Mama: Holy C-Section

Fresh from the gut. :)

First off, let me begin by stating that I never in a million years would have guessed that I would end up needing a C-section. Yet, I did. The experience was partially what I anticipated and partially new, scary, and unexpected. Let me also say that this post is likely going to be long, boring, and pretty gross for most, but I thought it worth sharing for the few of you who might relate.

When you don’t see it coming, there’s nothing that quite prepares you for the announcement that you will need an emergency C-section. I wasn’t so nervous about the procedure itself. It was more the idea of the recovery and fear of the unknown. I had never had a c-section. What should I expect? Would it hurt? How long would it take to recover? I literally was fighting back the tears when I got the news that after almost twelve hours of labor, it was time to hit the operating room. Twenty minutes later, I was on the metal table staring up at the bright lights, which were exactly like you read and hear about. Thirty minutes after that, Dr. Stapp was finishing up my sutures, and I was returning to the delivery room. Sounds easy, but I have never in my life felt more nauseous and anxious than I did on that table. For starters, my nose felt stuffed up, so it was giving me that claustrophobic “I can’t breathe. I need to move.” feeling. The dizziness and nausea were so intense that I spent the majority of the time dry heaving into a bag that my lovely husband was kind enough to hold to my face. It was the longest half hour of my life, and the fact that the doctor was literally yanking Andrew out of me was not what was bothering me. I was so thrilled to hear his first little cry, but I felt too sick to really focus on him. I just wanted out of surgery so I could hold him like a normal mother. After he was born and assessed, the doctors asked Dave if he wanted to go with the baby to the delivery room. I could tell he felt bad leaving me because I was so miserable, but my mom told him to go with his baby and she would stay with hers. Cute, right?

After I was all put back together, they moved me back to labor and delivery. I was told that I would not be able to walk or eat for 6 hours and that my epidural line would stay in for 2 days, as well as my IV. My catheter would have to stay in overnight and possibly longer if I couldn’t empty my bladder on my own. I was all hooked up, but feeling a bit better. I visited with my brother and his fiancee for a bit and then started to feel sick again. I was given some medicine to help with pain and nausea and moved to the maternity side of the floor. Dave stayed with me until I was settled, but then we agreed it would be easier for him to spend the night at home with Chace. I decided Andrew would room in the nursery, so I could rest, but I did set my alarm to pump. Turns out that when you have a C-section, unless somebody is staying with you, you can’t have the baby room-in for the first night because you’re not allowed to move all that much. I held Andrew for a while then sent him off to sleep in the nursery. I actually sent him to the nursery all three nights. I felt kinda bad, but I wanted to get some rest since the whole procedure was so intense. I set an alarm to pump every three hours, and I actually found my nights in the hospital to be very calm and comfortable. After the procedure, I had a decent amount of associated pain, but for the most part was in really good spirits and moving around pretty well, but there were some moments that were excruciating. The first time I got out of bed to use the bathroom was the longest, most painful walk. I didn’t think I could do it again, but I did because I knew I had to. After surgery, I had two really bad bouts with pain and nausea. The first was about an hour after birth. I began feeling the way I had felt in the operating room. I was given nausea medication and pain medication and, essentially, put to sleep. The second was the next day before dinner. I was feeling pretty good and visiting with family when, all of a sudden, I started to have intense neck pain and shoulder pain. I felt like I couldn’t move, and it was so painful, I felt nauseated. Turns out, gas gets trapped after surgery, and if it’s not expelled, it can cause painful air pockets. They were awful, but a double dose of pain medication and a warm compress helped.

Things improved significantly after that first day. For starters, I was no longer connected to any machinery. My catheter came out, and my IV fell out. They also removed the lead for the epidural. I was able to take a shower, which, for me, is huge. My final two days at the hospital were relaxing and rejuvenating, and I felt ready to head home.

Once home, I found myself getting back into my normal routine fairly quickly. Dave was home for the first day, and he was really good about helping me out. I felt somewhat guilty for not being 100% able to do what I normally do. The hardest things were having to go up and down the stairs multiple times and lifting Chace, my 30 pound 2 year old. While I tried not to do both, sometimes it was unavoidable. Nothing about a c-section is glamorous, but some of the least attractive side effects were blood (both vaginal and in my urine) and swelling of my stomach. For some reason, I wasn’t thinking and assumed that I would not bleed vaginally since I did not give birth vaginally. I forgot that my uterus still had to shrink down to size, so there was a lot of blood. Pretty much the same amount as with my first birthing experience. I’ve never had a flat stomach, but I was super swollen after the surgery and nowhere except my stomach. My normal “pouch” was hanging so low the first couple of days that I couldn’t see my vagina if I looked straight ahead in the mirror. Hot, right? I was concerned that it would stay like that since the rest of me didn’t seem swollen, but after a couple of days, it started to shrink back down to my normal chub. If I pushed myself too hard or didn’t hydrate properly, I found that I had a difficult time peeing, experience burning when I peed, and had blood, sometimes a significant amount, in my urine. I never knew how much c-sections can affect the bladder.

My incision was hidden under the lovely drooping stomach I mentioned above, so it healed well and did not cause me much pain. If anything, I felt a stinging sensation. About ten days after the surgery, I went out shopping with my mom and the baby for a few hours. Two weeks after delivery, I went out for a couple of hours with girlfriends. People were surprised at my ability to get up and moving, but I felt like I just had to do it. Still, I got tired quickly and experienced back pain at night if I had an exceptionally busy day. I would tell any woman who has had a c-section to just relax as much as possible and recover. Accept help and don’t be afraid to ask questions and be honest about how you’re feeling. My recovery was not typical. At least not compared to my friends who have also gone through the procedure. Listen to the body and do what feels comfortable. Once a few weeks go by, normalcy, or some sense of it, returns. I promise.

Worth the discomfort.