Elective - CS (< 3wks ago) Experience at RPA as Private Patient
Hi everyone,
I believe this is possibly my first post. I relied heavily on this forum just reading what everyone had to say and everybody else questions to prepare myself for my CS on 19.02.09...so I thought I better contribute now that I've become BTDT.
Anyway so I was in for an elective C-Section. My story quickly first, I was actually planning to go natural when I first fell preggers, but then I was told I have cysts on my ovaries that came up in the scan, which I HAD to remove at some point in time. They grew and decreased in size during my pregnancy from a mandarin to an orange and I was really worried that it would twist or burst. But luckily...they stayed intact. Anyway so, basically that started me on the path to losing confidence in myself with a natural birth, because I felt I couldnt focus on pushing baby out when I keep worrying about busting these cysts, and I also wanted them taken out if I had a CS. Hence, decision on CS.
Anyway I had a Spinal/Epi, my anesthetist was Dr Desmond Chu and he was REALLY good...talked me through the entire procedure was very supportive and also kept my mind off things during the CS. My OB was Dr Po-Yu Huang, who is also really great, I highly recommend him, he was fantastic through out my pregnancy and also performed the most perfect CS, my incision is beautiful, granted it took me over 1 week to look at it for the first time. But I kept asking my hubby, mother and mid wives to check for me, and they were all like...wow it's just one line (I had disolving stitches). One of the mid wives said...wow...that's a NICE incision, who was your OB? (Dr Po-Yu Huang)...Oh Dr Huang, oh he's lovely isn't he? (Yep) Some Dr's do pretty awful incisions, like they're not even straight it's like a V, but _this_ is very nice work! haha and it went on pretty much like this again the next time she checked it before checking me outta hospital.
Anyway...got a little carried away there...so back to the actual CS...for me...my god!! it was the most scariest...nerve racking...exciting....and anxious I've ever felt...I've felt pretty dreadful with piano exams and esteddfods in my past....but this really takes the cake! My Hubby was trying to calm me down when they were wheeling me about...saying hey this like a theme park ride (cos I was in bed, being wheeled from door to door, and we were waiting inside a little room just outside a set of doors where the CS will be performed)...anyway...it didnt help...I semi laughed but really I wanted to cry :redface: I have had no previous admissions into hospital, so even the IV freaked me out...I was pretty stressed, because in general I'm not the best specimen to take blood from, but the local anesthetic helped, Dr Chu said I was "tricky" but he managed it with minimal pain.
The actual Spinal/Epi was more difficult than I had previously read, sure it felt like "pressure" but I was pretty much given a pillow by Dr Chu's assistant, and was told to curl over....I really expected there to be someone also to help me lean over and keep me from straightening up...because all the reflexes in my body was telling me to straighten up from when they first applied the freezing cold wipe to the local to the actual spinal-epi...for the next 3-5 mins however long it took...I just kept wanting to straighten up...but my brain just kept focusing on baby...telling myself don't stuff this up...don't stuff this up. I also got alot of supportive words from Dr Chu telling me I was doing great etc etc...it probably sounds corny now..but I really needed to hear that when all I had to cling on was a silly pillow! and wondering what on earth's going on back there. Also, prior to getting the Spinal/Epi I asked Dr Chu whether they will put the catheter in after I'm numb, and he told me that they try to put it in pretty quickly, and in some cases I could feel discomfort. This also distressed me, and so he told me "I'll try and do things slowly so that you have more time for the Spinal to kick in before they do". And true to his word, he did delay things afterwards and so I didnt feel ANYTHING...which was a real relief...because I think I tensed up every muscle in my body when they put it in...(or atleast I tried to).
Another thing I really stressed about was whether they were gonna test me adequately to see that the anesthetic worked...I was expecting someone to ask me if I felt this or that...but they didn't and I prompted Dr Chu, and he was like..."oh they've already tested you, actually I think they've started, let me check....(looks over screen) YEP....Dr Huang's started."...(actually coming to think of it, Dr Huang didn't actually talk thru the procedure like some other's have said their OB has...but that's okay...I didn't mind cos Dr Chu was taking care of me, and the two Dr's seemed to work great together).
The actual CS was pretty much what everyone has described, you're probably sick to death hearing that it "feels like someone doing the dishes" or the like..I was really surprised that I didnt feel any "cutting" I thought I'd feel the whole being cut open with no pain thing, but I really didn't. It really was just when they were putting the pressure on and rummaging abit. What WAS surprising was the whole PUSHING DOWN thing...THAT I for some reason didnt come across when I did my research, and was only told about this by Dr Chu when it was about to happen. AND OMG I could hardly breath, apparently my darling girl didnt want to come out...so they kept putting pressure and pushing her down from my chest...I felt like I was suffocating but laughing at the same time, cos Dr Huang was asking his assistant if she ate her Weet Bix! and then my baby girl's head came out...and she was crying straight away...despite the rest of her was still in me...I heard Dr Huang say "she's crying and she's not even out yet" and at that point nothing else mattered.
Suddenly it didnt matter what was happening down there anymore...and my attention was only brought back to the operation when Dr Huang told me my ovaries are so affected by pregnancy hormones, he couldnt tell the difference between my actual ovaries and the cysts...and so he didnt want to remove the cysts cos he couldnt be certain he wasnt taking a part of the ovaries with him. THAT was a huge dampener...which is affecting me more now than it actually did during the CS. At the time...I couldnt care less...my mind was still across the room tuning in on the most loveliest cry on earth...and wondering what Apgar score she got (9 at 1 min, and 9 at 5 min btw).
I heard the midwives say let's wrap you up, cos I'm sure mummy wants to see you...and I was 2 breaths short from screaming yes please bring her over...NOW!!! Then, I had her with me for the rest of the surgery I think...we were taking happy snaps...and the stitching up time flew by so quickly because I had my baby in my arms.
Postpartum - I was given pain relief via the IV drip, and the epi was removed pretty much straight after the surgery. Dr Chu's opinion is that the epi was only ever there incase I needed a top up during surgery and he's not keen on sending his patients out with a tube sticking outta her back :p I was worried the other pain relief I got wouldnt be adequate..but it was...I called it my happy button...I could press it up to once every 5 mins apparently, I wasnt going hard at first....then I thought stuff it...why not...and made sure I was on top of the pain before I felt any...I didnt want to be hindered in anyway.
Getting up the next day for a shower was hence nowhere near as bad as what I had read about on here and other forums...by then, I was on a mix of Panadol, Endone and something else...which made me feel more dizzy than anything...none of that feeling that others have mentioned...like as if everything was gonna fall out!? I was expecting it...and asked the nurse..."should I hold a pillow to my incision"...she just looked at me weird and shook her head. Well...seriously...I felt rather normal...apart from feeling like I was on a wobbly boat. The shower was wonderful...I developed alot of heat rashes..and that was the WORST PART!!! honestly...it was so uncomfortable and itchy...I was living on calamine lotion for the next 3-4 days!
Anyway...everything else was pretty much standard...I stayed on top of my pain meds...except for one day where I think I went over 16 hours without meds...cos I forgot and the midwives forgot and my daughter was in NICU for losing too much weight.....so I was up and down and up and down and had no time...but otherwise...it was no problems, and now...1 day short of 3 weeks and I'm feeling completely normal...only thing that hurts is the skin where I got stretch marks....is that normal?? so basically my stretch marks HURT!?
And actually I take back the heat rashes being the worst part....BREAST FEEDING!! the lack of colostrum/milk and the mid wives dismissing my motherly instincts of "not having enough" as just another paranoid mother...resulting in my baby losing 16% and seeing her with a tube in her nose at NICU...THAT was the worst part :( and now I'm continuing to have a low milk supply, but that's another story.
SO anyway, I hope some of the information I have given above helps someone at some point. I know all the other threads have helped me in the months leading to my CS. And I wish all of you mothers with upcoming CS the best of luck...and a lovely incision...just like mine :D
