My c-section was unscheduled (DS wouldn't descend and I couldn't push due to a botched epidural), but it only took around 30ish minutes from what I remember. I was very out of it; all I really remember is shaking violently, throwing up, and an odd tugging sensation (when the OB was pulling DS out of me). I was in recovery for an hour before I got to hold DS, but DH was with him the entire time before then.

Recovery at home was rough. My incision opened up twice due to infection, so I wasn't fully closed until around 12 weeks, and still had pain for about another month.

My first was an emergency c-section after laboring all day - it was honestly a relief (finally out of pain, able to rest, etc.). I don't remember much because the long labor and pushing really knocked me out.

My second was a scheduled c-section. There was a long wait after we checked in that morning (about two hours), but once they prepped me, the actual surgery does not last long at all. Maybe 30 minutes (if that), from the first cut to stitching/stapling.

It feels like there is a longer "clean up" time than surgery itself because my husband goes with the baby (at my request) so I'm in there just staring at a curtain while they finish.

Impressions that really stuck with me (keep in mind that it's been a few years since I've had my kids):

Lots of pulling/tugging. I have a high pain tolerance and I don't remember any pain, just a lot of pressure. They usually warn you when they start to pull the baby out, but it's just a release of pressure after some back and forth tugging. Uncomfortable and very odd, but not painful.

You don't hold the baby until you're out of recovery, so I always got the first kisses from my kids.

When they are sealing you up (internally) they burn off something (still not sure what), but that was a little alarming when I first saw smoke rising from the curtain - nothing to worry about though.

An anesthetist or anesthesiologist will be at your shoulder to administer more medication if needed. I've never needed it, but don't hesitate to tell them if you start to feel any type of feeling that is not numb! He also keeps an eye on mommy - my heart rate started climbing with my second surgery and he soothed me by rubbing my forehead.

You go into a recovery room for a while (time varies, but anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour) and then they'll move you into your room.

I remember shaking A LOT in recovery because the medication was going out of my system. My in-laws thought I was freezing - I wasn't. With the second one, I learned to relax as much as possible and it minimized the shaking - don't fight it if it happens to you, just take deep breaths and relax. 

They want you to get out of bed and walk around fairly soon after surgery. THIS HURTS! Do it anyway. Your recovery goes so much faster and easier if you force your way through that pain in the first two days. I would always walk to the nursery on the second day, to really speed up the healing process (but make sure someone walks with you).

They will come in and massage your stomach to get your uterus back in shape - this hurts too, but the pain doesn't last long and it's for the best.

Chances are, your baby will throw up a lot of fluid in the first days (my oldest did in the hospital, my youngest did at home). Again, normal, but scary! The reason is that the baby is not squeezed through the birth canal, so all that fluid is not squeezed out and comes out naturally later. It will be alarming because of the volume, but it usually only happens once or twice.

You'll go back a week after leaving the hospital to have your incision checked. 

 

Keep in mind, your experience may vary slightly since it's different hospitals and policies! It really isn't a bad process - just a little nerve-wracking and dealing with the pain of the incision afterward, but the more you walk, the better it is. 

If I remember anything else, I'll come back and let you know. In the meantime, good luck! And enjoy it - with a scheduled c-section you get to take in more details, so listen for that first beautiful cry and the first glimpse of the baby when they put him/her over the curtain! And don't forget to demand those first kisses ;-).  

amcourt09:

Hi ladies! I'm coming over from the 3rd tri board with a question.

My baby's head is too large to fit through my birth canal so my OB has scheduled me for a c-section next Tuesday. The practice that I go to has a lot of doctors and most of them have looked at my chart and they all agree that a vaginal birth just isn't possible. I'm nervous but I'm okay with the c-section.

Can you elaborate on this? It is HIGHLY unlikely that your body is unable to birth your baby.  

I had a planned c-section due to a previa. I was so scared, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had a spinal and the initial stick stung a bit, but after that I didn't feel anything. They put in my catheter, which I didn't feel because of the spinal. They then did a series of little tests to make sure I was numb. I got really hot and nauseas, but the doctors gave me medicine for that through my IV. I will warn you when they say you feel a lot of pressure, you feel A LOT of pressure. I swear I thought they were going to break my rib cage and I was actually bruised from them pushing on my stomach. Once the spinal starts to wear off, it begins to hurt quite a bit, but they'll give you pain medicine to make sure you're semi comfortable. I got my catheter out 12 hrs later, but I couldn't pee so they had to do a in & out cath. Getting up and down the first few days is rough and it hurts, but just push through and try to move as much as possible. I got constipated from all the pain medicine and that for me was the worst part. So make sure to take some stool softner because that was pure hell! After about 5 days, I was up and moving fairly good. All in all, I've had a excellent recovery with no problems. I wish the same for you! 

I have had 2 c/s. My first was unscheduled after 24 hours of labor. 

The 2nd was a RCS. The spinal hurts, but is quick. I was wheeled into the OR at 8:30ish, my son was born at 9:11. I was headed into the recovery room by 10am.

Yesterday (10 days PP) I can say I really felt like myself & wasn't in any real pain when moving around.

It all happens quickly & isn't really all that bad.  I got to hold both of my sons while still on the OR table. My first son had to go to the NICU for 2 hours because of being early & blood sugar issues, but my second son went with my to recovery and I held him the whole time. They didn't take him for his bath and some other things until after I was in my PP room. 

 

I just had my 2nd c-section & it went very well.

My first was unscheduled - baby went into distress after 13 hours of labor (water broke, contractions, etc) and it was pretty quick - 30 min or so - but I was EXHAUSTED. Hard recovery.  took pain meds for about a week & had bleeding for about a month afterwards. My incision healed fine, no infections.

 Scheduled c-section was a breeze compared to my first! I slept well the night before, surgery was 30 min. Baby was born at 9.55am, by 11 am I was nursing her in recovery at the hospital. I did get ill from the epidural that first day when they got me out of bed to walk/go to the bathroom - threw up twice, but by evening felt like myself & had dinner. Needed pain meds for about a week again & bled for closer to 6 weeks. I did have my tubes tied this time, so that might have accounted for the extra bleeding? Not sure. Doc wasn't worried & it wasn't heavy.

Good luck - no matter how your baby comes out, you still end up a mom. :) 

I had to have a c-section after 2.5 hours of pushing because I couldn't get LO's big head past my pelvis. :P I'd say there's probably ten minutes of prep, 10-15 minutes of actual surgery, and ten minutes of cleanup. I don't remember feeling any pressure when they were pulling DS out. Most important thing is to get up and move as soon as the nurses will let you (probably 12-16 hours post-op). You will be very sore, but getting out of bed (or out of a chair from a sitting position) is the worst part - once you're standing it won't hurt as much. I took 600 mg Motrin about every 6 hours for the first 4 days post-op (refused narcotics because they gave me morphine - without asking or telling me - in OR for the post-op recovery period and all it did was make me vomit several times; I'd rather deal with the pain than the nausea) and all soreness was gone by probably day 9 post-op (felt soooo much better after I got my staples taken out, after about a week they were the WORST part, much worse than the pain had ever been!).

There's a c-section board, too, if you want to browse through posts over there. :)

LalaMama81:

amcourt09:

Hi ladies! I'm coming over from the 3rd tri board with a question.

My baby's head is too large to fit through my birth canal so my OB has scheduled me for a c-section next Tuesday. The practice that I go to has a lot of doctors and most of them have looked at my chart and they all agree that a vaginal birth just isn't possible. I'm nervous but I'm okay with the c-section.

Can you elaborate on this? It is HIGHLY unlikely that your body is unable to birth your baby.  

 

This. It is very RARE that a baby doesn't fit. Our bodies and babies heads are made for vaginal delivery.  C-Section rates are out of control. Read through this article. http://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/small-pelvis-big-baby-cpd

I would get a 2nd opinion.

1. The pelvic girdle is not a fixed, solid structure

During pregnancy and labour the hormone relaxin softens the ligaments that join the pelvic bones, allowing the pelvis to give and ‘stretch’. The degree of pelvic expansion achieved will vary from woman to woman and from pregnancy to pregnancy.

2. Babies’ heads mould into shape

Babies’ heads are made up of separate bones which move relative to each other, allowing the baby’s head to ‘mould’ and thus reduce its diameter during passage down the birth canal. No-one can predict the capacity of an individual baby’s head to mould and, as this is a feature of the normal birth process, should not adversely affect the health and well-being of the baby.

3. The position that a woman adopts during labour and delivery makes a difference to pelvic dimensions

Squatting, for example, can increase pelvic measurements by up to 30%. One of the most common positions in which women give birth, that of being semi-reclined where the mother’s weight is on her coccyx, restricts movement of the coccyx, which can severely compromise a below-average pelvis.

4. Baby’s position

The position of the baby can be crucial, and whether its head is well flexed or tilted can mean the difference between an easy delivery and delivery being impossible.

I have now had 2 sections. One was after a failed induction, this last one was a VBAC turned RCS due to blood pressure. The first one sucked, this one wasn't too bad.

However, your docs are full of shiit. It's so rare for the head to not fit. I would get a second and third opinion.

OP, I would not recommend a c-section just because a Dr. feels your LO's head is too big, our bodies do amazing things when it comes to birth. Even if your Dr. said he/she consulted with other physicians (which typically it is up to the patient to seek out 2nd opinions), you don't know what was said or the context since you were not (assuming) part of the convo. If it were me I would politely reject the c-section request of your Dr. and go into labor naturally (keeping in the back of your mind you may need a c-section)....however since your not me I'll give you my story. 
After 2 days of labor (I was induced due to health complications LO had), I started pushing. His head was fully engaged and he was in the perfect position, everything looked great...5 1/2 hours later (yes over 5 HOURS of pushing) my MW brought in the on call physician because LO was not progressing anymore and his HR was dropping. After being assessed while pushing and performing an ultrasound he determined LO's shoulders would not fit.I was immediately wheeled in for the c-section (already had an epi) and during the c-section something was not going right with my epi and I could feel everything. Not just tugging or pulling, actual cutting. They bumped up my epi med's however by this point I was fading in and out of consciousness. I remember NOTHING after that point. I don't remember hearing Lo's first cry...nothing. Since they had to cut LO out quickly all of my future kiddo's will need to be born via c-section. Having a c-section is major surgery and I (personally) would never elect to one because of a 'what if'. 

To those who are saying it's rare for the head not to fit - what if OP is one of the rare cases?? My sister's MIL had a baby with a head that was too big - the head was crushed during delivery and the baby died because the doctor didn't think she would need a c-section.

Vaginal births are not the be-all, end-all of motherhood. I have no less of a bond and no regrets in the way I had my children - vaginal births are not for everyone. Just like c-sections are not for everyone - but sometimes (as in my case and many other posters on this site) it is a necessity.

I would personally rather have a happy, healthy baby and a little bit longer recovery than risk being one of those rare cases and having tragedy occur. 

+ASH+:

To those who are saying it's rare for the head not to fit - what if OP is one of the rare cases?? My sister's MIL had a baby with a head that was too big - the head was crushed during delivery and the baby died because the doctor didn't think she would need a c-section.

Vaginal births are not the be-all, end-all of motherhood. I have no less of a bond and no regrets in the way I had my children - vaginal births are not for everyone. Just like c-sections are not for everyone - but sometimes (as in my case and many other posters on this site) it is a necessity.

I would personally rather have a happy, healthy baby and a little bit longer recovery than risk being one of those rare cases and having tragedy occur. 

Maybe she is. That is why I asked for more information. Because, quite frankly, lots of women are told that their baby won't fit or is too big and it's usually crap. The OP was very vague.

You are awfully defensive about your birth experience.  Obviously, sections are sometimes necessary. You are acting like those who would prefer to avoid a section if at all possible don't want a healthy baby. Which is ridiculous. The birth process does matter.

I also disagree w/ your statement that vaginal births aren't for everyone. That is the way our bodies are supposed to work, so yes, they are for everyone. That said, there are, of course, situations in which the ideal doesn't work out and that's when we are all grateful for modern medicine.  

I would honestly say it was not that bad at all. I'll try to summarize my process for you:

~Waiting in prep for about 1-2 hours was boring and annoying since I had to get up to pee a ton of times while connected to an IV and other wires but otherwise not a problem ;)
~Next I was brought into surgery and given the epidural which was probably the "worst" part as the epidural does hurt quite a bit...I would describe it as a burning pinch but fortunately it started to work quickly so I didn't feel it for long.
~The actual surgery was quick (about 30 minutes) but LO arrived about 10 minutes in so the rest was just them "cleaning" me out and sewing me up. I did feel quite a lot of tugging, which felt odd but not uncomfortable or painful. I was able to see my baby during this time so perhaps I was just distracted :)
~I had three surgery "symptoms' which they say are very normal. One, I was freezing, but it wasn't terrible. Two, I could not stop shaking. This was really annoying but not too bad. The doc gave me drugs to help but they didn't really seem to do a whole lot. Third, it was hard to breath. This might have freaked me out if he hadn't mentioned it before they started, but once I started to feel like I was having a problem he just gave me some oxygen and it was much better.
~Once they were done with me I had to go to post op for another 1-2 hours, which was boring since I was alone but I was so tired I just rested.
~For the first 24 hours my hospital let me lay in bed and tended to everything. Warning, someone will come in and give you a squirt bath "downstairs"...Lol. On the second day they removed the catheter which didn't hurt at all. I don't know why, but I thought it would hurt to be removed and was happy it didn't.
~I echo everyone's sentiment that you should try to get up and move around ASAP. It really does help you to get moving. On the opposite end I would tell you to relax as much as possible at home, though I didn't take my own advice so I don't expect you to ;) That said, it got better every week and by 8 weeks I would definitely say I was pretty much back to 100%. Just be careful of your incision so that you don't get an infection or open it up and it shouldn't be too bad.

And so finally, I wish you the best of luck and I hope your experience is as "easy" as mine was! 

Thank you ladies for all of your kind and helpful responses And thank you to the poster who suggested the c-section board. I've been lurking over there and it's been so helpful! :)

In response to some of the questions, I also have some other issues with my blood pressure and edema. Because I wanted to avoid the c-section route, or being induced at all, I did get a second and a third opinion. All of them say the same thing - that the best thing for my baby and my body would be to deliver via c-section. I could try to deliver vaginally but all three doctors that I consulted agreed that my labor would most likely end up in an emergency c-section. At this point, I just want my son to enter the world as healthy as possible and if a c-section is how we will achieve that, then so be it.

Again, thanks so much for all of your responses! :)

amcourt09:

Thank you ladies for all of your kind and helpful responses And thank you to the poster who suggested the c-section board. I've been lurking over there and it's been so helpful! :)

In response to some of the questions, I also have some other issues with my blood pressure and edema. Because I wanted to avoid the c-section route, or being induced at all, I did get a second and a third opinion. All of them say the same thing - that the best thing for my baby and my body would be to deliver via c-section. I could try to deliver vaginally but all three doctors that I consulted agreed that my labor would most likely end up in an emergency c-section. At this point, I just want my son to enter the world as healthy as possible and if a c-section is how we will achieve that, then so be it.

Again, thanks so much for all of your responses! :)

I literally had almost the exact same situation as you and had my baby girl via c-section 2 weeks ago today.

I was crushed and terrified when I first found out but honestly now that it's all said and done I regret nothing. It really wasn't a bad experience at all and I'm recovering really well. All that matters is a happy and healthy baby and mom :) GL and congrats!! 

I had a C Section after induction went bad and his head was too big.  It was super fast, maybe around 20 minutes or so.  The recovery was not too bad, make sure you ask for a binder.

I had to have a c-section.

My water broke and I labored for about 16 hours and pushed for 3 without getting past my pelvic bone. After many attempts to turn my babies head (he was sunny side up with his head cocked to the side. he also has a gigantic head) the doctors told me that I only had a 20% chance of delivering vaginally.

I took an hour or two. I'm not entirely sure I shook unbelievably bad the entire time and was nauseous from some of the meds so after the baby left I fell asleep.

The pressure wasn't so bad. I was expecting it to be a lot worse. No worries. :)

I ended up having a c-section and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The actual surgery was fine, I barely felt anything and the tugging and pressure they said I'd feel were very faint. They brought my son up to my head right after so I could see him. My husband was in the OR the entire time. I actually really like it!

As far as recovery, I still went back to work 6 weeks after having my LO. I was almost completely healed by week 3. I obviously took it very easy those 3 weeks, but it's not as bad as it seems when you think about having a c-section. You'll be fine!

I had to have an emergency C-section for DS this past October (my first!). After several hours of contractions at home, we finally made the trek to Labor and Delivery. After about an hour there, my Dr. ruptured my membrane. Within a minute, DS's heartrate dramatically dropped. They rushed me in for an emergency C-section. When we finally realized what was happening, my husband texted my mom at 7:56 to get herself there immediately and my handsome boy was born at 8:05 -- the surgery was ridiculously fast. I am sure that a scheduled C-section would take more time and be a little more calm.

In terms of recovery, I was very lucky... within my stay at the hospital (three days total) I was able to walk around and do things much as I always had. No muscle soreness or anything of that nature. The worst part was the side effects from the anesthesia. For two days I was vomiting - THAT is what made my stomach and incision hurt. Since I didn't experience much for muscle pain, I pushed it a little too much and didn't "heal" as quickly as I would have with more rest.

After being home for a few weeks, I started to feel soreness in the space between my incision (which is still a little numb) and my belly button. I was told this was normal and it eventually wore off (but I can't really remember when, I just know I no longer have that feeling).

Everyone is different and I know my experience was far from normal. Before labor started, I had worked myself into a petrified tizzy about the birthing process no matter what way but I now know that nothing is certain aside from how happy your little one will make you!