Moms who had scheduled repeat c sections

[Deleted]

Did you have a gentle c section? If so, did it actually go according to plan? Did you actually get to do immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding? Was recovery actually easier than unscheduled? If no to any of that, what didn’t go according to plan?

Did your H get to be with you for the spinal or did they make you do it alone? Was it cold when you got the spinal? Did the anesthesia make you shake or vomit? Were you allowed to have a doula or other additional support person in the OR?

Would you have done anything differently?

Did your OB talk to you about risks of placenta abnormalities for a future pregnancy?

I just have a compulsive need for more information.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2018 11:50:09 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Did you have a gentle c section? If so, did it actually go according to plan? Did you actually get to do immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding? Was recovery actually easier than unscheduled? If no to any of that, what didn’t go according to plan?

Did your H get to be with you for the spinal or did they make you do it alone? Was it cold when you got the spinal? Did the anesthesia make you shake or vomit? Were you allowed to have a doula or other additional support person in the OR?

Would you have done anything differently?

Did your OB talk to you about risks of placenta abnormalities for a future pregnancy?

I just have a compulsive need for more information.

I had one unscheduled, one scheduled.

I don’t know what a gentle c section is, but I told my doc that I wanted to do skin to skin and to BF immediately, and so they brought a nurse in to support on those goals. Went great. DS did have a low first apgar so it took awhile, though (they had to bring in the respriatory team).

Yes, the anesthesia made me shake. I don’t remember throwing up, but I do remember shaking and being freezing cold. The anesthesiologist was great and helping me through it. My husband wasn’t there while it was placed but came in right after, and there was als a nurse helping me.

Recovery was WAY easier. We were walking on the beach a week later. Needed help but minimal in the hospital. With ds1, it was a good 3 weeks before I could do something like that.

I don’t think I’d change anything. It went great.

[icedcoffee]

Mine wasn't a repeat, but it was scheduled so I can answer some of these (DS was breech so I never went into labor). It did go according to plan except I had to do it 1 week earlier than it was scheduled because my fluid was low. The skin to skin wasn't immediate. They basically pulled him out, cleaned him up and swaddled him while they stitched me up then rolled us into recovery. Once in recovery we did skin to skin and breastfed. I'd say this was maybe 20 minutes after he was pulled out?

H was not allowed in while they did the spinal. They brought him in after I was prepped and ready for the first incision. The spinal was fine except my anesthesiologist was a major douche canoe and he was really mean to me. The room was freezing, but I wouldn't say I was cold. They had warm blankets for me later. I had no bad reactions to the anesthesia. I think my hospital limits it to 1 person in the OR.

My OB had no concerns about issues for a future pregnancy.

[hamster]

Mine wasn't a repeat (yet) but I can answer some of the questions still! I had a scheduled c-section due to a large, breech baby.

I showed up at the hospital when my water broke a week ahead of the schedule. I was hooked up for monitoring, given an IV, and confirmed baby was still head up. Then they did routine surgical prep of shaving, catheter, etc. This was all in a L&D room with H present. When I was wheeled into the OR, H changed into his scrubs. He was not allowed to be there for the spinal. I had a nurse and I believe my OB there comforting me. It was absolutely the worst part of the whole experience for me. It hurt like a SOB. I do remember not feeling well after which could have been due to adrenaline or the medicine. I think they gave me something for nausea? I don't remember getting the shakes. 
Once I was laying down they brought H in. He was allowed to sit up at my head, hold my hand, etc. He's pretty weak medically (we actually intended to medicate him, but my water broke too soon!) but he was a rock star. Probably out necessity since I was a mess. You are only allowed one person in the OR with you, so you would have to choose between a doula and your H. Not sure if they make exceptions to this ever, but in your case I'd probably push for one. 

My recovery was freakishly easy, but I was forced to walk a ton in the first week so that may have helped. But even my OB finds my recovery kind of ridiculous, so my experience here is probably not helpful.

I have no idea if it was considered gentle or not. It's a baby-friendly hospital, so I'm pretty sure that was the goal but he got whisked away to the NICU before any of that happened. I only saw him briefly at 6:30 a.m. and then not again until, like, 4 pm when I felt recovered enough to make it down there. 

I suppose the only thing I might do differently is i took a pretty heavy dose of pain meds immediately after than left me pretty foggy, but I was pretty fearful of the pain that might be coming my way. But I also now react to both vicodin and percocet so I don't know what I'll do for pain management in the future. 

My OB has mentioned nothing of potential future complications short of my pre-e when I asked her. 

[CrazyLucky]

My first c-section was emergency and the second was scheduled.
The second was much better in terms of time for skin to skin contact. I don't think it was immediate, but it wasn't four hours like it was with the first one. DH was not allowed to be there for the spinal. The anesthesia did not make me sick or cold. H was with me in the OR, holding my hand. I'm not sure if he watched or not. I know he didn't with the first one because the whole thing was emotionally traumatic. I think I would have been allowed a doula, but I didn't have one so it didn't matter.
Recovery was pretty much the same. Maybe a little tougher for the second one because I had a minor infection and a 2 year old.
DD is 6 and DS is 8. The hospital had changed a lot even in those two years, so you may have a totally different experience.
We were done after two, so I wasn't concerned about future pregnancies.

I think that emotionally, the recovery of the second one was much easier. I knew for most of the pregnancy that it would be a c-section. I didn't go into labor. I knew what day she'd be born. And there was no fear of losing her. DS is 8 and I still get tears in my eyes when I think about his birth and how scared we were. It probably wasn't a big deal, but first time parents, hormones, etc made it scary.

Do you have any specific concerns?

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2018 12:03:16 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

my anesthesiologist was a major douche canoe and he was really mean to me.

This is like a HUGE issue for me. I HATE that you can't pick your anesthesiologist. I had a really good one for my first hand surgery in December, so I requested her for my second one in March. Except I didn't get her. Well that one gave me a slightly different drug cocktail (I have looked at the records and can tell there were differences but can't tell exactly what they were because anesthesiologist notes are ridiculous and pretty much impossible for a non-doctor to read), and that drug cocktail made me sick. I don't understand why he didn't just give me the exact same thing the first one gave me since that didn't make me sick. It didn't occur to me to ask exactly what the cocktail would be, and nobody tells you.

I wish you could choose your L&D nurses and your anesthesiologist. If any of the nurses I had with babyharpy so much as comes within 50 feet of me, I will scream bloody murder. Not a fucking one of them will be allowed near me. There are exactly two nurses from the mom/baby unit I would allow near me. One of them was so awful I'd seriously call the police to report assault if she ever laid a finger on me.

[ewall]

I didn't have a gentle c-section. I'm not sure if it was offered by the hospital. It's not something I was interested in. Clear drape, no, not for me. But I was definitely more with it for my scheduled repeat c-section.

Walked in to the OR. DH was instructed to wait outside until spinal was placed. He sat in the same chair as last time in the hallway. I leaned on a nurse while getting my spinal and communicated what felt good, what didn't. Mood was festive, music playing in background, all the nurses getting set up and doing their checks, counts, etc. Advantage of scheduled was that I met with the anesthesiologist prior to my surgery and had opportunity to discuss my concerns. I was worried about low BP and nausea. So we were on the same page in the OR, she listened to my concerns and watched out for those signs. They had me comfortable and stable prior to starting the actual surgery. I mostly chatted with everyone in the OR, asking lots of questions before and after they pulled DD out. This helped me stay calm. I let DH worry about the baby. DD got a very quick check over and was on my chest pretty much immediately. I did not attempt to breastfeed in the OR, but we did skin to skin and breastfeeding my entire time in recovery. Dr. Oz was on the recovery room TV talking about French fries which is torture when you are hungry.

There was no discussion of placenta abnormalities after either of my c-sections.

Recovery was easier in that I was not exhausted. I could enjoy my baby immediately. But the actual c-section recovery still took just as long which is frustrating when all you want to do is bounce right back. I'm 10 weeks out right now and feel fine other than some tugging/stretching feelings when I attempt to workout.

[isabel]

Second was scheduled. I went into labor about 9 hours before I was supposed to have it and the motherfucking nurse refused to give me an epidural because I "wasn't far enough along". Never mind that I never ever intended to have a vaginal birth, so it was totally a moot point. So, basically my second C-section was just as bad as my first.

I was too out of it to do immediate skin to skin, though I would have liked to.

I think I'm angrier about my second birth experience than my first, actually. I'm sure that's not particularly helpful, knowing your experience.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2018 12:10:11 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

Do you have any specific concerns?

LOL. Most of them. All of them? (This will be funnier if you say it in CNN anchor Briana Keilar's voice when she was talking to Michael Cohen about polls during the 2016 election season.)

I don't want to be alone for the spinal. I don't want to shake. I don't want to throw up. I want to hold my baby. I can only find positive stories online about gentle c sections (increasing in popularity for scheduled sections, where you can see the baby coming out, get immediate skin to skin, etc.), but what happens when it doesn't go as planned? I don't want to have abdominal surgery and the recovery that goes with it. I don't want to feel like I have to limit my family size due to the risk of placental abnormality, which increases with each C-section. I could go on.

(Note: I'm not pregnant.)

[Deleted]

isabel, I'm so angry for you about that nurse! This is what I'm talking about - you don't get to pick your nurses, and yes, a lot of labor and delivery nurses are great. But guess what? They're human, which means some of them are assholes, too! I have purposely sought out a non-asshole OB, but I can't choose a non-asshole team of nurses or a non-asshole anesthesiologist (and based IME, a solid 2/3 of anesthesiologists are assholes...as a specialty, it really seems to attract assholes).

[Deleted]

Oh, and the inability of anyone to coordinate things like incision checks! Next time I swear I'll just refuse some of them. I tried one time but was bullied into it. The OB resident had JUST been in like 5 minutes before and checked my incision. The nurse came in to check it. When I said that the doctor had just checked it, she said she had to anyway. I'm sure their notes prompt them to, but fuck, it was just an ordeal to move the baby and adjust myself so they could see it. Next time I'll tell them just to write patient refused. Because no, you are not checking my incision twice in a 10-minute period. Let me sleep, you fucking hosebeasts.

[icedcoffee]

Aug 29, 2018 12:13:45 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Aug 29, 2018 12:03:16 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

my anesthesiologist was a major douche canoe and he was really mean to me.

This is like a HUGE issue for me. I HATE that you can't pick your anesthesiologist. I had a really good one for my first hand surgery in December, so I requested her for my second one in March. Except I didn't get her. Well that one gave me a slightly different drug cocktail (I have looked at the records and can tell there were differences but can't tell exactly what they were because anesthesiologist notes are ridiculous and pretty much impossible for a non-doctor to read), and that drug cocktail made me sick. I don't understand why he didn't just give me the exact same thing the first one gave me since that didn't make me sick. It didn't occur to me to ask exactly what the cocktail would be, and nobody tells you.

I wish you could choose your L&D nurses and your anesthesiologist. If one of the nurses I had with babyharpy so much as comes within 50 feet of me, I will scream bloody murder. Not a fucking one of them will be allowed near me.

Yeah I tore him to shreds when the hospital called me with a survey.  After he gave me the first injection that numbs the area I flinched to which he responded "You can't flinch.  If you flinch on the second shot you're really going to cause trouble".  This made me really terrified and it was such an awkward position because he wouldn't let me put my hands down in front of me to get balance so I was basically scared shitless I'd flich again and somehow paralyze myself or something.  I was so annoyed I even responded "You touched the small of my back.  It's a reflex, surely you heard of them in med school".  He gives me the spinal and it's fine because the tech in the room overheard and came up to really help me not flinch.

So then they laid me down and the doctor is testing to make sure I'm numb and for each spot she touches I didn't feel it.  Then she touched something else and I was like "hold up--I do feel that" and the anesthesiologist was like "you're fine".  Thank god my OB was not a dick and responded with "no--we're not going to continue" and they tweaked a few things and it was fine.  Meanwhile, the anesthesiologist was playing on his phone and making personal phone calls throughout the surgery.  They pulled DS out and my shoulder started really throbbing so I let the anesthesiologist know and he responded with "oh--we have a complainer on our hands.  it's probably just because your arms are out to your side."  and just ignored me.  DS came.  We rejoiced.  I ignored my shoulder pain making mental notes that he was a dick.

Later that night my shoulder was really bothering me.  My mom started to massage it for me and suddenly I could not move.  I seriously thought they did something to my spine and I was screaming.  H runs out to the hall screaming for a doctor.  It was super dramatic.  The head nurse comes in and tells me she thinks it's gas pain and she gets me some gas-x and hot tea.  I thought she was a lunatic, but about 25 minutes and a few good farts later I was a new person, but basically LIVID at the anesthesiologist.  Apparently referred shoulder pain is common in abdomen surgery and he should have given me gas-x in recovery to avoid this after my first mention of discomfort.

This guy was just such a thoughtless dick.  Ugh.

[isabel]

Aug 29, 2018 12:23:30 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

isabel , I'm so angry for you about that nurse! This is what I'm talking about - you don't get to pick your nurses, and yes, a lot of labor and delivery nurses are great. But guess what? They're human, which means some of them are assholes, too! I have purposely sought out a non-asshole OB, but I can't choose a non-asshole team of nurses or a non-asshole anesthesiologist (and based IME, a solid 2/3 of anesthesiologists are assholes...as a specialty, it really seems to attract assholes).

When my OB got to the hospital (around 5am), she immediately took me back to have the C-section. The on call doctor (who had not bothered to see me since I came in at midnight) came in at the same time and expressed how surprised she was that I was in so much pain and that if she had known, they would have done something. Never mind that I had been telling them for hours, through tears, that I didn't want to labor, that I wanted an epidural so that I could sleep, etc. etc.

The nurse anesthetist I had came to my room that afternoon after DS2 was born and apologized and told me that she was going to discuss everything that happened with the nursing team because I should never have been denied an epidural based on my birth plan (i.e. no vaginal birth intended, C-section regardless of progress).

I'm just so mad about it because I fully intended it to be this really great experience. I was going to get a good night of sleep (relatively when you're 39 weeks pregnant), my parents were there to watch DS1. I was going to go in, relax, get ready, feel rested, and be alert and involved in his birth because I wasn't able to do that with DS1. Instead, I had labored for 9 hours, hadn't slept in 24 hours, and basically didn't touch my baby for the first 4 hours of his life because I was having a hard time staying awake and regulating my breathing.

Anyway, it was just really disappointing to have all of my plans fall apart and to be left feeling like I never got to be involved in or even really aware of the birth of either of my kids. I should probably see a therapist. lol

[isabel]

Aug 29, 2018 12:20:08 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Aug 29, 2018 12:10:11 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

Do you have any specific concerns?

LOL. Most of them. All of them? (This will be funnier if you say it in CNN anchor Briana Keilar's voice when she was talking to Michael Cohen about polls during the 2016 election season.)

Legit lol at this. I didn't even need the reference to know how you were saying this.

[hermione]

We're OAD but mine was a scheduled C. I don;t know what a "gentle c section is? It went exactly according to plan.
I could have done skin to skin immediately but I was nervous about dropping her. H did immediate skin to skin and I got her once the procedure was over and they were ready to wheel us to our room. I never planned to breastfeed.

My husband was not allowed in for the spinal. That said, I felt nothing. I was shocked when the doc said it was over. It was chilly in the operating room. The anesthesia did not make me hake or vomit. I was not allowed to have another person other than H in the room. I basically begged them to let my mom be there but it was a no go.

I would not have done anything differently. However, for me, birth was never going to be a magical experience. It was always just going to be something I had to get through to get the actual baby. A CS was actually great for me in that regard.

[Deleted]

OMG, icedcoffee, I'm getting angry just reading that! The anesthesiologist I had in the OR was generally good (although I'm still resentful about the ketamine because it destroyed hours of my memory), but the one who placed my epidural was super cold and didn't seem to really believe me when I said the epidural wasn't working right. The one who did my second hand surgery also just had zero bedside manner and was not remotely reassuring even though I was super anxious, and then his stupid fucking cocktail almost made me shit myself at the pharmacy when I was picking up my post-op pain meds. I hate these fuckers.

[isabel]

Aug 29, 2018 12:30:43 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Aug 29, 2018 12:13:45 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

This is like a HUGE issue for me. I HATE that you can't pick your anesthesiologist. I had a really good one for my first hand surgery in December, so I requested her for my second one in March. Except I didn't get her. Well that one gave me a slightly different drug cocktail (I have looked at the records and can tell there were differences but can't tell exactly what they were because anesthesiologist notes are ridiculous and pretty much impossible for a non-doctor to read), and that drug cocktail made me sick. I don't understand why he didn't just give me the exact same thing the first one gave me since that didn't make me sick. It didn't occur to me to ask exactly what the cocktail would be, and nobody tells you.

I wish you could choose your L&D nurses and your anesthesiologist. If one of the nurses I had with babyharpy so much as comes within 50 feet of me, I will scream bloody murder. Not a fucking one of them will be allowed near me.

Apparently referred shoulder pain is common in abdomen surgery and he should have given me gas-x in recovery to avoid this after my first mention of discomfort.

Super common. Very normal. I never had it, but both times my nurses reminded me a few times that if I had shoulder pain they would get me gas medicine.

Like @angryharpy said, I think that specialty just really attracts assholes. I will say that my anesthesiologist both times was totally fine and the nurse anesthetists I had were seriously amazing people. We also have a really good friend who is doing residency to become an anesthesiologist and he's basically the nicest human on the planet. So there are some decent ones out there among the ones who like to play God.

[tealblue]

Both of mine were scheduled (although “emergent” with DS1 as I went into labor prior to his scheduled date for being breech, but not emergent as an actual emergency).

With DS1 I vomited a lot after I was back in my room and ended up ripping open my incision. So with DS2, I made sure to tell the nurses and the anesthesiologist what happened and that I would prefer not to repeat that. My anesthesiologist was amazing (and also hot) and we were chatting and having a good time after my spinal prior to my OB’s coming in. My OB is great so we had a good time just talking at the start of surgery. Dh was not allowed for my spinal but it was not a big deal. the most awkward part was after I laid down, just laying there all exposed while the antiseptic dried. Just laying around naked with a hot anesthesiologist. And also the l&d nurse in there at the time, we went to highschool together. I know she’s seen a lot and it’s nothing to her, but still.

I didn’t ask/they didn’t offer a general c/s. The only part I remember was some nausea towards the end and I was like “omg.” But the dr gave me some drugs and was there with suction if I needed to vomit. I did have some gassy pain in my shoulder which was uncomfortable but he said it was normal and went away soon.

My Ob is amazing and having this anesthesiologist was good luck for me. I don’t really remember any of DS1’s birth (drugs? Exhustion? Mental block?) so remembering and having a good experience with #2 is nice.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2018 12:37:22 GMT -5 isabel said:

Aug 29, 2018 12:30:43 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Apparently referred shoulder pain is common in abdomen surgery and he should have given me gas-x in recovery to avoid this after my first mention of discomfort.

Super common. Very normal. I never had it, but both times my nurses reminded me a few times that if I had shoulder pain they would get me gas medicine.

Like @angryharpy said, I think that specialty just really attracts assholes. I will say that my anesthesiologist both times was totally fine and the nurse anesthetists I had were seriously amazing people. We also have a really good friend who is doing residency to become an anesthesiologist and he's basically the nicest human on the planet. So there are some decent ones out there amount the ones who like to play God.

Two of four or five I've had (I cannot remember if I had two or three for babyharpy) were assholes. And I went to HS with a guy who became an anesthesiologist and he is one of the biggest assholes ever.

[lessel]

First was “emergency” after failed induction, although there was no true medical emergency...I’d just been in labor for like 36 unproductive hours. That c/s felt high anxiety.

RCS was lower anxiety going in...at least I thought. But when they started the IV and did the epidural, I think my anxieties manifested in almost passing out twice. It was well-managed by nursing staff and DH was with me the whole time.

Actual surgery was fine. The most uncomfortable part of the procedure that made me nauseated and light-headed was my tubal. I got to do skin-to-skin in recovery. Might have been because my tubal took extra time. I did get to hold him on my chest for a bit before they took him.

Recovery was much better with second. I was walking around a lot sooner. I felt really debilitated after my first c/s for about a week. This time more just stiff and tender in my abdomen for several days. Had some incision issues that ended up being minor and healed totally fine.

I complaints about my experience overall.

[icedcoffee]

@angryharpy, isabel, It was totally infuriating and unfortunately during surgery the only medical professional up near your head is the anesthesiologist. I mean, my H was there, but he was mostly focused on not puking himself so he was worthless.

As to the shoulder pain, yes, if you are reading this and ever having a c-section again make sure to request gas meds at the first sign of shoulder discomfort. I normally have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I swear when I say I thought I was paralyzed. It's unreal and can come on very suddenly.

I only know 1 anesthesiologist in person and she's a bitch too so......

[icedcoffee]

I did have foot surgery once though and that anesthesiologist was funny. He told me I sang Brittany Spears during surgery. And the anesthesiologist during my egg retrieval told me I was cracking jokes during surgery so maybe there is hope for the profession. Haha

[mpc]

My first c-section happened after pitocin induction, laboring all day and pushing for 2 hours. I was so out of it, felt like I got hit by a bus. And the shaking, omg the shaking, it was awful. 

My second was scheduled and was supposed to be a gentle c section. But (there's always a but) I went into labor almost a week before my scheduled date. It was late evening - I showed up at 8:30pm, water broke at 10:30, they had to call the dr and anesthesiologists who were on call (my doc was on vacation, whomp whomp), and baby was out just before midnight. There were 2 main reasons we couldn't do the gentle. 1. because of the hour, the lactation nurse wasn't on site and she was required to be there for it. I don't really know how strong of a reason this was, because 2. there was meconium in my water so I guess that was an automatic no. They took the baby to get checked out in the nursery right away. (Well, H got to hold her and bring her over to show her to me, but that was it, same as my first.)

That said, it was still worlds better than my first c section. The time I spent actually laboring was so much shorter so I wasn't completely wiped out. The first time they kept giving me meds to speed things up then slow things down, back and forth, and I feel like it really messed with my body. This second time I had zero shaking, which made a huge difference. I did have to do the spinal alone, but H was right outside the door and they let him in as soon as it was done. He's a fainter so we wouldn't have had him in the room for it regardless. I don't really know how to say it but I was so much more present the second time. Then the Dr. stitched me up, I was moved back to my room, and I don't think I had to wait all that long for them to bring the baby. We nursed for the first time then and she was a champ, knew exactly what to do. So that initial separation didn't affect nursing at all. 

In about a month I'll be having my third by c section. We're planning on gentle again. We've scheduled for 38w1d, so hopefully it'll be before I go into labor. Honestly, in hindsight, even though going into labor messed up our gentle plans, I loved seeing my body do what it was supposed to do in a way I hadn't the first time around. This time it'd be nice to experience holding my baby right away, but I think I'll be ok either way. 

I don't think there was anything I would've done differently (within my control). Oh, we did have a bunch of family waiting around the first time and none there the second and it really took some stress off not having them around, even in the waiting room. Just me and my H. That's all I needed or wanted.

My doc never talked about placenta abnormalities. We have talked several times about making sure I don't have contractions this time, but she wasn't as concerned my second time. 

[glitzy07]

My second C-section was night and day compared to my first. My first was unscheduled but happened as a result of stalled labor and a giant baby (9lbs 7oz). My epidural failed and they had trouble getting enough drugs into my system so I wasn't feeling them cutk. Because of all the drugs, I was shaking and throwing up all throughout the surgery. And then once he was out, I was so out of it that I was barely able to hold him. They still gave him to me right away and H helped, but we had to give him back very quickly because I didn't have the strength to hold him. I also don't really remember his first nursing session because I was so drugged up.

The second time I had been trying for a VBAC, but my doctor would only let me go so far past my due date before scheduling a C-section. D was ALSO stubborn and didn't come, so we scheduled. It was SO weird to walk into the hospital not in labor, walk myself into the OR, etc. I sat up on the table myself and the spinal worked immediately (which was a huge concern, since I had such trouble the last time with drugs working). H wasn't in the room but came in as soon as I was laying down, I think. He held my hand and calmed me down the entire time. I don't remember throwing up that time but do think I got a bit shaky from the drugs. I got to do skin-to-skin ASAP and held him for a while as they stitched me up. And I actually remember his first nursing session.

Initial recovery was a breeze compared to my first, but I had also been in labor for 15 hours before my first c-section. I was up and walking much faster and felt a lot better. Unfortunately, on my first day home from the hospital, I had a super random small blood clot that re-opened my incision and that added an additional week to my recovery time, but that was such a fluke thing that I wouldn't worry about something like that happening.

I vaguely recall my doctor asking if we were planning to have another child (we're not), and if so, just recommended spacing them out by at least 18 months to give my body time to heal fully before what would likely be another C-section.

[hamster]

Omg yes to the shoulder pain! I did not have it post c section but did after my IUD removal. Except nobody told me and H was worried I was going to have a heart attack.

Also yes to anesthesiologists being a douchy profession. I also hate how you can't request a specific one.

[pooh8402]

Aug 29, 2018 12:13:45 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Aug 29, 2018 12:03:16 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

my anesthesiologist was a major douche canoe and he was really mean to me.

This is like a HUGE issue for me. I HATE that you can't pick your anesthesiologist. I had a really good one for my first hand surgery in December, so I requested her for my second one in March. Except I didn't get her. Well that one gave me a slightly different drug cocktail (I have looked at the records and can tell there were differences but can't tell exactly what they were because anesthesiologist notes are ridiculous and pretty much impossible for a non-doctor to read), and that drug cocktail made me sick. I don't understand why he didn't just give me the exact same thing the first one gave me since that didn't make me sick. It didn't occur to me to ask exactly what the cocktail would be, and nobody tells you.

I wish you could choose your L&D nurses and your anesthesiologist. If any of the nurses I had with babyharpy so much as comes within 50 feet of me, I will scream bloody murder. Not a fucking one of them will be allowed near me. There are exactly two nurses from the mom/baby unit I would allow near me. One of them was so awful I'd seriously call the police to report assault if she ever laid a finger on me.

Typically, you can...

I've been requested by patients before, and I've had patients request certain anesthesiologists. As long as it is feasible for the anesthesiologist, they come in extra. I requested my day shift labor nurse, my anesthesiologist (well, he was on at the time anyway) and my room last time. I fully plan on doing the same this time.

[pinotgrig]

Here’s my very detailed birth story with my rcs - pandce.proboards.com/thread/543835/baby-pinots-birth-story

My water broke a few days before my scheduled rcs date so he came a few days early. I used a drape with the clear panel and loved (x a million) it. Being able to see him lifted out of me made it feel like a birth, not a surgical procedure where I laid down pregnant and got up with a baby. I felt very connected to what was happening which was completely opposite my first, very unplanned CS.

We did skin to skin while I was closed up and breastfed right away in recovery.

I was alone for spinal but had a great team of nurses and anesthesiologists. I actually loved her - she stood up and gave me a detailed account of everything they were doing to the baby before they brought him back to me.

No issues except for feeling like I couldn’t breathe when the spinal kicked in. Anesthesiologist calmed me there.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2018 12:56:45 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Aug 29, 2018 12:13:45 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

This is like a HUGE issue for me. I HATE that you can't pick your anesthesiologist. I had a really good one for my first hand surgery in December, so I requested her for my second one in March. Except I didn't get her. Well that one gave me a slightly different drug cocktail (I have looked at the records and can tell there were differences but can't tell exactly what they were because anesthesiologist notes are ridiculous and pretty much impossible for a non-doctor to read), and that drug cocktail made me sick. I don't understand why he didn't just give me the exact same thing the first one gave me since that didn't make me sick. It didn't occur to me to ask exactly what the cocktail would be, and nobody tells you.

I wish you could choose your L&D nurses and your anesthesiologist. If any of the nurses I had with babyharpy so much as comes within 50 feet of me, I will scream bloody murder. Not a fucking one of them will be allowed near me. There are exactly two nurses from the mom/baby unit I would allow near me. One of them was so awful I'd seriously call the police to report assault if she ever laid a finger on me.

Typically, you can...

I've been requested by patients before, and I've had patients request certain anesthesiologists. As long as it is feasible for the anesthesiologist, they come in extra. I requested my day shift labor nurse, my anesthesiologist (well, he was on at the time anyway) and my room last time. I fully plan on doing the same this time.

I mean, bully for you? You work at the hospital. You know them. I don't.

Literally the only L&D nurses I've encountered are the ones I had when I had babyharpy. I didn't get to pick them. Nobody at the hospital is going to let me go around and interview all the L&D nurses so I can request certain ones for an RCS. And what happens when the ones I like work night shift or work Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, which are three days my OB doesn't do surgery?

MAYBE they'll let me interview anesthesiologists, if I'm lucky. But otherwise, I have no idea how I'd know which one to request besides knowing I do NOT want the one who placed my epidural. I've already requested an anesthesiologist once and that request wasn't honored, so forgive me if I'm skeptical that a non-hospital employee is really going to have a lot of success in finding, choosing, and successfully getting these people.

[snowflurry]

Mine was "gentle" with a pretty easy recovery. Everything went according to plan. I did not do skin to skin or immediate breastfeeding - both my choice.

H was not with me during the spinal. I have no recollection of it being cold or not. It did not make me vomit but I do recall uncontrollable shaking while in recovery. But that is a normal reaction of my body to anesthesia.

H was the only person in the OR. My mom was in recovery with me while H stayed with the baby. I didn't request anyone else to be with me.

[somersault72]

I don't know what a gentle C-section is, but I loved my C-section. My anesthesiologist was a gem. Too good, in fact. He gave me so much anti anxiety meds that my baby came out blue with a 1 minute apgar of 2. So skin to skin was obviously delayed. Her 5 minute was a 9 though and she was handed off to DH pretty quickly after that. They did have DH leave when I got my spinal, but I had zero issues with it. I don't remember being cold. My nurses were very sweet, so I was OK with being without my husband for that.

My recovery was much easier than my vaginal delivery (forceps, 3rd degree tear). Day 3 was rough but it was the first day I was able to move around, so I did as much as I could tolerate. I was off all pain meds (even iburprofen) after day 4.

FWIW, pretty much everyone I know said things were MUCH worse when they labored THEN had a c section versus when they just had a scheduled c section. Talk to your OB about your concerns. If they don't understand your worries/anxiety, find one who does.  I was scared to death about having a section and my OB was amazing.

Also I'm sorry to those of you who had assholes as anesthesiologists. How awful.

I'm so finished having kids, but if I weren't I'd have a repeat C-section in a heartbeat. Also I know sometimes the placenta can attach in the scar, but I scan OB patients all day every day, and that's actually pretty rare. At least in our practice.