Questions about Csections

Hello Loves

I always get asked how my Csection went... So I thought I would talk to you about it and maybe help you if your having one, so here goes, just keep in mind these are my own views on my experience.

Myth #1 Epidurals/Spinal Taps or Blocks won't Hurt                        
Ok... so I had a Spinal Tap which is a injection which goes into the spine to numb the lower half of your body.  So did it hurt?? Simply no. It didn't hurt....just VERY uncomfortable!! I had to sit on the surgical bed with my knees up which when your 39 weeks pregnant - isnt the most easiest thing. I then a local anethetic to numb the area ready for the spinal tap. They tried to 45 minuties to get the spinal tap in, every time they missed and hit the nerves I would get a almost electric shock which ran down my back - again very uncomfortable but not painful as such. Finally when the spinal tap was sucsessful it worked straight away - So in short don't worry about the numbing side of things its just uncomfortable.

Myth #2 The room will be cold

Yes, the room I was in was cold, I was in a hospital gown with an open back – Who eles woudnt be cold?! I remember my teeth chattering but who knows if that was from the cold room or the excitement!

Myth #3 Movement in your lower body will be limited until the freezing wears off

This one makes me laugh! I couldn’t feel anything from the collar bone down – limited time –HA! I couldn’t feel my body proberly until the early ours of Saturday morning, then getting up felt so weird! Like I was walking again for the first time *picture Bambi on ice

Myth #4: You might feel a slight tugging sensation as we get the baby out.

People have said they felt their babies being born but if I hadn’t been told this or when it would have realised what was happening but as I did get told before it happened I was waiting for it! It felt like someone was using my tummy as a washing machine, as Daphney was breech and high up I did feel them pushing and pulling quite a bit but was only for a few moments!

Myth #5: As the morphine leaves your system, you might notice an itchy sensation.

YES! I remember feeling like a army of ants were crawling over my skin! I had itchy feelings during my pregnancy but nothing like this, but only lasted a few days

Myth #6: You may have less feeling and be swollen around the incision area for a while.

This is 100% true! This for me happened months after Daphney was born tho, my tummy above where I was cut open was SO sore, like I had just had her all over again. Still now nearly 7 months pp my insision is still numb and I’m still rocking the super sexy bridget jones knickers *yeahh buddy*

Myth #7: Holding a pillow over your incision when you sneeze or cough stops the pain.

Holding a pillow when laughing, coughing, sneezing and going over bumps DOES NOTHING!!! I took a soft pillow into hospital with the thinking I would concur the world when laughing but HOLY COW nope! This is 100% LIES! Its painful to laugh or any of the above. I remember telling john not to make me laugh because it hurt so much, if you know where we live you’ll know there is like 1 million speed bumps – these are also not fun!

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Myth #8 You don't get skin-to-skin after the birth

Again this didn't happen with me! Once Daphney had be weighed and all checks had been done she went straight to my chest and stayed there until we went into recovery where John changed the nappy and we started breast feeding.

Myth #9 You can’t photograph the birth.

We did get told at Gloucestershire hospital that photos were not allowed.. saying that when we got to the hospital the morning of the surgery I kept asking and asking and they finally said to ask the surgeon as it depends how they feel about it and clearly mine where ok with it. I would always ask the hospital you go to and if they say no just ask the surgeon!

Myth #10 You won’t be able to breastfeed easily.
Right… this one I think is true, for me anyway! So because I didn’t go into labour naturally (IE no contractions, waters break ect) none of the hormones got realised until a lot later. Daphney was also 75% tongue tied which is high for a tie. She was having a lot of trouble feeding until she the day before we left a breast feeding specialist came to see us and she noticed Daphney’s tongue tie (Daphney couldn’t move her tongue out of her mouth) we were booked in for a procedure to cut the tie, which was pain free as Daphney didn’t have any feeling there yet. After it was cut breast feeding got slightly easier but Daphney stopped latching on after 9 weeks

Myth #11 C-sections aren’t painful.
….Who ever says they are not painful is lying! Having a csection is major surgery where 7 layers of skin, fat, muscle and tissue are cut and sewed back together. Even though you don’t feel anything during the procedure the few days I was in hospital we by all means were easy. The day after the surgery were painful as the nurses on wards tell you to start getting up and moving around, I walked as slow as a snail up and down the ward. Luckily I was the closes room to the bathroom so didn’t have to hike around trying to find one. They give you medication to keep the pain down but as the wards as so busy it took around 30-40 minutes for me to get mine.

If you have any questions about Csections feel free to leave a comment below 

Thank you for reading

Elyssia x