Forum : Pregnancy

well, in actual fact it is only something like 1% of placentas that dont move, so the chances of you being able to have a natural delivery are very high.
i didnt have to have a c section, but my sister has had two.
you say you react badly to anaesthetic, but do you mean all kinds of anaesthetic as you wont have a general for a c section - you will be given a spinal block.
i wanted a totally natural delivery with my first baby. an epidural is certainly one thing i did not want. i got that wish and laboured for 3 days without pain relief at home. got to hospital and was already fully dilated but baby got stuck and i ended up having to have a forceps delivery, so that meant a combined spinal/epidural and an episiotomy. beleive me though, even though i didnt want it. the epidural was nowhere near as bad as i thought it was going to be. you are so focused on meeting your baby that you just get through it.
my sister has had one emergency c section and she stayed in hospital for 4 days afterwards but that was only because her baby was premature and they wanted to make sure that all was well before releasing them. with her second baby she only due to stay in for one night but they forgot to run a last blood test so she ended up having to stay in for a second night. really they want you up and out as soon as possible, so all being well they wont keep you in for long!
try to remember though that you often build these things up in yourmind to be much worse than they actually are.
as i say though, your placenta is likely to move so try not to worry.

argh just typed a huge response and lost it all!! im Louise and i basically could have writen this 3 yrs ago. at my 20 wk scan with my first i was told placenta was low but by 34 scan it had moved so no need for a section...... until, labour. my LO was distressed after a very fast quick labour so i was rushed to theatre. i wont lie it was a horrible experience fright wise BUT i have never felt pain from it since... im now 20 wks preg with my 2nd and have opted for a normal delivery but if its not meant to be thats fine... as long as u listen to the docs and take all the drugs they reccomend etc ull be fine. xx

Hi, I have had two emergency c-sections one due to an undiagnosed breech and one due to a giant baby getting distressed in labour. I had spinal blocks for both which were fine. I felt absolutely nothing. I had very few pain killers after either and stayed in two nights with the first and one night with the second. Planned c-sections are supposed to be less stressful as they are less rushed. If I had a choice I would have a natural birth but they definitely weren't as bad as I'd have imagined.

I had an emergency c-section, the reasons aside, I didn't find it too bad. The pain after was bearable. You have a catheter in for about a day but you don't feel it, they put it in theatre. I think I was walking 2 days after (can't remember exactly). At my hospital the standard overnight stay was 2 nights. They do want to get you out as soon as possible! I definitely had recoverd less than the 6 weeks they say it takes. I did get a wound infection though. But honestly I really didn't think it was that bad. You have nothing to worry about.

Hi Liz, I was booked in for section at 39 weeks as baby was breech but went into labour at 37+6, he had turned so they let me try for natural but after 3 days in labour I ended up having an emergency section anyway!
It was a lot better than I expected, I'd had an epidural a couple of hours earlier so they just topped that up and I could still wiggle my toes so I was panicking and telling them they hadn't given me enough lol but apparently that's normal, and when they did it it felt like the surgeon had his hand up my bits and was pulling and tugging - very strange sensation but not painful. The only side effect I had was throwing up straight after which is quite common and they gave me some meds in my IV to counter it. I was in for two nights - he was born at 5.20am sunday and I was out tuesday morning. Like magda said you have a catheter in for the first day and you buzz the nurses when you need to feed the baby or they need changing (they do that for you), they also change your sanitary towels etc and generally look after you for the first 24 hours. Then they take out the catheter and encourage you to drink plenty of water, and you get up and have a small walk to the loo. Its a major op so you have to take things very steady. I was told to take my dressing off in the shower. Then all being well you come home the following day once they are happy that you are eating and drinking and going to the loo ok, and getting around a little bit even though its very slowly!

They give you injections to stop clotting, and they give you some to take home and do at home - I think there is 5 days worth so you get 2 in hospital, then they get you to do the third one yourself on the day you come home and they show you how to do it (its really easy), and then you do the next two days at home.
They also give you a device to give to the midwife to remove the clips at home - again nothing to worry about, slightly uncomfortable but not painful.
My recovery was very quick, we were having sex again 4 weeks after as soon as the bleeding had stopped. Didn't drive until 6 weeks as usually you are not covered by your insurance until 6 weeks after - you'd have to check your policy. But within days I couldn't believe how quick the recovery was and how much better I felt.
Its normal practise to send you home after 2 days BUT only if everything is ok with you and they baby and they will ask you if you feel ready to go home - if you don't they won't kick you out lol you could stay in longer if you wanted to. Personally I couldn't wait to get home as I couldn't get any sleep while I was in there! In my hospital they try to put the c-section mums in the little private rooms on the side as obviously you have to buzz nurses for everything to start with. They are really small rooms though lol!
Anyway thats a very honest account of what happens so at least you'll be prepared if you have to have one - but chances are that the placenta will have moved and you will be able to have a natural delivery. If you have to have a section then don't worry at all - we are trying for another baby now and I know its likely I'd have to have another and I wouldn't be worried at all, the only downside for me is having to stay in hospital for 2 days as I wouldn't want to leave my son.
Good luck and don't worry! :-))xx

Oh and I meant to say I always SWORE I would never have an epidural - I am not good with needles either and the thought of having one in my spine freaked me out completely, but it was absolutely fine - it didn't even hurt when they did it. If you have an elective section you'd have a spinal block instead of an epidural but I believe its the same in so far as putting it in. So if I can do it then anyone can lol! xx

yes putting a spinal block in is the same as an epidural - i had a combined spinal/epidural for my forceps delivery. the only difference between a spinal and an epidural is a spinal block works pretty much instantly, whereas an epidural takes longer to set up and takes, i think, 20 minutes before you go numb. also, one wears off quicker than the other - i think the epidural wears off quicker than the spinal

Buffy13 has given it a very good account of what its like

Thank you so much guys, your comments have helped a lot. It's just been a lot to take in and process, despite planning pregnancy for some time I didn't realize how much I didn't know until I was!

you arent supposed to know everything - it is a learning curve from now onwards! even when you've already done it once, second time round is so different you feel like it's your first time again!
my daughter is now coming up to 4 yrs old and i am 34 weeks pregnant with our second baby and this pregnancy has been so different with sickness, aches and pains and just the extra work of looking after a child already!