The real truth about having a C-section
NO one really gets into the nitty gritty of giving birth — sure your doctor will give you some guidelines, and the nurses will try to coach you on what to expect, but there are things you won’t be told until you experience them, and they can be scary, at best.
Here’s my Caesarean section (C-section) journey, which I hope will help other women who have to go through the experience.
I wasn’t told that a C-section was being considered seriously until about 20 weeks, when my obstetrician-gynaecologist (ObGyn) advised me that he felt more comfortable doing the procedure because of my age, and because he could basically plan the outcome. At that time I was 33 years old, not a spring chicken, but certainly not an elder or high risk, and I was having an uneventful pregnancy. I was told the average cost, the hospital he preferred, and was told to be prepared.
I later discussed it with my husband, and we agreed that if I could do a vaginal birth I should, not only because of the cost, but why do surgery unnecessarily? But at my next doctor’s visit, ultrasound in hand, doc explained that the baby was already measuring on the large side, and even if I wanted to, being petite, I probably wouldn’t be capable of managing a vaginal birth.
The preparation
I checked into the hospital at 39 weeks, did some basic tests and checks and was admitted to get my section the next morning. I wasn’t to eat after 9:00 pm, and the anaesthesiologist came by to explain the procedure — a spinal epidural — the after effects, and what I needed to get to be comfortable in the days after. On the morning of the surgery I was taken to the theatre, and after getting a catheter put in and the epidural started, was ready for the surgery.
The surgery
This took about 30 minutes from the first cut to retrieving the baby, and then another 30 minutes or so for suturing. The epidural made me extremely cold, I was trembling like crazy, teeth chattering, and the entire time I felt like I couldn’t breathe, as it gave the sensation of something sitting on my chest. There was no other pain, only pressure at the surgery site.
The recovery
After surgery, seeing my baby, and being sutured, I was taken to the recovery room to be monitored. Here, the nurse was supposed to check my pain levels, and ensure that I got back feeling in my legs before I could be taken back to the ward. That’s when horror struck. Pain like I’ve never felt before hit me, over and over. The nurse explained that my uterus was contracting, and upped my pain meds, but nothing helped. I was literally in and out of consciousness each time the pain hit. I was eventually wheeled back to my bed after the epidural fully wore off.
The evening after
I was given Voltaren in injection form for the pain, told to breastfeed my baby, and told that the next day, I would have to try to walk around. The medicine helped with the pain, but I literally could not move my body on the bed to care for my baby and eventually asked them to take the baby to the nursery.
The next morning
Several medical professionals would come to do exams — my OBGyn, the paediatrician, and others. The nurses advised me to try to walk, but when I tried to get up, it was like I was being punched several times over. I finally managed to get off the bed, and hunched over, tried to move, all the while with pain reverberating through my body, and lochia gushing down my legs. This itself was a shocker, because I thought that it would be light or non existent after the C-Section, but alas, no. I pressed lightly on my stomach and everything felt like it was floating around — like the doctor had removed my organs and placed them back in the wrong position. It was a very disconcerting feeling.
Would I be discharged?
I’d hoped to be discharged on day three, but this wouldn’t be possible unless my blood pressure stabilised, I was told. So I focused on trying to walk, eat, and stay stress free. I was like a grandma trying to make it round the ward, but I eventually mustered enough strength to go to the bathroom by myself to tidy. I was eventually discharged, along with my baby, after my ObGyn checked the surgery site and the paediatrician checked the baby.
Home at last
Nothing prepares you for those first few weeks — you can’t laugh, can’t get up from a sitting or lying down position easily, and you can’t walk for any long period. You can’t do basic chores, and you’re losing blood like a soldier in battle. The pain is indescribable, and you have to go in to the doctor’s office within a few days for a post-surgery check-up. Added to that were the headaches — awful spinal headaches at the base of my neck that the anaesthesiologist had warned me about, which were only helped by more meds, and caffeine drinks.
It was only after two weeks that I felt somewhat like myself, even though it took me months to recover. My scar site is still numb — my baby is a year old — I still have a stomach hangover no matter how much I exercise, and I still remember the excruciating pain. My scar, which was once thin and unremarkable, now has a keloid forming, which I will need surgery to correct. All in all, having a C-section is not for the faint of heart. It’s sold as a great alternative to the trauma of vaginal birth, but I can tell you that there’s nothing more traumatising than recovering from C-section surgery.
Grace Hinds, who gave birth to her third child via C-section, is in the process of writing her first book on parenting.
