I thought I would take a second to answer the questions that I posted on our facebook page over the past couple of days related to c-sections.
Click "like" on this status if you had a c-section... was it planned? emergency? We will have some c-section posts over the next few days and would love any moms with experience to comment/post.
I had a c-section in July 2009 with my daughter... It was unplanned for fetal intolerance to labor.
Okay moms that have had c-sections, how long after delivery was it before your baby was skin-to-skin or snuggled up to you?!
I feel very fortunate. It was probably 5-10 minutes after delivery that she was being held by my husband and snuggled up to my shoulder and face. As soon as I was moved from the table to my recovery bed (still in the operating room) she was placed skin to skin and I held her as they wheeled me into recovery. I was nauseated, exhausted and don't remember these moments very well but I can remember how beautiful she was and how happy I was that she was okay. I don't remember exactly when but I know there was someone helping me breastfeed her while I was still in the first hour of recovery. I think she latched well... I can't remember. I do remember my family kept calling her a little lizard because her tongue was going in and out of her mouth so much... I'm lucky that even after a stressful labor and c-section she was ready to latch from the moment she was born.
Was your c-section recovery easier or harder than you expected? What surprised you most about the recovery? Was your pain well controlled?
It was SO much harder than I expected. I am amazed as I watch women moving around on only motrin day one post surgery!! I still can't believe the burning feeling that I felt for the first couple of days at the incision site. I staggered motrin and percocet for pain control. It worked okay but I was on pain meds for a couple of weeks. I had a very hard time walking up stairs and/or leaning over to pick up my baby for at least a couple weeks after I got home. I thought it was strange that one side of my incision always hurt more (I think the left side) than the other. I remember being surprised at the numbness at the incision site. I had never thought about the nerve endings being cut during surgery. I don't have a vaginal delivery to compare my experience with but it was about 6 months before I really felt like my body had recovered.
We will be continuing with c-section posts and discussions... the reality is that many women deliver via c-section (32.8% in 2010, CDC National Center for Health Statistics). Many of these are unexpected, unplanned. What can we do to better support and prepare our c-section moms? The World Health Organization suggests that best outcomes for mom and baby occur with a c-section rate of 10-15%. What are we doing and what can we do to lower our c-section rates? So, so many things to explore... thanks for participating and sharing!!
1 comment:
I had a emergency c-section with my daughter in 2009 as well. Her heart rate crashed and off I went to surgery waving good bye to my husband (who didn't have time to change and be in the room with me). I was knocked out. While waking up I was being told that I had, had a daughter and was taken to a recovery area for 2 hours. Turned out that the cord was next to her ear and my contraction were cutting off her oxygen supply. My husband was able to immediately after the delivery go into the nursery and help bathe our daughter and spend that first 2 hours with her. After being moved to my official room my husband wheeled the baby in and handed her to me. I refused all drugs except the motrin. They still had me on a morphine drip that I had control over and didn't push that button but a handful of times. The pain was bad but I really didn't want my daughter to get it in her system. At this point I found out that I had been cut open a good 10 to 12 inches.
Coming home was hard I couldn't get in our bed and slept in a recliner for the first 2 weeks holding our daughter. I ended up back in the ER after those first 2 weeks with a kidney infection and was no longer able to breast feed my daughter while on those drugs. Luckily she went right back to beast feeding after I was done with the meds. After I recovered from that I threw my back out and ended back in the ER. It was a lot harder then I thought it would be to recover.
I remember the numbness and random tingling almost pains that would occur when I leaned into something. Mine was on the right side.
Being pregnant again with our second has been a little scary knowing what what I through the first time. We are planning on having a v-bac. I feel more prepared this time around. I started seeing an awesome chiropractor 2 years ago and my back is in the best condition it has been in, in years. I have hired a doula who is almost done with her midwife training for extra support and information. I just keep envisioning how I would like this birht to go and hope that is what happens.
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