Cesarean Support Circle-June/July - Page 6

[bwylde]

I had my c/s at night and was eating lightly by noon the next day.

I have a question: If you have a repeat cesarean, do they always cut in the same location as the first? I have the classical incision and in the event I need one this time, I'd like the bikini cut. I'm trying for a VBAC, but want to cover everything. I don't see the OB until the 3'rd and the doctors at the clinic don't seem to agree on much : . I'll probably have a long list of C/S do's and don't's when I see the OB, lol!

I don't mind having two big ol' scars as I don't bare my stomach and don't care much what it looks like.

[TexasSuz]

I was starved to death at my hospital. I had my baby on Thursday at 1pm and did not get real food until Sunday morning! I had not eaten since Wednesday night! It was awful! Don't let them do that to you.

[Leilalu]

I would think it would depend on

the strength of the scar.
I guess the doc could always mend it if need be when he does a new cut- I guess it might be more work but Hey, it's your body right?
They normally do reopen the same incision. Both of mine were bikini.
Also- for a bikini cut- ask for stitches, not staples. Staples don't feel as secure, and they leave a better scar.
Leila

[Henry's_Mamma]

I had ds at 8pm on Monday night (hadn't eaten since 6pm night before) and had breakfast at 10am on Tuesday morning. If they didn't bring me food dh was going to as I was STARVING!

[Leilalu]

They don't want you to eat real food right away as there is always a possiblilty for complications with your bowels. Also, there can be air trapped from surgery suppossedly.
I was told no solids until I "passed gas" They just want to make sure everything is working properly.
Leila

[KKmama]

nak

I don't remember exactly how long they withheld food when ds1 was born, but it was at least 2 1/2 days... I wasn't farting (hello, food would have made me fart!).

[PinkSunfish]

Hi everyone,

I don't know how I missed this thread before but I am glad it is here and I thought I should introduce myself.

I gave birth to my DD at the end of March by emergency C-section. After more than 16 hours of labour I never got past 4 cms dilation, I experienced very strong, very painful contractions but they weren't doing their job. I had the full dose of syntocinon (that what we have here in the UK) to try to get things moving but the contractions stopped and DD became distressed. I realised about 30 mins before they proposed it that the section was inevitable and to be honest felt relieved about it at that point.

The surgical team did a wonderful job to make it as positive an experience as possible for us. My DH was encouraged to stand up to see her after she was delivered and to announce the sex himself. He got to cut the cord and to hold her as soon as she had been checked over. He brought her over to me and helped me to hold her and the anaesthetist took a wonderful family portrait whilst I was still on the table.

However, I had a horrible recovery as I got an abscess in the wound which had left me more emotionally "scarred" than the actual delivery I think.

Next time I really hope to have the birth I still want (natural, drug free) but accept that I may end up with another section.

I don't really mourn the fact that I didn't get to vaginally deliver DD but I do regret that fact that my choices for next time will be severely limited. My chance of ever getting a waterbirth are highly unlikely and that makes me a bit sad.

Obviously, I am glad that my DD was delivered safely but I would have loved to have pushed her out. I was really looking forward to that part of the process.

Luckily, I had no problems with feeding and have been able to BF DD very successfully. I think I would have more upset if I couldn't have BF than about the birth.

Re: food. I had DD at 5.45pm and was allowed to eat breakfast the next day. I think the policy was to allow you to eat once the catheter and antibiotic IV was out. One woman on my ward ate some crisps despite the warnings and was loudly and copiously sick all over the floor. She didn't get much sympathy from the rest of us . I was amazed she could eat to be honest, I was very thirsty but wasn't hungry until breakfast (and then I was ravenous).

[eilonwy]

The morning of my c-section, I had a handful of Sugar Pops after giving my nieces their breakfast (ick!) and I had a popsicle at 2 pm, just before I went in for my version. I was told around 3:30 pm that I'd be having a c/s ASAP, so I wasn't allowed to eat after that. I was kind of hungry right up until they told me I was having an emergency cesearian and then my appetite vanished in a sea of paperwork. Rivkah was born at 7:15 pm, the next morning around 8:30 am the OB came to look at my scar and said I was okay to eat. (The nurse was very surprised at this; apparently most people stay on a liquid diet for a while.) I had some crackers around 6 am, I think, because I wanted to take pills instead of getting another shot of morphine and they said I had to hold some food down first.

I was told that the reason you're not allowed to eat immediately following a cesearian is that your bowels kind of freeze up as a result of the surgery, and they need to make sure that they're moving again before you start to eat. My stomach growled, and that was enough to get me some crackers, which were enough to get everything else moving well by the time the doctor got there.

I've been trying to kegel, but it feels funny...

[its_our_family]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

I was told that the reason you're not allowed to eat immediately following a cesearian is that your bowels kind of freeze up as a result of the surgery, and they need to make sure that they're moving again before you start to eat. My stomach growled, and that was enough to get me some crackers, which were enough to get everything else moving well by the time the doctor got there.

When I had Bryce I had a full breakfast waiting in my rom for me They said that they would NOT restrict what I at e but I had to be aware that if I ate too much of the wrong thing I would only hurt myself. They would give advice if I asked though.

This hospital was very patient friendly. They did everything they could to do things your way. I lvoed that place!

[mollyeilis]

I had eaten for about half of my 96 hours of labor (except the 24 hour period when everyone forgot to feed me anything but Recharge), and then when I was arguing with the midwives about the transfer I used up a lot of calories...same at the hospital. Just before the anesthesiologist came in I realized I really needed to eat, but it was too late. ugh. Luckily I didn't have BP problems with the epi.

Anyhoo, baby out at 6:45pm. And I ate at breakfast. They were really busy in the two days I was there, and just wanted me OUT of the hospital. They didn't even wait for me to pass gas, just heard some rumblings in my intestines through the stethoscope, and they let me go home. (a bit HA on "let me go home", I didn't want to go, I wanted my full 96 hours that insurance would allow, but I only got 42 hours, sob)

I don't even think there's a true reason, different hospitals, different OBs use different standards. I think they are just going by what has always been done, with the occasional change for things like too-busy-hospital. The fact that we were all told different things and allowed different things makes me laugh really hard at the idea that there's an actual *health* reason behind it all. :

[kimberlylibby]

Hi guys!

I had my c/s Sunday night. My water broke unexpectedly (I was 37w2d) and I went in, and she was transverse. We were planning a c/s for July 27 anyway.

I had general anesthesia because of an ordeal with the spinal. He was having a hard time getting the right spot.... he tried *7* times and it kept sending electrical shocks down my legs and I refused to let him try any more and demanded GA.

It went fine and I'm already home!! I came home 42 hours after delivery!!

Stats:
11:26 pm, Sunday July 18th
7 lb 8 oz
19 3/4" long

http://picturetrail.com/kimberlystamps There are pics in teh folder "Katie is here" and some diapering pics in Katie's stash

Kimberly

[Henry's_Mamma]

:

Welcome Katie! And congrats Kimberly! Hope your recovery is going well. I like your daughter's b-day -- its the same as mine.

Enjoy your babymoon!

[bwylde]

Congratulations, Kimberly!! It must be so nice getting home . Hope you have an easy recovery to fully enjoy your beautiful girl

[bwylde]

Last night I got to thinking if I need a repeat section, I probably wouldn't mind so much if it were done in the same spot. I got to thinking about two uterine scars and future births. If I don't have a sucessful VBAC this time, I still want to try in the future. Plus if I have incision pain in two incision scars like I'm having in my one this pregnancy, it would be very unpleasant to say the least!!

[kimberlylibby]

Carla, my incision is the same as my old one.... just fyi. They cut right through it and actually cut away the old scar and replaced it with the new one... which is mucho smaller already than the old one! My first incision was wider than this one....

Kimberly

[witchbaby]

i need some serious support right now, mamas.
a friend of mine just had her first baby last night. she was induced in the morning (due to kidney stones; she was in incredable pain and had a stint in) and the kid came quick. i don't know at this time if it was a c/b, but...
i'm already feeling SO JEALOUS. if she gave birth vaginally, i may scream. she didn't really care a whole lot about giving birth vaginally, wanted an epidural immediatly. i dreamed about a drug-free vaginal birth since before i even concieved k and ended up with an emergency c/b due to fetal distress-- can't get too much further from my fantasy! i'm really upset that she had the OPPROTUNITY for the birth i wanted and didn't care!
i feel like an awful friend. i want to be excited but, as soon as we got the news last night, i've been ANGRY. i obviously have some unresolved feelings about my own c/b here. i don't feel there was anything that could have been done to avoid a c/b in my case... usually. i feel conflicted all the time and angry and hurt and betrayed, but sometimes feel fine about it? i don't know what's going on in my head or heart.
am a horrible friend for feeling this way??

[Henry's_Mamma]

Originally Posted by witchbaby

i need some serious support right now, mamas.
a friend of mine just had her first baby last night. she was induced in the morning (due to kidney stones; she was in incredable pain and had a stint in) and the kid came quick. i don't know at this time if it was a c/b, but...
i'm already feeling SO JEALOUS. if she gave birth vaginally, i may scream. she didn't really care a whole lot about giving birth vaginally, wanted an epidural immediatly. i dreamed about a drug-free vaginal birth since before i even concieved k and ended up with an emergency c/b due to fetal distress-- can't get too much further from my fantasy! i'm really upset that she had the OPPROTUNITY for the birth i wanted and didn't care!
i feel like an awful friend. i want to be excited but, as soon as we got the news last night, i've been ANGRY. i obviously have some unresolved feelings about my own c/b here. i don't feel there was anything that could have been done to avoid a c/b in my case... usually. i feel conflicted all the time and angry and hurt and betrayed, but sometimes feel fine about it? i don't know what's going on in my head or heart.
am a horrible friend for feeling this way??

BTDT, so you're not alone. I have friends that were induced, got epidurals at like 3 cms, and had quick, uneventful, vaginal births without so much as a tear. They put all faith in their drs. and did no research on their own as to risks, etc. Their babies latched on right away and they never had a problem nursing. Makes me since I did do all my homework and ended up with a c/s in spite of it all. My own cousin, who had her dd the same day as my ds was born, who is a nurse, had this remarkably easy and short labor and asked for a c/s (and got one!) for FTP after 2 hours of pushing. No fetal distress or anything. And I know if she has a second baby, it'll be a repeat c/s, no questions asked. Frustrates me to no end.

Just know that your feelings of jealousy, anger, frustration, grief, loss, etc. are perfectly normal and are part of the healing process. I think it just takes time -- sometimes a lot of time -- to work through it all. Feel free to post about those feelings whenever you need to. That's why we're here.

[tammylc]

Right there with you, witchbaby.

My neighbor (and I live in a close knit cohousing community, so I see my neighbors regularly) should be having her homebirth any day now. With the midwives I was going to use. And with the birth supplies and birthing tub I purchased for my birth and never got to use. She didn't even decide on a homebirth until she was about 34 weeks pregnant, where I'd been wanting one since long before I even thought about getting pregnant.

I'm already jealous and sad, and she hasn't even gone into labor yet. Heck - I'm even jealous about that, having never had the chance to go into labor, or wait anxiously for it to start.

Sigh.

[eilonwy]

Congrats, Kimberlylibby!

Witchbaby. I don't really feel that way, so I can't relate to it. My daughter's cord prolapsed, my water had broken, she was breech... I go over the details over and over in my mind and I'm certain that I did, in fact, need to have the section. My only regret is that I never went into labor at all, and thus never made the transition from being pregnant to being a mother. I think that labor releases hormones that help with that, but I missed them all.

If Rivkah had been my first baby, I might feel differently about it, but as things are, I can't really relate. I can only wish you well on your journey to accepting your birth experience.

[prmom]

witchbaby: I totally know how you are feeling. I have many times felt annoyed/angry with people who never put thought into l & d and had a smooth vaginal birth. I don't have those feelings as much anymore. I think it is b/c my girlfriend who was pregnant during the same time I was ended up with a c/b very similar to my first. I felt so much for her and even though she did no research like I did on l&d she totally planned on a vbirth. I saw her and still see her going through the emotional pain that I did and it reminds me of the pain that in spite of my jealousy for others I would never want them to go through. Now...I still get annoyed when people talk about their labor and say " I would rather have had a c/b" as if it were a choice. I hope I am making sense. The nice thing is I feel like I am accepting my body and my c/bs more than I ever have and I just had a c/b 7 weeks ago. I think it just feels good that I tried to vbac and I know I did everything in my power to. okay sorry for the rambling...