“it was such a surreal out of body experience”
After a bad recovery which resulted in health problems with my first baby, my consultant suggested the idea of a c-section second time around. At first I was naturally TERRIFIED at the thought, and scoured the internet for stories, but came across a LOT of negative ones, which were not helpful. I wanted to mentally prepare, but also keep it positive. My c-section ended up being a super calm, positive, amazing experience! 😊
I woke up at 5:30am to have some breakfast as my nil by mouth started at 6am. At around 9:30 my grandparents arrived to look after my 2 year old, and I had the electrolyte drink that I had been instructed to have. My husband and I left for the hospital at around 10:20 as we had to get there for 11am. When we arrived it was so surreal just parking up and strolling in, knowing that our baby would be here in a few hours! I was checked in to the prenatal surgery ward which was so calm and quiet, I was told I was first on the afternoon list, which I was absolutely ecstatic about, as the waiting was definitely the worst part, especially when I couldn’t even boredom eat! 🤣 We got there at 11, but it was around 2:30/2:45 when we were collected to head down to theatre, yet the time went so quickly?! I signed some forms while my husband got his scrubs on.
In theatre it was SO bright - like the train station part with dumbledore in the last Harry Potter 😆, there seemed to be SO many people, yet it was so calm and relaxed with everyone just quietly chatting, and introducing themselves, and the radio on low in the background. I sat on the bed and was given my cannula, then the spinal block was done, but I didn’t feel a thing as they had already done local anaesthetic. I was laid down and could slowly feel my legs getting heavy. The anaesthetist sprayed a cold spray on me to check if I could feel it. This was the only moment I panicked, as I was like ‘I CAN feel it?!’ But he was like ‘Can you feel the cold of it, or just a sensation?’ And he did another spray… I could feel the spray but not the cold… he sprayed it higher up near my shoulder and it was so so icy cold!! He assured me this was completely normal, and that the spinal block was working if I couldn’t feel the cold!
Once the anaesthetist was happy the surgeon started, and it was such a surreal out of body experience, I could feel a jiggling feeling, but before I knew it they were holding my baby up above the drapes! They put him straight on my chest for skin to skin, by this point I was in such a bubble staring at my boy, that I was completely oblivious to them finishing the surgery and stitching me up!
The whole thing went by so quick, we were in recovery before I knew it, then after that back to the postnatal ward. I think the worst thing about the whole experience was actually the itchy face a few hours later! 😆Apparently this is a normal side effect from the drugs! The midwives were all lovely and helpful, especially with helping me lift him out of his cot during the night, but I actually found I was able to lift him out fine by the early morning. I was so shocked that I didn’t have any pain at all, just a stiff uncomfortable feeling more than anything, I got up and started walking by the following morning, and was discharged at lunchtime! I still can’t believe how calm the environment was, which made me feel so calm in the moment, as my biggest fear beforehand was mentally panicking!! I used the same hypnobirthing techniques during my c section as I did my vaginal birth first time round, and it really did work for me, I was so calm, and I am a super worrier/anxious person! My recovery was amazing, I was only taking paracetamol and ibuprofen after the surgery, and I was back to 99% normal within 2 weeks, which was a stark contrast to my vaginal birth where my recovery was just one problem after another for months on end! I took my dressing off after 7 days, which is when the midwife told me to take it off.. this was a big fear of mine beforehand, as I felt dizzy after seeing my appendix incision a couple of years earlier 🙃 ..but I need not of worried as it was actually stitched from the inside out, and was so SO neat! It literally looked like someone had just drawn a line on me with a pen?! Not gruesome at all, which was my fear! Now 7 months on, it has faded a lot, and isn’t even really that noticeable, especially as it is so low down and under my knicker line. I hope that anyone who is having an elective c section manages to find positive birth stories like these, as the very few that I did manage to find were honestly the most helpful things ever ☺️
