In the seven months since I first wrote this, I have received a lot of comments from readers. I have received even more private e-mails; the majority from women who just wanted to say thanks for sharing my experience with my C-section, and they too, had a similar experience.
Not all comments have been positive, and I didn’t expect them to be. It seems the biggest “complaints” from the comments about this post, is that C-sections are not really like what I wrote about, and I am trying to scare women. Since there are a lot of comments, and I am sure not everyone reads all the comments and my replies before leaving a comment of their own, I wanted to clarify my viewpoint about this post, hopefully BEFORE the post is read.
This is a realistic account of MY C-section. There are certain aspects to a C-section that EVERY woman will experience, such as scaring, and increased chances of uterine rupture with future pregnancies. There are other aspects to this account which I experienced. These may or may not be experienced by every woman who has a C-section. Just like no two vaginal births are the same, no two C-sections are the same.
I agree and support emergency C-sections 100%, and they do save lives. However, as you will read, I believe that the medical community is over-using C-sections in non-medical emergency situations (such as breech births). I feel I need to clarify this point as well, because when I originally wrote the post, my goal was to inform women who may be facing a planned or elective C-section (not an emergency one), and to offer my viewpoint from my perspective, on what a C-section is like, since my experience with my C-section was not a emergency C-section.
I wrote this post to inform women who suspect there might be more to a C-section than what she is being told, like I was. That is the spirit of the post-to inform. Like the famous quote, “knowledge is power.” The more you know, the more informed decision you can make.
To the readers who feel I am scaring women, I am sorry my account of my C-section is scary. Honestly, it was pretty scary. There are countless TV shows, websites, books, magazines, Hollywood celebrities, and doctors who will tell you C-sections are not scary, are not painful, and they are nothing to worry about. That was not the reality I found at all. I do not want to sugar coat, or tone down my experience. If I were to do that, there wouldn’t be much point it writing about it.
So having said this, before you read the post, please be forewarned that this post could be scary. I am attempting to share what a real C-section was like. If that has the potential to scare you, then please think twice before reading it. If you are searching for information on what happens during a C-section, possible complications that could arise, pictures of the procedure, the recovery period, possible impact on the family, and general information on C-sections, and how the medical community using them, and feel this information would not scare you, than this may be something you would be interested in reading.
If you have a comment after the post, please feel free to comment. I read every comment, and try to respond when appropriate. Please know I will delete any overly disrespectful comment. You don’t have to agree with me, but please keep it civil.
Thank you.
Heather- A Mama’s Blog
This post has been several months in the making. I have been thinking about what I wanted to convey in writing a post about Cesarean sections, better known as C-sections, or even as a “C.”
As I thought about it, there were so many different angles to take. I thought about writing a very detailed researched post, but you can find a lot of those by doing a Google search on C-sections. I decided in the end, I was going to write what comes naturally from my personal research and experience of having a C-section.
My intent for writing this post is to convey the reality, which is not often mentioned, of women, their new babies, and families, endure from C-sections. It is not meant to judge or make any mother feel bad who has had a C-section. I write a lot of the things that I wished I had known before hand about C-sections, which I was not told. This post is only meant to inform, and bring to light, issues involved with C-sections, that as a woman, and a mother I seldom hear anyone (doctors included) talk about in our society.
- My C-Section
I had a C-section with my first birth, with Ryan, only because he was a breech baby, and refused to turn. I wasn’t very informed on other alternatives for turning breech babies at the time, other than the external version, and accepted having a C-section was the only way to give birth to my baby.
- Lack of Options
Unfortunately, it pretty much WAS my only alternative. I did not feel comfortable having a home birth being a first time mother, with a breech baby. Not to mention, there were zero doctors in my area who would attend the birth of a breech baby. This is despite living in a college area, with a number of top rated medical facilities. So we agreed to the C-section, but really what choice did we have?
It has always bothered me more alternatives are not available for birthing breech babies. I did not want a C-section, but it was my only option. Even a home birth isn’t always an option- in several states (mine included), it is actually against the law for a midwife to attend a breech birth! This isn’t to say it isn’t done, but if you know ahead of time your baby is breech, this could be problematic in finding a midwife who is comfortable attending a breech birth, and possibly be in violation of the law, and thus be putting her certifications and her practice in jeopardy.
Finding an OB these days, who will deliver a breech baby, is a joke at best- even though as I found out later, delivering breech babies vaginally is very safe, in the majority of situations. In my opinion, this is a HUGE failure in the medical community to have only one option for a mother facing a breech birth- an automatic C-section.
- Major Surgery
C-sections are MAJOR abdominal surgery. The pain is agonizing. I never experienced greater pain in my life, than after my surgical C-section. Even going through natural labor and contractions with a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) birth of my second child for eleven hours, the pain was not as bad as it had been with the C-section.
The best way I can describe it is imagine your most painful, intense, contraction, and multiply it by at least 50 to 100%, depending on your pain tolerance. Now, realize the pain does not go away, after 30 seconds or a minute like the pain during contractions does. It is constant and never-ending. That level of pain is with you for DAYS (not seconds or minutes). Imagine your insides feeling like they are going to split open for several weeks, after the surgery, every time you laugh, cry, sneeze, get out of bed, stand up, or move too fast.
- Media Portrayal of C-Sections
It is also very disturbing to me how some avenues of the media, and celebrities portray C-sections. I have seen on numerous TV shows- including a prime time, number one show, (named Grey’s Anatomy, to be specific), where women who refuse a C-section, because they desire to have a NORMAL, vaginal birth, are portrayed as fanatic, and ridiculous. There is another show, The Baby Story, which shows many elective C-section births.
As a new mother-to-be, and even before I was pregnant, I watched The Baby Story. In my case, seeing so many C-section births, almost made it seem like it was a normal, healthy, alternative to giving actual birth. I NEVER saw the downside: pain, infections, and inability to get back to regular life after a C-section, shown on The Baby Story.
It is almost glamorized by the media when a famous celebrity has a C-section. “Too posh to push,” is how they sum it up. Whether that is the case or not, it is misleading to millions of women, who are faced with the same decision. What is NEVER mentioned is even if a celebrity chooses to have an elective C-section; she has resources available to her, which a normal woman does not. The celebrity can hire nurses, nannies, chefs, and cleaning services to take over for her while she recovers from surgery, when an average woman cannot. The strain and time it takes to recover from a C-section puts the average family under enormous stress.
Yet, the media continues to glorify and glamorize C-sections. It even seems like they make a special point to say, “Actress A had her baby (or gave birth), born by Cesarean section.” I have yet to see, hear, or read, “Actress A had her baby, born by normal, vaginal birth.”
I certainly never gave much thought to what really was involved with a C-section. I honestly thought, since I had seen so many women on The Baby Story, give birth by C-section, and they seemed fine, and never mentioned any drawbacks, certainly I could handle it.
- What A C-Section Is Really Like
Naive? Absolutely. C-sections are NOT as they are portrayed on “reality” TV shows, prime time TV shows, or by the media when reporting a famous woman had a C-section. Maybe if I hadn’t been bombarded by all these positive messages about C-sections, I would have thought twice about it. Maybe if I had, had someone actually tell me what a C-section really was like, I could have prepared better. Maybe if I could have found in a mainstream pregnancy book, the truth about C-sections, I would have known what I was getting into. But I didn’t, and at the time, all the information I had, said C-sections were no big deal.
C-sections ARE a big deal. So big, your life will never be the same. Here are some of the REAL outcomes from C-sections:
You may lose precious time with your newborn baby. Time that you will NEVER get back, because you are doped up on strong narcotic pain medications for at least 24 hours- usually longer- after the birth. Your baby might be groggy after birth in most cases, because the epidural and or spinal tap medication used to numb you, is in their system too.
Instead of spending the first few moments after birth holding, nursing, and bonding, with your baby, your hands may be tied down. Because of this, you probably won’t be able to hold your baby during this time, while you are being stitched back up.
Your baby may be taken out the operating room from you, while your uterus and incision site are being stitched. In my case, my hands were still restrained. You will probably have to wait at least 30 minutes after the birth (usually longer), before you can really hold your baby for the first time.
If you are lucky, your baby will want to breastfeed, even though he/she could still be groggy from the birth. If not, then starting breastfeeding becomes a much bigger challenge. As any new mother will tell you, breastfeeding a brand new baby can be hard at first. Now imagine trying to position your baby to nurse, but you can’t have your new baby’s feet, or body anywhere near your incision because you can’t risk having them push, or kick you in that area. You can use a pillow to block the site, but it becomes another aspect to figure out.
By having a C-section, your chances for hemorrhage, post-partum infection, internal injuries, post-partum depression, breastfeeding problems, reproductive problems, and maternal death, are increased than if you gave birth vaginally.
By having an elective C-section your baby’s chances for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), physician caused prematurity (since they can only guess, what the correct due date is), persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH), are cut by the surgeon’s scalpel two to six percent of the time, and are less likely to be breastfed, are increased than babies who are born vaginally.
In most cases, you will have metal staples in your incision for several days after the surgery. I thought my tummy looked liked Frankenstein’s forehead. It was so awful I couldn’t even look at it.
Your uterus will have permanent scar tissue, which is at a higher risk for rupture with future pregnancies.
You will have an scar just above your pubic bone for the rest of your life. Your stomach will more than likely hang over your scar, known as “belly flap,” for the rest of your life. Your incision / scar area will probably be numb for several months, several years, or even for the rest of your life.
Your birthing options with future pregnancies are SEVERELY limited, after you have a C-section. There is a saying, “once a C-section, always a C-section.” VBAC is a very safe choice for the majority of women, but VBAC’sare discouraged and you will be lucky to find a doctor and a hospital that supports this choice. In some states, it is against the law for midwives to attend VBAC births. In all actuality, you will be pressured to have a repeat C-section with future pregnancies, even though with every subsequent C-section, the uterine rupture rate increases, especially during pregnancy as the uterus expands. Usually another C-section is the only choice offered to you, even if that isn’t the best choice for you, and your baby.
You will probably have a longer recovery, after a C-section than if you had given birth vaginally. You can’t drive for usually 10 days. You are sore, and it can be a struggle to just get up and move, let alone walk, sit-up, sit, and lie down. It is recommended that you don’t climb any stairs for two weeks-too bad if your house has stairs- it can be very painful, every time you have to go up or down your stairs. You don’t dare laugh or cough for several days, because it just hurts too much. You may only have a limited amount of pain medication, because most doctors want to “wean” you off the strong pain narcotics a few days after the C-section. Keep in mind, this is all while you have a brand new baby to take care of as well.
(Many of these facts in the above blue boxes can be found on Childbirth Connection’s page on C-sections.)
- Recovery Time and Complications
Being a new mother is one of the most challenging life experiences. We rise to the task, but when you are trying to recover from a MAJOR surgery, YOU need to rest, and be taken care of. That does not happen after a C-section, for the majority of women. Maternal instincts take over, and we need to be with our babies. We push our pain, and discomforts to the background, in order to take care of our baby, and family.
This only adds to the recovery time, and often results in women “overdoing it,” which leads to ruptured scars, which leads to infected scars, which leads to another hospital stay, which leads back to square one, all over again. It can be a vicious cycle.
The general thought is it usually takes about 3 weeks, to recover from vaginal birth, and 6 weeks to recover from a C-section, IF everything goes well.
That was not true for me at all. It took me about 12 weeks to feel almost 100% again- meaning I didn’t have pain that kept me from doing daily activities. That is 3 months! If I were to count the time that it took for my scar to heal, and to not feel any pain whatsoever- I would say NEVER. Even now, four years later, if I move at an odd angle, I will get a weird pain in my abdomen, that I never had before having a C-section.
After the VBAC birth I had with my second baby, I felt back to normal, after about a month. Yes, there was pain, discomfort, and stitches involved with a vaginal birth, but it was SO, SO, SO much more manageable and less painful than a C-section. Having given birth both by a C-section and vaginally, I would pick a vaginal birth every time- without hesitation. As one of my friends who also had a C-section, and a vaginal birth said, “The worse vaginal birth, beats the best C-section anytime.” No wonder we were made to give birth vaginally, not surgically!
- Risks Outweigh The Benefits
C-sections are a medical tool, and should only be performed when absolutely necessary. C-sections DO have a place in obstetrics, and I have a friend who would have died, if she had not gotten an emergency C-section.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says anytime a country’s C-section rate rises above 15%, then the risks outweigh the benefits the surgery could provide. In the US, the C-section rate is 30.2% of all births. Just 100 years ago in the US, almost every baby born, was born at home! What has happened? Clearly, something is very wrong, and thousands of women are receiving unnecessary surgical C-sections, where the risks are outweighing the benefits.
- The “Hidden” High Costs of C-Sections
Another aspect that is hardly ever mentioned is the financial aspect and costs to a family. Obviously a C-section is more expensive than a vaginal birth. My C-section in 2004 cost 50% more than my vaginal hospital birth in 2006. That was with no complications- just a “by-the-book C-section”. Even with insurance, a family pays substantially more for a C-section, and that is just for the procedure! Most women have to stay in the hospital for a minimum of three days after a C-section, compared to anywhere from 12-48 hours with a vaginal birth. I had to stay for five days. Not only do you get charged for your care, but you get charged for the care your baby gets too.
If you factor in the extra long recovery time, the costs of hiring some household help, extra doctor and or hospital visits due to infection, pain medication, extra time the father may take off of work, to name a few- it is astounding how expensive a C-section is, and how fast it all adds up.
For a woman who has to return to work, 6, 8, or 12 weeks after giving birth, she may not even be fully recovered from surgery, before she has to take on the demands from a job as well.
- Ignorance Is Not Bliss
I believe that every woman who is faced with the possibility of having a C-section (emergency situation aside) should be given ALL of the information on the surgical procedure including the emotional and financial aspects beforehand. Ignorance is NOT bliss- it just keeps you from having to face the reality of this surgical procedure until you are in the thick of it, with nothing left to do, but see it and its consequences through.
During my recovery, I was in so much pain, and realized that I didn’t even know why, until my husband (who had watched the surgery) said, “If you had seen what they did, you would know why you are in pain.”
Then it hit me that I had no idea, what they even did during the C-section. They never show that on The Baby Story either. I have decided to include several REAL pictures from actual C-sections that I found by doing Google and Yahoo searches. Believe it or not, pictures like this were very hard to find. There just aren’t that many pictures of actual C-sections out there. I spent a lot of time trying to find pictures with the goal of showing what really happens during a C-section.
The pictures are graphic in nature- that is the reality of a C-section. I have provided the link to the site where you can view the pictures as well. There will be descriptions of what the picture is of.
Since some will prefer not to look at the pictures, I will include my closing comments now, instead of at the end of the pictures.
- Conclusion
Despite what we are told in the media, C-sections are NOT glamorous, or posh. If you choose to view the pictures below, you will see what it really is.
The emotional and financial toll it can take on you and your family is massive. Ironically, a lot of women choose C-sections, because they think it is a lot less painful than vaginal birth. You will have no pain during the C-section itself, because you are numb from usually the chest down. But, a surgical C-section birth is not a way to avoid pain during birth. Ironically, in most cases, it will cause you substantial amounts of more pain in the long run.
The end result of a C-section is beautiful- a new, hopefully healthy baby and mother. For me, that was my goal. But I never realized beforehand, as I wrote, you lose a lot of time with your newborn when recovering from the surgery. Time that you only get one chance at. If you have to return to work, as you know, your time is not endless with your baby, and that time goes by in a blink of an eye.
No mother I know, would willingly give up her precious time with her new baby, to attend to surgical dressings, be “out of it” due to pain medication, maybe miss out on breastfeeding, if they choose to do so, raise their risk of post-partum infection, and depression, and pain. Yet, that is what happens to one degree or another, with EVERY C-section.
If you prefer not to look at the pictures, I hope some of this post will help you, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a cousin, or anyone, who needed more information and truth on what is involved in a C-section.
I know first hand that sometimes a C-section is your only option. In these cases, I hope some of what I wrote may help in giving you more information on what to expect, so you can prepare better than I did. If you are considering a C-section that is not medically necessary, or you have other options, I hope if you have read this far, that maybe you are reconsidering having a c-section.
While writingthis post, I decided to write another post in the near future with ideas for mothers who are preparing for a C-section. I plan to include information on things she can do to prepare for it before hand. I also will include ideas and tips she can do post-partrum, to help with the healing process, pain, and the overall transition back to family life. E-mail me if you have any tips or suggestions, you would like to share.
Every woman deserves to know ALL of the facts, before facing a major surgery, especially one with the goal of bringing a new life into the world. Doctors should take into account ALL the factors, pre-AND post-surgery, on how C-sections can affect their patients and their families. The entire medical community (doctors, hospitals, etc.), should start offering vaginal breech baby birth options. Finally, C-sections should stop being glamorized by the media as a healthy alternative to vaginal birth. It is very dishonest and misleading.
I sincerely hope by sharing my experience, and facts that usually aren’t disclosed about C-sections, it can help women who are facing C-sections, to make an informed decision.
I would love to hear your comments and feedback.
- Additional Information
I urge anyone facing a C-section to read the article, “Cesearean Birth in a Culture of Fear.” It is written by Wendy Ponte, and it appeared in the September/October 2007 issue of Mothering magazine, and is the best article I have read on the subject to date. If you can get the actual magazine, there were some very good illustrations, showing the C-section procedure. I tried to find these illustrations on-line, but was unsuccessful. I was able to find something along the same lines, in a slide show presentation, with ten drawings from The New York Times, showing the C-section procedure. (These drawings are not graphic- they are what you would see in a newspaper.)
************************WARNING!!!!! ********************************
************DO NOT READ OR SCROLL ANY FARTHER IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO VIEW C-SECTION PICTURES- GRAPHIC IN NATURE************
Removing the staples from a C-section incision.
There is also a picture of a new C-section scar held together with staples, and more post-partum C-section scars, including verticle ones, in this gallery at About.com .
Mother 1: C-section scar 2 days after the surgery, 20 year-old mother
Mother 1: (The same mother as in picutre above), her C-section scar, 11 weeks after the surgery
Mother 2: The C-section overhang (“belly flap”)- this is after the first c-section (third pregnancy), this 28-year old mother had, one year after the surgery
Picture from Terra, (a mother who read this post and sent me some of her C-section pictures) of her C-section incision
Picture 1 of Terra’s Infection at Incision Site
Picture 2 of Terra’s Infection at Incision Site
Mother 2: (picture 2) Same mother as the above picture; side view
Mother 3: Picture of scar, more than 3 years after C-section (it is the second line, towards the bottom-not the thin red line)
Mother 4: Pictures of infected C-section scar, 3 to 4 months after the surgery, during this 38 year-old mother’s
fifth round of antibiotic treatments for the infection
Above pictures from https://www.caesarean.org.uk/ScarPictures.html#group1. There are several more pictures of C-section scars at this site, in various stages of healing.
My scar- 4 years after C-section.
Another picture of my scar. On the right end of the scar, you can see how it looks indented. A few of my staples became loose, while I was in the hospital, so the skin there was open, while healing. It left a lot larger scar on that end of the incision, and tends to “cave in.” I doubt this will ever go away. The marks higher up on my stomach, are the marks from my pants. 🙂
(All of these photos, the ones of myself included, are unedited. They have been reduced in size, however so they could fit on the site. )
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362 replies on “The Reality of C-Sections”
Hi, I am the mother of 5, ages 6 through 19. All born via c sections! I held all of my babies in the OR and was breastfeeding them within an hour.I think one very important thing for all women to know is that your recovery will be much easier if you are in good physical shape before and during pregnancy!! Don’t stop exercising when you become pregnant(unless you have to). I was up walking the day of surgery and moving around easier than my room mate who had a vaginal delivery with an episiotomy. My scar is almost invisible and I do not have”belly hang”, at 45 I still wear a 2 piece(much to my 19 year olds dismay 😉 I am a nurse and realize that everyone’s recovery is different but a positive attitude,strong will and determination will serve you well with recovery (and parenting). Fear will do nothing but paralyze you!
I have had 3 csections and am scheduled for another this May 2012. Yes,a c-section IS painful but I was definitely not in excruciating pain . I was holding and nursing my babies within an hour, and was walking within 12 hours. I was up washing my face and brushing my teeth the next morning alone. I also chose to get out of bed alone the next day. I DO NOT have a huge scar with stomach fat that hangs over. My scar is actually almost invisible (even after 3 incisions). I was at home grocery shopping after 4 days, although I probably shouldn’t have been. Yes, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, it is painful, and I would rather have a vaginal delivery than a csection, but you can’t let the pain keep you down. The more you’re up moving the quicker you heal and the better you feel.
omg r u serious.its not that bad at all ive had four csections an pregnant again so if it was as bad as ur making out people woudnt repeat having them.i was totally fine after my csection walkin around within a few days an fully mobile within a week it does hurt to cough sneeze an laugh but as soon as the tenderness goes ur fine!! no where near as bad as ur making out..
my son will be one year old next week and i wanted to tell you all of your information seems exactly what i would have told as well. everyone is different i was in alot of pain i have had back and ankle surgery and the pain was no wear as painful as my c-section.
Id just like to add to all the individuals that say that it is not as bad as people are making out. Well id like to add now that as a result of my C-section i’m in the process of applying for my medical notes so i can find out what went on during my C-section and why it went wrong. I am a nurse who infact works in theatre i know the dangers of surgery and i have seen the procedure of C-sections and it is necessary at times but it is most defiantly brutal… My son was battered and bruised and just before i stopped breathing after my spinal block i thought i was going to die and never see my son. The one thing i learned when i was training that pain is what the patient says it is. Nobody has the right to tell people that its not as bad as they say unless you have walked in there exact shoes. If you have had a good experience then i envy you, some people have good experiences with natural births and some people have bad but them people who have had a good experience have no right to say that they dont know why people scream for example during natural labour. Its exactly the same with C section. No birth whether it be natural or C section is the same. People are hurting due to traumatic births and feel the need to share there experience and i for one like to know i am not alone. Reading other people stories make me realise i am not alone and i have every right to feel how i feel and it is normal to feel this way and it also is helping with my recovery of post natal depression due to my birth and how people reacted to it. These people as well as myself dont need anybody else telling them that they shouldnt feel the way that they do. I have only just started to get people to understand that i dont feel grateful to have a healthy son as my son what permanently hurt and so was I. I was not distressed and nether was my son but due to medical intervention everything went wrong. Please think about what you say to people when you have no idea what they have been through as it is different to yourself, no experience is ever the same .
Hello everybody!! Going through all these stories of Moms and their C-Sections I must say not one pregnancy and delivery are the same. I want to to share my story of my C-section. I’m a new mom to a now 16 month old baby girl. I had the best pregnancy and was almost positive that I would deliver vaginally. Once I was in labor for 20 hours I made it to 9 cm and fully effaced after that seemed like there was a slow down. After being so drugged up and beyond exhausted the Dr. mentioned my alternatives which was trying to push or have a C-section. With that in mind I had no energy or desire to push so I elected C-section. During the C-section I hardly felt anything just pressure. Dr. mentioned that the baby was jammed in there really bad and she was too big for me. He also said that if I have another child it’d have to be C-section because the way I’m built so small inside. I had a beautiful healthy 8lb baby! After being home for a week I kept getting fevers. My husband took me to the hospital. It went from a UTI then incision got infected to a horrible infection in my abdomen! I had abscesses all in pelvic area. I’ve never been so scared in my life as well as my husband and family. The Dr. that performed my C-section cut one of my bowels as that was the conclusion made. I didn’t get another surgery, but they just drained some and I got sent home with a pikk line which is a long term IV and I had to pump antibiotics for 2 weeks!! My recovery shocked everybody…I’m very healthy thank god and never got any complications past all that!! It was devastating what I had to go through as a new mom. It just goes to show you that there could be so many complications during C-section. I wanted to share my story not to scare anybody but it feels good to talk about it and give knowledge to any future moms. I must add that us MOMS are super strong for all that we go through…but must admit that the outcome is something so precious and an amazing chapter in all parents lives…:)
I just stumbled across this and it has been 24 days since my c-section. First, to the woman that says they do not use staples, yes they do. I’ve had 2 c-sections. My first had stitches. My second – staples. And the doctor couldn’t seem to staple in a straight line, either.
Secondly, I had an emergency c-section both times. I’ve had a blood transfusion from one, and was up cleaning and cooking after 2 weeks. At 3.5 weeks out from #2, I am miserable! I have an internal stitch that feels like it is about to poke through my belly and I am so ticked that I didn’t get to have a vaginal birth for my last two children.
Everyone needs to know the truth about c-sections. I once saw a woman say it was the perfect choice for her. Maybe crazy is a perfect word for saying such a thing! lol
hi.i had a c-section with my first baby girl just last october 2011 because my water was raptured and the baby has no indication to come out. i did not went into labour that is why i wasn’t able to experience how it is to undergo labor. anyway, back to my experience from c-section, i really had a terrible recovery..it became a cycle fpor me. after a month of c-section i thought my cut outside is already healed, though my OB informed me of C-section that it will be a forever wound inside even if it is healed outside..From time to time you will feel pain especially when it is cold. After a month i thought everything is okay outside but after a week my wound was infected, pus are coming out and this made me feel bad, at this point i am thinking that maybe i am in a post partum already bu i have no choice but to nurse it again. i had bad time taking a bath and playing with my baby coz i can’t hold her properly for i fear my wound will be raptured again..So on January i thought again that may wound is already healed.However, i still feel pain in some part of my c-section inside particularly near my umbilical and the worse thing is that the protion is numb and is very painful if i push it. but many says it’s really natural because i had c-section and it’s healing inside thus thinking that in due time i will be okay. But to my shock, the portion that is numb and painful was raptured after 3 months and 3 weeks of my c-section and pus are coming out again. This made me really depressed coz i have to nurse it again and my movements will be limited again.the time and money that i have to spend again for the medications are things that made me feel bad as well.. this made me feel bad and really does not recommedn c-section..i envy those who have unergone c-section and they were able to be healed at once and those who had vaginal birth…if i really could turn back the time i would prefer not to undergo c-section..
at this moment i’m really depressed because i had to go on again the routine i had in nursing my wound…i still have to go and check my ob…this really a hassle for me and finncially draining me..
I must also add that being pregnant you cannot ever plan your delivery. I read so much being pregnant and I went in with the little possibility of having a C-section. Had I tried to deliver vaginally I could of caused severe brain damage or other complications to my baby. As much as having a C-section for me was horrible b/c the Dr. messed up but it was the right choice. Unfortunately having a C-section is so common now…but that’s part of a delivery method that has saved both moms and babies for many years now…
I had a c section four weeks ago for breech presentation. I was given all my options including a section with no pressure to choose this route although it was deemed advisable. I had the c sectiob, was able to hold little one straight away until the op was completed. Baby was then weighed etc when u was taken to recovery vs few minute baby was able to breast feeed which he did for over an hour. The fare in the hospital qas amazing and I fed, changed and cuddled baby from the start with the staffs help , which was great as a first time mum regardless of a c section. The stitches used were dissolvable. The pain was controlled excellently the first week after that I felt fine and stop pain relief. The follow up care was second to none also. My advice to anyone would be don’t have one unless you need one , but if you do don’t worry its fine but just be prepared to take things east after I.e. do baby stuff and that’s it despite how well you feel its still major surgery.
i personaly dont think it was a big deal i had 2 one was emergency and the other i just went for sure i was grogy the frirt time and the second i was not not to mention i had a pp hemorage after my secone but i was still able to hold my kids and do whaqt i needed to do when i got home i dont know what the big fuss is and yeah some people get infections but i dont think you should show pictures because i could have been them not looking after it i think if people want to have a section done all the power to them if not well then thats great to no need for people like you putting fear into new mothers really do you have anything better to do like LOOK AFTER YOUR KID INSTEAD OF PUTTING NASTY PICTURES OF PEOPLE NOT CLEANING GOOD ENOUGH.
Another thing you should discuss is the sadness. I know you mentioned depression, but I am feeling sadness for which I have a reason for. I am not just depressed, where sometimes depression is a sadness with no explanation. I am sad that I didn’t experience a vaginal birth with my daughter. I felt pressured into a c-section because my baby was breach. I find myself crying everyday thinking back to that day and wishing I would have just left the hospital and not let them cut me open. The sadness is hard to make go away when everyday I get out of bed, it hurts. It hurts to pull myself up and hold my baby at the same time. Recovery is terrible and only makes postpartum depression worse. 2 weeks after my c-section my bowel movements STILL weren’t regular. They hurt so bad as well. Also, It is not fun sitting down and having some strange internal pain come over you for no reason. I would not wish a c-section on anyone….
You must have a very low pain threshold to feel it that much. I had very little pain after my sections. Took nothing but paracetamol. Having my third section on wed. Looking forward to looking after my baby who probably won’t have rds and will probably breastfeed fine like the last 2 did.
[…] really interested about the details of a c-section you may want to read this from A mama’s blog who shares her experience and knowledge on c-sections. It might be a bit […]
Hi, I’ve had 4 kids all c-section. N I just have a question? Is it possible after 9yrs to erupted.
I am surprised at the results of these womens c-sections. I requested a c-section for health reasons. I do not regret it on bit! i healed nicely with no infection. I dont feel i lost any precious time with my baby boy just because i had a c-section. Your groggy yes but your still able to function to take care of your baby. As for difficulty breastfeeding after a c-section its really not that big of a deal. Yes you cant have the baby near the incision but thats what nursing pillows are good for. usually the incision will break open if your over weight and have a heavy belly which puts alot of strain on the skin around the incision. I am not ashamed of my scar nor am i of my stretch marks or saggy boobs. If its in the best interest of he babys life DO IT! My cousins baby ended up with SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE because the did NOT give her a c-section soon enough!! Take the advice of the Doctors if its in the babys interest. They have medication for c-section infections and you can get lazer treatment if the scare bothers you that much.
i also was able to hold my son the second he was born and they asked me if i would like to feed him after 20 minutes. I agree with Ashley. theres no need to scare women about a c-section! its not a big deal what so ever if you take care of you incision!! IF THE BABYS LIFE IS AT RISK YOU FIRST WORDS SHOULD BE GET HIM OUT OF ME ANY WAY YOU HAVE TO! EVEN IF IT MEANS MY LIFE!! I told my gyno i know all the risks and i dont care what happens to me as long as he comes out perfectly healthy!!
It’s great that you took the time to bring to light everything you went through with your c section and there after.
Here is what happened to me and what is still happening a year after my 2nd c section and be warned for TMI in my post..
My first C section:
I was due for sept. 8th 2007 with my first child ( Brooke)
About a week before my due date I started to have some light bleeding but wasn’t ready to go the doctors said.
Come sept 8th 2011 I was at my parents house when my water broke, I was so excited to be able to deliver vaginal. My sister got on the next flight out of ottawa to be there since she had to have emergency c sections for both of her children.
At first I was fine but within 20 min from my water breaking my contractions were back to back and the pain…I thought I was going to die. None of the doctors or nurses believed me when I tried to say how much pain I was in. They just thought I couldn’t handle it, from what they said oh you are just having back and front labour…whatever that means I had no idea. I felt like my bowels were going to come out of my lower body the force was so bad. I kept thinking I was going to crap myself right there and then. Well 25 hours later I managed to make it to 9 and 1/2 cent. and was almost ready but by that point I had a fever and there was so much blood, infection had set in. I went for an emergency c section and to be honest I believe it said my daughters life as well as with mine. I was so greatful since I was told from a younge age that I would never be able to have children. Once at home the pressure and pain in my lower bowels was so bad I couldnt breath at times and would drop to the floor. I had staples done and it felt so good to get them out. All in all I healed and went on with our lives.
C section # 2
I was afraid of a vbac from everything the doctor had warned me about and felt pushed into it. This time I was due at the end of March 2011…I figured I had enough time pass that I could try for a vbac but in the end was to afraid. So we set the date for March 21st 2011. Well march 10th 2011 late at night I noticed some small contraction without any pain at all but the were 7 min apart every time, so I packed up and went down to the hospital to get looked over. I was no were near ready to go when it came to down there but since I was having contractions the attending ob/gyno said she would give me something to stop the contractions then I could head home since my son (owen) was doing fine and so was I.
To my suprise she came back in 20 min later and said, well tomorrow is booked right up so we will deliever you right away…..(I thought WTF!!!) I wasn’t prepared since she had just said I could go home….
So here I was in the operating room with my sister by my side for support ( hubby cant handle blood he would be on the floor)
I had the attending doctor, her intern, 2 nurses and so on. Well I was asked if the intern could just sit in and watch so I agreed no paperwork was needed since she was just suppose to watch. well little did I know the ob/gyno made the 1st into me, then the intern made the 2nd cut to get my baby out, ok….
so after my baby is getting looked over the intern was stil cutting???what???
I heard the ob/gyno freak out and said “what have you done you cut too deep!”
ok next I’m shaking so bad I’m crashing, blood is flying out so fast they had to through the blankets they are to use on me after onto the floor to cover the blood. My sister had to lift her feet. They pumped me with adrenilen to keep my heart going. I heard someone calling to get my blood type right away!
I have to this day no clue, they never came to check up on me once or discuss anything!
3 months later infection sets in, my left side is the main infection sorce where the intern cut me too deep, my right side had some tissue sticking out from inside my body, that hurt like a b*tch!
over the past year i’ve been on and off antibiotics.
now!
Monday march 27th 2012
Late at night I go to take a shower and notice I’m sore on the yet again left side of my incision. Figure it can wait until morning to go see the family doc. I was wrong come morning it spread bad called family doc she said get to the ER right away. First thoughts were cellulitis, after blood cultures, and cultures from the sit of infection they all came back neg for any bugs. Although my white blood cell count is sky high, I get IV Antibiotics 24/7 sent home with it attached telling how severe this infection is and they don’t know the cause or how deep it goes….
sat, march 3rd 2012
get disconnected from IV antibiotics and booked in for an ultrasound to check up on the 8 cm mass under my incision line, well doctors freak again, my blood pressure is lower then normal ( I have low bp anyways) so yet again get sent home with IV antibiotics 24/7
Thurs march 8th 2012
get disconnected again, go to hospital as directed from last visit to go on oral antibiotics to make sure I kick this infection. Well different doctor was on, and I demanded a CT scan and was denied, turns out doctor who did surgery was up on the other floor that night, so he said he will talk with her…
3 hours pass he comes back and said “I spoke with the doctor who did the surgery and she said her surgery has nothing to do with what is going on with me” ok…
He was going to order two different ultrasounds but she said no
I said ok where is my oral antibiotics
she said I am not to get any they don’t know what wrong with me so she refused me.
ok…
Next morning come back for her ultrasound she ordered…on my baby making gear but not the infection site or deeper???
in the ultrasound room with a tech who says at the end looking me dead in the eye “if you feel something isnt right inside you don’t stop pushing, don’t stop until you know”
ok wtf was that!
so in the ER now waiting for my results.
well the original doctor for this infection comes in who freaked about me being off antibiotics before and was the one who ordered me back there for the oral antibiotic is acting like a complete different person, very distant and wasn’t going to give me anything.
So I said it is interesting you were the one who ordered me to…
she said ” well let me go look over your file”
2 hours pass I went looking for her she said “I can’t find your file” another hour later finally she finds it where who knows. then changes again to kissing my A$$
and gave me 10 days 4 times a day for oral antibiotics…..
to me that sounds like a lot for not wanting to give me any in the first place right….
at home my incision opens puss/blood comes out to the point I had a hard time keeping up with it using tissue.
then there was the white thing at the whole…I pressed gently near it and a hard white thing pops out of me at my incision line …..
No doctor will touch me, or do test, why….who knows, but something isnt right
I spent my son’s first birthday in pain and on meds.
I will get to the bottom of this, and they will not get away with this.
so be warned trust your doctor and do your homework, after the surgery request a copy of everything to see what went on, or even better have your support person record the whole thing. I wish you all the best and hope you never have to experience what I have.
Wow! I.love this post! Its so packed with info! I than k you !
She didn’t ask for your long boring labour stories she only provided her experience with her c -section
As an alternative to happy go lucky c-section stories that you mainly hear about .. I think you are missing the point when you write that you surgery went well .
This site merely offers an alternative and is appreciated !!
I’ve been a post-natal mothers helper for women who get c-sections and they do have a hard time moving around because of the pain .
Some women choose c-sections because they do not want to go through labour others because of complications.
I do agree that csections are over-used, My first csection was due to “not progresing” I to didnt have enough information to say no, If I knew what I know now I would have let my labor continue, there were no risks to me or my baby, just it was taking to long. I don’t however agree with with the opinion that woman shouldnt make the decision of an elective csection, I had two more csections after my first that were elective, and those were well informed elective csections after plenty of research, the risk just wasn’t worth it for me,to go through vbac and maybe risk another emergency csection. and that was my desicion to make, just as a woman should have a right to have descion on a vainal birth!
I had an emergency C-section when I developed the HELLP syndrome. I was a day shy of 27 weeks and had been put in the hospital on bedrest a couple of days prior. I was very ill during pregnancy and had symptoms of Pre-Eclampsia by week 11 of my pregnancy. My son was removed 3 months early to save my life. 1) Docs didn’t listen when I said something was wrong with C-section. I ended up bleeding through over 8 inches of bandages they put on me 3 times. 2) When I kept saying something was wrong they took a quick ultra sound and said nothing was wrong. 3) 2 days after ultra sound my preemie was helicoptered to U of MI’s NICU and I passed out at the hand washing station due to extreme pain. 4) After I saw my son was stabilized they took me to women’s triage on the same floor and took one of those long wooden Q-tip type things and pushed it into my C-section and it came out brown and no healing had taken place. 5) I told them morphine doesn’t work on me, knock me out and they refused put me on a morphine drip and re-opened my c-section. I was FULL of Blood Clots, old blood, and I went through pain so severe I was screaming (I am NOT a pain wuss)begging them to knock me out. The doc kept reaching inside of me and dumping handfuls of clots and blood from the c-section. Then they rinsed it which was very nice…and then reached for one of those betadyne brushes and said they had to rough up the surface of the fascia in there…screaming resumed, crying, begging and then I just about lost it when the doc said I need a scalpel. I yelled, “what do you need a scalpel for? Knock me out I can’t take this anymore.”
The answer was simply given, “I have to cut in deeper to make sure there aren’t any pockets of healing with old blood and clots in them.” and she start cutting…now remember all they gave me was morphine that doesn’t seem to work on me or my mother by the way…I felt every slice and screamed in agony, she stopped and gave me an injection of laticaine and then would cut again until I screamed and would give me another shot of laticain then she’d cut again until I screamed…it was like this for 15 minutes. When she was done she rinsed me out again with saline and oh that was wonderful. Then the bad news. Now you will have to have an open wound that will close from the bottom up. 2 rolls of 4 inch kerlex (gauze) soaked in saline then stuffed deep in the wound with a took that looked like a knitting needle.
Here is the bad part of the open wound thing. Hurts BAD!! The kerlex dries inside of you and sticks to the blood that dries like scabs. This gauze has to be removed 2 times a day…they pull it out dry with scabs ripping off of your insides. I would cry and cry during the procedure. I had this open wound for 5 months with pain. By the end of the 6th month it closed.
Yes it re-opened a few months later as the scar opened up about an inch…blood all over my pants. Then when my son was 5 the stupid thing opened up again! About half an inch. My son is going to be 12 soon. I really hope it never opens up again.
C-sections suck!
how did u loose weight after c section?
Thanks for your candid and informative account of your experiences. I have just experienced my 2nd emergency c-section and I really feel that you were let down badly by your medical professionals.
Your initial wound and staples were HORRIFIC and would never be tolerated where I live (Kent, southeast england).
Although I’m still uncomfortable after 10 days, nobody should go through what you have been through and these days it’s just totally unnecessary to have such a difficult recovery if the surgery has been performed to an adequate standard.
Good luck to everyone who will undergo this surgery in the future – sometimes there are happy endings. x
I really enjoyed reading your story. As a Labor & Delivery nurse who is VERY anti-C/S, I am glad to see that someone actually says it for what it is. A lot of women are electing C/S now, and I find it ridiculous. There are also a couple of physician’s where I work that literally “sell” C/S by making them sound like no big deal and like it will be better for the mother b/c she can plan better, all just to suit the doctor’s schedule. They making up insane excuses to the patients. A lot of women actually have no idea why they are having a C/S. They always say, “the doctor said I had to”, or, “b/c the doctor says I’m too old to push” (that’s my personal favorite). Then you have those lovely ladies who want to “spare their vaginas” & the ones who are “afraid of the labor pains”. It really is so sad….. I do have to add, though, that all babies are groggy for the first 12 hours or so, vaginal birth or C/S. Also, most of the docs at my facility never use staples. The older docs may use them, the lazy ones, of course, and they are used most frequently on overweight patients as well. Aside from that, most docs suture even the skin. I cannot believe some of the things I have read on here and cannot even imagine having to work with doctors like the ones you have described. A lot of precautions are taken place at my facility to prevent infections. I’m sorry you & these other moms had to go through such an ordeal. Good luck and keep up the good posting!! ;c)
I have had two unplanned c sections after laboring 18 hours with my first son and nearly 3 days with my second. my first son has a heart defect that was known at the time of my labor, and the doctors and nurses did all they could to help me delver naturally, but after 18 hours of not progressing past 9 cm, i was advised to have a csection. at that point the baby’s heart rate was dropping and we were both getting pretty tired. My second c section was necessary due to the fact that i didnt progress over the 3 days that i was presumed to be in early labor. i was in severe pain and exhausted and under the care of a birthing center and midwife when i was transported to the hospital. frankly, i didnt get relief until i had my second c section.
I was never restrained or in any serious pain after either of my c sections, and frankly, after i had my epidural both times, i felt great. Although having 2 csections was never the outcome that i had previously planned, overall, i’d say they were both positive experiences. i had zero complications after my first, but after my second, my incision came apart in one one inch section after my two year old ran to me upon returning home from the hospital. i am now 6 weeks post partum after my second c section, and i am doing fine. my bleeding has stopped, and my scar is all closed up already. it’s not going to be pretty, but really, all scars have their stories.
the reason i am sharing is mainly because of what you wrote about the pain after a c section. i think it is different for many people, but in my case it was very manageable. I tried my hardest to have my boys naturally. i went as long as i could with out interventions or pain medications, but ultimately, i realized that maybe my reason for putting myself through all that was my own pride.
Thanks LDRN&Mom. I appreciate your comments as a nurse, who sees this every day. After almost 9 years (since my C-section) change seems very slow.
Hi, I read a few comments both good and bad and wanted to share my story. My son is 1 month old, and was born by c-sections. I went through 16 hours of excruciating labor because my epidural wasn’t working before they told me that my uterus was so swollen that there was no way for my baby to fit through. I had a fever of 104 and was not feeling good. They told me that a c-section was in my best interest but in no way did they try to force it. They offered to let me continue to labor to see if things would change, but I wanted my baby to be ok so I opted for the cesarean. The procedure was painful, I will admit that because like I said the epidural was not working like it should have been even after they tried upping the dose. My boy was born 11 pounds and 12.9 ounces. (I realized then why he would not fit lol) I was not able to hold him immediately but as soon as I was stitched and stapled back together and brought to my room he was given straight to me and he was not groggy in the least. I had the staples removed before I even left the hospital and they put suture tape on the incision. It took about 3 days of sleeping in my recliner before I was able to lay in my bed without hurting, but the pain was not as bad as I thought it would be. My incision healed within 2 1/2 weeks to 3 weeks and the tape fell off on its own. I didn’t even use all my meds. So I realize that not everyone’s situation is the same. So not everyone will have as hard a time as you or many others. 🙂 I knew when I went into that hospital that if anything even started to go wrong major surgery or not, pain or not, if my baby had to come out by Cesarean that was fine by me. I would love to have a VBAC with my next children but if the same situation arises and I have large babies that is fine (though I am not a fan of the belly flap lol)
Thank you for your research I learned a few things I didn’t know 😀
I find this article a bit ridiculous, because its generalizing one experience with C-section. I have also heard many scary stories about vaginal birth and incredible pains – from people near me. Six weeks ago I gave birth with a C-section because of the baby suffering and I must say that it was fantastic. I cant believe still I actually gave birth because it was totally pain free – I must admit that it turned out perfect with me, and I was feeling great. I could move my legs immediately after the surgery and 3 days after I was out of the hospital and walking around all day. The pain I had was less then I used to have with my periods. My incision is now totally healed with no complications and I feel fantastic. I would recommend it to everyone, it couldn’t have turned out better for me, and my baby is perfect and healthy.
I believe every experience and circumstances are different and I guess I was lucky with the hospital and doctor’s choice who have done a wonderful job. I feel like I didnt have a birth at all and it was a great experience and very quick, compared to my colleague who had to suffer a natural birth that lasted 2 days in pain in the hospital where c-sections are not preferred.
I am a 35 year old mother of five. My 3rd child was born via emergency c-section due to the umbilical cord wrapping around his neck. The recovery was both frightening and painful. It took about three weeks to recover from the worst of the pain, but I had to sleep sitting up for almost a month because I couldn’t get out of bed in time to use the restroom. I had another c-section 4 months ago, in which recovery was worse, extremely painful and developed an infection. I had an allergic reaction to the tape adhesive which resulted in tearing of the skin and infection there as well. Books on pregnancy, birth, magazines and TV shows cannot possibly prepare you for the physical and emotional turmoil you experience after surgery. I agree and experienced a lot of issues such as yours and am relieved to know I wasn’t alone in my own. A c-section should not be an option for childbirth except in emergency situations. There are more risks that can affect you physically for the rest of your life no matter your age and health. The biggest shock and disappointment I experienced was the difficulties in taking care of myself. The most degrading was the inability to get off the toilet and ringing for a nurse for help the second day after surgery. I agree that you have no intent on frightening other women with your experience, and respect your honesty by not sugar coating a thing. It may be difficult for others to accept but ignorance is a choice in my opinion. Thank you for sharing..
Hi,
I am twenty-two and pregnant with my second child. I had my daughter when I was 18 (she is now 4 years old). My labor was induced, and after about 27-28 hours, I only dialated less than half of a centimeter. The doctor said we could wait a little longer, but that my baby was most likely going to be delivered via C-section. An hour later, I was in surgery. The surgery went fine, but boy was the recovery a doozy! Luckily my husband helped, but he got up all night with the baby. Of course, I was thankful for this, but by the 4th week I started to do it on my own, feeling like I was missing out. I lost a lot of weight because I was scared that if I ate while taking the pain medication that I would throw up, causing my wound to open up. I did have stitches, and my scar is barely visible. However, when any pressure is applied, the area is still has a numb, tender feeling. I am 12 weeks pregnant and the doctor has not even discussed VBAC. He has however talked about scheduling a ‘C’ when we get an official due date from my sonogram.
Thank you so much for sharing with the world what most women are too scared to. I am one of those women. I am now 5 weeks out from my 4th c-section. And I am on round 2 of antibiotics. I went to my 10th post op dr visit today and they cut my incision back open in hopes that it will clear out the infection and heal from the bottom up. I highly doubt it will though. I have lost a lot of precious time with my newborn due to complications from the surgery. Not to mention all the time I have lost with our other 3 children. My husband has also lost his job due to me being in and out of the hospital and emergency room so much. I can not thank you enough for being so honest about the TRUTHS on c-sections. I personally was made to feel like I had no choice. My first born had gastroschisis. He was born with his small intestines on the outside of his body. My dr told me the only way to ensure he made it through birth was to have a c-section. So I agreed. Of course I wanted what was safest for my son. Well when me second child came along I was told ‘once a c-section, always a c-section’. So of course for number 3 and 4 I had to have one as well. Now I know the dr was dead wrong with my second born. I had options. VBAC being one of them. Anyway… long story short… I am a victim of drs not informing or misleading when it comes to c-sections. And now myself and my family are suffering the consequences. I pray that your experience gets spread around and a lot of women are helped. I wish I had read this 6 years ago when I could have made a smarter decision.
I am done rambling lol. Thank you SO SO SO SO much for caring. And god bless you and your little ones.
Beth
This is the shittiest shit I’ve ever read. I had a c section 2 months ago & I am perfectly fine. Way to be over dramatic.
I had my daughter via c-section 2 years ago. It was an emergency c-section and I never intended to have one so I never gave any look at how awful the CAN very well be.
During my c-section they didnt give me enough anesthesia, and I told them I could feel it whenever the pinched me, but they still went ahead and did it. I felt them cutting into me. It was awful. I was screaming, crying an cussing as loudly as I could. I could even feel them putting their tigers in my behind. (why that’s necessary I haven’t a clue) they had to put me under. Then, my incision site became infected and I was in the hospital for a week and I have a huge nasty scar.
I wish I would have known. Thanks for this post
hello i just want to say i think that your post is helpful i had two c sections myself the frist one was an emergince c section in 2008 my baby had tangled up in my guts and the second one was in 2010 and they both hurt alot but now after two years i have a rising on my scar that keeps bleeding is that normal thanks and hold your head up and don’t let anyone get you down.
i had my c section july 12 2012, and all though its only been 13 days i must a c section was the worse route i could have went in my delivery choice! The first week after was fine i was mobile and taking care of my baby just fine. On monday of this week i started to feel a little ill fever in my belly pressure and i started to bleed from the inscision section!yesterday i started to ooozzze yellowish redish discharge in a large amount, i went to the hospital and they swabbed the section and drew blood told me i had cellulitis, and to see my dr in the morning! Saw my dr. this morning and im telling you the pain i endured was much worse then the first walk after the c section, they had to drive a qtip inside my wond to bust open the area to drain, shove a gauze pad full of peroxide inside me, and im terrified because i go back on friday to do it again. THE ONLY BENIFIT ON THIS WAS THAT I HAVE MY BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY BABY BOY HERE WITH ME, AND I WOULDNT CHANGE THAT FOR THE WORLD.
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I just had an emergency C-section on July 23 for my first baby.
not planning on ever having more children. this experience was not nice at all. I’m still in lots of pain and it gets hard to move around. it has only been two weeks and though I feel better it’s very hard to even walk around. worst pain i’ve ever felt.
I just finished reading this post… and in all honesty I have had a near death experience with a c-section… I carried my son to full term, he was 8.5 pounds and very healthy. I worked very hard to have and enjoy the best pregnancy possible, and i loved it. When it came time for me to have him i was 3 days past my due date, i was in labor for 14 almost exactly after i knew for sure my water broke. After 14 hours and my epidural only effective on one half of my body i really felt like i could no longer take the pain of the doctors coming to check me it was definetly more pain then pressure and i screamed and cried and tried to crawl away from the doctors hand. After 14 hours the doctor told me my son had not moved down at all and my choices were suffer 3 more hours then try to push for 2 and if he still had not progressed down i would be left with only c-section. I really felt as if i could do no more, i was absolutly exhasted already and was in labor all night after a day of no nap, i truly felt i had done and taken all i could. Because my epidural was not completly effective i had to be put to sleep and did not see my baby for almost 2 hours after he was born. When i woke up i was in alot of pain and had to wait still to be taken to see my baby, then i had to be cleaned and put on a new gown and wait for the nurse to take me up. I saw my son first threw the window of the nursery, then i had to be moved into my new bed in my room and for someone to bring him to me. They did not let anyone in my family hold him before me and i was at least thankful for that. They didnt leave him with me for long and i was so tired i sleept most of the day, but then i was up most of the night because i just DID NOT want to let him go, even though they told me he wasnt able to stay in my room the first night because of all the drugs i was on. I feel bad because no one told me he would be so dopped up either… and i was just so happy to hold him and be next to him after we both sleept the day away i didnt take the time to think or notice how he was effected. I did have sever pain and it was hard for me to move around but i did it because he needed me and being a single parent i didnt always have th help i needed. I went home after 4 days of recovery, and i was very sucessful in breastfeeding. I returned to the er two days later after being physicaly and emotionaly in pain still and cried to my grandma, then going to blow my nose and my insision leaking a clear fluid from a tiny hole that must have busted open from the force of my blowing my nose. There was a bit of blood but the site was not red or hot until a couple hours later when i was in treage. They had no room in mother baby for me so when i was admitted they put me where they had spece- in spine and ortho where i spent i think 2 days. My doctor had come to look at me and had even pushed a qtip threw my insision to check the colors i guess that would come out, they did not take blood and do labs or even run any kind of tests, they simply had me on antibiotics the whole time. Then one night everything changed and i noticed a small black bubble above my insision that the nurse told me was only dead skin that would simply flake away. Well my hips had begun to hurt really bad and I figured it was because of laying in bed and maybe i was just stiff so i got up and walked as mush as i could back and forth in my room. The next day I was moved to mother baby where my doctor (not the one who delived my baby) but the one i saw my whole pregnancy took a look at me and said she had never seen anything like what she was looking, she got a calleage to come have a look and she said the same thing. At this point i was in more pain then i had ever known, but it was nothing compared to what was to come. They called a surgeons apprentice come look at me and she soon brought up the real surgeon. He took one look at me and told me i was about to be rushed to the operating room for a life saving operation. Apon waking up this time i was imediatly aware of the iv in my neck and the horrible pain i had to the point that I was terrified to move. It was way more pain then the first surgery and the hospital staff was not nearly as nice or carefull wih me. I was soon informed how bad the situation was… they did not close me but left me with a gaping hole that was from hip to him and probably as big as my face and deep enough that they had gone exploring under my fasha (the tissue that holds ur musscles to your body). I completly lost many days after that only waking when they came to change my gauze (wet to dry dressing) and all i can remember is the nurse giving me more pain meds and telling me i could squeeze her hand as hard as i needed to… well i sure did and i screamed bloody murder and passed out within a matter of seconds. After that they gave me my own room because i scared the other people in recovery. The next time i remember waking they were telling me i almost lost my women parts and was 30 minutes away from getting a hysterectomy… My mother did not bring my son to see me, and i was still so determend that i was going to breastfeed him i would tape the pump to my breasts because i could not stay awake for the 20 minutes i needed. The doctor decided that i could not handle wet to dry dressings and up a wound vac on me… i was relesed from the hospital after 10 days and had to continue to wear my wound vac a total of 8 weeks 24/7 only able to take it off when the nurse would change my sponge…. But if you do not know what a wound vac is its a machine u have to carry around with you that has a canister and a hose that conects to the tape over the sponge that has been cut and inserted into the hole in your body… The tape was almost as bad as waking up from this surgery and every 2 days had to be ripped of my body takeing with it skin and hair from the most sensitive part of a womens body not to mention they almost cut me in half where it was being ripped from. I stayed very swollen after birth and the second surgery. I have never experienced so much pain in my life and everyday was hell tryng to recover almost alone and with a new baby always wearing a machine and having to sometimes take myself to my doctors appointments and my new babys on the bus in the winter…. and even after the machine came off i still had to grow skin over my new flsh. TO THIS DAY i suffer because of this, my son is almost 9 months now and im very thankful just to be here… i have horrible nurve pain and my lumpie skin rubs my clothes, not to mention a lil gas causes enough pressure to bring me pain… The doctors said this was probably all due to the fact that my water may have been broken for to long and bacteria made its way inside me… i had thought my water broke the day before i was in labor but there was no leaking and even if that was possible my son still was no where near even half way down far enpugh where he should have been for me to push him out myself… I thank God everyday im here and raising my son… im still a single mom doing it alone fighting threw the pain… everyday is just a blessing and i take um one at a time happy to be in every moment… but if i could go back i would rather have suffered 3 days of labor to have him vaginaly and not have been opened up where i beleive the infection really started… but after sighning the hospital paper work there was nothing i could do but focus on getting better. I did continue to try and breastfeed but ultimatly my milk suffered a big blow after 10 days and no baby and then many more days of trying to pump all the drugs out of my milk… I hope my story scares someone into being strong and not opting for a c-section because it is scary and could very well be much more, and possibly life threatning to choose c-section. Today my son is a very healthy smart BIG almost 9 month old who loves his mommy and would be lost without me…
I just had my son 12 days ago via c section and this site is amazing she tells it like it is to a T. I went to the OB Dr. for a regular checkup my blood pressure was 193 that us super high so he sent me over to labor and delivery. They couldnt get my blood pressure to drop so they admitted me after 6hrs i was dialated to 3 i wound up being in labor for 25hrs before the Dr. Said i think we need to get you in for a c section asap here are your options, your blood pressure can potentially cause a stroke, seizure and or death so are you ok with this? I asked several questions and then said ok. I was scared to death. Not only had i gotten an epideral while in labor now i needed to get a spinal tap for a c section. It was pretty scary. Durring the c section my body absorbed the anestesia pretty fast and i started to feel things again. I puked the whole c section, imagine being strapped down to a table numb from the waste down laying flat on your back with your arms tied down puking your guts up. I was bleeding a lot they had complications getting it to stop. I had lost a lot of blood. They aparently thought it had stopped bleeding when they stitched and stapled me up. I was so out of it it was hard to even care that the baby was out. I spent a total of 7 days in the hospital with numerous complications everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong. I was so sick for almost a whole day that i couldnt care for my son. His original birthweight was 7lbs 9oz by the time i was able To get to my son and care for him he had lost almost a pound. He was now 6lbs 13oz it broke my heart. I was breast feeding him so they couldnt bottle feed him. I knew he needed to eat so i gave them the okay to give him some formula. He spent the rest of the time puking that up. My heart sank and i misses my son so very much. He was my first child and already i knew i didnt want anymore kids. How could people ever do this more than once? Throught my stay at the hospital i told several Drs and nurses something was wrong, yet no one took me seriously. I had no energy i could hardy walk and when i did i got woozy, blacked out and fell due to not being able to withstand the pain. They did several blood work tests and collapsed my veins, had IVs bust in my arms my body couldnt tolerate much more. It just want functioning right. I went from having my baby to being flat stomached again almost instantly but throught my stay i bloated up the size of being 9 months pregnant again and it hurt so very bady. They had to give me an enema like thing several times trying to stop it. Finally on day 6 they realize that my blood count is very low and i need a blood transfusion… that was scary. So i got the blood transfusion and was discharged the next day. Was back in the hospital 4 days later because my incision was pouring out blood. This was just yesterday Dr said i was fine, i knew something was wrong so i requested an ultra sound. The ultra sound tech said is your bladder full? I said nope just peed and she said wow thats a huge mass you got there. She had a Dr come in and look at it and he sent me to the ER I have a blood clot 3cm down into my skin and its 4inches tall and 6 inches wide pretty nasty and painful. Right now they only have me putting hot compresses on it for the next 3 days and if it doesnt breakup we have to reopen the incision and drain it out. No fun. Just sharing my story… still dealing with the issues…
I am sorry that your c-section went so horribly. And many do. But these sites make me as a mother, whose had 2 c/s, extremely sad. Just like there are scare tactics on natural birth, this is also a scare tactic. I did not have ANY of the things you described. I had NO pain for either of my sections. I didn’t take one drop of pain meds. My scar is 4.5 inches long (very small) and was stitched (not stapled) by a meticulous surgeon-he couldn’t even find the scar when he was doing my prenatal exam. MOST people who have a c/s, do not suffer horrible incisions that are hip to hip, or horrible infections at the site. THIS is not the ‘reality’ of a c/s, this is the reality of a YOUR c/s-not all of them. Obviously, vaginal birth is much better, but c/s are sometimes required for medical reasons. Websites like this terrify people that may have to have one. It really is a shame.
I 100% agree with samantha, i had a section a week and six days ago
And i feel the same now as i did before i had it, i hace no pain and real
Labour is a thousand times more painful than a section, and i only got
To 2 cm dilated :/. So i dont know wat went wrong with your secrion to
Make you feel u have to put it up on the internet and scare alot of people
That may be nervous enough anyway. Myn was an emergancy section
But i do agree with you wen u say about the celebs being “to posh to push”
Its bloody ridiculous. But anyways not criticising u just think u could of
Not put in ur speach that its agonising etc cos nervous mammy to be’s will read and probably freak right out for bo apparent reason cos it aint like wat ya said. Sorry to be blunt lol. Xx
My incision site healed pretty well with normal complications in the beginning but now it’s 16 months later and one side is opened up a bit. There’s a faint smell to it, I noticed from dabbing a qtip and very very slight yellow staining but nothing oozing out though. I keep my incision site clean and dry. And I let it air dry as well. I have now started applying antibiotic cream to the opening and keep some sterile non-stick gauze there hoping it will heal up. Nothing shows up on the gauze. But I can tell it’s open. It’s almost an inch wide and slightly red and looks like there are skin or fat cells showing. This was also my first c-section. Has anyone else experienced the incision opening a bit a year or so AFTER surgery? There was no trauma to the site or anything.
I have had 3 c sections and although it was some years ago now…my children are 24 22 and 18 I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I have a very small pelvis and unfortunately would hardly dilate. I found this out with my first child the doc gave me benefit of the doubt and broke my waters and 12 hours later hardly dilated – it then became an emergency section as hearbeat of baby became urgent, I was put to sleep and do not rIemember waking up, seeing my daughter or even knowing what I had…I spent most of the night being really sick and coughing my guts up which was not good for the wound…My daughter was bottle fed through the night by nurses, when I woke in the morning she was in front of me in her crib and it felt quite difficult for me to believe that was my baby…..I was in hospital for 10 days as she had jaundice and I found it really hard going……….When i went home life was slow I had a pain in my right hip many times and I do so to this day. I got pregnant a year later and had a son…..the wound was infected and didnt heal up to 6 months after i had him. Four years later I had another daughter but had her awake….She is the only one I have seen pretty much after being born……
Every time of the month my scar would really throb because my stomach had blown up….I have always suffered with trapped wind since having my first c section, needless to say my bladder was torn and when I have an hysterectomy some years ago, they found my bladder was fused to my womb and had a large hole in it……I was told clearly this was from my section…..My stomach has always had a huge overhang like a kangeroo pouch and my figure is definately ruined………I am grateful that all my children came out alive and healthy thanks to all concerned…but clearly I do think my insides are never to be the same again
Think everyone of us can tell a different story and perhaps we shouldn’t belittle each other and say its shite, or ridiculous, or other things…..obviously the more c sections you have the more stories you can tell and I can honestly that caesareans have certainly affected me physically and also mentally
Thank you
I have 3 children my 1st being a natural vaginal birth which resulted in my child having a birth injury. My second was an emergency c section. I was up and moving around like nothing happen 8 days later. Right now I am 3 weeks after my 2nd c-section, and I feel terrible still. Some days I feel just as bad as I did the 1st day. I would personally have vaginal birth over c-section when it comes to the recovery time for me but I must say that a c-section saved my 2nd child’s life and assure me my 3rd child would be taked safely. If my 1st born would have been an emergency c-section it would have saved him from the birth injuries he recieved. So to me all the pain I am now going through now, the risk of infection, the cost, and all the other possible problem are worth it to make sure my babies are delivered without injury. This will be my last baby the pain of a c-section this time around is just too much for me.
Why do some women get so irate when other women tell the truth about cesarean birth??? I have had two surgical births after having two vaginal natural births. I thank you for telling the truth. It is NOT ‘just’ another way of giving birth…It can mean months and years of suffering:(
I had an emergency c-section after two days of painful labor at 42 weeks. Hubby got to see baby right away, I got to have her head rest on my neck and hold her hand as they stitched me back up. I had my first bowel movement the next day, though a bit painful, and was painless and regular by the third day. My milk came in on day two and baby happily breastfed- the boppy pillow helped a lot! By the 5th day I was pumping 3 oz per breast for baby -after-hours she was done eating. The day after I left the hospital, I went on a two hour trip to.see family.for Christmas. I feel more active and.pain free now than when I was pregnant!
I was very determined to walk the day after my surgery, they said that sped.up the process for me. I’d do it all again for baby Amy!