BTDT- C-section

[manda1214]

Jul 15, 2015 21:06:17 GMT -5 lawndog1216 said:

When they tell you not to eat after a certain time the night before, listen to them. Nausea is common, as they have to take your organs out and jostle them around and then put them back in, and the anesthesiologist administers and monitors anti-nausea meds. Twice during my section I said to him, "I'm going to throw up." Twice he said, "no, you won't-- I have meds running so you won't. I'll adjust them." Twice I threw up. In my mouth. Twice I swallowed said throw up. Because of the no food thing, it was only a small amount-- but just follow those directions: no food.

Also the post surgery poop was nothing. They want you to pass gas before you can eat (remember they just had your stomach and intestines sitting next to your body, so it's important to know that air - and therefore poop - are still moving through after they put the organs back. I went to pee, thought I had gas, and accidentally pooped. Totally NBD.

I did NOT have trapped air bubbles, but my sister did with her second-- she reported a shit ton of pain in her upper body and shoulder area.

I had the shakes pretty bad at one point, but can't remember when that was.

Fluid retention is AWFUL. For two days I couldn't identify my legs as my own, and it took WEEKS for the fluid to finally leave my body. All that water drinking and peeing you think stops when baby comes? Nope-- only way to get rid of the extra fluid is to drink and pee to flush it out.

Reporting live from her couch,
Mary Sunshine.

(I tried to touch on things that I didn't see mentioned-- did not want to come off as such a downer. I swear it's not terrible. My recovery time was nothing-- by the time we got home on day four, I was good to go. Binder a must.
Ice packs inside waist band a must.
Easy, short walks a must.

You all will be AWESOME.)

Yes the fluid was awful for me. I was swollen with elephant feet but it literally went up to my waist for about two weeks post partum. It's just fluid so it does go away but for that time frame it's not fun when even yoga pants feel uncomfortable. It is an exciting moment when you look down and see that your feet look like your feet again

[skinandbones]

bebeglow3884, yeah, they do. It's not as simple as making a cut and pulling out a baby. DH said he got a glimpse of my bladder.

[Deleted]

The trapped air pain was the worst pain of the whole thing for me. I had a big bubble in my shoulder and it was excruciating. I also got really, really swollen from all the fluid. I was totally unprepared for a c-section though, since it was unplanned. I was up walking around to and from the NICU by day 2 and going for very short walks in the neighborhood by day 6 or 7. I think i might have pushed myself a little too hard though because I ripped some stitches and ended up with an infection, so take it easy, take the meds, and don't feel like you need to do more than you are supposed to do (sit and heal).

[mrspiatt]

Jul 16, 2015 1:21:36 GMT -5 bebeglow3884 said:

wait, what??? They take OUT your organs and then put them back in? Is that a standard procedure? Im running for the hills as I type this... does this happen to everyone?

This is how I'm feeling too. I was at DS football practice last night and talked to 2 moms who have had c- sections. They both said you can feel tugging and pulling sensations while they're doing all of this and that you can feel your insides moving for up to a year after.

[incir]

Jul 16, 2015 7:40:13 GMT -5 mrspiatt said:

Jul 16, 2015 1:21:36 GMT -5 bebeglow3884 said:

wait, what??? They take OUT your organs and then put them back in? Is that a standard procedure? Im running for the hills as I type this... does this happen to everyone?

This is how I'm feeling too. I was at DS football practice last night and talked to 2 moms who have had c- sections. They both said you can feel tugging and pulling sensations while they're doing all of this and that you can feel your insides moving for up to a year after.

You certainly feel tugging, although to me it felt a lot like baby kicking.  Nothing too freaky.

I did not feel my organs move around at all after.  

[lawndog1216]

Jul 16, 2015 7:40:13 GMT -5 mrspiatt said:

Jul 16, 2015 1:21:36 GMT -5 bebeglow3884 said:

wait, what??? They take OUT your organs and then put them back in? Is that a standard procedure? Im running for the hills as I type this... does this happen to everyone?

This is how I'm feeling too. I was at DS football practice last night and talked to 2 moms who have had c- sections. They both said you can feel tugging and pulling sensations while they're doing all of this and that you can feel your insides moving for up to a year after.

bebeglow3884, yes - they do have to move organs and some of them end up sitting next to you. It's normal.

And with mrspiatt - this is another reason the belly binder is so fantastic -- it squishes your organs into staying in one spot, too. It might have been psychosomatic, but I always felt like they were loose and jiggly and moving too much when I didn't have the binder on -- I think I wore mine for almost three months.

My nurse had me up and walking to the bathroom just under 24 hours later. Within another 24 hours, I was doing an a.m. and a p.m. lap around the unit (small unit). The purpose ISN'T to push yourself and see how far you can go - it's to be gentle with yourself and help your body heal without everything getting too tight. If you walk one lap on Monday, it DOES NOT mean you should try for two laps on Tuesday -- it means you did well on Monday and if you feel well on Tuesday, you should try the same lap again. @mamazbo is spot on that your main goal (besides the obvious of taking care of the newest member of your family) is to heal, so you can then take care of the rest of your family as per usual.

I think it will all probably be different for everyone, but it's good to hear what the variations of normal are going to be. DON'T PANIC! C-sections have been happening for thousands of years! (Although I'll add that the modern, surgical/sterile version has been going on for only about 150 years.)

[joi922]

Jul 16, 2015 8:02:11 GMT -5 incir said:

Jul 16, 2015 7:40:13 GMT -5 mrspiatt said:

This is how I'm feeling too. I was at DS football practice last night and talked to 2 moms who have had c- sections. They both said you can feel tugging and pulling sensations while they're doing all of this and that you can feel your insides moving for up to a year after.

You certainly feel tugging, although to me it felt a lot like baby kicking.  Nothing too freaky.

I did not feel my organs move around at all after.  

+1. I didn't feel anything moving around after my C section, certainly not a year later. I never used a binder either - though I'm going to ask whether it might help this time since I'll be chasing a toddler too.

And I would recommend telling your SO not to spend too much time looking at the actual surgery My husband is a doctor and still didn't look until they actually pulled DS out - not because he's easily grossed out, but because he didn't want to see me like that. Also, it really helped me that he was focused on me and talking me through things/being reassuring that DS would be fine - it gave me something to focus on other than the pulling/tugging.

[Deleted]

bebeglow3884, don't let that scare you - you won't even know it's being done! Seriously.

lawndog1216, I don't like when people tell me I can NOT eat. Don't do it again or we are going to have some issues....lol. My RCS is scheduled for 9am thankfully - so I can't eat or drink after midnight. And that includes hard candy and gum!! The morning might be a little rough but I think my nerves and excitement will mask it. By 10 baby should be in my arms and I should be eating drinking my liquid diet!! Priorities people.

[Deleted]

+1 on not feeling organs moving around on the inside and never even heard of a binder until this thread. But fluid retention is real people! I thought I was swollen before the surgery, wooozers, I really was after!!

[lawndog1216]

Jul 16, 2015 8:37:05 GMT -5 @JanetheConquerer said:

bebeglow3884, don't let that scare you - you won't even know it's being done! Seriously.

lawndog1216, I don't like when people tell me I can NOT eat. Don't do it again or we are going to have some issues....lol. My RCS is scheduled for 9am thankfully - so I can't eat or drink after midnight. And that includes hard candy and gum!! The morning might be a little rough but I think my nerves and excitement will mask it. By 10 baby should be in my arms and I should be eating drinking my liquid diet!! Priorities people.

Exactly why I scheduled mine for 7 a.m.! With DD1, I had a sandwich at 4 p.m., by water broke at 4:30 and she was born at noon the next day -- that was a LONG, LONG time for someone who gets hangry to go without food. By the time I was out of recovery and in a room where I could get sustenance, it was 3 p.m. - I ordered so much food, and ate all of it before a nurse was all "HOLY SHIT, LIQUID DIET ONLY UNTIL YOU PASS GAS!" Ship sailed, lady. Imma work on that poop now...

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2015 8:42:46 GMT -5 lawndog1216 said:

Jul 16, 2015 8:37:05 GMT -5 @JanetheConquerer said:

bebeglow3884, don't let that scare you - you won't even know it's being done! Seriously.

lawndog1216, I don't like when people tell me I can NOT eat. Don't do it again or we are going to have some issues....lol. My RCS is scheduled for 9am thankfully - so I can't eat or drink after midnight. And that includes hard candy and gum!! The morning might be a little rough but I think my nerves and excitement will mask it. By 10 baby should be in my arms and I should be eating drinking my liquid diet!! Priorities people.

Exactly why I scheduled mine for 7 a.m.! With DD1, I had a sandwich at 4 p.m., by water broke at 4:30 and she was born at noon the next day -- that was a LONG, LONG time for someone who gets hangry to go without food. By the time I was out of recovery and in a room where I could get sustenance, it was 3 p.m. - I ordered so much food, and ate all of it before a nurse was all "HOLY SHIT, LIQUID DIET ONLY UNTIL YOU PASS GAS!" Ship sailed, lady. Imma work on that poop now...

I ate at 5 pm, went in for induction at 11:30pm - by 5:15 pm the next day, they said emergency C-section and prepped me. I got back to my room at 9:50pm and had 10 mins to get my hands on some broth and jello. I can not go over 24 hours again!!

[mrspiatt]

@janetheconquerer and lawndog1216 since my cesarean was just scheduled, I didn't get an option as far as time. I was lucky enough that they allowed me to have the option of an odd date vs an even as I prefer odd #s, but either date the surgery time is 5pm. No eating past 6 am. I love food.

[Deleted]

mrspiatt, I didn't get to pick my time either - I was lucky to get am. I will pray for you - that is going to be rough. So sorry!!!!!

[bebeglow3884]

Ok, so I talked to the midwife today and asked if they really take out your organs and put them back in. It's not "standard" procedure, she has assisted many c-sections and has never seen them do that. She added they might take out your uterus a little to stitch it back together because the incision is more towards the bottom. They also may move a couple of things if need be, to get to the uterus but hasn't seen anyone's intestines, stomach, or other organs actually be taken out. So I'm guessing everyones situation is just different, and there may be medical reasons to take organs out and then placed back, but they don't do it unless it's necessary, and a normal c-section with no complications doesn't call for it. I'm am relieved!... if everything goes well I'll be able to do skin to skin and hold baby on my chest and bond with her after my c-section, so that makes me happy, that I won't miss out on bonding with her. Also, I had a growth scan today and baby is measuring 8lbs, and healthy lol the margin of error is 1lb so it could also be 7lbs or 9lbs!!! Let's hope it's 7 haha I've got a big baby in there! I'm feeling better and better about the c-section, recovery shouldn't be too bad as I know I have high tolerance for pain, and I won't miss out on bonding with my baby girl. Thanks to all the BTDT mamas for their input and OP for making this thread, it helped me ask the proper questions at the doc today

[carabassa]

Ugh. Found out at my appointment yesterday that doctor thinks this baby has turned breech. Scheduled an ultrasound for next week to find out for sure, and if so then c-section.

mrspiatt - I share many of your original concerns and am pretty terrified of being cut open. It's been reassuring to read everyone's responses!

But still. Terrified.

[jabs]

Jul 14, 2015 11:36:17 GMT -5 mrspiatt said:

If this thread exists somewhere, I apologize, I'm on mobile and couldn't find anything.
I can really use any and all advice and/or tips you can provide. Allison is breech, the doctor tried to turn her yesterday and we were unsuccessful. Tomorrow morning I'm scheduling a cesarean which will be in less than 2 weeks. This is baby # 3 for me and I have to admit I'm really sad over this. Yes, ultimately I will be thankful for a happy and healthy baby, but a cesarean is not anything I've ever thought about. So I'm sad and I'm scared and incredibly unprepared and uninformed. I'm also really nervous about getting an epidural.
My main concerns are (this is what I've come up with this morning)
Breastfeeding-
-how will affect the production of milk having her via scheduled surgery instead of a vaginal birth.
I produced milk just fine.  Within a few days I was painfully engorged and breastfeeding was going great.
-Pain meds and antibiotics getting into the breast milk.
I only ever took Tylenol.  I never felt any pain from my incision, just cramping.  I was so out of it I didn't even think to ask about what they were giving me.  But they knew I was breastfeeding so I'm assuming they wouldn't give me something harmful for baby.  I'll be asking more question about that this time around.
-How do you nurse? With my other 2 I was able to sit up, but it doesn't seem like I'll be able to that right away.
I was able to tilt my bed up and breastfeed comfortably.
Bonding
-Will this make it harder to bond with her?
I was in head over heels in love with that kid from the first cry.  I felt like we bonded just fine.
The Aftermath-
-How long will it take to get back to a normal routine?
Not very long.  I was up and walking around the next day or so.  Still walking pretty slow a week later, but I was able to stay up for longer periods.  I don't remember how long it took to get back to completely normal.
-the dreaded post birth bowel movement is it as scary as it is after a vaginal delivery?
I didn't take any stool softeners and I didn't really have any problems.  I just took my time and let it kind of happen on it's own.  I was afraid straining would hurt the incision.  I'm def going to be taking stool softeners this time, I'm already having poop issues.
-Can you use tampons sooner than 6 weeks? (Not so much a concern, just curious)
I'm not sure, I didn't even try.  I don't know that I bled for very long after and I didn't get my period for a good year thanks to breastfeeding.
Is there anything you wish you would have been told prior to having your c-section?
That they take your stuff out of your body.  I mentioned this in a thread not too long ago, but I never did my research, so I had no idea that they took out things other than the baby.  When I heard the Dr. say "ok, let's put the uterus back" I was pretty freaked out.

I'm just now seeing this and I'm sure you've been given all kinds of helpful information already, but I'll still give it a go.  I didn't read the other responses either.  Obviously this is just based on my experience and I'm sure every experience is different.  And I never have given birth vaginally, so I don't have anything to compare my c-section to.  Good luck, you'll do great!

[mrspiatt]

carabassa I'm sorry your baby is being stubborn. If I can offer any advice it would be to start getting used to the idea of a c-section now. I've prepared as much as I can and am so grateful for all the advice from these lovely ladies, but I've also allowed myself to remain in denial to an extent. I had my final appt today and when they confirmed she was still breech, I broke down. Good luck mama and I hope your little one turns!