HELLOOOOO
My desires for ever having a natural birth were not going to happen, I wanted a cesarean at 41 weeks, as you know it was a battle to get what I wanted. I documented it here.
At 40 weeks I recieved a letter saying I had a date for my cesarean which would happen at 41 weeks as my request and if I should labour to follow the normal route call labour ward ETC.
I was ecstatic not only had I “won” I had date. I treasured this pregnancy every single week, sure the last few weeks weren’t exactly comfortable. Theo was fully posterior from about 33 weeks and didn’t budge, this caused me to struggle to breath at night should I lay on my back, and gave me a lot of backache. Coming up at 40 weeks I had a night full of cramping and twinges. I knew in my mind it was pre-labour but still I kinda hoped it wasn’t!
I twittered like mad about every single thing during those weeks, the people on twitter are really lovely offering support and encouragement and being generally kind & supportive, which was really nice!
The day of the 16th Of September rolled around the day of the cesarean. I said goodbye to the kids and held onto them for ages. Convinced I might die I smelled their hair and gazed into their eyes. I then stood up and my husband said “you ready then?” I wasn’t I burst into tears, and said “I’m so scared, so scared, so scared this will go wrong again, and I’m going to not make it” My husband just held me and hugged me tight. I knew he was scared too. You might want to read Eliza’s Birth story to understand my fears.
We set off and got to the hospital bang on time. There was two other women also having electives that morning. Luckily for me I was first up. They came and did all the checks, put my hospital ID bands on, and I got into the gorgeous gown,
I had to walk to the theatres, honestly walking quickly was a nightmare but I was to embarrassed to ask the nurse to slow down!
My husband was taken to get changed & I was taken to get my spinal. What? On my own? No, No I need my husband with me. No he will get changed while you get it. This didn’t do anything for my nerves. I went in all brave. Sat on the table the anaesthetist was lovely, and he reassured me he’d been doing his job for 20 years, this didn’t reassure me at all! He tried very hard to get the cannula into my wrist but I have flat, flat veins and it failed, I’m also a bleeder so he had to get one of the students to raise my arm and apply pressure to it to stop the bleeding, once that stopped he managed to get it into my arm at the elbow part which is the worse spot and I had the bloody thing in there for two days, made feeding on that side really tricky. ANYWAY!
One of the very cute student DR’s came and held my hand as the spinal went in, it’s like a hard thump in your back, and then the anaesthetic goes in within seconds I could barely feel my legs and I lay down, Hubby was brought into the room, I was SO, SO glad to see him and him me, he was so worried that something had gone wrong because it was taking so long.
Then something awful happened. I started to feel like I couldn’t breath and I started to cry and said it’s happening again, I feel sick, and my eyes felt heavy, they had already cut me open at this point. Hubby got the anaesthetist I said I can’t breath, I feel sick. I was so scared. I just shut my eyes & prayed. I heard them say her blood pressure has dropped, next thing I know is I’m being pumped full of drugs via the cannula. In 5 minutes I felt 100 times better & asked if I was OK. All is good now, but your BP is very low. The reason for the suffocation feeling is the baby is pushing your spine & the spinal also stops your diaphragm from working properly so yes you can breath but you can’t deep breath.
I was then told an ear was visible & his face, the eyes are wide open! & then the sound you long for a huge wailing sound as he was fully pulled out & wrapped up. Taken over to the trolley to have Apgar test & get dried off.
Then I got a quick cuddles very hard to cuddle laying down as your lower half is raised up & your head is lowered. Hubby then took Theo off to Recovery to wait for me, I then heard the head Surgeon yell “will someone hurry up with the sutures before the bleeding gets worse” NOT what I wanted to hear!
I was feeling very sleepy, I in fact could barely keep my eyes open the anaesthetist was stroking my hair & keeping me talking, but my BP had dropped again, In recovery my BP was even lower at one point it got to some thing ridiculous like 58/36 I stayed there for an hour & a bit & Theo got his first feed.
Then it was back to the ward. Where I rested for a few hours and then hubby brought the other two, to come meet their new brother!
I waited for as long as possible before asking for the catheter to be removed. When I had Jerry they took that out after a few hours which left me no option but to get up, the pain was AWFUL. This time around 26 hours later I asked for it to be removed and had a shower which felt great. You feel a bit light headed after laying down for 25+ hours but it still feels good!
Recovery this time has probably been a little slower then the previous times. I was heavier (cries) and not as fit. I also had two little people who needed me. My husband took a week off work and that was all he could take but I’ve been fine. Physically 1 week is enough to recover the rest is just discomfort my belly is back to normal you know like a wet paper bag with porridge in it. My skin is tender and sensitive the scar has healed nicely and is itchy all good signs that nerves are growing back.
I pushed myself, I always do. I try to keep as normal as possible. I don’t recommend it, although I do it. I’d say if you’re the kind of person who’s happy to sit back and do nothing then do it! I’m not I like to do everything myself. I needed help with bath time however the first week with the other two kids, I wasn’t physically up to dressing them or washing them. I also did pretty much no cooking until Yesterday that was 2 weeks post op.
And that my friends is all about having a cesarean at 41 weeks 
