Planned v emergency

[Cherene]

What are ppls opinions on the recovery from planned c/s compared to emergency c/s after labour?

[Kristin27]

I've only had an emergency c-section so I don't know about a planned one. However I think a planned one would be better recovery wise, you haven't been through potentially hours of labour and days of no sleep so you're not as physically exhausted, you're not shocked that your birth didn't go to plan because you know in advanced about the surgery, and perhaps the doctors are a bit more careful with things like cutting nerves because they're not in a hurry to get bubs out asap. Theres also the anethetic issues and the likelyhood of also using other pain relief before the surgery such as pethadiene for your body to deal with.

They're just a few things of the top of my head. HTH.

[BellyBelly]

Emergency c/s is better for your baby over a planned c/s. Less respiratory complications. A VBAC is even better

[nic]

My first was an emergency after labour, while my second was booked in, (but technically called an emergency because I was already 8cms dilated)

My recovery from my first c/s was quite a long time. I was moving around so much better after my 2nd c/s.
My first I seemed to be so tired, even weeks after the birth, but my 2nd one I didn't seem to be as exhausted (even though 2nd bubba was/is more of a handful than #1)

I had confidence to drive at 6 weeks with #2. With my first one, I think it was months before I drove, it hurt whenever i backed out of our driveway and checked over my shoulder.

I had GA for both of my c/s too. My first I had a spinal as well, which didn't work, I also had the shot of pethidene just before I got to theatre. With #2 I didn't have a pethidene shot until the night after I think? Could've been the night of the birth, can't remember.

Nic

[Cherene]

Thankyou for all your replies, maybe i'm just having last minute heebie jeebies.

Belly Belly- just wondering how an emerg is better than planned? I know you said that its less resp problems, but how does that happen?

[Kmn]

If you are already in labour with a full term bub, then bub is as ready as he/she can be to come out, and the "emergency" CS (a definition which includes both "this labour isn't going how we would like, we need to switch to a CS" and "your bub is in trouble we need to get it out NOW") is helping along an already started process. Most planned CS occur because labour is not advisable for some reason. So they are done at 38-39 weeks, so that labour does not occur.

I think that some of the respiratory probs are due to planned CS bubs not being quite "cooked". Also the process of labour can help ready little lungs for breathing, whereas being hauled out of a tummy is more of a rude shock.

That said, I had a planned CS at 38 weeks because my bub was sideways/breech, and both bub and I were fine.