Upcoming C-section.

You can’t feel them strapping your arms down because your numb from shoulders down. My elective was such a calm experience. I went into the operating theatre sobbing because I was so nervous. Surgeons and nurses were so lovely and put on music for me, literally within five minutes of cutting me open my daughter was out. You’re then so distracted by your baby that the rest of the surgery goes really quickly. When they’re stitching you back together it does feel a bit like you’re in a washing machine though, you can feel them rummaging around😂 but no pain at all x

Ive had an emergency c section and then a planed one with my last baby
They didn't strap my arms down at all , obviously you have a spinal so you cant move anyway but I had a panic attack as soon as I sat on the operating table and they didn't start anything until id calmed down and ready to do it , and then it was a really nice experience going from my emergency it was completely different, you dont feel any pain just alot of pulling and pushing

I had a elective c section in 2023 and they didnt necessarily strap my arms down but they did need to tape my stomach up a bit which meant the tape went up to my shoulders. Tbh I was pretty out of it and couldn't feel anything below shoulders so wasnt really bothered by what they were doing. I was also lucky with the team I had in theatre as well they kept me updated and distracted, as soon as my son was out hes all I could look at so although I was in theatre for 2 hours roughly didn't really feel like it

I didnt have my arms strapped down during my section, I was numb from the armpits downwards but could still move my arms.
My section was amazing and so relaxed, speaking with the anaesthetist she said the best ones are always when people go in calm and without stress as they dont work themselves up.
I was up walking around 6hrs later the second my catheter was out and made sure to get up every 30 minutes to walk around, i had no complications and made sure to shower everyday afterwards to keep my wound clean and get me ready for the day.

I’ve had an emergency and an elective, don’t remember then strapping my arms down either time tbh! For the elective I asked for gas & air during the spinal which really helped me calm down. It also helped to have my playlist ready, they were all so nice saying turn up the music 😅 Honestly it was a great experience all in all! Lion King moment was pretty epic as well ❤️

You have nothing to worry about my love!
They’ll get you comfy on the bed and give you the injection to numb your body from about the chest down, you’ll have full control of your arms and hands, but you won’t be able to feel anything from about your lower chest and down. They’ll make the incision and start to get the baby out, then they’ll weigh them and do their checks to make sure baby is all ok, which takes a few minutes max! I was sick once he was out but I think this was massively due to the adrenaline as i had quite a traumatic labour and my section was an emergency. Whilst I was abit unwell my partner had our son under his scrubs for some skin to skin, then they laid him on my chest and we cuddled for the rest of the section. You get taken into the recovery room and they helped get him latched and we fed and cuddled and he didn’t leave my arms the entire time. From memory I got the movement back in my body about 5 hours or so after, and was up walking slowly, by 12 x

Of course it’s scary, it’s a huge ordeal, however a planned c section will be nice and organised, and you’ll be explained every step of the way. You can give your phone for the midwife to take photos, if your partner wanted to he can cut the cord, you can have your own music playing if you want. Your recovery will likely feel much easier aswell as your body hasn’t had any of the trauma or adrenaline before hand. Best of luck, you’ll be amazing, and your lovely baby will be on your chest in no time! Feel free to message me if you want to chat! 🤍

I can honestly say my c section was the best part of my pregnancy the rest of it before and after was horrendous

I had an elective c section and it was the smoothest experience - they didn’t strap my arms down, not all hospitals do, procedure was over in 20 mins, scariest part was the needle to numb me. Baby was checked and then placed on me for skin to skin shortly after. I have beautiful pictures from those moments. Recovery is a different journey for everyone, I’d recommend c section friendly compression leggings for afterwards. Hope it helps hearing a positive experience xxx

I would suggest talking to a doula and creating a c-section birth plan. You have choices such as being strapped down or not, etc. There’s a lot of evidence based care options for you. The more informed you are the less scary it sounds.

This post is really positive... https://www.peanut-app.io/share/F29GceGyL1b

Mine was incredible! So calm and peaceful. Recovery was easy too. Booked in for another in April. Happy to answer any questions.

Tips:
- accept help
- move, move and move (as much as you can)
- rest when you need to
- lactulose is your new best friend - use it!!
- take pain killers when needed
- if you get super itchy after anaesthesia wears off, they can give you an anti histamine
- buy loose, high wasted pants to go above your scar
- loose clothing also a must
- make sure everything is within reach as you may have catheter in overnight
- eat chewing gum and drink mint tea as I wasn’t allowed to leave until I told them I’d passed wind as they wanted to make sure my bowels we’re waking up again.

We did:
- delay cord clamping
- dad announcing gender
- dad cut cord (just the stump and not whilst I was wide open)
- skin to skin immediately
- music, photos, videos all allowed