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Hello, I just had a c-section a week ago at 39 weeks and I just wanted to share my wonderful experience. In the weeks leading to my surgery I had read almost every post on this forum which was extremely helpful! When I went in for my c-section I was so well informed on everything that was going to happen both during the surgery and post-op. If you are going to have a cesarean, read through this whole forum!
So here is my experience. First I should mention that I have had one child already by vaginal delivery and this time I opted for a c-section. I had no medical reason, but I suffer from severe panic attacks and I wanted my delivery to be controlled and quick. So my boyfriend and I went in at 9:30 for a 12:30 surgery time. There was alot of waiting and preop stuff, like iv fluids, antibiotics, shaving the pubic area, etc. After what seemed like an eternity, it was time for me to be wheeled back to the OR. My boyfriend waited outside & put on his cute little OR outfit :-) Then I met the anesthesiologist and I discussed with him that I had terrible panic attacks so he gave me what he called a "magarita" :-) This relaxed me somewhat. Then he did the spinal which was suprisingly very quick, simple, problem-free and effective. It is just a shot in the spine, instead of a an epideral where there is a tube inserted into the spine that stays there. In my opinion the spinal was a better experience than the epi that I had with my vaginal. Then they inserted the foley.
After the spinal my boyfriend was allowed to come into the room. I was extremely nervous even though I had the relaxing med, taking deep breaths really really helped me. What also help calm me was the fact that my twin sister is a NICU RN and she was in my delivery and was the person in charge of caring for my baby once delivered. So she was there to comfort me as well as my boyfriend.
So once the surgery started there is this burning smell that I had never read about and its the smell of them cutting your skin :-/ but goes away quickly. I then realized that I could see the surgery in the reflection of the surgical lights above me! That completely freaked me out so I just focused on my boyfriend.
It seemed like my dr, who is amazing I must add, had just started the surgery when she said, I see hair! There was pressure but not too bad, no pain. Then my beautiful 8 lb baby boy was out. He started crying immediently which then made me cry, out of extreme joy of course. My sister cleaned him and brought him over for me to kiss and then took him to the nursery with my boyfriend.
As soon as the baby was out I started shaking uncontrollably, which lasted about an hour after surgery and I was told it was just the cold OR room & my body reacting to surgery. They then finished sewing me up & sent me to recovery for about 45 min where people could come visit & show me pics of my bundle of joy. There they attempted to control my shaking with demerol but that would only last 5 min & they would have to give it again, but like I said, it went away after an hour.
Then I went to my postpartum room where my baby was brought to me. The spinal wore off after about 2 hours and there was alot of pain which they then controlled with meds, but you still feel pain. However, seeing & holding your beautiful child dulls this pain. TAKE THE MEDS!! And take them on time, if the nurse forgets, remind her!! Its very important to keep up with these. I took the maximum amount while in the hospital, I have a very low tolerance for pain.
I was allowed only broth & juice for 24 hours but this was ok because I wasnt really hungry. They took the foley out the next morning at about 8 and I took a shower. Painful but bearable. I was walking later that day and was suprised at the strength I had. They will continuously ask you if you have passed gas & bowel movements. I had read on this forum about terrible gas pain after the surgery, so I took gas medicine to the hospital, took it, & had no gas pain. They gave me a suppository which made me have my first bowel movement no problem.
I know this annoys some people, but the whole experience was actually quite easy, so much better than I expected. The baby and I went home after 2 days. I was sent home with a prescription for loratab & motrin & this combination is really effective for the pain. I suggest that you take it every for to 6 hours as recommended once you get home. It keeps you comfortable & lets you accomplish so much more. Its quite painful if you miss a dose. I also requested a prescription for an antibiotic because I had read stories about infection on this board & I wanted to prevent this.
I am so happy with my decision to have an elective section. It depends on how you are personally feeling, but I was out to church and lunch 4 days later, small trips to the store, etc. It has been a week and I feel almost back to normal! Its amazing. The most beautiful experience of my life. I didnt have to worry about damage to my vaginal/rectal area or the trauma of birth on the baby. The nurses and staff were so amazing, caring, and sympathetic. I cant say enough how happy I am that I went this route. Sorry my story is so long, but I tried to address every aspect of the experience that I was wondering about before my surgery.

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