Interesting thing that Jenny McCarthy said...

[misseks]

So forgive me if this is TMI, but it is c-s related...

On a talk show last night, Jenny McCarthy was talking about her first Playboy : photo shoot, and her um lack of pubic-hair trimming.

Okay, it's a grown-up talk show.

So the host was saying, but you're not like that anymore (laugh-laugh) and Jenny said, "Actually, Yes, I am, because I had a c-section, it's a disaster down there!" Or something to that effect. And I was thinking, my scar is above my pubic hair line, but I'm kind of a not-really-hairy person (no arm hair, very light fine leg hair etc.) and I thought her implication was that she stopped 'trimming' because she had a c-section, and that way she could cover the scar.

Now, I can't cover my scar with pubic hair, but I do remember the nurse coming in before the surgery, with a razor and asking my midwife if I needed it, and my midwife said no. So, my questions are:

1) Did any of you have to shave yourself before surgey (seems a bit humiliating to me...) or
1a) Did the surgeon/nurses shave you before surgery when you were already numbed?
2) Are most of you able to 'hide' your scar like Jenny McCarthy?

My mom told me that in the 1970s when a woman came into the hospital in labour that she was shaved from "navel to knees" and given an enema...I believe this is probably true. Any insight?

[Ironica]

I think there was shaving when I had my c-section, but not much pubic hair was removed. The scar is definitely above the treeline.

However, it's well-hidden by the part of my belly that flops over at the bottom. ;-)

[~Megan~]

They did shave me after the spinal. Its just under my hairline but not really hidden

[ollineeba]

The nurse shaved me for both of my c/s. My scar is above my hairline, so I never really understood why they shaved, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

[joesmom]

I don't remember if they shaved me. I was put under though & the hours after Joe's birth are very fuzzy. I could've been bald as a cue ball & I would not remember. My scar is way above my hairline but because Joe was in distress in the birth canal my scar is vertical, which is almost unheard of these days.

I love it though, I don't try to hide it. It's my badge of honor.

[TCMoulton]

I was shaved by the nurse before my C/S after I was good and numb from my epidural and my scar is well below my hairline and is not visible without some trimming!

[misseks]

My new midwife (I'm 12 weeks with #3) said also that she sees a lot of U-shaped scars...mine is a straigh line - any other U-scars out there?

And it got me to thinking about the Hoolywood a-listers with scheduled c/s and how I bet they also didn't get just 7 big staples across their bellies, but rather dozens of tiny, tidy cosmetic-surgery type sutchers (sp?) and maybe that is another reason that c/s may not seems so drastic to that type of body-image conscious type person....:

[sjuffs]

I was already all shaven before the cesarean because I like no hair down below but if I did have hair my scar is just right above the hair line and I can see why they would want to shave a an inch or so down from where they are going to cut as they wouldnt want to have to deal with hair entering or around the opening.

[Fujiko]

I pushed for an hour before I decided to have a c/s (no urge to push, no progress, yada yada) and I hadn't had any pain meds. They shaved me with an electric razor (I think, I vaguely remember some buzzing) while I was still in my own room, then they moved me to the OR to administer the spinal. They just shaved the top, not over my vulva or anything like that. The scar is about an inch below the hair line (I'm kinda on the hairy side). Also, my doc used some kind of skin "glue" so I never had stiches or staples. Although when my hair was growing back a couple strands that were right over the scar became ingrown and I had to wash it out and take care of it so it didn't become infected.

Suprisingly, the scar itself isn't very visible. Instead, it's still a little pink (a year later) and also it makes a weird crease in my fat (you know, the fat pad that everyone has over their pubic bone). It makes it's own "fat roll" where normally I wouldn't have one. Otherwise you wouldn't notice it.

[crazydiamond]

My scar is about right even with the hairline. They did shave me a little, though, just in case. My pubic bone is very low down, so they weren't quite sure where the doc was going to cut.

[Jane]

Here's a link to a recent post on theshapeofamother.com:
Self-Acceptance
It shows a very typical c-section scar, in my experience. It's in the hairline, but gets uncovered by a typical trim.

In case you're not familiar with the site, it has nudity, lots of it. And this particular entry has a fresh scar with bruising, and a look at the scar after healing.

[turtlewomyn]

I was shaved and had a catheter stuck in me prior to walking to the OR (scheduled coerced c-section for fetal macrosomia). I cannot "hide" my scar like Jenny does, though, so I don't know what they were shaving (belly hairs mostly).


My mom was shaved and received enemas with all three of her kids born vaginally in the 60's and 70's.

[applejuice]

My mom told me that in the 1970s when a woman came into the hospital in labour that she was shaved from "navel to knees" and given an enema...I believe this is probably true. Any insight?

To the OP:
YES.
Women were shaved of their pubic hair upon admission to L&D because it was supposed to clear the way for the doctor to do the routine episiotomy and make things nice and clean.
This is stupid because there were studies in medical journals for decades that showed that:
Number One: No hair grows where the episiotomy is done.
Number Two: Shaving the pubic hair actually increases the bacteria count and raises the infection rate.
YES.
Women received the 3H enema upon admission to L&D (high, hot, and a helluva lot)
The reason given for this demeaning procedure was:
Number One: It clears the lower bowel so the mother will not fear pushing out fecal matter when it is time to push.
Number Two: The enema gets the labor show on the road for the hospital staff.
These are stupid reasons because many women have diarrhea early in labor which naturally clears the lower bowel, and there is still some stools left in the lower colon when the baby arrives anyway. If this bothers the birth attendant, that person is in the wrong field of work.

I understand in France, women shave themselves and give themselves enemas before they leave for the hospital. Or used to.

These demeaning, useless procedures are no longer done routinely because advocates of natural birth challenged the hospitals on the basis of their necessity and cited the medical studies that showed them to be of no use.

[limette]

I have no idea for questions 1 and 2. I was bawling and everyone was in a rush to get the baby out so who knows.

For three no I can't cover it but it doesn't matter because the OB that did the surgery is known for her "amazing" stitchwork (no staples) on c-sections. She was absolutely horrible during the labor but she did manage to leave me with a very unnoticeable scar. While recovering I kept getting doctors coming in to check out my scar and telling my how beautiful it was.

[cj'smommy]

They shaved me a bit, but not much. My scar is very low, but above my hairline.

[beka1977]

Originally Posted by Ironica

However, it's well-hidden by the part of my belly that flops over at the bottom. ;-)

:

[wombatclay]

My scar is above te hairline, but only just... maybe a quarter inch?

The nurse did shave a little off the top... the hospital I was at uses steri strips after closing the incision in order to reduce adhesions. Which is wonderful. But the strips can get stuck in the hair and so they generally shave a bit first. It was an unplanned c/s so I wasn't really "in the loop" but the reasoning made sense and the shave was less than I would have done for a performance of Rocky Horror so it wasn't anything too noticable.

My scar will be 3 years old next month and although it got pinker during my last pregnancy it's pretty vague most of the time... a touch ropy on one side but generally smooth and slightly darker than flesh tone. I can't hide it but like a pp, the tummy bulge sort of makes it a moot point.

[loudmama]

Not that you can see my scar because of belly flab, but it is above the hairline. They did not shave me, & the nurses removing my staples were surprised by that.

L

[barefootpoetry]

They shaved me down to where my labia start. My scar sits right at the very edge of the top of the hair, so the hair doesn't cover it persay, but if I were to pull the top of my pants down to show it to you, you'd see a peek of hair.

[mommak1]

My scar is right at the hairline - there are a few "straggles" above it but it's definitely not well-covered. They shaved me a little bit right before surgery.