- I had an urgent C-section with my first child at 37 weeks.
- I was totally unprepared and knew nothing about what happens during and after surgery.
- For my second C-section, I was much better prepared.
To say that I was unprepared the first time I got pregnant would be an understatement. I knew nothing about pregnancy, birth, and taking care of babies. In fact, I had never changed a diaper before my son was born.
I had focused all my energy on learning about unassisted births because that was my goal. I had a superb team of midwives who followed my uneventful pregnancy without too many invasive tests. However, my baby decided to stay breech for quite some time, and after one of my last ultrasounds the pregnancy became high-risk and high-intervention: I had very low amniotic fluid and my son had to be born via an urgent C-section.
This was the opposite of what I had prepared for, and I panicked — mostly because I didn't know what was going to happen, so I was processing things as they occurred.
Years later I had another C-section, but this time I was confident from start to finish because I knew exactly what was coming. I was prepared for the things that shocked me the first time, like shaking after birth and taking care of my stitches. Overall, I had a better experience giving birth.
Here's what I wish I knew the first time around.
You still feel things with spinal anesthesia
The first thing that surprised me, and freaked me out a bit, was that I could still feel things once my spinal anesthesia was placed. I could still wiggle my toes and feel where the doctor's hands were, even though I couldn't feel pain.
During my second C-section, my obstetrician did a feeling test before starting the surgery. I could feel her pinch and said so loudly, so she requested my anesthesia to be upped.
I also could feel the hands inside of me while the doctor and nurses moved organs out of the way for the baby to come out. It is as trippy as it sounds.
Shaking is normal
Right after my first child was born, my entire body started to shake uncontrollably. The anesthesiologist held my hand, told me it was normal, and to just let the shakes go through my body. This happens in most births, and it's due to the hormonal changes the body goes through.
I also got nauseous after my second C-section, in part from the shaking and because the birth took a bit longer since I was pregnant with twins. I let the team know and they ran medications through my IV to make me feel more comfortable.
You'll have a catheter in after surgery
I was unaware that a catheter was inserted after my spinal anesthesia kicked in, so you can imagine how surprised I was when the nurse came to my room to see if I was ready to walk, and also remove the bag full of pee from the side of my bed. Looking back, it makes sense to have one since you can't walk for about 24 hours after surgery, or until the anesthesia wears off, meaning you can't feel if your bladder is full or even walk to the bathroom.
I didn't feel the catheter going in, but getting it removed was not pain-free.
Sleeping at the hospital is hard
"Sleep when the baby sleeps" is the first piece of advice new moms are given. That's not possible when you are in the hospital recovering from major abdominal surgery. I had many middle-of-the-night checkups, which usually did not coincide when my baby was awake and feeding. That meant I got little to no sleep.
The check-ups, however, can be life-saving. I lost a considerable amount of blood and was severely anemic because of my second C-section, which meant I got iron transfusions around the clock.
You can't eat immediately after
I had read stories about people's first meal after giving birth and was excited to eat a rare burger, fries, and a milkshake, only to be told by a nurse that I should chew on ice chips for the next 12 hours.
I was already starving from having had nothing to eat or drink during the day while waiting for surgery and was now hangry knowing I wouldn't be getting food until breakfast.
Going to the bathroom feels weird
Peeing and pooping after any kind of birth needs to be talked about more. It's not a comfortable experience for most. In my case, I felt like my stitches were going to rip open just from sitting down. This feeling lasted for weeks, and looking back I think it was more mental than anything else.
A good amount of blood can also come out of the vagina after birth, which makes things more complicated when cleaning up after using the toilet.
While all birth experiences are different, knowing what to expect and when helped me recover faster, both physically and mentally. Looking back, I wish I had read as much about C-sections and postpartum recovery as I did about pregnancy and vaginal birth.