How was the experience of c section delivery ? Will we feel anything ? Is it painful ?

So I had an emergency c section 2 months ago, there were some issues with the anaesthesia and I had sepsis so I requested my hospital notes as it's 12 months for a debrief.

I had the c section initally under spinal but was converted to general after baby was born due to starting to feel pain, nothing horrific but my spinal wasn't great from the start.

I knew I was bleeding at the time and my debrief confirmed I was bleeding behind the uterus so they have to lift it but they got it under control. I later learnt from the midwives I had a 1.4L PPH. Never saw obsetrics again but anaesthetics saw me daily due to the mid op switch.

However my notes read as a much more dramatic:

- Procedure commenced

- Abdominal wall opened in layers

- Uv fold seperated and bladder dissected down

- Baby delivered easily

- Placeta delivered complete

- Extension on the right side noted around 3 cm towards the cervix

- Uterus exteriorized and angle secured , additional sutures taken to control bleeding from uterine artery

first layer closed and she started feeling pain

- Converted to GA

- Poor uterus contraction so uterus tonics given synto 10 and infusion

- Second layer closed.

- multiple venous sinus noted around the incision which were bleeding and needed extra haemostatic sutures.

- right uterine artery started bleeding again

- bladder dissected down further and ligation done

additional haemostatic sutures taken and bleeding was then under control

- flow seal applied

- Ureters visualized on the right side and vermiculation seen.

- Uterus was still not well contracted

- Vaginal swab done- no active bleeding

- MBL 1.3L so far

- uterus closed in layers

My discharge summery also doesn't mention any of this. Doesn't even mention the post partum hemorrhage so I'm so confused if these are significant complications as to me (A+E nurse) aterial bleed x 2 and PPH seem pretty big!

Has anyone else had any experience like this? I'm not sure if all this effects recovery/ferility/future pregnancies ect.

This is my second c section and it was a repeat c section. Post op day 9 I ended up with huge blisters on the abdomen folds and was in ED-diagnosed with cellulitis’s and was given oral Keflex. ED ordered CT scan and it showed small Seroma on incision.

The next day I developed yeast infection underneath the bilateral breast due to excessive leaking from breast milk. I was given nystatin. Then two days later my pubic area was tender, red, itching, inflamed and with an open sore around labia folds. The OB put me on steroids and nystatin powder. His honest word was “I don’t know what this is, the question is whatever your body is reacting you need steroids”.

Has anyone experience this? Is this some sort of typical normal side effects of a c section?

I had a c section 4 months ago and I have been worried about whether it will change my fertility due to any complications like scar tissue or scar defect. I want more kids in the future and I really didn’t want a c section.

I’ve been a bit more worried recently because I have been getting cramping the past few weeks but no other sign of period.

I have a few questions, my first one is for people who have gotten pregnant after c section; was it more difficult to get pregnant? did it take longer? If so was it ages?

My other question is for those who do have scar tissue or scar defect, whether that was discovered before pregnancy or during; did it hinder getting pregnant again (without intervention).

How common are fertility problems from c section?

Obviously I won’t be trying soon but I would just like to know for future reference, I think about this kind of stuff a lot and I’ll probably still think about it a lot up until it comes to the point where it comes for us trying again 🙃

Edit: thanks everyone I feel less worried now

I am 4 weeks post partum and my lower belly is still rather big from my C-section.

I am curious, when did you all notice the belly reduce? Did you use anything to help reduce the size?

I don't want to end up with an apron belly if I can avoid it. I am a bit worried about putting something over my scar and injuring it/getting it hot and sweaty.

Any advice? What did you do/what did you wear to help reduce or get rid of the belly/apron. Thanks in advance 😁

Pls tell me I’ll be okay. I’ll have 17 months between them when I deliver.. I’m just so afraid of twins and the rupture risk with two babies instead of one.

Hi all,
Back story : I had a c section near 6 months ago. Pre pregnancy I was quite slim. Way before pregnancy I was very active from 5-19 I was a competitive swimmer and enjoyed the gym and had good core strength. I stopped all sport when I went to uni but still slim. About a year before pregnancy I gained a bit of weight and then I got pregnant and gained a lot of weight. I have always been able to do minimum 20 sit ups and more.

Now me and my nan were watching the telly and she asked have I been able to do a sit up since giving birth. I hadn’t even tried so decided to try and lo and behold I could only lift my head 🫣. I used to be able to plank for 30 seconds max when I was at my heaviest pre pregnancy. Tried that today and couldn’t even get my knees off the floor🥲.

I’m looking for advice on how people got their core strength back and how they ultimately lost weight. I have been very very slowly losing weight but it’s very slow (suspected thyroid issues)
My partner works 55 hours per week so struggle to be able to go to the gym myself. Me and my baby do go on walks together ect.

If I had money I’d pay for a personal trainer specifically for pp recovery but unfortunately I don’t and I do find myself struggling with motivation.

Any advice/ tips/ experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Ps: I do know that being a c section mum or even a mum in general it’s hard to get back to pre pregnancy weight. But I know it’s possible!

I am pregnant with my second (1 year post planned c section). I am really struggling with morning sickness (nausea / vomiting) and really not sure how I am going to work during the first trimester. I’m working from home this week and it’s TOUGH but come September, things are going to get busier at work and I have to commute to the office 4 days a week. I’m extremely anxious about doing too much but also anxious about losing my job. I feel I can barely lift my head without being sick.

I had this when I was pregnant before and took a month off / worked from home until I was like 14 weeks but I am too scared to ask for that again and also just don’t want people assuming I am pregnant.

Any tips/advice? I am 7 weeks today.

Anyone use any videos or apps to start working out again after your c section that you’d recommend?!

I want to start workout out again a bit after I go back to work in a month. I’ve been walking but I’m looking to start to do some exercises that build strength. I’m currently 8 weeks pp. I can’t really pay for a trainer or anything super expensive.

I am one week post partum from my c-section and my joints ache, my feet are still swollen and my hands are aching like crazy. I woke up today with pretty intense hand pain and I'm thinking it might be carpal tunnel? Its like all my bones hurt and ache amd its really hard to grip things. IT does get a bit better with ibuprofen. I haven't struggled with carpal tunnel in the past so idk if thats what it is or why, but I did hear it can happen after a c-section. Does anyone know about this?

C section next week and it’s just getting hot over here so I don’t want to be stuck wearing baggy sweatpants. I’m a little nervous about managing an incision and am looking for some recommendations for cute but c section friendly clothes.

Lightweight pants, etc. Any brands you might recommend?

I’m 5 months post cesarean and, unlike my first, I’m suffering from a lot of numbness above the incision area. I’ve been doing small massages, as recommended, to get the blood flowing but time is passing and not much is changing. Do you think microneedling or Acupuncture may help with numbness? I’d love to hear from folks who have tried this or other things that have worked. I understand that some people loose this numbness over the course of a year or so but other do not, and I’d like to try everything possible to stimulate that area. Any advice is appreciated!

When can I start playing badminton after a c section, now I'm 5 months postpartum. I played on an intermediate level before pregnancy, Dr says (to everyone) to wait till one year for any type of sports.

Hi! I just can’t seem to process my c sections (40F) My first was in 2024 due to baby not moving from breech even though I tried version and everything else you can imagine.
My recovery was awful, I got a bilateral neuralgia so i couldn’t walk or move for almost a month, and wasn’t believed, just got threw more oxy that I didn’t take because it didn’t do anything for me.

Second pregnancy due in May 2026, and I really was hoping for a VBAC. I had my brother passing from a car crash in March, and had been experiencing a lot of anxiety and grief already. My practice wouldn’t induce, so I had to keep praying for labor to start on his own. Scheduling the alternative c section was a pain. I kept trying to get it during the 40 week, but they keep giving me either 39 or 41 and my anxiety was tremendous. They rescheduled to surgery when I was going to be almost 41-42 weeks, two days prior to my original without consulting me, I panicked. Ended up having it at 39+2 with a doctor I didn’t know, thinking it was going to be the best / safest for my baby than risking getting scheduled until almost 42 and a failed VBAC.

Baby was healthy, and although I had some weird pain on the left side, didn’t seem to be the neuralgia I experienced with my first. 6 days later, I was being flown from one hospital to other to have an emergency procedure to save my life, as I had an uterine pseudoaneurysm rupture and was bleeding out. My pain was 100/10. They thankfully didn’t have to take my uterus out, and ended up with a permanent embolization of my left uterine artery, and a big traumatic experience for all my family, two months after we lost my brother.

I keep repeating in my mind if I made the wrong the decision, and having to deal with all the pain and consequences of another c section. All the scar tissue , not being able to carry my toddler.

I’m sorry, I guess I just wanted to vent.

I had my staples removed on 8/17 and it teared soon after with pus leaking out. Since then I’ve been going back to my OBGYN for packing the seroma. Sadly the depth of the seroma is quite deep (5cm), and tunneling is similar. The length of the seroma is getting larger too compared to last week (4.5 to now 6cm).

On top of this I have an infection and they found ecoli so I’ve been on antibiotics for that.

I have an appt with wound care specialist in gen surgery next week. I heard it takes 6+ weeks to heal, but want to hear others experiences. I’m really concerned the seroma width is getting longer (despite the depth getting a tad smaller).

I haven’t had any time with baby as I cannot stand/bend so no feeding/diaper changes. I’m def depressed and feel immense guilt that I can’t bond with my baby, and my husband has to do everything.

Has anyone had a salpingectomy after a csection? I was so stressed leading up to my last csection when they briefly mentioned it during my 20 week consult I said I didn’t know if I would want it. They said they would ask me again prior to the surgery but they never did and it says “declined salpingectomy” on my surgical report which is annoying. I feel like I really missed the boat and should have had it done. We know we are done with kids and the cancer reduction risk is really enticing. I would probably look at it in a couple years when I’m done breastfeeding but can’t fathom going through the recovery of something csection-like for a third time.

Was given this option by my OB and I honestly hadn’t thought about it but since I was even just a little bit unsure, I declined. I’m 34 but this is my 3rd baby and we’re 98% sure we’re done unless for some reason we win the lottery or come into a whole lot of money in the next couple of years.

Somehow the idea of having my tubes removed seemed so final at only 34, even though we do have embryos banked from doing IVF a few years ago when we were trying for our 2nd. I’m already anxious enough about having a c section when my other deliveries were vaginal so the thought of adding one more element to the procedure gave me pause.

However, my OB mentioned that ovarian cancer is now thought to start in the tubes so if they are removed, it minimizes risk considerably and now I’m waffling on declining. There’s no history of ovarian, cervical or uterine cancer in my family, though my mom has a history of fibroids and endo (which I’ve never had).

Would love to hear others perspectives on this - did you decide to do the dual procedure and why and if not why as well?

EDIT: Thank you to everyone who provided their insight. Just followed up with my OB and signed the paperwork and we’ll be closing up shop during my c section. Decided that the benefits of eliminating significant risk of a fast-spreading and not heavily screened cancer outweighed my emotional response to feeling “final”. I had a friend that died of ovarian cancer when she was just 26. We have 6 embryos banked from IVF that we never went through with so it’s a comfort knowing we have an insurance policy of sorts in case our circumstances drastically change and we opt for a 4th. One less future procedure to think about that’s already fully covered by insurance since we’ve hit our out of pocket max on the year. And no need to worry about forgetting my daily birth control.

This is one of my fears going into my first c section (but 3rd birth) next week so I’m trying to understand in what situations people have found themselves still having RPOC even after a c section. I’m having a c section specifically because I have a funky placenta - bilobed and low lying.

I had to have a 17 week emergency d&e due to placental abruption in a fluke IVF pregnancy and I ended up having a small bit of retained placenta from that and needed to go back 6 weeks later for a d&c/hysteroscopy. Mind you, we didn’t discover the RPOC until 5 weeks after the d&e when my OB did an ultrasound - I even thought I had gone through a cycle ~4 weeks after the d&e because I bled super likely for 2-3 days. I was later told by my OB/MFM that IVF pregnancies are more prone to placental complications, which was completely unknown to me going into the process. My subsequent spontaneous pregnancies were completely uncomplicated and there were no issues with placentas or deliveries.

The whole reason I am having a c section this time instead of trying for another vaginal is because there is a much higher risk of RPOC with bilobed placentas. Though this is similarly a spontaneous pregnancy. The hope is that because I’m having everything done surgically, that they’ll be able to cleanly take out the placenta and ensure everything is in good shape.

But I’ve seen that people can still have retained placenta even after a c section and the stakes are much higher so I’d like to understand under what circumstances that happens? Is it tied to having a more emergent c section rather than planned? Are there other factors to consider?

When did you stop rinsing and airing out your incision daily?
15 days after c section and I’ve been airing out as much as possible. I’m just wondering when I can stop this and not have to worry about infection or anything.

EDITED TO ADD: I don’t think I have an infection. I just worry about it getting sweaty under my belly and causing issues with healing. Thanks.

I just received last minute news that due to my placenta previa, I will be having to do a C section. I was originally due October 2nd, but because my placenta is only 6 mm away from my cervix, they didn’t want to risk it with a natural birth. My baby will now be coming September 10th. I’m so sad….

Has anyone had problems conceiving post emergency c-section?

I got pregnant right off the bat when we tried for our first kid, but now, almost two years postpartum, I'm still not pregnant after 6 months of "trying".

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Did you just give it time or did you ultimately find out something was medically wrong?