C Section Mama's

[Mamazon]

How are you feeling/coping?

I am doing ok. Never did I think I would ever have to have a C section but I am at peace with it and I accept that. Matthew was totally worth it.
I'm taking it day by day with the pain and my milk came in full force overnight. I'm sleeping downstairs in the recliner next to the cradle with the baby. I cannot sleep on my side yet so I will hopefully be back in my own bed by the end of the week hopefully.

I forget I am not superwoman and have to accept that Dh is here to HELP me and not drive me insane... He is doing very well with the kids and they are patient with me. I'm not one to ask for help and so this is new to me.

Is 2 wks the normal to feel back to yourself without wincing in pain?

I had stitches on the inside and was *superglued* on the outside so I was afraid of *popping* stitches but my muscles are the ones that are sore vs my incision. I feel like I have done a million situps.

[AngelaB]

I think that the recovery time is different for everyone. I had a section with my first and I felt loads better by 2 weeks but I didnt feel "normal" for about 6 weeks or so however I have spoken to may women who have had sections and they all recovered differently. Thats probably not much help

I just wanted to send you some healing vibes and say congrats again on your new little, well big boy
My 2nd son was 10 lb 2 oz and he was so sturdy and squeezable!

Angela

[carmelnap]

Hi Mamazon,

While it never even crossed my mind that I would have a c section, I am at peace with the fact that I did. Because I know I did everything possible to have a natural birth. I could not control the fact that I would not dialate beyond 6 cms. Unfortunately the healing process hasn't been as easy. Apparently there was a hematoma (blood clot) inside the incision which kept it from healing inside. So the wound had to be opened to be drained. I now have a open wound that has to heal on its own. In fact I have to have a visiting nurse come everyday to clean the wound and the only thing I can lift is KJ. Although I gave birth on the 25th I still have a lot pain but it gets better everyday. I was prescribed pain medication, but I try to limit my intake it. I am just enjoying the time I have with my daughter.

[HypnoMama]

Im completely and totally at peace with my cesarean. It isnt something that I ever thought would happen, but having an anatomical reason (misshapen coccyx) that jives with my pregnancy experience ( lack of contractions, more movement after sacrum release, incredibly painful tailbone regardless of weekly chiro adjustments, etc) really let me be ok with knowing that it was how things were meant to be.

I've had an absolutely wonderful recovery! I was up and around in less then 24 hours and felt pretty much back to normal but sore by day 5. I did take my pain meds though, as I had heard that pain can inhibit your milk coming in as well as healing. Im now 16 days post partum and about 90% with no meds other then colace.

I fell kind of lucky that I had major surgery with a quicker recovery then many of my friends that have had uncomplicated vaginal births.

If I go into labor on my own before 41 weeks Id definately try for a VBAC,, if not, Im 100% ok with a repeat c-section. The goal is a healthy baby and mama, ykwim?

[J-Max]

I am 2 weeks (tomorrow) out from my 4th C-sec. I am feeling much better and have been on my own all week. My incision site is itchy which drives me crazy, and my stomach muscles are sore, but i am defiantly feeling better, I can sit up by myself now, which is wonderful, and can climb the stairs normally.

I was up and around within 12 hours of surgery (as I did with my last one) and I think this makes a big difference in how fast recovery goes - at least for me.

DH and the 2 middle girls have really nasty colds with a raspy cough, so I am just hoping the baby and I do not catch it.

[roseoffred]

I'm four weeks out from a planned homebirth turned c-section. I had a lot of trouble the first two weeks dealing with what happened on top of the baby blues, thrush, nipple cracks and adjusting to being a mom. I was more upset with the way the homebirth went than with the cs if that makes any sense. I didn't feel pressured into the CS at all, which helps I think.

After what happened, no one in my family would support me if I wanted to try another HB. Honestly, I'm not sure if I would want to try it again. I guess I can worry about all of that when the time comes.

Anyhow, thanks for starting this thread, I've been feeling somewhat isolated.

[misskerri]

I am 3 weeks out from my 2nd (and final) csection. I have found that the recovery is going slower than it did with my first section, which I seemed to bounce back from within DAYS. This time around, it is just this week that I don't walk gingerly and am starting to feel "normal" (as normal as you can feel when you're mired in newborn-ness and adjusting to having another child in the house to take care of). I am still bleeding some, which is disconcerting, and last week, the doctor told me I had a "bit of subinvolution," for which I was taking methergine. I am hoping the bleeding tapers off again, b/c it's very upsetting to me.

Emotionally, I am holding up pretty well. Now. I had baby blues really bad the first and 2nd week. I am feeling much better now, though.

A repeat csection was NOT what I really wanted out of this pregnancy, but I made my peace with it back in October when I had to have abdominal surgery to try to remove a suspicious cyst on my left ovary. When she was unable to remove the cyst or the ovary due to the placement of the baby and the placenta, I knew that another surgery was in my future. I lost my left ovary after the section, by the way. Luckily, it was just an endometrioma, though...no ovarian cancer, for which I am extremely thankful.

[Mamazon]

Today is 1 week out. I actually feel normal today. I still have the pains in my sides which are excruiating.. feels like a cross between a burn and the pain when you get if you run walk to fast at once.. It's usually just my right side but yesterday my body took turns hurting on both. Dh was whining last night on how hard it is to take care of 2 kids and how he never has time for himself.. welll welcome to MY WORLD! I keep reminding him what I went through and would gladly trade him spots... lets see him get his guts cut open and then have to deal with hormones and feeding a newborn and trying to sleep.

But he has been very good with helping out and reminding me to slow down.

[pampered_mom]

Mine wasn't a c/s this time, but I usually encourage c/s moms to plan on needing 8-12 weeks to feel more like their normal selves. For some of us that's how long it takes. I figure that way, if you set yourself up for the longer time period it's an extra bonus if it's shorter than that. (With my c/s with ds I was one of those that really did need the full 12 weeks.)

[MAMARabbitt]

I thought I was at peace with having a c-section but I find myself being quite sad, jealous & a bit angry when I hear about other mamas having the most perfect spiritual birth experience. I know that I made the right decision for my situation, but it still hurts to think about the fact that everything happened opposite of what I had wanted.

[amandamac]

Hello, Mamas,

I never thought, I would have to have a c-section. My husband and I spent the last 4 years preparing for a HB, and wanted to keep things as natural as possible. Our world got turned upside down, though. Riley presented as a frank breech, and took her first poop inside of me. We trasported to the ER for an emergency section. I had a great experience at the hospital. I have no regrets, and know that the section was absolutey nessesary. Riley spent 10 days in the NICU for a UTI, she couldn't leave, because she had to receive the antibiotics. She is prefectly healthy...we know for sure, she has had every test done to her. I have some guilty feelings about her "staph" UTI, and no one knows for sure how she got it. I am just sooo happy she is home now, and haven't had any baby blues...just thankful for a healthy baby who is a breastfeeding champ!

For the mamas struggling with thier sections, You are not alone.

Warmest thoughts for a speedy recovery!

~Amanda&Riley

[ollineeba]

Hi mamas,
I had a c/s with my dd on the 30th. I was planning my 2nd vbac, but it didn't turn out that way
Physically, I'm feeling much better. The first few days were really rough. Now at 11 days post-c/s I can move around really well.
Although now I have a darn cold- at least it didn't hit me last week. Coughing while recovering from a c/s is the worst!!

[Mamazon]

Originally Posted by ollineeba

Hi mamas,
I had a c/s with my dd on the 30th. I was planning my 2nd vbac, but it didn't turn out that way
Physically, I'm feeling much better. The first few days were really rough. Now at 11 days post-c/s I can move around really well.
Although now I have a darn cold- at least it didn't hit me last week. Coughing while recovering from a c/s is the worst!!

yes.. coughing and sneezing are the worst! :
Even peeing I have to use my muscles and that hurt the first few days. Today I actually feel *normal* and have to remind myself I am still healing.

[ollineeba]

Originally Posted by Mamazon

yes.. coughing and sneezing are the worst! :
Even peeing I have to use my muscles and that hurt the first few days. Today I actually feel *normal* and have to remind myself I am still healing.

Yeah- I caught myself doing way too much too early because I felt so much better. Needless to say, I ended up very sore and probably added a few days to my recovery time :

[SeaDoula]

I am still in slight disbelief that I needed to have a cesarean birth with Lyra. As much as I know it did become necessary for her to come that way, it is still hard to deal with...especially hearing the wonderful HB or natural birth stories. I cry still after hearing about others' experiences. I feel so strange not having pushed her out of my body. It is something else in my world that will take *time* to heal and deal with.

I am about 3.5 weeks out from my cs, which is my first and only birth. I felt pretty much fine after about 1-2 weeks, now I feel sore but basically able to do everything. I definitely did too much in the beginning, but overall I don't think it has changed anything for me. My bleeding is annoying though, my pads make me very uncomfortable now, and I have sort of a rash or itchiness where it rubs me. I have just started taking showers more frequently and washing really well there, and taking baths when I am able.

Overall I feel pretty well, but not close to normal yet. I still won't let the shower hit my incision (even though it has looked very closed up since I left the hospital) without holding my hand over it. I think emotionally I have a lot of healing to do and that is apart of my feeling still physically vulnerable.

take care of yourselves mamas!

[vlasta216]

I had an emergency c/s on the 19th so I'm about 3.5 weeks along postpartum. I went through a long, hard labor in the hospital, having to battle dehydration and sickness. I wanted a waterbirth and even though i did get to labor in the water, i had to push on the bed laying on my back so the midwife could monitor me for a bit. I pushed for 3 hours until finding out that my baby's head was leaning against his shoulder, meaning that I was pushing out the part of his head that couldn't mold to fit my pelvis. So I was taken in for a c/s.

Like most of you guys I never pictured myself having a c/s. I did everything possible to have a natural birth and I went through all of labor without any meds. I still feel upset whenever i see/hear anything about a waterbirth but i know there was nothing i could do and that the c/s was necessary to ensure a healthy baby.

I'm taking awhile to heal... I'll feel healed one day and then the next i'll wake up with severe pains on one side of my incision. Nursing in bed is difficult, but then so is getting up out of bed to bf. i'm still taking ibuprofen at least once/day.

It's great that this thread was started. I did feel pretty alone with all the "i've had the perfect birth" stories!

[ollineeba]

Originally Posted by SeaDoula

It is something else in my world that will take *time* to heal and deal with.

Yes.. My oldest will be 6 next week and I'm still healing from his birth experience (a c/s with unsupportive OBs around me). I thought my second birth, which was a VBAC, would heal everything.. and while it was incredibly empowering, it didn't take away what happened with my first.

[ollineeba]

Question for you mamas- did your care providers tell you how long you should wait before resuming 'relations' with your DP/DH? I mean, assuming bleeding has totally stopped..
I talked to my midwife today but I totally forgot to ask her and it just didn't come up in conversation, but.. DH and I were wondering!

[vlasta216]

Originally Posted by ollineeba

Question for you mamas- did your care providers tell you how long you should wait before resuming 'relations' with your DP/DH? I mean, assuming bleeding has totally stopped..
I talked to my midwife today but I totally forgot to ask her and it just didn't come up in conversation, but.. DH and I were wondering!

My midwife said wait until the 6 wk checkup. I'm not sure if we can do stuff after that or if she'll tell us to wait longer... I feel that i'm not ready yet!!

[amandamac]

healing vibes needed!!!

Hello, Mamas,

I haven't posted lately, but have been going to the doctors everyday, including weekends to have my wound packed. The doctor said she might have to reopen part of the section today. I have been pretty depressed about the idea of recutting the area. She is going to give it some more time to heal, yippee! The skin/area looks great, it is just taking longer than it should to heal from the inside out. No infection, so send me some healing vibes, I need them. We are moving from the area in 2 weeks, and I would really love to not have to worry about finding care in our new location. The doctor here is awesome!

~Amanda&Riley