-section. Worth digging for!

You've already got some good advice here & I'll add just a few other thoughts:

It is possible that the onset of labor will cause your baby to shift (if he hasn't already at that point). If it's possible, you may want to find a middle ground between a scheduled c-section & an emergency c-section. What I mean is, let labor start naturally on its own, and then decide (with your HCP) how far you want to go before you opt for the c-section. Hopefully well before things are at the "emergency" stage! But at least long enough to see how labor affects things. Also, even if your babe stays transverse, there may be benefits for both of you for having had some natural labor before the surgery.

For me, recovery was made significantly worse because I had gone 2 nights without sleeping or eating, so I was very depleted before the surgery even began. If I'd known how hard the depletion would hit me, I would have opted for the c-section about 15 hours earlier. But I would still have done the first 18-20 hours of my labor, which I did naturally.

Another thought: you can request stitches instead of staples. Stitches take longer in surgery, but they don't have to be removed later. It's worth asking your doc about the pros/cons of stitches vs. staples. I got stitches & am very happy that I did...2+ years later my scar is barely visible.

I think the recommended recovery time for c-section is 8 weeks (as opposed to 6 weeks for a "normal" birth) and it is worth checking with your employer to see if there is an option for taking additional time off in case of a surgical delivery.

Good luck! I hope your babe turns and this advice is not needed. Keep us posted!

Edited by CI Mama - 12/17/10 at 2:08pm

[MegBoz]

I've also often heard the time off from work is 8 weeks for CS, 6 weeks for vaginal. If you're using "Short-term disability" - then you will be covered under disability for as long as your doc signs you out. It isn't something your employer has any degree of control over - you are "disabled" for as long as your MW or doc says you are. (I think short-term-disability usually pays out 60% of pay before taxes.) & STD benefits usually have a maximum duration, but, again 6 vs. 8 is up to your HCP. Of course with FMLA your employer legally must keep your job available for 12 weeks after birth.

[Climbergirl]

My recovery was not good.  I ended up with complications from surgery and was readmitted to the hospital for 5 days.  I had pneumonia, septasemia, and early cardiac failure.  It took me about 2 months to feel "normal" and I experienced a lot of pain with the surgery that lasted for over a year.  I don't say this to scare you, because some people love their c-sections and do very well.  I just was not one of them.  I also had a very non-planned surgery and that does seem to make a difference.

I would say, prepare for the worst, hope for the best.  That means lining up a TON of help afterwards.  You would be having major surgery, so think of it like that and make sure you have people coming over to help. 

I bled for over 6 weeks.  I could not sit up on my own for a while.  I moved slow and I did not lift things for a long time.  I will say though, they "glued" me back together which did mean that I did not have to have anything removed afterwards.  My scar looks terrible (I have no idea why part of it is large and bumpy while one little section looks great).  And nursing was hard because of all the issues I had afterwards.

I am hoping your baby turns and stays that way!

[kblackstone444]

Originally Posted by Climbergirl I would say, prepare for the worst, hope for the best.  That means lining up a TON of help afterwards.  You would be having major surgery, so think of it like that and make sure you have people coming over to help.

That's where my main problem is gonna be- I'm 200 miles away from my family, none of who are at the time physically able to come help me, the baby's Father is out of the picture (and for reasons I won't get into, needs to stay way out of the picture for the best for me and the baby) and my only friends or "family" here are my ExHusband and Father-in-Law and my neighbor, all of who, for various reasons, will only be able to help me on occasion.  I'm afraid it will all fall on my 15 year old Asperger's son to run the household and take care of the dogs during recovery time.  And then there's the appointments I'll need to get to (with little or no transportation) once the baby's born and I'm eligable for Food Stamps, need to reapply for WIC, and such.  I literally need to hit the ground running, because it's all gonna be up to me.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by kblackstone444 

That being said, if I end up needing a c-section, what can I expect?  I'm supposed to go back to work at 6 weeks (single Mom, no savings in the bank).  Is that being realistic?  How long until I expect to be able to do normal things, such as carrying a full laundry basket downstairs or walking the dogs (who once in a while do pull) or walking the mile and a half to the WIC office, etc.  Is there more to it than just the regular "6 week checkup"?  Someone told me something about staples in the belly that would need to be taken out after a couple weeks or something?  How different is a c-section recovery as opposed to a vaginal birth?  Do you still bleed for 6 weeks?  More, less?  Please tell me whatever might be helpful, in case I need to know.

I've had five c-sections, and I don't know how to answer your questions. I don't know how it's different from a vaginal birth, because I've never had a vaginal birth. I don't know how long it will take you to be able to do normal things. I could carry a laundry basket down the stairs as soon as I came home with all but one of mine (I tried to avoid it for a few weeks, but I could do it). I don't know how long it took to be able to walk a mile and a half, but I remember walking two miles uphill (very steep in sections) the day of my six week checkup with my first one. The six week checkup is pretty standard, and I think it's the same as with a vaginal birth, except that they - obviously - check the incision.

They usually use staples. I've had those taken out anywhere from two days to a week post-op. If you have the staples, I recommend having them removes in the first few days, as longer is more uncomfortable. However, what I really recommend is that you request sutures, and don't get the staples at all. I had no idea how bad the staples really were until I got sutures. If you'd have asked me after my first two sections, I'd have said the staples were no big deal. Now that I know how much difference sutures make, in terms of both pain and mobility, I think I'd actually physically fight a doctor who tried to staple me (except that I wouldn't know until after the fact, of course).

I've bled anywhere from about three weeks to about eight weeks. It's my understanding that the flow is lighter than with a vaginal birth, but I can't vouch for that from personal experience.

Honestly - I'd mostly recommend that you line up whatever help you can. It's tough looking after a baby while you recover. The hardest parts vary, though. I know women who can barely manage stairs at all, but stairs have never been a big issue for me. Getting up and down from sitting and getting in and out of bed are brutal for me, but I can't speak for anyone else.

You're not supposed to lift anything heavier than your baby for the first six weeks. I find that after about the second week, it's usually really easy to forget that, because I feel as if I'm much more healed than I actually am.

Oh - and figure out what works for you. (For example, most pamphlets, information sheets, etc. tout the football hold as the saviour of breastfeeding for post c-section moms. It may work for you. But, if it doesn't, don't do what I did with my first. I stuck it out trying to do the "easier" football hold until my nipples were just scabs. Then, I finally tried a modified cradle hold, and the whole thing became SO much easier. If I hadn't been so convinced by everyone around me that the football hold was "easier", I'd have saved myself a lot of pain. I've run into other things like that, as well.)

ETA: I could have gone back to work at six weeks post-partum with ds1, dd1 and dd2. It would have been really, really hard, and I'd have literally come home and collapsed, but I could have done it. There is no way I could have with ds2 (second easiest initial recovery of the lot, and the one that left me with all the long-term damage). I wouldn't have been close to able to do so with Aaron. There's just no way to know what you'll be able to do until it happens, yk?

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by CI Mama 

It is possible that the onset of labor will cause your baby to shift (if he hasn't already at that point). If it's possible, you may want to find a middle ground between a scheduled c-section & an emergency c-section. What I mean is, let labor start naturally on its own, and then decide (with your HCP) how far you want to go before you opt for the c-section. Hopefully well before things are at the "emergency" stage! But at least long enough to see how labor affects things. Also, even if your babe stays transverse, there may be benefits for both of you for having had some natural labor before the surgery.

This. I actually hated my one labour-free c-section with a passion. The recovery was no better - actually, it was worse - than either of scheduled-but-labour-started-first sections. I've heard about how much better the recovery is, but that didn't hold true for me. At the six-week mark, my best recovery was my first one (emergency, after about 21 hours of labour), and my labour-free was my second worst. (The worst was a special case, as my baby didn't survive, and there a lot of emotional factors in my crappy recovery. I'd also laboured for a long time.)

Another thought: you can request stitches instead of staples. Stitches take longer in surgery, but they don't have to be removed later. It's worth asking your doc about the pros/cons of stitches vs. staples. I got stitches & am very happy that I did...2+ years later my scar is barely visible.

I definitely agree. The only pro to staples that I know of is that they're faster. FWIW, I've had an infected incision twice, and both times were because of staples that twisted, and tore the incision back open. I hate staples.

I think the recommended recovery time for c-section is 8 weeks (as opposed to 6 weeks for a "normal" birth) and it is worth checking with your employer to see if there is an option for taking additional time off in case of a surgical delivery.

I've never heard that it's eight weeks. I wonder if that's a new recommendation, or is that just a back-to-work guideline?

[Climbergirl]

Originally Posted by kblackstone444 

Originally Posted by Climbergirl I would say, prepare for the worst, hope for the best.  That means lining up a TON of help afterwards.  You would be having major surgery, so think of it like that and make sure you have people coming over to help.

That's where my main problem is gonna be- I'm 200 miles away from my family, none of who are at the time physically able to come help me, the baby's Father is out of the picture (and for reasons I won't get into, needs to stay way out of the picture for the best for me and the baby) and my only friends or "family" here are my ExHusband and Father-in-Law and my neighbor, all of who, for various reasons, will only be able to help me on occasion.  I'm afraid it will all fall on my 15 year old Asperger's son to run the household and take care of the dogs during recovery time.  And then there's the appointments I'll need to get to (with little or no transportation) once the baby's born and I'm eligable for Food Stamps, need to reapply for WIC, and such.  I literally need to hit the ground running, because it's all gonna be up to me.

I would contact DONA and see if they can give you a list of postpartum doulas that donate their time (I knew one that used to do that), or who needs hours for certification.  I would also post on the Mothering tribe, as well as contact LLL, a local Attachment Parenting group or even HMN (Holistic Moms Network).  I would ask social services if there is anything available in your area for single moms recovering from surgery.  I would just start telling everyone that you need help.  Even if you are not particularly religious, I would also contact some churches to see if there are any teenagers that need community service hours and would be willing to help.  My son goes to a Methodist preschool, and even though I don't attend the church, they STILL offered to bring me food if I need it. 

Basically, I would get on the phone and start calling and getting leads on help.  Because, honestly, it is very important to recover from surgery.   Is it possible to go stay with your family at least for a little while?  So, you can rest?

It makes me so mad that our society does not have something in place for this sort of situation.  Argh.
 

[texmati]

Originally Posted by kblackstone444 

I know there's already a c-section thread, but that one seems to mostly talk about the emotional aspect of having a c-section.  Although I want to do things naturally, if a c-section happens, it happens, I'm not freaking out about it as a failure on my part.

My baby boy is transverse.  I know we don't have to worry for another couple weeks, since I'm only 35 weeks, but he's very comfortable in his position- me, my doctor, have tried exercises and such to move him into position, and he has flipped to head down a time or two, but then he goes right back to transverse within an hour or so.  My doctor is very into natural childbirth, and we will continue to work on turning the baby over the next five weeks, however, she also wants me to be aware that there is a very real possibility that I will be facing a c-section, and in all honesty, if I have to choose between a planned c-section or a great risk of an emergency c-section, I will choose the planned c-section- usually a better recovery time, and more chance of me being in a position to be awake and coherant enough to bond with my baby afterwards.

That being said, if I end up needing a c-section, what can I expect?  I'm supposed to go back to work at 6 weeks (single Mom, no savings in the bank).  Is that being realistic?  How long until I expect to be able to do normal things, such as carrying a full laundry basket downstairs or walking the dogs (who once in a while do pull) or walking the mile and a half to the WIC office, etc.  Is there more to it than just the regular "6 week checkup"?  Someone told me something about staples in the belly that would need to be taken out after a couple weeks or something?  How different is a c-section recovery as opposed to a vaginal birth?  Do you still bleed for 6 weeks?  More, less?  Please tell me whatever might be helpful, in case I need to know.

I had a c-section (mine was emergancy with general anesthesia). I will admit to having a 'tough' recovery; or maybe I'm just a wuss.

I left the house for the first time on my own at 5 weeks, was ready to 'host' people at 6 weeks. At 4 months,  I would still feel pain if I over exerted by self, but I went back to work at 3.5 mos. At 6 mos, I felt like myself again. I'd def say it was at least 4 months before I started walking long distances or carrying heavy thigns.

I would talk to your dr about stitches vs staples as I've heard that stitches can really help with recovery.

I didn't bleed hardly at all-- used pantyliners instead of pads. I was told that they 'irrigated the uterous' after my section, which reduced the bleeding.

I'm sorry I don't have better answers-- the only suggestion I have is to try and get some help. I'd even be willing to travel and stay with someone else so they could help me through this.