Your c/s and pain?

I have been reading a few posts on BB recently where a few members have talked about the terrible pain after their c/s. A few mums I've talked to IRL have also mentioned it. However, I had an emergency c/s, and I have to say I didn't really experience anything I would call 'pain'. Obviously there was the epidural for the actual procedure, but afterwards I didn't experience pain. I would probably label it more as tenderness around the incision. In hospital it even happened a few times that the midwives would forget to give me my pain medication on time, and they'd come in a few hours later and say "You must be in a bit of pain now" - but I wasn't.

I'm not discounting the pain experienced by others who have had c/s... I'm wondering if maybe I'm a bit weird, or maybe I have a super dooper pain threshold :p. Am I the only one who had a relatively 'painless' c/s experience (physically - emotionally is a whole other story :()?

I only had pain on the first c section because my pain medication was mismanaged. Maybe you had the pain relief up the bum whilst you were on the table cos that apparently is really awesome pain relief and makes it virtually painless. My second section didn't hurt as much as the first until I got an infection in my uterus. Then it was most painful!

I would have thought it was painless due to 'awesome' pain meds, except for the numerous occassions that the midwives told me how long overdue I was for them :rolleyes:.

Arimeh - ouch! Infection of the uterus doesn't sound nice :(.

Hmmm, well mine HURT. But I was a bit of a martyr and didn't want the extra pain medication, just paracetamol and ibuprofen, because I didn't want it to interfere with the bfing. In hindsight, I think tht was pretty dumb of me, because I think I really pushed my limits, but yeah, thats what I did.

Though I think my 'pain' was directly related to the fact that my labour was 42 hours, so it was magnified by the fact that I was completely physically and emotionally EXHAUSTED, and there were people poking around down there, they tried the vacuum a few times, I ended up with fairly significant bruising and some grazes, so I was just sore, inside and out and everywhere...

Plus, no one told me it would help to BRACE when I stood up, sneezed, laughed, etc... so I learnt that they hard way... almost ripped myself open...

So I think c/s pain is realy related to circumstances... if I'd had advice on how to deal with a c/s wound, and if I had walked in to a c/s even partly rested, I probably would have dealt better, KWIM?

Main was pain free too apart from one stitch that was too tight, as soon as it was cut I was fine and frustrated that I couldn't lift anything or drive to see DD as she was in the special care nursery for three weeks. I went and saw my GP after two weeks and he gave me the go ahead to drive. Mine was an emergency cs too so I don't know if it makes a difference? Maybe your mental state has a lot to do with it?

I found the pain after my emergency c/s really bad something i never wish to experince again, it was so hard to get out of bed, attend to baby, move around, shower, i couldnt even get dressed without help. When i walked it was sooo painful and slow. I cant wait to have a VBAC next time :pray: i hope i get to experince natural birth.

Ive heard the pain with a planned c/s is alot less.

I did have a morphine block but refused a lot of the meds afterwards as painkillers and me don't mix I throw up constantly and I didn't feel like I needed them either.

My Emerg CS was fairly pain free also. I was up and about the next day and lift DD in and out of the basinet and changing nappies and walking the halls. I do have a very high pain threshold the docs told me that. I didnt take much pain meds while in hospital - just some neurofen.
Oh and I had to learn the hard way to hold my scar when coughing or laughing!! I learnt that one VERY fast!!
I was driving after a week and I rang the insurance and my doc gave me the all clear. I acctaully think I over did alot of things because I was feeling so good and I just hope that I didnt do any damage that migh flare up when im preg next time.

Kate

I felt like I'd been cleaved open with an axe.....horrid pain. And I was chasing the nurses for pain meds to stay on top of it. I was up and about the next day....showering, short walks, picking up baby....but VERY slowly.

Makes me shudder.

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I acctaully think I over did alot of things because I was feeling so good and I just hope that I didnt do any damage that migh flare up when im preg next time

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I was the same! I was doing almost everything I'd usually be doing. In fact, it was only because I'd read I wasn't supposed to do certain things that I held back a bit.

I had no pain afterwards just like you said Sterla...discomfort and tenderness is all I felt. I had a emergency c/s with DS and have no choice with this bub because I have placenta accreta.

LOL maybe I was a wus then LMAO... I still blame the long labour though!

Same here, non-elective cs after 22 hours labour and found it relatively pain free. Only really hurt to laugh and then it would kill! So that's my big tip, don't get the giggles!!:lol:

As much as it wasn't the experience I wanted, it wasn't horrific or painful or anything scary either. I was up and about the next day and I could have been doing a lot more sooner if my rather over-protective mother hadn't been around. My DH knows what I can do and lets me go for it but Mum watches like a hawk and anything heavier than the baby and she was opening a can of whoop-a$s on me!

wow, u ladies are amazing, i must be a sook lol i was really in alot of pain as u would expect tho its serious major surgery.

I wonder if it's just different people's pain tolerance?

Yeah, theres that, and theres where they are at in their head too I guess. If you are full of lovely lovey hormones after the birth, you're going to feel better than if you don't. I also had other emotional stuff happening, like losing my grandfather the day I went into labour. That whole time kind of sucked, I didn't start enjoying being a mum or feel any lovey hormones for a few weeks.
I thin that makes a huge difference too?

Yeah I think so. :hug: Leasha - sorry your whole day/experience was so awful.

Plus, with mine I had everything happen so quickly that I was in such a daze that I didn't even think of the possibility of pain, IYKWIM? The newness of having a baby and the constant stream of visitors was probably also a good distraction.

I should also add that I didn't experience any labour (apart from a couple of hours when they tried inducing me) - so I was relatively well-rested, etc before my c/s. I am sure that helped a fair bit.

Another fairly pain free recovery from emergency c/s here. I never took anything other than paracetamol and was up and about as soon as I was let off the magnesium sulphate for my pre-eclampsia.
I actually found it really frustrating not doing more physically as I felt like I was capable. I also found out the hard way that too much exercise or laughing was not a good idea, even if it felt ok at the time.
It still wasn't something I wanted to repeat. ;)

Sterla, my c/s was the same, very little pain. Mine was planned initially (placenta praevia) but I went into labour 3 weeks early and laboured for about 2 hours by the time I got to hospital and the OB was called in etc to do the emergency c/s.

I utilised the self-administered pethidine for the first 24 hours which helped alot then it was just panadol and tramadol for the rest of the stay and sometimes I went through the entire night without it. Some of the nurses were suprised that I hadn't had much. They sent me home with some as well but I never used it.

For the 6 weeks after, I did what I had read and not to do any lifting, driving, housework, etc. I took that very literally and only lifted DS and took it real easy. I think that helped ALOT in the recovery. I also believe that as I was doing pilates and water aerobics right up until he was born, that really helped in my recovery also because my tummy muscles were already strong.

I would say that when I had my appendix removed when I was 17 weeks pregnant with DS, the pain from that was a lot worse...I think because of different muscles being cut, etc

My c/s wasn't painful either. I had an emergency c/s after 6 or 7 hours of labour.

I didn't get up for almost 24 hours afterwards because I still had a catheter and a drip. I was up and about after that, but I was moving slowly and sitting up was difficult, but I wouldn't say painful.

I was given painkillers, but I didn't think I needed them. The midwives said that I would be in pain if I stopped taking them, but I did stop because they were putting me to sleep.

a c-section is regarded by the hospitals as "major abdominal surgery", you are cut through multiple layers of stomache muscle.

i laboured for 29 hours without ANY pain relief (just kneeling in warm water, in a birthing pool), i think i have a high pain threshold, to have managed that.

I had no choice but to only use lower dose pain relief after the emerg c -section, because i asked, every time, "will that drug be passed to my baby thru the breastmilk", and usually the answer was "yes", so i couldn't take those stronger pain relief options.

i don't think every person's experience will be identical. i wouldn't wish the experience i had (emergency c-section with the complication of Bandl's Ring discovered during c-section) onto anyone.

i do wish i had been more prepared for the variety of things that CAN happen, once you are in labour. i was so focussed on my homebirth, i didn't research c-sections at all, and then in the emergency, i was being asked to make all sorts of decisions, about things i knew nothing about, i cannot tell you how stressful that was (after being in labour for 29 hours already, awake the whole time).

If other people sail thru their c-sections and somehow manage to lift their arms above their heads, lift heavy washing, drive cars (not covered by insurance for first six weeks), do handstands, whatever, - good luck to them, but from the many women i have spoken to, if that happens to you, i'd go and buy a lotto ticket, it's not the most common of experiences.

the gist of this thread seems to be, if you were in pain afterwards, you are a wuss. i find that incredibly insulting.

i had no family backup. My dh went back to fulltime work after one week. i struggled by myself, with my nb each day for months, (i only ate when dh got home, i coudln't stand long enough to make myself a sandwich) it was hell - and i aged alot during that period. it was hell and i am not a wuss about pain.

I was in labour 14 hours and would rather that pain anyday ova the pain i had with my c/s, as soon as i seen my little boy it was love at first sight, i was so happy, on cloud 9, didnt get 3 day blues at all, breastfed but still didnt take away the pain.

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a c-section is regarded by the hospitals as "major abdominal surgery", you are cut through multiple layers of stomache muscle.

i laboured for 29 hours without ANY pain relief (just kneeling in warm water, in a birthing pool), i think i have a high pain threshold, to have managed that.

I had no choice but to only use lower dose pain relief after the emerg c -section, because i asked, every time, "will that drug be passed to my baby thru the breastmilk", and usually the answer was "yes", so i couldn't take those stronger pain relief options.

i don't think every person's experience will be identical. i wouldn't wish the experience i had (emergency c-section with the complication of Bandl's Ring discovered during c-section) onto anyone.

i do wish i had been more prepared for the variety of things that CAN happen, once you are in labour. i was so focussed on my homebirth, i didn't research c-sections at all, and then in the emergency, i was being asked to make all sorts of decisions, about things i knew nothing about, i cannot tell you how stressful that was (after being in labour for 29 hours already, awake the whole time).

If other people sail thru their c-sections and somehow manage to lift their arms above their heads, lift heavy washing, drive cars (not covered by insurance for first six weeks), do handstands, whatever, - good luck to them, but from the many women i have spoken to, if that happens to you, i'd go and buy a lotto ticket, it's not the most common of experiences.

the gist of this thread seems to be, if you were in pain afterwards, you are a wuss. i find that incredibly insulting.

i had no family backup. My dh went back to fulltime work after one week. i struggled by myself, with my nb each day for months, (i only ate when dh got home, i coudln't stand long enough to make myself a sandwich) it was hell - and i aged alot during that period. it was hell and i am not a wuss about pain.

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Great post, im feeling the same, like i shouldnt be saying i did suffer pain after a c/s but its totally normal too, it is major surgery, ur stomach is cut open, ouch! but im not ashamed to say i suffered alot of pain, i laboured drug free too for a long time and for that i must be strong.

I have come to the conclusion that being in the right head space (attitude, expectation, preparedness etc.) can have a huge difference on the outcome on an individuals personal experience of pain in regards to Csections.

In my experience, I had prelabour for 2 weeks beforehand (-= no sleep, couldnt eat properly) so after labouring for 10 hours then being told I was having a c section anyway, well, I didnt cope very well,

I skipped over all those bits in the birthing books and articles I read, I was goin to do it all naturally, I never entertained the thought That I would be having a c section.

All my friends who now are pregnant, I tell them, do you research, do it properly, read all about it, just in case. Because I had the shock of my life. I am still emotionally scarred from my experience.

But the emotional aspect is another thing that can skew the perception of pain as well. IMO anyway.
I pushed myself through the haze of very strong pain meds I was on to do for my baby, I got told off for picking him up out of his crib, getting out of bed and walking around etc. That was extremely hard for me, But I did it, even with the meds I was still in the worst pain of my life, that pain continued for another 8 weeks, progressively getting less, but always still there.

But then again, I was found to be bleeding internally (Basically I almost died, only found that out not long agao!) on day 3, blood transfusions, ultrasounds etc, then I had a bad experience in the lifts at the hospital as I was leaving, the hospital tried to get me to go back, but after 5 days, no matter the pain I was in, I just wanted to go home!
I was also diagnosed with an infection in my uterus at around 2 weeks post op, not a nice experience.

I still have pain, I think its when I ovulate, but I still get twinges, I still have numb spots. I would NEVER choose to have a c section, but thats just me, like I said I do think that having the right kind of head space can make a huge difference to the individuals experience of a C section.

I hope this has made sense and doesnt just sound like a ramble! :doh: xx

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the gist of this thread seems to be, if you were in pain afterwards, you are a wuss. i find that incredibly insulting.

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I'm sorry you feel that way Gigi, but it is not meant in that way. Its just sharing a different perspective. Having a c/s is not a traumatic, painful experience for everyone and I think that our views and experiences are just as valid as yours and others who have suffered pain. It is nice to have both perspectives and share these with each other as we learn about labour & birth.

No one means to offend anyone! Sterla was just asking a question in regards to her esperince but Gigi yours is no less valid.

I laboured with a posterior baby for 16 hrs and then had an epi that didnt work down my right side so I felt like my bum was going to explode! I had my epi topped up 4 times and still had feeling in my right side - so much so that I FELT the insicion with the scalpel and they had to stop the surgery and give me a local as well.. In my opinion all that pain was far worse that my c-sect pain after wards. But that is MY experiance and I am only answering the question posed.
I am in no way making other ppls experiance any less valid at all - I am on BB to hear both sides of the coin.

Kate

Would anyone want to have a repeat C/S? or do u want a VBAC?

For me, im dying to experince a natural birth but i no some women dont have that desire.

I'd definitely love to VBAC!!! Gonna give it a try anyway and maybe even hire me a doula to help make that happen!! BUT...if I NEED another C/S, then I WILL have one.

I am definately going to try for a VBac , but, I will be prepared next time, so hopefully if things dont work out the way I want, I wont be such a head case afterwards and hopefully (well, so I have heard!) it wont hurt so bad.

Heaven Sent - I will see what happens with my next preg. I will be a high risk preg and while I would love a VBAC i am not dead against a repeat c-sect. I had an emerg and while it was an OK experiance I would think that a planned c-sect would be even better.

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the gist of this thread seems to be, if you were in pain afterwards, you are a wuss. i find that incredibly insulting

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That was not my intention at all!!!! I'm so, so sorry if it has come across that way! I guess I'd only ever heard of people experiencing pain after their c/s, and thought maybe I was the only one who didn't. But, as I've learnt - as with anything - what pain women experience after their c/s varies greatly. I certainly don't believe anyone is a wuss - sorry again if I made it sound like I do.

Heavensent: I definitely want to try for a VBAC next time too! I felt quite robbed of the experience of child birth :(, so I want to try again next time.

sterla, ive always felt quiet robbed too, disappointed also, i had all these birth plans but it all went out the window, if i didnt have the c/s my baby would have died so it wasnt a choice. If i never got to experince child birth i would be so sad.

Good luck to all the ladies wishing to have a VBAC.

I had an emergency CS after about 8-10 hours labour. I felt quite pain free for the first 3 or 4 days & probably overdid it :D DH was arguing with me about how much I was doing but I really didn't feel like I couldn't....once the really good meds wore off I felt it :lol:

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Would anyone want to have a repeat C/S? or do u want a VBAC?

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Had my VBAC in July :D

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Maybe you had the pain relief up the bum whilst you were on the table cos that apparently is really awesome pain relief and makes it virtually painless.

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:lol: Arimeh! Those would be voltaren suppositories and yes I had them and yes I was pretty much pain free post CS too :) Up and about and looking after bub on my own form the next day onwards.
I have heard though that sometimes Ob's actually lift the uterus out of the pelvic cavity and sit it on the outside to stitch it up and if you're unlucky enough to have an OB who does this, it can cause more pain afterwards. Youch!

HEAVEN_SENT, I want a VBAC. Especially as my CS was under a general so I missed out on everything :(

I had a planned c/s after OB scared me that I had a big baby and my pelvis is small. I know now that it's a load of craps. I went into labour a few days before planned c/s date, and had the c/s anyway. The birth experience itself is considered nice & lovely, they let me have the baby (wrapped in blanket, unfortunately no skin to skin contact) for awhile whilst I was being stitched up before I was being sent away to recovery and DH went away with bub. From here everything went bad, I threw up many times in recovery and the next 24 hours. I was told it was due to the morphine that how my body reacts to it. And then the catheter & being bed ridden, it was ridiculous. I felt like I had a tumour removed instead of giving birth. I was in so much pain, on the scar, the whole stomach and even my private area was tender & swollen. They gave me voltaren plus and once the student nurse ignored my request to come early and keep it on top the next dose, and it was due to breastfeed my baby - it hurt as h3ll! With every uterus contraction I was in agony god knows for how long when finally a more senior nurse gave me a little injection of pain relief (whatever that was) to take the pain away. I was already screaming in pain whilst my baby latching on my sore & swollen boob.... Not to mention the long & painful recovery afterwards as I had infected scars, had to have 2 weeks dose of antibiotics. And it took me 4 months to be able to change my baby's cot sheet as I couldn't lift the mattress..

Nope, definitely have no desire for repeat c/s. I'm attempting VBAC Feb next year.. fingers crossed...

Note: Sorry for long posting & sounding like I'm venting (maybe a little! :D), but that's how my experience with c/s pain was.

I had pain but not incredibly horrible pain.. With my first c/s it hurt like buggery to stand up but I honestly think that was because I wasn't expecting it kwim? With my next 2 c/s I took deep breaths and stood up and was fine..

I have no c/s experience, so do feel free to tell me to get lost, but these are some thoughts i had when reading this thread.

My mum had 2 sections, one emergency (my brother, 31 weeks, abruption of placenta praevia, massive bloodloss, GA, oxygen problems during surgery, brother nearly died, mum nearly died, just awful) and one elective (me, 37+4, first c-section at that hospital to be done with mum awake with spinal block, mum, an ex-nurse, watched the whole thing with interest in the operating lamp reflectors). She always said she was in much more pain after my brother than me, and that most likely it was because when it's a true emergency they are very rough getting you open and your guts out of the way, in order to get in asap and save you and the baby. With me they took their time and were much more careful because i was fine, mum was fine (mum's BP was 80/37 when they began cutting my brother out) there was no need to hurry. She also remarked with surprise when her hysterectomy, years later, which had some severe complications, was MUCH more painful. Which brings me on to the other thought i had...

When i had my teeth (4 premolars and 4 molars) removed from my jaw when i was 10 i had some pain, not agony, but it was like i'd been kicked in the face. When my XP had HIS molars (same position) removed his tongue went numb and he lost his sense of taste for 18months. Because the nerves that feed HIS tongue were close enough to his roots that they got very badly damaged. And when i stupidly stuck a hand-wood-carving chisel into the ball of my left thumb the doctor told me i must have missed the nerve which allows one to bend one's thumb by millimeters and he i should be grateful i don't have "normal" nerve patterns there or i'd have lost my grip on that side. Not everyone's nerves run in exactly the same places, and not everyone will experience the same kinds of pain from having a particular nerve cut as others might. Mum's surgeon after the hysterectomy told her he'd cut out the previous scars from the csections, and just those few extra millimeters higher and lower on the same area had obviously interrupted nerves which left her in much more pain that the previous surgical cuts had. There was a neighbour when i was a kid who only had one arm, having had the other removed after polio (it was paralysed and got injured and infected and they took the view that he'd be better off without it) and we were fascinated with his stumpy shoulder. I once asked him if he still got an itchy hand on that side and he told me that for months after the amputation he had to be tranquillised for long periods of time because he felt like his arm had been skinned and rolled in salt, he was in such agony. His brain registered the nerve severage at the site of amputation as major major damage and issued emergency-type pain impulses for a long time.

My only personal experience is of tooth extraction, which i never find to be more than a bit tender the next day. My DP was similar, but XP (same one with the numb tongue) is in agony, real blinding agony, for weeks after an extraction.

It's unfortunately a bit of a lottery as to which nerves will be cut during a csection (depending on where one's specific nerves run - some women have very little numbness after a c/s and some feel nothing from their navel to their knees from then on) and how one's brain will interpret that damage and react to it. I guess that might be one reason why some are in mild discomfort and some in terrible agony after surgery of any kind.

Best of luck for all the VBACers-to-be!

Bx

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I have no c/s experience, so do feel free to tell me to get lost, but these are some thoughts i had when reading this thread.

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Tell you to get lost...hehe never, that was a very interesting read & I think you have hit the nail on the head ;) It all makes perfect sense to me.