Why C-sections should not be feared

Posted on July 21, 2012 by bridget13point1

When I was pregnant with my with my first baby, I read all the books and asked all the right questions – BUT – but I always skimmed the parts about c-sections. Who WANTS a c-section? (I know there are those who do, but it was never part of my ‘plan.’) That being said, I never really had a birth plan either, I told my doctor and nurses that I just wanted to take it all as it came and make decisions as necessary. I didn’t want to be a stringent this-is-what-I-want-and-I-won’t-deviate kind of moms-to-be. I told them my hope was for a med-free delivery, but I was open to them if I felt it was getting to be too much for me. (Any first time mom should be a little flexible – you have no idea what you’re getting into!)

However, at my 37 week appointment, by doctor asked me how I would feel if it came to be that I required a c-section. Hmm… why is he asking this?! Turns out, it was a pretty standard question for him because, he says, most moms don’t think about it and often have a hard time accepting it if/when the need arises. OK. Makes sense. I told him that it wasn’t my ideal outcome, but I would be fine if that meant the difference between a healthy baby/delivery and one that wasn’t.

Fast forward to my delivery day, which happened to be my due date. In observation, my doctor told me I was about 1 cm, but my contractions were KILLING me and were coming every 2 minutes. I agreed to start pitocin, but he wanted to do a quick ultrasound to check her position…breech. The decision was made to begin prepping for surgery. By 10:12 I was a mama! Want more of the details?

In the weeks that followed I became a fan of a lot of mommy blogs on Facebook and quickly learned there is a large contingent of people who are EXTREMELY anti-hospital/c-section/pain meds/etc. I’m not here to debate the merits of natural childbirth, all I want to say is that whether you have a c-section because it was medically necessary or because you elected to have one for convenience (or any other reason) you are NOT a failure! Here’s why…

You don’t have to worry about peeing your pants.

A good friend warned me about “snissing” (sneezing and you-know-what-ing at the same time) I didn’t believe that it would EVER happen to me. Well, Kegels can only do so much and when you’re 38 weeks along, plopped on the sofa with a 7 pound baby pressing on your bladder I DARE YOU to sneeze without repercussions. The beauty of a c-section is this won’t keep happening post-delivery. It stops immediately! Halleluiah.

Things down there aren’t all stretched out!

Pretty self-explanatory and I know you can get back to where you once were with a little patience and a lot of work, but who wants to do that? C-section mamas live with happy baby daddies. That’s all I’m sayin’.

You will save a lot of time.

I labored for all of 7 hours. For three of them I didn’t know I was in labor and the last hour I was numb from anesthesia meaning I spent about three hours in pain. That was enough for me. Not to say I wouldn’t like to TRY a VBAC someday, but honestly I was secretly relieved when we decided on a c-section! I was SO OVER contractions.

More days in the hospital AND time off from work.

Not sure about you, but my short term disability insurance gave me an extra 2 weeks of PAID time off for having a c-section. Cha-ching! And, law mandates that mamas who undergo the knife get to be in the hospital for four days. Four days of no cooking, cleaning, or worrying about anything. Bliss! (Of course you can always leave early, I did.)

And while all that may sound vain, the most IMPORTANT reason a c-section rocks is because,
It leaves mama with a healthy baby!

Don’t let the naysayers get you down. Birthing a baby is such an individual experience and everyone should get to have their how they want it. Unfortunately, it isn’t always the case, so take pride in the fact that you carried a baby, gave it a healthy delivery (not matter how it came) and have come to be an awesome mama with a righteous battle scar to prove it!

Did you have a c-section? Planned? Unplanned? How did you cope?

C-Section Surprises: 7 things I learned

Posted on July 11, 2012 by bridget13point1

When I was pregnant, I did everything right (exercised, ate healthy, avoided “dangers” like deli meat and blue cheese dressing, avoided alcohol, etc.) yet at my 39 week appointment, the baby still hadn’t engaged. “Give it time,” said my doctor. “It will happen soon.” OK – I’ll drink the Kool-Aid and believe you.

Suddenly I was in labor. (Well, not all that sudden. It started at 3:00 a.m. and I didn’t realize it was labor until about 5:30 a.m. when I was having trouble doing my warm-up for my workout DVD. Duh.) By 7:00 a.m. I was in observation, the room they make you go in before they decide if you can stay or have to go home. I got the stay! Hooray for contractions! (Mine started and stayed about 2 minutes apart from the get go.) Then came my doctor who said, “Baby still doesn’t seem to have dropped, let’s do a quick ultrasound to be sure.” Sure enough – breech. Stinker!

Gettin’ the juice!

With her head snuggled well behind the placenta, there was no really hope to turn her and the contractions were HURTING so we agreed that a C-section was the best option. Suddenly I sat there laboring in the observation room by myself. Hubby was off changing into scrubs and the medical team was all getting prepped for surgery. I used that free moment to call my mom. Her words when I told her I was having a C-section? “Oh honey, I’m sorry.” All of a sudden I was kind of a mess. Excited yes, but starting to think that maybe this wasn’t such a good thing.

Most women I know are aware that a C-section is a possibility. Labor is unpredictable, after all. Few of us though take the time to really research and understand it. My biggest regret was not knowing what to expect AFTER the surgery. To help prevent you from falling into my footsteps, here are a few of the things I wish I had known, and now I will for next time!

You can’t sit up. You’re not dumb, nor am I. I realize this is a surgical operation, but I was still surprised that I couldn’t really sit up – even after returning home. I slept propped up with pillows so I could get out of bed to respond to baby’s needs. If I laid flat, my husband had to wake up to “shove” me out of bed.

Just like a vaginal delivery, all that was in must come out. With all of the pushing moms do to squeeze that baby out. You would expect a lot of, you know, drainage. With a C-section it is really no different except you didn’t stretch it all our down there so maybe you won’t be as sore? I don’t know, never pushed out a baby. All I know is you still get a plastic “squirt” bottle to do what they call peri-care. In other words, spray warm water all over your nether regions to clean it up before you’re mobile enough for a shower. Awesome.

Catheters. In a previous post I mentioned you need to check your modesty at the door. No doubt. I actually knew my surgical tech on a personal level and asked that someone else put in my catheter. There are just some things friends don’t need to do for each other. Don’t worry, they will wait until you’re good and numb before placing that sucker. Then a nurse will come in when you least expect it and remove it (probably 12+ hours later) when you are expected to be able to walk yourself to the bathroom. Oy. I remember that catheter offering a nice reprieve from the CONSTANT runs to the bathroom you experience those last few weeks. They may also “threaten” that if you don’t go #1 on your own in a certain time frame they will re-cath you. Pass the water!

A little queasy, but no longer pregnant!

Nausea. I am one of those lucky people who never be addicted to pain killers – they make me so ill. I was doing just fine throughout the surgery, heard baby cry, Hubby left to cut the cord, etc. All of a sudden I told the anesthetist, “I’m gonna be sick.” All I could do was turn my head a let ‘er rip. All. Over. My. Face. In recovery they helped clean me up but man, I was a MESS. (See photo above.) Luckily, once I was in my room the nice nurses gave me some magic drug to stop the queasiness. Vomiting with a six-inch slice in your abdomen don’t mix. They will also tell you to hold a pillow against your incision when you cough or sneeze. Take this advice.

Nurses still want you to breastfeed right away. I was literally in Recovery for minutes, long enough for the nurse and husband to bathe the baby, then they handed her to me and encouraged me to breastfeed. I had NO IDEA what I was doing, but they were helpful and let me take it at my own pace. One thing I would recommend is to try different holds. Football worked best on one side and cross-cradle o the other. This may change as baby grows; it did for me. Football was nice though, as it kept pressure off the incision.

Try to walk the next day. I took baby out in her bassinet for a few laps around the birthing center a couple of times each day. Using the bassinet helped me stay upright and the walking just felt good after being in bed all the time.

Showers are frightening! You will fear the death droplets of water. Fear they will tear you open if they touch your incision. Rest assured, you’ll be fine. Some warm water running over that cut will actually feel good, and I believe, facilitate faster healing.

Sutures and scars. I was SHOCKED when, at about 9 weeks post-op, I developed a large purple, pimple looking thing right on my incision line. It was a Friday night and I planned to call the doctor’s office on Monday morning. Sunday night it started to itch so I went to the bathroom, cleaned it and pressed gently on one side of the bump. Out popped a little white piece of something that crumbled when I squeezed it. I pressed again, another white piece. Each was the size of a grain of rice. Not large. I asked an OB nurse about it and she said it was a small piece of suture coming out, not a big deal. Well, THAT would have been nice to know! I’ve heard stories of incisions rupturing completely at 12 weeks and I was a bit nervous, but once those pieces came out, the bump went away and I had a healthy scar in no time.

I truly hope this doesn’t scare you. Having a C-section is not something to be afraid of, but it sure helps to know that these things are totally normal!

Did you have a C-section? What surprised you most during or after surgery?

Breastfeeding Surprises: 6 things I learned the hard way

Posted on July 10, 2012 by bridget13point1

There are millions of websites out there with posts like the “Top 5 Things” to know before breastfeeding, and while those are excellent resources…there are some things that I was left to learn on my own. Things that I WISH someone had told me. So here you go, moms-to-be. This is what lies ahead…

They leak…BEFORE the baby comes.

I will never forget stepping out of the shower around 36 weeks and seeing an orangish drop coming from lefty. It was one of those shocking moments that stopped me cold. I’m really having a baby. Soon.

Three days after delivery. Ouch.

When your “milk comes in” as they say, you will have the biggest, shiniest, hardest boobies of your life. You may think/worry this is your new normal. It is NOT. Things will calm down once your body figures out how much milk your baby actually needs. In the meantime, just feed, feed, feed to relieve the engorgement. (Awful word, isn’t it?!)

Showering is scary.

Now granted, I had a C-section so I was nervous about my incision and couldn’t stand 100% upright, but I was terrified of the shower head’s death spray of water hitting my extra-large chest. My tip? Start with your back to the shower until your body regulates milk production. You’ll be OK. Maybe try one of these? I never did, but can see the appeal.

Pumps are SUPER intimidating.

I was REALLY excited about my pump. I actually bought it from the hospital I delivered in when I was still three months from birthing that baby. Of course, I waited until I was in the hospital to have a lactation consultant show me how to use it and I was two months post-partum before I really put it to use. Anyway, The first few times you use it, you will cringe each time you turn that sucker on. You’ll think it’s going to give you the biggest titty-twister of your life. It’s not. Pumping isn’t comfortable, but it won’t hurt as bad as you think either.

You will pump enough.

My biggest fear with daycare was that I didn’t know how much milk to take each day. Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out. For me, three 4 oz. bags are enough, though I usually take an extra in case baby girl decides to start a growth spurt while I’m working. Side note: I am 4 months post-partum and can pump anywhere from 2-5 oz. per breast, depending on the time of day. This is NORMAL. Know that it can take me up to an hour though to get those larger amounts.

Lactation Consultants should not be underestimated.

These women (every LC I’ve met is female) are ah-maze-ing. If your hospital is like mine, they will show up in your room every day you’re there. They will watch you feed, help you with different holds, check baby’s latch and so on. One thing about having a baby, you can check your modesty at the door! Oh, and ask all the stupid questions you want – I know I did.

Experienced breastfeeders, what would you add to the list?