Posted by: amamasblog | January 31, 2008

The Reality of C-Sections

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Posted in Breastfeeding, Health, Mothering, Parenting, Pregnancy & Birth | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Responses

thank you for your detailed, well-researched post. i can tell you put a great deal of time and energy into it. you brought up a lot of things i know i never would’ve thought about either - like breastfeeding possibly being harder because you can’t let the baby anywhere near your incision. that thought never even crossed my mind.

also, it was very interesting to see the photos. i’d never seen a baby born via c-section before. wow!

i’m glad that your c-section has made you such a strong advocate and i hope that by sharing your experiences, others may make a truly informed decision.

By: Crunchy Domestic Goddess on January 31, 2008
at 6:11 pm

Hello,
I really appreciate your highly detailed explanation of your c-section experience. It is exactly how I feel today. I found out my baby was in breech presentation when I was 38 weeks and the doctor said the same thing that they can try to turn the baby or I need to have a C-section. I was horrified because I felt like I did not have many options. The truth of the matter is I didn’t even have the chance to turn the baby because that same week I went into labor and when I got to the hospital I was 3 cm and I could only have a C-section.
I was angry inside, and was overwhelmed by emotions. Now, after almost three weeks I am beginning to accept what happened to me. I realize my body will never be the same again but I try to look at the outcome which is my healthy son.
It does feel good to read your blog and know that other women are speaking out because C-sections should be avoided as much as possible. Thank you

By: New mommy with C-section on February 15, 2008
at 11:03 pm

New Mommy,

Thanks for your comment- I am so happy that you have a heathly son, and that is the ultimate goal.

I think more women like yourself, are realizing that their C-sections were their only options and even though we are happy our babies are healthy, we still wish more options were and had been available to us.

I believe the only way to change this trend is for those of us who do feel this way, is to start speaking up and sharing our experiences.

If you ever have another baby, l’d encourage you to look into VBAC- it is very safe usually for the majority of women. My OB told me for women who had a previous C-section only because their baby was breech (no other complications) the success rate for VBAC was around 85%. I am happy to say I was in that statistic, and it kind of made everything come “full circle” for me- I felt like I had at least the opportunity to give my body a chance to give birth.

Congratulations again on your son. Please take it easy, and give yourself plenty of time to heal and to rest. I think taking care of yourself too, the weeks after a C-section are key to having a healthy recovery.

I hope you will continue to check in here, and let me know how your recovery is going. :-)

By: amamasblog on February 16, 2008
at 10:04 pm

I had a very positive outcome with both sections. You can hardly see my scar at all. It is true about the hanging skin… but for me it’s probably because both my babies were over 9 lbs and I’m only 5′1.

Both of my children were very alert after the surgery, and I was able to hold both of them in the operating room. Perhaps it’s different in Canada. At no point were my arms tied to the OR table.

While I agree that sections should not become the norm, I think each person will have a different experience. I had virtually no pain for my second section. They send you home with a wonderful med that’s an anti-inflam and pain killer. It was great!

I don’t regret either birth, and am just happy that I have to healthy children… regardless of how they came into the world.

By: Kim on February 19, 2008
at 4:21 pm

I was thinking of this post the other day when I was laying in the hospital and they mentioned the possibility of an emergency-C if the baby started looking bad. I was totally open to whatever it would have taken to make sure bb was OK…but…glad I avoided it all the same!

By: feedingtimeatthezoo on February 21, 2008
at 9:31 pm

[...] for me, and I realized how angry I have been about Ryan’s birth.  I have written about my C-section before, but in summary, the only reason I had to have a C-section with Ryan was because he was [...]

By: The Business of Being Born - My Review « A Mama’s Blog on February 28, 2008
at 11:34 pm

I know that you have full control over the responses on your website however, I feel that your sight scares mothers who have no choice but to have a c-section. Therefore, I would like to share with those mothers, that a c-section is not that bad. I had one in April of 2006 and although recovery was somewhat painful and long. It was not horrible. Infact, I took no pain medication after 5 days ( I was breastfeeding) and my cut healed very well!! They no longer use staples but a bonding glue. You can hardly see the cut and I do not have a mushroom stomach. Every womens experience is different with the majority of women having a good experience with a c-section. The pictures of the lady with the staples is not a picture that represents c-sections today (2008).

By: Maya's Mom on March 1, 2008
at 3:36 am

Maya’s Mom,

Thanks for you comments and my intent was not to “scare” any mother, but to offer my story, of my C-section, just like you offered some of your experience with a C-section.

I totally agree with you that some people have wondeful experiences with C-sections. However, one doesn’t really know what their experience will be until AFTER the fact. Even with subsequent C-sections, you have no way of knowing if the second, third, etc. C-section will be wonderful or not- with any surgery there is always a risk of complications.

I have received several e-mails from other women who have chosen not to leave a public comment telling me they too, have had hard recoveries and less than wonderful experiences with their C-sections. One mother who has had four C-sections also pointed out that she has two different scars as well.

Of course I would hope any mother who has to have a C-section has a great experience with it, but personally, those seem to be far and few between. I just heard from a mother who had a C-section three weeks ago, and said she was having a very difficult recovery, and was also having some bonding issues with her baby.

I am glad to hear that they aren’t using staples so much- I still know people that have had staples though, as recently as December 2007. Perhaps more doctors will start using the bonding glue in the future. However, the fact still remains that a C-section causes a scar, which can affect different women in different ways.

My intent for the post was to alert women of some of the issues and complications that they may encounter when they have a C-section. I felt a lot of the information I included in the post was not information that is readily given to women beforehand.

In making any decision about our health, and especially when dealing with bringing a new baby into the world, we should have ALL the facts, information, and possible outcomes disclosed before the surgery.

While having a wonderful experience is certainly a possible outcome (which is great), also having complications and not a wonderful experience is also a possible outcome.

Personally, I always heard about all the wonderful experiences and when I had less than that, it was devastating. Part of my goal in this post is to let women know if they do have complications and have less than an ideal C-section, they are not alone. Also, complications do happen. We don’t want them to, but there are very realistic chances with a C-section that complications can arise hours, days, weeks, months, and even years after.

By: amamasblog on March 1, 2008
at 6:31 pm

Great post! I couldn’t agree more- there isn’t enough information disclosed on the complications involved with c-sections.

By: Amelia on March 6, 2008
at 10:03 am

They still use staples here. In fact, I think bonding glue is more risky. The nurses are don’t like the idea of glue at all. Just hope for a healthy delivery, regardless of the method.

By: Kim on March 7, 2008
at 10:08 am

Kim,

Thanks for you comment on the bonding glue. I have done no research on it at all, and was just going off what Maya’s Mom said about it. I’ll have to research it and write my findings in a follow up post.

By: amamasblog on March 7, 2008
at 7:24 pm

New mommy with a c-section..
i had a c-section a mth and 3 days ago and i have 3 pen wholes in my incision and i have stuff coming out of it, i dont think its infected bcuz there is no swelling/fever. there is some redness but i was thinking maybe it was from where it is open, could someone tell me what they would do with the places that it is open at?? and about the stuff coming out of it.. im really worried about going to the doctor tomorrow!
thanks
Ashley!

By: Ashley on March 10, 2008
at 10:11 pm

Ashley,

It sounds like your incision could be infected. I am glad you have a doctor’s appointment today- they should be able to tell you for sure what is going on. Let us know.

By: amamasblog on March 11, 2008
at 11:27 am

[...] for me, and I realized how angry I have been about Ryan’s birth.  I have written about my C-section before, but in summary, the only reason I had to have a C-section with Ryan was because he was [...]

By: The Business of Being Born - My Review | A Mama's Blog on April 3, 2008
at 1:53 pm

I had a c-section with my daughter almost 9 yrs ago at the age of 18. By your post you make it seems to be a horrible procedure to have done. My daughter was also breach and I chose to have a c- section done after they were unable to turn her. I was never restrained and was able to see her right after they removed her. Although I had to go to recovery for three hrs after i felt this time was a time for her father to have a special bond with her, since I got to spend the last 9 months having that special bond. I had her 2 pm on a Friday and went home that sunday at 12pm. My recovery time and healing process went well. Now expecting my second child i am really concidering another c-section because it went very well with my first child.

By: mandy on April 4, 2008
at 7:30 pm

hi
i have had 2 c-sections and would not worry about having another one, my first was an e-section and my 2nd was planned i can not have a normal birth as i had a prob with my pelvice.
the planning went great and the pain after my first was not bad at all i was up on my feet after 12 hours and the same for my 2nd and back home after 3 days
my baby was given to me as soon as she /he come out then she/he was weight and wraped up and given to there dad after about 15 mins i was in the recover room and after about 3 hours back on the ward with my baby.
i was glued up on both and no probs at all i had brestfeed both all u have to do is put something soft so baby can lay on your lap and try and keep your self bend over a bit
yes u do get pain but u can have pain killes that do work well just dont be silly and say no to pain killes
as you all should know every one and every hospt
are not the same i had a great time having both my babys and my daught is 3 and my son is 4 months old my scar is looking great and i will be planning to have another one in about 3 yrs dont let c-section put u off
all the best and good luck

By: claire on April 7, 2008
at 6:31 am

i had my twins by c sect 2 weeks ago and i can honestly say its been fine no probs with bonding or caring for my 2 babies i held them straight away i was amazed at how little pain i suffered and would have no probs having another section, and i was desperate for a vag birth. some people have bad nat birth experiences just the same.

By: nicola maclean on April 15, 2008
at 8:13 am

Hi my name is Karen and I totally agree with everything you have said in this post. I live in Canada and I remember my hands being tied down and I also remember throwing up in a pan the whole time I was having my surgery, and I remember shaking uncontrollably, this was during my second C section. I saw my second son for about 30 seconds as a nurse held him up for me to see. I did’t see my first son untill almost on hour or so later, after I woke up in the recovery room. And then all I remember saying was get him away from me I’m in too much pain. Trust me if you don’t need a C section don’t have one. In my case it was an emergency C section. So I thank God that there is such a procedure, because your baby’s health is the most important thing. But the pain and misery is real and true. Ofcourse any mother would do it all over again for their children. I’m just glad I had a helping and caring family.

By: karen on April 18, 2008
at 11:53 am

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