When our oldest was born (1979) it was not common for fathers to be allowed in to view c-sections.
My wife had the coolest OB-ever and along about 8 months in, I asked, just in case there had to be a c-section, could I be there?
He hemmed and hawed until I finally said, “If I promise not to be an asshole, can I be there?” He smiled and said sure!
Fast forward to the day. Sure enough there were signs of fetal distress, and the decision was made to cut the kid out.
The doc was good to his word, and while I wasn’t there for them putting my wife under (general) or the incision, I was there for the rest of the operation.
The docs were cool, one asked if I wanted to stand up by them, so I asked if they minded if I cut in. 
The one thing about the operation I will never forget was the nurse counting the surgical sponges (think the towels we had back in HS gym) They were in groups of 6, and she would count out loud 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 over and over as she kept track of every one of them. The used ones were lined up on the floor in rows of 6.
The other thing that I should have been aware of but wasn’t (didn’t cover it in childbirth class) is the baby comes out blue and their lungs don’t work worth a damn as they have never been used before.
Out out they drag this baby smurf, that sounds like it is breathing it last breath.
My heart jumps to my throat and stops. My mind says, chill if it is really a problem they will throw your ass out of here. If things are cool somebody will complement you on the baby. Breath was held and after what seemed like three weeks (probably 20 seconds) the nurse said That sure is a good looking baby Rick.
Heart restarted and blood flow in the father resumed.
Wait, don’t babies start crying immediately after the (proverbial?) slap on the bottom? Or even, as my brother told me for his son, halfway out as they enter the world crying?
Nice metaphor there, BTW.
No slap on the ass. Anyway slap or not I was totally unprepared for BLUE. That freaked me out.
I had an emergency c-section in 2003. For a few moments there I was completely in love with my anesthesiologist, and she was a woman. The decision to section me was floated around 0845, and one doctor was going to do it if the OB/GYN on call couldn’t get there fast enough. The one on call arrived and my son was born at 0911hs. People talk about incision soreness but for me it was my diaphragm /ribs while they passed this enormous 10lb boy through a small slit just above my pubic bone. I described it as they are trying to push a grape through a toothpaste tube, or an enormous coat button through the buttonhole for a blouse.
You might not have the data to compare, but more than a boy through a vagina?
Wait, and you felt this through a spinal?
I suspect that you are conflating a spinal tap (painful) with a spinal block (pain-stopping).
Generally not with a c-section. And often not even with a vaginal birth. A man named Frederick Leboyer revolutionized childbirth back in the 70’s with his radical notion that maybe we needn’t make the entry into life so damn shocking and painful for the baby. We don’t dangle them by their ankles anymore (wtf was that about, anyway?) We don’t slap them anymore, although if they’re being slow about taking their first breath, we rough 'em up a little bit with the towel as we’re cleaning the goo off 'em to wake them up so they breathe. Most of his ideas about low light and quiet didn’t quite make it into the standard labor and delivery suite, but they are put into practice in many home births and birthing centers.
But back to the c-section. Most babies aren’t quite aware that they’ve been born when it’s a c-section, so many of them don’t breathe. Often, they haven’t been working hard the way a vaginal birth baby has to work, they’ve just been taking a little nap when all of the sudden they’re yanked out of their nice warm little nest. A vaginal childbirth is a slow squeeze down the birth canal which requires effort on the baby’s part, not just the mom. It (may) squeeze fluid out of the baby’s lungs and mouth so they can take a spontaneous breath when they hit the air. Standard c-secions need a lot more suctioning to slurp the fluid out of the baby’s mouth and nose before they can breathe. Read the article I linked above. That’s one of the things they’re trying to see if they can change in the UK procedure.
ETA: But also note that Rick’s wife had a general anesthetic. Blue babies are more common with a general, because while they’re not knocked out, they are groggy, which is why we don’t use them anymore unless we really have to. And even when we do use them, we use less anesthetic than we did in the 70’s, to try to minimize the sedating effect on the baby.
I think she means the pain of the recovery time, not the procedure. And yes, c-section recovery is usually more painful and harder to recover from than an uncomplicated vaginal birth. I had both, and the c-section was much more painful to recover from. It’s major abdominal surgery.
That’s why you NEVER LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN.
When Spike was born, I accidentally glanced behind the curtain when I went over to the table to see the new, little person.
I had nightmares about disembowelment for weeks. There’s a reason I never went to vet school.
Well my one child born by section is my first last and only so no, I don’t have experiential data. And I didn’t feel being cut but I sure felt being tugged and having them pushing on the mid chest/diaphragm. I remember them telling me to breath and I said “I can’t! You’re mashing in my diaphragm.” Of course that area is above the epidural.
As for the incisional tugging, I would compare it to being at a dentist and having your face frozen. You don’t feel pain but you can tell they are tugging your lips and the side of your mouth. You feel stretched. It is just not painful.
Also, what WhyNot said.
My wife described each of her three Cs as “a lot of tugging.” While it didn’t hurt, she could definitely tell that they were doing something.
Yep, I felt a lot of pulling and pain at first. They had to “top up” my epidural.
Once I was numb, there was no pain. I did nearly tumble off the table though - no feeling and my right leg fell off, quickly followed by my hip. A quick " I’m FALLING!" And someone caught me. Whew.
I was also not an EMERGENCY, but it was unplanned. 36 hours of back labour and I wasn’t progressing. It took longer than I thought it would, the surgery, but it all worked out.
My brother described his wife’s C-section thusly: “I was standing next to the drape. On this side: my wife’s smiling face. On this side: Nightmare on Elm Street. She would say, ‘What’s going on, honey?’ and I’d say, ‘Um…nothing…’”
I was in the OR for my wife’s C-section, but I was busy up near her head, keeping her calm, so I can’t really say I saw anything. I did see a blue bloody baby pop up over the drape, though. And, I did make the mistake of looking back when we left the OR and caught a glimpse of them pulling her stomach back into place. While I didn’t see a bloody gaping wound or anything, the way her empty abdomen sort of “jiggled” was kinda nauseating.
“…and caught a glimpse of them pulling her stomach back into place.”
As was said by doctors and nurses above, despite what the guy I met said, the stomach stays put.
ETA: Although your story was excellent. 
I figured someone would probably call me out on that. By “stomach” I meant “the area of a person’s abdomen, around the bellybutton and such”, in a sort of colloquial way. Not the actual digestive organ. I was being imprecise.
Mine didn’t cry until I cut the cord.
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were my wife. This describes our first’s entrance to a “T”.
This is why my twins were born by emergency c-section. Hubby was in the room with a screen to block his view but he’s very tall and kept sliding down on the stool he was given so he didn’t have to see. Not much fun for anyone. I try not to think about it too much.
Ok, the jokes are funny, but seriously…
How is babby farmed? How girl get unpragnent?
After twenty-two years, my Wife still does not forgive me for my remark “Oh cool, they have you opened like a turkey.”
-smirk- as well she should not.