I have had 3 C-sections now and so I consider myself quite experienced. Although I did ask my OBGYN how many C-sections a woman can have, he told me that it is case-by-case and that he had just performed a woman's SIXTH C-section! Amazing. Here is a little bit of my story with my first C-section, the Reader's Digest version.
I have a family history of BIG babies. My husband does, too. 7 pound babies? HA! I had my last baby 2 1/2 weeks early and SHE was 7 pounds. At 39 weeks with my first baby, I was ginormous and not even dilated to 1 cm. My OBGYN knew my family history (big heads) and scheduled an ultrasound to measure my baby boy's head. When we did the ultrasound, the technician giggled because sure enough, my baby had a huge head just like all the boys in the family before him. My doctor recommended a C-section, I trusted him and his expertise and so we went with it.
My second C-section was because I was dying (not really but it felt like it) and wanted to get the baby the $!*@$#%! out. And the hospitals in Utah make it rather difficult to have a VBAC these days.
Third C-section was because I had to. Unless I wanted to have the baby at home. No, thank you (no offense to those who are in to that). My third C-section was my easiest and I think it was because I had learned what helps to recover, what doesn't help and what to avoid (like SNEEZING AND COUGHING).
Here are the things that I learned:
1: Get up and get moving. WHAT????!?!! Yes, that is right! Within 24 hours of my first baby being born, the nurses took out my catheter and wanted me to get up and walk. I thought they were nuts. Didn't I need to stay in bed for like a month?! Wouldn't I just split right open and what if my guts spilled out? I resisted with my first birth. I didn't want to. And guess what? Harder recovery. The reason the nurses want you to get out of bed is because it speeds up the recovery. After my third, I bounced (very gingerly) out of bed as soon as they would let me. I walked around a lot. I pushed myself more (partly because I was confident my guts were not going to spill out). I would walk around (like a 120 year old woman) and push my baby in her bassinet and sometimes it sucked but it really helped.
2. You will be able to pee again, I promise, just be patient. It took me several tries to finally be able to pee after having the surgery. I could tell my bladder was so full and finally, I just had to sit there for over an hour and I was able to succeed. Who knew I could be so excited to pee? It was like potty training all over again where I threw myself a little par-tay.
3. Don't eat too much too soon after the surgery. I made this mistake after my third baby. I was sooooo hungry. I finally convinced the nurses to let me eat, they did, I ate, I felt fine, then all of the sudden.... my mom was having a great time holding my barf pan. Bless her.
4. Sleep. You will need it and want it. Thankfully, the painkillers help with that. Sleep when you have down time without visitors.
5. BE AWARE if you begin to get pains in your shoulder or back. Pains that feel like they need a massage. This is my least favorite part about a C-section. It is GAS. Your body wants to pass gas and your intestines are all jumbled and confused, so somehow the gas goes to different parts of your body. That is the dummy explanation because I don't even know how this is possible but it happens, sort of like that anyway. And it can be really uncomfortable. The nurses can give you simethicone to help. With my third baby, I asked for it right off the bat.
6. It is ok if you need to cry your face off for awhile. The nurses understand. They're not judging. No need to apologize.
7. After you get home, your biggest challenge will be getting up from the laying down position. At least this is how it was for me. When the baby would wake up in the night and I needed to sit up so I could get him/her, it would hurt like a mother. And it was hard. Instead of trying to sit up, roll over on your side first, then try rolling out of bed slowly, then stand up slowly. Less abs needed.
8. Use your husband/boyfriend/partner/friend. They want to help. They are there to help. Sometimes, we need to just let them help.
9. IF you are unlucky enough to have the natural need to sneeze or cough that entire first week or two, oh-em-gee, sit up, take a pillow, put it over your incision and press down as you sneeze/cough. And then cry if you need, but the pillow should help. I didn't do this after my second baby and I split my incision open a little bit. Nothing major but still, no fun at all!
10. There is always the risk of an infection after a C-section. I contracted an infection in my uterus during my second C-section. It didn't show it's ugly face for at least a week, but when it did, it put me to tears. My uterus began contracting every 30-60 seconds, I couldn't sit up, I felt like I was dying. I didn't know what was wrong and I was really freaked out. My husband took me to my OBGYN and he knew right away what it was. He could feel my uterus through my stomach and it was swollen and VERY tender. He prescribed antibiotics and it went right away. Phew!
Medical advances are amazing. My mom has repeatedly said that if we were living just 100 years ago, I would have likely not survived the birth of my first baby. And my sister would have not survived the birth of her boy (big head, never fails). I am thankful to have had the option of a planned C-section. If you find yourself in a situation similar to mine, it can be scary, but you are definitely not alone. Hang in there and be positive. You will feel like yourself again someday, believe it or not. Good luck!!
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