Have to have c/section and I'm scared...

[bestestmum]

Just come back from RUH in Bath, I had my 36 week scan (as I was told the placenta was low at 20 weeks). I never really took it too seriously, as this is my fourth baby and in the previous 3 births, all were delivered vaginally. I was told this morning I would have to have a c-section as there was no way this one will come out as the placenta was touching the opening of the cervix.

I immediatley started crying and felt about 5 years old (OH was rather embarassed). I have a fear of needles and would rather go through natural child birth than have an operation (fear of the unknown). I then had to speak to a consultant who has booked me for a section on the 12th November. I got the impression from her that because its my fourth, I would be an experience hand at knowing all options and details, but in all honesty, a c section was the last thing on my mind.

I asked whether I could have a general when they do it, and she said no, only if I suffer from back problems (which I don't). Can anyone tell me how to keep calm while they inject your back, (could I ask for gas and air?). Is it as bad as I think it is? I keep thinking about it and panicking. I haven't a clue about any of this. I was hoping to pop this one out like the others and then resume normal family life, but I've been told recovery makes this difficult.... arghhh. Please help

Claire x

 

[trixipaws]

sorry never had a section but i'd hav thought they will put u under at request- as if ur that scared ur pulse and b/p will be sky high and this can cause complications. make sure they are FULLY aware juyst how frightened u are.

i kno i cant say first hand but try not to worry im sure ur section will go smoothly

 

[HideiLu]

I had an emergency c-section so didn't have much time to dwell on it. I did shed a tear when I was told but just focused on the fact it was probably best for baby. I had contractions about 2 mins apart when I went in to theatre. I just focused on meeting my baby when they done everything. OH was with me the whole time and I just kept focused on him, talking about going on holidays and positive stuff. The theatre team where also calm and comforting and I recoved quite well afterwards, just take it easy.

If you are really really nervous on the day, make sure you let them know your concerns. Hope it goes smoothly hun. Theres quite a few ladies on here who ended up having c-sections and most of which we're fine with the ecperience. xx

 

[tuck]

i had a c section, over here you arent allowed anyone in the delivery suite with you, all i can really remember is sitting on the edge of the operating table while the nurse was telling me to try and stay still, i was crying cause i was scared and also didnt understand the language, anyway i dont remember the injection hurting but remember being embarressed that i couldnt move my legs when they asked me to swing them up on bed .

all i can say is try not to dwell on it, easier said than done i know.

i would also recommend disposable/paper knickers for after cause my injection hadnt worn off when nurses had to change me and couldnt get me cotton 'big' knicks off and ending up ripping em off!!!!

 

[jennifer1981]

Hi hun, i have no experiences of c-sections but

 

[heles7]

Dont feel bad for being scared. I cried every time the docs mentioned it in the lead up to my planned home birth! I ended up in hospital for natural delivery and they gave me gas and air to help with an epidural so i dont see why they wont give it to you to help you through the spinal. I then went for the emergency section...

Just ask in advance about the g&a and if at first they don't say yes, keep on asking until they do. Dr's seem to want to work to their own agenda and not yours; but they do relent sometimes when enough of a fuss is made and you shouldnt feel bad about that either.

When the time came I had my mum come in theatre with me rather than OH and this was definitely the right choice. OH wouldn't have helped me keep as calm. Mum was stroking my arm and helping me to try and keep my jaw relaxed. I was so tense during the op that my jaw actually hurt like hell. I ended up asking the nurse on my other side to stroke my other arm because i found it very good helping me relax. Perhaps you could try some yoga style deep breathing activities over the next few days as that would probably be something you could do to help you keep calm too.

I was very shaken after my op but with hindsight I think I was more shaken because of my own fear and the fact it was an emergency after some 40 hours of contractions. As a planned section, you will probably feel a lot more in control! Normal life won't resume as you know it - you'll be forced to take it easy and I don't think that is a bad thing, surely??

PM me if you have any more worries or anything

Helen xx

 

[purplebluered]

I know people who had elective sections, I had an emergency so can't tell you what an elective is like, but my friends who had electives said they were reassured throughout, it was relaxed and their OH were with them most of the time, I think the only time they werent was when they were getting the scrubs on and waiting for someone to show them in the theatre.

I had an epidural and although it was inbetween contractions, I didn't feel a thing. I tried to relax through the process of having the epidural, and used breathing techniques like I was using for the contractions. It was over and done with very quickly.

Make sure you ask for reassurance and ask them to go through it all woth you thoroughly. Its important that you are relaxed for it.

Like trixi said, your BP and pulse will increase if you're not relaxed so it's in their best interests ti make sure you are, I'm sure they will be a lot more reassuring on the day and help you through it esp if you explain you don't like needles. I think whether you have a general or a spinal, needles are still involved in both, the difference with the spinal is that you can't see it, which might help!

 

[Steelgoddess]

Hiya,

I had an emergency c section although its not what i planned when I got in there it was exciting cause I knew I was about to meet him

I know elective c sections are easier to recover from as they take their time with things and aren't as harsh as with an emergency if that makes sense... (This is from a lady I know who had both emergency and elective.)

The only advice I will give is:
Make sure them show baby to you straight away.
If you are booby feeding make sure you ask for extra help/Get them to show you comfier positions...
Ask for an appointment to discuss what will happen on the day and don;t be afraid to ask lotss of questions

xxx

 

[Laura_James&Amber]

Hey I had to have an Emergency C Section. Don't feel bad for being scared, I was terrified when they told me I had to have one and I didn't exactly have long to prepare myself for it! The actual operation wasn't that bad and neither was the spinal, I was so scared of an injection in my back but it was a lot easier than I thought. It stings for a few seconds and thats it, doesn't hurt much at all. You will have someone hold onto your shoulders to help keep you still, just don't panic and try to stay calm, its over in seconds. Not sure about the G&A, they took mine off me and replaced it with a mask but I didn't like it so didn't use it, might be different for you though. You can't see anything throughout the operation as they put a screen up and it just feels like someone is pulling and stretching you, a bit like a peice of rubber! You will know what I mean when you've had it! You don't feel any pain whatsoever. It really is nothing to worry about, I talked the whole way through mine and felt really relaxed!
Make sure they bring your baby to you straight away, obviously you won't be able to hold he/she but you will be able to touch them, stroke their face etc.
You will be really sore afterwards when the anestetic (sp?) has worn off but they give you loads of pain killers which help with that.
Good luck, hope it goes well, you'll be fine!!

 

[Mildly]

Mine was an emergency section too and to be honest I was so whacked out on my epidural by the time they told me, i couldn't have cared less If I hadn't have been, I would have been worried too

As far as the injection/epidural, I managed to stay still whilst having pretty intense contractions and I am rubbish at injections. Hopefully because you won't have the contractions making you want to move and with your OH holding your hand, it won't be too bad. Just keep focusing on the fact that it'll only be an hour or so before you hold your LO in your arms from that point on. It may help to distract you

I hadn't really thought about having a c section before the birth, i'd just assumed that I was going to give birth vaginally. In retrospect, it was a much better experience than I could have hoped for. The epidural really chilled me out (or perhaps it was the pethadine or G&A) and I actually found it quite relaxing. The surgical team were great and were joking around with OH and I making us both feel at ease.

In terms of recovery, the second two days were the worst for me. My belly swelled up a lot because of gas and I had to drink peppermint stuff to get it down. That didn't help with breast feeding either as I couldn't pick him up for the first day or so and positions were painful. However I recovered quite quickly and was walking the dog within the first week, driving by the third. In fact now the thought of a vaginal birth scares the hell out of me, I guess it is the fear of the unknown like you said.

Wishing you the best of luck with your section

 

[nazmomi]

I dont have any experience of a section but can understand how you feel as I am petrified of needles/surgery.
However I would like to say that I'm sure all will be fine on the day.
I agree with what steelgoddess said about asking for an appointment to discuss all of your concerns and make sure you ask as many questions as yoneed to. It will help you feel more relaxed on the day.
Good luck with your section hun though i'm sure you won't need it xx

 

[bestestmum]

Thanks for the soothing words... although i'm still welling up and sobbing just thinking about it!!! I decided to call local midwife this morning and ask questions, I recieved lots of reassurance but when I asked specific questions like can I have Gas and Air whilst they inject my back and arm, she didnt know the answer and said that when I go into hospital the anethatist will see me before hand, and I can ask them any questions...

I never slept at all last night with the worry and ended up spending the early hours de-stressing and moving furniture downstairs to relax. I hope I can settle my mind soon as I still have 2 weeks and 6 days before the C/Section, and if I dont start to calm down soon, I'll end up a zombie!

claire -

 

[Bexie]

Hi

I had an elective c-section with my daughter as she was breech. I was told at 20 weeks that I had low lying placenta and was a little scared as I hadn't heard of this before, I asked what this meant and the sonographer said that the worse case scenario would be a c-section. My placenta did rise, but from the point of my 20 week scan i started to think of all the possible options that child birth could entail. Prior to this I'd just though of having a natural birth. In some respect I'm glad that i had this time to get my head round the thought of having a c-section.

Feeling that I experienced in the build up to my c-section ranged from excitment at the thought of meeting my baby and being able to plan everything down to a tee, disappointment that I wasn't going to be able to experience natural childbirth. On the day of the operation I felt really nervous and as I went up to theatre I couldn't stop shaking or sobbing. I was really scared, not so much of the operation, but at the thought that this was all so real and that I was now going to become a "mum". The theatre staff were lovely and really supportive and told me my behaviour was completely normal.

Looking back I really can't remember experiencing any pain whatsoever when they gave me the injection in my back. Throughout the operation the staff were really good and kept on asking me how I was.

The recovery after my operation wasn't too bad, I was back at home 3 days after my operation. i wouldn't have been able to do any heavy lifting for a while and felt quite weak. I tried to go for a gental stroll every day just to get some air and exercise my body. Each day I found that I was able to walk further and further and my strength slowly got stronger.

If I were to have another section I would be better planned over what I wanted my birth plan to include (having a section a birth plan is not normally done). When my daughter was delivered I didn't even know she'd been taken out of me, so if this were to happen again I would ask that the baby be help up for me to see, so I could find out their sex, I would also ask that I be aloud to hold them, perhaps even try to feed them, but unfortunately after she was born I got to see her for less than a minute before she was taken to the ward with my partner, I was then stitched up and returned to the ward about an hour later (had 25 mins in recovery).

It is scary having a planned c-section, but it's not the end of the world as long as your baby arrives in the world safely.

I'm really hoping with this pregnancy that I am able to have a natural birth as I don't like the thought of not being able to pick up my little girl for cuddles or being able to put her to bed.

Just thought, buy some arnica tablets that are great for bruising, my belly was black after the operation, within a day of taking arnica the bruising had cleared significantly.

Good luck, I hope it all goes well for you

Becks x

 

[hennaly]

i can honestly say i would/will feel exactly the same in your position and if im told i have to have a c section i will insist they give me a general, I dont give a shit what their policies are i will not have one while im awake and believe me they will want to knock me out with the fuss i will make.
I hope you get some answers

 

[Clydesdaleclopper]

I had exactly the same problem as you. I had planned a home birth and then had some spotting at 38+4. I was scanned and told then that I had placenta previa. I was kept in hospital for the next 3 days until I was given a C section. I am hospital phobic and it was a horrendous experience - I spent the whole time there in tears.

You have time to prepare for this so it will be much better than you think. The best way to help you to relax would be hypnotherapy. Get someone to work with you from now until you have to go in so that when you are in theatre you can make yourself relax. Get your partner involved too as he can help with relaxation cues when you are being injected. They do use local anaesthetic first so you don't feel the big needle going in. It is important that you don't get too stressed about this as it will affect your baby.

Feel free to PM me if you want to know any more

 

[LucyBee]

I had a section because Tom was so big.

It was an absolute walk in the park!! If it's scheduled then it's just a breeze. Seriously! Please don't be worried. The spinal injection is completely painless. They give you a small local anaesthetic first which feels like a tiny pin prick, nothing more. Then you don't feel a thing and before you know it, your baby is in your arms.

Recovery was much quicker and less painful than I expected too.

Don't worry! It will be fine! I think I got off very lightly having listened to some of the sounds I heard on the labour ward!

Lucyx

 

[Fly]

Ello bestestmum - i did have a c-section with my first under general but i just wanted to say ellloooooooo neighbour if you wanna hook up for a coffee hun PM me or sommat - am due next week - live just off Broadway xxxxx