c section

I had a spinal - It is a weird sensation, but you will be so busy loving on your new baby you genuinely will be recovered and have your movement back before you know it! You’ll be hungry, thirsty, and desperate for cuddles with your baby; recovery is busy with lots of checking blood pressure, taking meds, breastfeeding baby (if you choose to!)… its an absolute magical whirlwind!

@Tierney thank you🙏 bit of a shock last minute and not sure how to feel about it all so thank you for your reassurance

I had a C-section recently for my baby boy and was also extremely worried and anxious about the whole thing! If I’m honest it really wasn’t that bad, the build up to it was the worst bit in my experience and the staff were so amazing as I told them how anxious i was from the beginning and they reassured me and talked me through everything as it was happening. I didn’t even feel the epidural go in and once baby had been born you won’t even be worried about not feeling your legs etc as you will be in your little baby bubble and it will soon wear off. For recovery, I recommend you trying to get up and walk around the bed as soon as you safely can, even if it’s just a few steps. Wishing you lots of luck 🩵

@Eden honestly when I was pregnant a c-section was my absolute worst case scenario, I was dreading it… but I also had to have an elective and it was a really calm and lovely experience - i would be happy to have one again if needed!

I had a planned c section and it wasn't an epidural but a spinal block. It does feel weird but doesn't hurt at all. The only thing that made me uncomfortable was feeling them pull my baby out but once she was out, I napped and woke up feeling okay. Was walking straight after that!! I had an amazing experience tbh. You'll be fine; all the best! ✨💓

I didn't have a c section or an epidural but you totally lose track of time once baby is here I had my baby at 8.23am and was about 1pm by time I was all sutured after a 2nd degree tear and moved to postnatal ward if id had an epidural I'm sure it would be starting to wear off by the time I was required to do any moving I hope the whole process goes well for you

Is it not your choice to have a C-section? I haven't had one and share the same anxiety for anesthesia. I would say prepare yourself with meditations you can go back to on the day. After your baby is born I think you'll be too busy to even notice, but the before must be daunting I can imagine...

@Elle it is always your choice however you want to have your baby, but they will sometimes advise a c-section for various reasons. I had one as baby was breech, so risk of elective c-section was less than attempting a vaginal delivery.

@Tierney I see what you mean, then it is just medical advice and I guess if she really doesn't want one she can try without one and see if she actually needs one on the day depending on the circumstances I guess ? I haven't been in that situation so I don't really know if you can just refuse

@Elle no i had actually only recently came to the conclusion that i definitely didn’t want a c section purely because of the epidural but not only is my wee baby breech he’s footling breech so he’s just standing there basically waiting to get his foot out the door quite literally lol…. said they could try manipulating him into the right position but i definitely didn’t want this for him, so c section it is.. im sure it’ll be fine they must do hundreds of them, im just a bit of a stress head sometimes and my body goes into panic mode when i feel odd sensations which is why im pretty sure i may have a panic attack which is going to be very inconvenient but at the end of it all i get my little boy and i can’t wait to meet him..

@Elle you can absolutely refuse, nobody is going to force anything on anyone, but for me personally I’m taking the medical advice from people who deliver babies every day! As mentioned above, for some situations it really is the only feasible option if you want the safest outcome - labour would likely result in an emergency section anyway which is far more stressful.

@Eden oh I see, my girl turned quite 'late' and I had planned to give birth vaginally no matter what, talked to specialised breech team in my hospital as I didn't want the thing where they turn baby either. If I am completely honest it was for the same reason as you, sensations like anesthesia make me go into full panic but as you never know how things go, I had prepared myself mentally just in case I would need anesthetics for any reasons (epidural, stitches, c section). I did guided meditations and learnt breathing techniques to relax and I still use them now that I am postpartum whenever I feel panicky. I believe the apprehension is actually worse that what it will actually be, and they must have plenty of people having panic attacks. You might as well just tell them how it makes you feel and hopefully they'll help you through it. I hope you go on having a beautiful calm and relaxed birth. Last step before meeting your biggest love, you've got this 🤍

Also it could be great for your birthing partner to help you find relaxation techniques to bring you back from panic mode. Nice way to keep them involved x

@Elle yeah and i just keep telling myself, i’ve dealt with the last 9 months it’s not gunna matter what happens in the last 45 mins lol.. 😂 trying to just block out the thoughts for now :) thank youu sm🙏

@Tierney I completely understand and agree that it must be way more stressful to end up having one last minute. Btw I looked at your profile and your baby is absolutely adorable 😍

@Elle ah thank you! I’m a bit biased but I agree 😍

@Eden for real, look what your body has done growing a beautiful baby. Honestly, you'll end up giving birth to your beautiful baby and that's all that matters. Maybe you can also do some visualisation of how things happen, like going to the room, getting the spinal block, the tingly feeling, the music you want to play, etc until holding your baby in your arms. Maybe if you play the scene enough in your head and trick your brain to see there is no danger, you might end up completely relaxed on the day x

@Elle sounds good, i’ll try figure something out i guess instead of just worrying, sounds like a plan :)

I am not good with needles and did panic BUT the midwives are incredible, they helped with my breathing and talked me back into a calm state. Talk with your midwife before about your concerns and anxieties so they are prepared in helping you through. Also look into hypnobirthing and meditation, it’s an incredibly powerful tool. An elective is a very calm process. It feels weird but doesn’t feel bad. For recovery, I had no issues. Make sure you get a good nights sleep before going in as you won’t get much in hospital. Nap in the day as much as you can as well. At home, take it easy and get someone to bring you everything you need so you can concentrate on feeding baby and recovering.

I had a planned section. I wasn’t bothered by the idea until I was in the room. I was then petrified. Didn’t feel the spinal at all and in a weird way enjoyed the surgery. I found it so interesting. Honestly I had the best experience and if I am lucky enough to do it again I would wish for thr same thing x

It’s definitely a weird feeling but when I look back at my Csection pain doesn’t come into it at all, a weird feeling for sure but they do these all day every day. The anaesthetist will be with you all the time checking you’re okay, she did my spinal excellently, hardly felt a thing, checked I couldn’t feel anything from below my chest with some cold spray then off they went and I had no idea until I felt them pushing my abs I think trying to push baby down ready to pull out. I said I felt sick so she gave me an anti sickness I believe and then chatted away to me and said right baby is about to come! Then I hear the most beautiful cry in the world and believe me when I say from that point you don’t give a damn what they’re doing to you you’re just trying to peak round as your baby gets wrapped up then laid safely in your arms ❤️ after I was really itchy but that faded as the feeling in my legs came back after only a couple of hours, was walking after 8 x

@Lor aw wow okay, that deff makes me feel better thank you :)

@Lor this also makes me feel at ease☺️ I’m having one soon and im absolutely scared if something going wrong .. but I’m an over-thinker so this really helps! X

The epidural wasn’t that bad if I’m honest, the loss of sensation doesn’t last long at all and once the c-section is over, within a few hours all the feelings come back. Tbh the recovery was surprisingly quite quick and you are so focused on baby you don’t even notice it. I understand why it might be scary but it’s so short lived I think you’ll probably forget about it! I also hate needles but I much preferred the epidural in comparison to the contractions I was experiencing which were awful! The c-section itself was really good and I didn’t feel a thing, it’s an odd feeling being awake whilst they are tugging at you but the arrival of baby makes it all worth it.

I had an emergency c section and my main thing would be to make sure you ask any questions you may have. I left the room unsure of exactly why I needed the c section but in the moment I was happy to go ahead for the safety of my baby. I felt absolutely nothing when they did the injection on me and it was done so quickly. The effects of it happened so quickly that I don’t even recall it happening. Also it’s really important to know that it’s totally normal for you to feel distant for the first day or two from your baby/situation straight after. Where I couldn’t use my arms due to the injection and exhaustion I struggled to hold him or breast feed him and I felt really overwhelmed which caused me to basically tell everyone else to hold him and I didn’t feel safe etc. This went away quite quickly once I could get out of bed etc. Honestly even though mine was an emergency c section with buzzer and everything, it’s not as scary as it seems. You can do this!