any other c/s mamas? how are you doing?

[ferretfan]

so, lilith's arrival went from an unmedicated hospital birth (which was going well, until it stopped going) to somewhat urgent c/s. i am having a hard time with it all. i think i am at peace with the whys and wherefores of the whole situation, it was out of my hands at that point, but i cant help but feel very down about the whole thing. i am still in a great deal of discomfort and am finding it hard to deal with my restrictions, my 3yo, my baby, and all the other normal life stuff. i'm wondering how other c/s mamas are doing. when did the pain stop? (i am taking percocet and trying to keep active within reason) and how long before you began to feel normal again?

[PassionateWriter]

im so sorry. i couldnt read and not reply. i had 2 c/s's (ds1 and ds2). i was up and active way before i should have been. they were both a long time ago (18 and 10 years) but try to take it easy on yourself and your body.

[OrchideZ]

I had an emergency c section after 30 hours of labor.
Have been taking it easy but found out yesterday that my stitches have a hole in the middle. This happens in 5-10% of cases.
I now am having a home health nurse come out to my place 2x a day to drain and dress it. I was told I have doing too much and need to relax. I can't bend over, pick things up, have to have baby passed to me from waist level.

[Zimbah]

I'd been thinking of starting a thread to ask the same thing. I had a cs almost two weeks ago. I'm doing pretty well, managing to do some housework (putting laundry in etc although not lifting the basket of wet clothes afterwards) and look after baby. I had an unscheduled but planned cs which I'm sure makes a big difference in terms of recovery as I didn't go through labour first, which must be a double whammy. I've been out the house a few times for short walks at a slow speed. Not much pain now, am still taking the anti-inflammatories but those will run out in a couple of days, and paracetamol (tylenol). I can't put the buggy up on my own though because it needs quite a hard kick to open it, so I can only go out if there's someone here to help, and I don't feel ready yet to try the sling. The thought of trying to get through cs recovery if I already had another child(ren) is too much though, it must be really really hard. I hope you both recover soon.

[trimestersdoula]

I too, was thinking of starting this thread. I am 13 days post section. I am still in pain. I am getting the feeling back in my stomach now and underneith my belly button feels like someone kicked the crap out of me. The incision is still a bit scabbed and red but not infected, thank goodness. I have been getting those wonderful stabbing feelings in my incision which hurts like heck.

I have been doing some more research on high blood pressure and high uric acid levels and I am more at peace with my c-section now. I was in labor (most of it hard) from 6 PM on Tuesday until 3 AM on Thursday, when I finally gave into some drugs. All in all I think I did pretty good. 33 hours of unmedicated labor and 12 hours of medicated, but still painful labor before I had my c-section. I also noticed that her heart rate started slowing down (under 120) early Thursday morning. It had normaly been 135-140 for the rest of the time. I think the c-section was the right thing now but I am still very upset I didn't get a vaginal birth. I have a very hard time reading people's natural birth stories now.

[trimestersdoula]

Zimbah, I see our girls were born on the same day

[Soogie]

I am 8 days post csection. And for the first time, I feel kind of normal today. I am getting my staples out today (yay!). I am feeling more discomfort in my back where I had the spinal than my incision. My incision only hurts when I cough. And i've been getting by with just ibuprofen for pain meds.

Now if only I can get the edema to go away I'd feel fantastic! I have sausage fingers and my feet rival fred flinstone's.

[trimestersdoula]

Originally Posted by Soogie

I am 8 days post csection. And for the first time, I feel kind of normal today. I am getting my staples out today (yay!).

8 days is when I started to feel *somewhat normal* as well. I am sorry you have staples but glad you are able to get them out today. All my stitches are inside.

[covertlycrunchy]

I'm 14 days post op. This recovery has been more difficult than the last (had staples which, for me, was better) & the incision is larger w/ the stitches on the inside. I've been getting around pretty well since I got home (surgery was Thursday afternoon, home by Saturday afternoon) and stopped lying in the horrible hospital beds. Still really sore, just occasionally taking ibuprofen for it.

I too find it difficult to read others wonderful, empowering, natural childbirth stories. Especially the VBACs.

[Zimbah]

Originally Posted by trimestersdoula

Zimbah, I see our girls were born on the same day

And weighed almost the same! Emily was 6lb 10. Bit shorter than your babe at 18.9inches.

[trimestersdoula]

Oooh how neat! Covertlycrunchy, you had your c/s on Thursday afternoon too? Wow there are three of us that had daughters via c/s on the 23rd. It is too bad we didn't know that then....I wouldn't have felt so alone. How much did your LO weight and what time was she born? What time was your LO born Zimbah?

[AmamaAgain]

Well try this for irony. I had my section early october but was due on October 23rd...and my LO was 6lbs 11oz I had an unplanned section when I was planning for a Vbac. It sucked not to go through labor and just straight to the OR for an emergency section. I'm not almost 5 weeks pp and must say that my complete point of "normalness" was at 4 wks pp. I now feel almost completely ok.

[trimestersdoula]

That definately is irony!

I am so sorry you never got your VBAC or even got to go into labor.

[infraread]

for all of you mamas!

Add me in, my VBAC turned into a crash section on Nov. 3rd. I think I'm OK with it, at least I know I'm much more at peace this time around then with my first because this babe chose his time and we did it all on our own until he went into distress. Healing is different this time around too, they nicked my bladder getting him out, and the healing from that is ~to me~ worse than the incision from the surgery.

Everyone is different, and there is no right or wrong way to feel after a surgical birth-- especially if you didn't plan on having one! For those of you who are not yet feeling yourselves, please take it easy on yourselves. Walking and moving helps me feel better, that may not necessarily help you. Listen to your body & stay hydrated, and come in here even if it's just to know you're not alone when you get down.

[trimestersdoula]

Oh, Mama. I am so sorry your VBAC turned c/s but it sounds like it was completely necessary for a healthy babe so that is maybe why you are more at peace with it. I am really sorry to hear about your bladder. Not sure what it would feel like to try and heal from that. I can only imagine. Hang in there and thank you so much for your kind words for us.

[LemonPie]

Add me to the list. I had an emergency c-section under general for a placental abruption. I feel at peace with mine now, too, mainly because I know very well that my baby (and maybe myself) would not be alive without it. I worry and stew more about what will happen next time as we want at least one more and there is a VBAC ban at both local hospitals.

Originally Posted by AmamaAgain

I'm not almost 5 weeks pp and must say that my complete point of "normalness" was at 4 wks pp. I now feel almost completely ok.

4 weeks was the 'magic' point for me too. It was like I suddenly felt healed almost overnight after being in near constant pain for weeks. I'm 6 weeks on tuesday--in fact I have my PP apt tomorrow.

[Zimbah]

Trimesterdoula, my baby was born at 10.37am.

I feel so bad for all of you who had emergency sections , at least I was able to prepare for mine - although since she came out fairly small I'm now wondering again whether I should have tried for vaginal birth - hindsight!

After my post saying how well I was recovering it turns out I have overdone it a bit - I started bleeding at the middle/end of last week, after it had basically all but stopped. Not massively heavy but like a period and bright red. So I rested all weekend, didn't do anything apart from look after the baby, frustrating as I really wanted to do a few basic things around the house. I don't need to go anywhere till Wednesday so I'll continue doing nothing until then. Touch wood it seems to be helping, the bleeding is slowing again now, but I'm seeing a health visitor today (at my house) anyway so I'll check with her.

[Cindy-Lou]

My VBAC also turned into an emergency c/s because of fetal distress and lots of meconium. It sucks that I went 17 days overdue, then went through 20 hours of labor to end up with a c/s. I'm at peace with it though because I know I tried and she came out when she was ready. The most important thing for me is to have a healthy baby.
I've only been home for 3 days but I'm feeling good, much better than after my first c/s. I'm being careful not to overdo it though. Not being able to do everything I want to do around the house is driving me nuts though.

[freedak]

I'm here too! I am 15 days post c/s, and I'm feeling pretty normal now. I stopped taking ibuprofen about 4 days ago, and I can't tell any difference in my discomfort level. I'm okay with my section as well, but I've been staying away from MDC because I couldn't stand the thought of reading more empowering vaginal birth stories. I had 36 hours of hard labor--18 hours natural, 18 hours medicated--and pushed for 4 hours. She was literally stuck in my pelvis and never descended below 0 station--when they did the section, the doc had to use two hands and tug and tug to get her out. As I said, I'm okay with it because I know that, if we hadn't been living in an age where sections are possible, one or both of us wouldn't have made it in the end. It sucks now, though, because I'm torn about whether or not to try for a VBAC. I of course want our second to be a vaginal birth, but it seems as though my pelvis really is too small. Ella wasn't a large baby by any means--7lbs, 5oz. I really don't want to go through a labor like that again followed by a c/s.