Doper Parents - C-Section?

In My Humble Opinion
41

I’ve got a classical one, too, for emergency reasons. In fact I have two c-section scars, one horizontal and one vertical.

The first horizontal one was a planned c-section for the same reasons as discussed above - late, big baby refusing to descend, and no dilation whatsoever. My operation went pretty much as everyone else has described.

The second one, I had placenta previa, and was in hospital on total bedrest from 30 weeks. We actually made it all the way to 37 weeks with no bleeding - the best result they have ever had with my type of previa which was the worst possible.

I had requested another horizontal cut which my female doctor had agreed to. But the last few days before the operation, I was scanned multiple times, trying to work out exactly where the blood vessels were running. They all seemed to lose confidence each time they looked, and in the end told us it was going to have to be a smash and grab raid, and a vertical incision is much quicker.

Afterwards I felt like I had been smashed and grabbed! I lost about 3 pints of blood (not that much compared to some PP patients) and had a transfusion of my own banked blood, which didn’t quite make it up. So for the first few days I could not even sit up without everything going all flashy and me fainting…

One interesting thing though, for me, the horizontal cut hurt a hell of a lot worse, and longer, than the vertical cut. Part of it is I want to lie on my side, and having a horizontal cut makes it hard, as the cut feels like it is gaping like this (). Ouch. The vertical cut was a lot more friendly to side-lying. In both cases the worst pain after the first three days was the severe muscle stiffness from not being able to move naturally.

And recovery is amazingly swift - lots of pain the first day, half of that amount the second, and half of THAT, the third. After that very little pain really, and every day gets better.

I had my babies in Japan, the land of the long hospital stays, so with my first I was in hospital ten days. By day five I was climbing the walls. The second time I was in 2 weeks after the birth, and being so anemic and weak from having spent 12 weeks (from 25 weeks!) on near or total bedrest, I felt like it wasn’t long enough. (But I coped, with MIL helping for two weeks after we came home.) With my first, I think I was completely up to previous levels of energy by three months. My second took a LOT longer and I didn’t feel like I had got my pep back until he was about a year and a half old. But that I think was due to the bedrest and anemia, not the c-section as such. (And being an older Mum and having a VERY, VERY active four year old to deal with, and moving the length of the country in that time!)

42

I showed this thread to my husband and he pointed out a few things I’d forgotten – first, I lost a lot of blood before and during the c-section. I had darned near a total transfusion. So that probably had a lot to do with how crummy I felt afterwards, and how long it took me to fully recover. I was in the hospital for 6 days, BTW. The other thing he pointed out was that the situation with the baby was so scary and severe that he felt lousy even though he was in perfect health. Doe weighed 2 1/2 lbs and had every possible preemie problem including bleeding into her brain (which, fortunately, didn’t require a shunt). She was over a week old before her chances of survival went above 50/50. Plus, remember I had an older child – Nick was not yet a year old when Doe was born, and the 6 days I spent in the hospital was the longest time I’d spent away from him… Plus, we were on leave at my in-laws house when Doe was born. Doe was in the hospital for 7 weeks, but Kevin had to go back to work in Virginia after 2 weeks. So, Nick and I stayed with my in-laws while Doe was in the hospital and Kevin came home without us. Finally, because of Doe’s brain hemorrage, we knew there was brain damage and would be problems of some kind – with her degree of brain-damage (it was a grade 4 IVH) problems are a given. We were able to bring her home when she weighed 4 lbs and 10 oz., which was wonderful – but we were still waiting, waiting, waiting for that other shoe to drop. She was diagnosed at 8 months with Cerebral Palsy, which wasn’t much fun – that day was another real low point, in fact – but, in retrospect, that was the day when I finally started to feel better. Once she was diagnosed we knew what we were dealing with and were able to move forward. But that 8 months from the time of her birth to her diagnosis? They were terrible days. Terrible.

Anyway, obviously, my general low feelings during that time can’t be directly attributed to a c-section, classic or otherwise.

43

So, how did it go??? We want to welcome the little one! :slight_smile:

44

Here’s hoping all went well with the little one and with mom. We want pictures :slight_smile:

45

alright, alright already! It’s 7:30 in the morning and I’m waiting for the Newest Doper to fall back asleep again so I can go back to bed for a while too - will post more later, but she WAS born on 2/26 at 1:24 pm. eight pounds, 7 ounces and 21 inches long. She’s gorgeous. (lots of pictures but I haven’t put them up yet. You can see a not-so-good picture at http://www.palmettohealth.org/births/index.html Click on “new arrivals”, then click on Palmetto Health Baptist Columbia, then scroll down to 2/26 - and click on “Michelle and John.”). Turned out in the end that C-section WAS the right option. The cord was wrapped twice around her neck, which was probably why she never descended to begin with. If I’d chosen to try and induce anyway, it probably would have just ended in an emergency c-section.

So far, recovery hasn’t been as bad as I thought it might be, but I am SO tired. My mom just left yesterday so last night was our first night alone with her. The three of us made it through OK,but now I need some sleep.

More later! Thanks for all your good wishes and stories. Oh, and Jess - yeah, I’m kinda glad I didn’t see that until AFTER I was through with it all!

46

What a cutie! Glad all went well (and that you didn’t read my post until after the event – I worry that I’m one of those old moms with a scary story freaking out the new moms! Enjoy her – it’s a tedious cliche, but they grow up so fast!

And get used to “tired,” I’m afraid. “Tired” will be your boon companion for at least 6 months!

Congratulations!

47

Tired - you mean there is a state where you aren’t tired anymore???

Congrats! She’s adorable. So glad things went well for you. Cord around the neck twice - sounds like Zachary. He was breech too! Kids - they aren’t even born and already they cause trouble. They also bring immeasurable joy. Sleep while you can.

48

BIG HUGE GIANT CONGRATS from me and the wifey, Upside_Down_Amber.

She’s a doll. And you’re a mom! How cool is that?