This is really bugging me... I had 2 vag births then an emergency c-sect with the 3rd baby. My healing time after the c-sect was much longer and MUCH more painful (couldnt stand up without it nearly killing me and needed help, couldnt take a shower without help or a stool, after cath came out I couldnt pee without crying it hurt SO bad, couldnt cough or sneeze or LAUGH
without being in pain, had 12 staples, etc....)

My husb niece (23) had a c-sect with her 1st baby back in Feb and she has commented *several* times now that it was a BREEZE, she had NO pain afterwards at all???

So my question is this- did you have pain after your c-sect? She is the ONLY person that has ever said to me that a c-sect was painless. It is major surgery?? LOL Just curious if I am just a major weenie or what?!

By Vicki on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 09:23 am:

I would say that I had pain, but it wasn't what I would call terrible. The hardest thing for me was the staples. I felt like I couldn't stand up straight until they came out. Once they came out, I felt pretty good. I think that allot of it has to so with pain tollerance. I have a VERY high one. I ended up with a c-section after 30+ hours of being on pitocin and 25 of those were with no pain meds or epidurial. After the birth, I didn't even think to ask for something for pain. It wasn't until a nurse walked into my room with pain meds and said, here are the meds you asked (she was in the wrong room, I didn't ask for them) for that it even crossed my mind that I could take something now. LOL I was not sent home with any pain meds either. So while I wouldn't say it was a walk in the park, I would say it wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be.

By Eve on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 09:29 am:

I would think everyone is different. I have friends who had c-sections and didn't think they were a big deal and had an easy recovery.

I think recovery is different with vaginal births as well. I for one couldn't figure out why I was having such a difficult time. I mean, I had hemmeroids from all the pushing and had a small episiotomy, which was no big deal. I was in SEVERE pain. Come to find out, I fractured my tailbone and it left me in tears with the Percoset barely touching the pain. I couldn't sit to nurse and was still uncomofortable sitting a year later! So, I think it just all depends....

Don't beat yourself up though. I don't think you are a weenie at all! After talking to some of my friends who were up and back at the gym in 2 weeks after delivery and I was still in terrible pain, I thought I must be a weenie too! Now, I know that wasn't the case at all! ((HUG))

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 09:30 am:

I have a friend who was the same way Conni! 24hrs. after her section she was walking around!! I didn't get out of bed for 2 days because it hurt so bad! I had a c-sect and thought it was very painful. I didn't have staples though...yowsers that would have been way worse I think! I just had tape and internal stitches. The first week was very painful but then it seemed to start feeling better so quickly after that. My biggest problem was the anesthesia...I don't do well with it and I had to be put to sleep during my c-sect, so jsut recovering from the anesthesia is ALWAYS a problem for me. I took pain meds for about a week, slowly taking the dose down on my own.
I would NOT want to do it again, but I've never vaginally delivered either. I had 10hrs. of labor that was going nowhere and let's just say at that time I couldn't care less about having the c-section LOL (until I found out that I had to be put to sleep and neither dh or I would be there for the birth). I'm still getting over that.

By Kellyj on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 09:34 am:

I agree with Vicki. Everyone has a different pain tolerance. I also must have a high tolerance for pain. The morning after my c-section the nurses got me up to walk and it felt just like a moderate burning sensation in my abdomen. At that time I was not on any pain meds because I hadn't asked for them. I didn't have too much trouble. The worst parts were when the nurses would palpate my abdomen to see if the uterus was returning to normal. That felt like they were going to push my insides out through my incision. Oh and once I was home the cat had a knack for pouncing on my stomach.

I remember that the woman in the bed next to me was having her catheter removed and started screaming and crying because it hurt so much. So here I was next in line and terrified. The nurse came over started talking to me and I felt a little tug and then she walked off. I had to ask her if she had removed it.

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 09:47 am:

Mine was P A I N F U L !! I had 13 hours of labor, and after the C section, I was SO mad that they took my catheder (sp?) out because that meant I had to get OUT of bed and go to the bathroom!! The hardest part was getting up and out of bed. Walking the day after was definitely SO VERY painful!!!
Your C-section, being an emergency one, is the worst. You have more staples, the incision is lengthwise and higher, etc.... So, I'm sure that she was just thinking that wow, I'm up and walking, and that is what was easy for her. I'm telling you though...the initial 3 days was the HARDEST!!! Did she mention those days at all?

By Conni on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 09:51 am:

OK, Vicki, 25 hrs of no pain meds?? LOL I was begging for them before they ever checked me in and got me in a bed!!! LOL I knew by the 3rd baby I was going to have the Epidural- I even tried to pay for 2 in case they screwed up my paperwork or something. I was so paranoid I wouldnt get an epidural that I reminded my dh every night for months- 'dont forget when we get to hosp they need to give me EPIDURAL'. Anyway, I ended up w/ a spinal block instead. And the first one didnt work- they had to sit me back up and give me ANOTHER!!! My back was tender in that spot for months??

Eve, that is horrible about your tailbone!! You are the 2nd person that has told me that now. I know that had too have been very painful. After baby #2 was delivered vag, his shoulders were so wide I was left with a pinched nerve. They wanted me to stand up and get in a wheel chair and I couldnt stand up. I remember it taking weeks for that to go away. My ex husband compared me to a *cow down in the pasture after birth*... Thats a whole other post tho. rofl

Reds, you just had tape? I would have been scared to move for fear of busting the tape. lol I was a big girl after #3!

Kellyj, that is very interesting the diff between you and the lady in the room with you!!

Good points everyone! Thanks. I guess all the talk about pregnancy on here got me too thinking about that again and I was curious if it was common to not have pain with one. I guess people do have diff pain tolerance. I also wonder if doctors make a diff too?

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 10:52 am:

Well, I'm a nurse and I worked on a surgical floor, at that point in my life. I knew I had to get up and get walking! I pretty much did, on my own. We made people where I worked, walk 4 times a day, so I knew I couldn't be a slacker! I had good pain meds, though. In fact, too good, for a bit, with Emily. I had a PCA pump (Patient-controlled analgesia). They had me on a basal rate (meaning I got a little bit all the time) and then every so often, I could push the button and dose myself. Our policy was the check the patient every 4 hours, after the PCA pump was started. About 3 hours into that basal rate, I was floating around the room! I asked my nurse if things should be so foggy and she commented that she thought the basal rate was a bit high! So, she called the doctor and they turned it off. I really was fine, with the basal rate turned off, and just being able to dose myself! It's the only time in my life, that I have been that "high!"

By Nanaoie on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 10:56 am:

Every c-section is different ,just like every baby is different.My first was terrible,hurt so much,baby was 8-10 oz.My second was easier,baby was 6-7oz.You have to remember,they are cuttng into alot of layers.ALOT.They also get in there and play around,you know they do,I could swear,that they had a baseball game in there!Last of all,just take it easy,your body needs time to heal.

By Debbie on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 10:59 am:

I had a hard recovery after my c-section. It was very difficult the first few days and I didn't feel back to normal for about a week. I needed lots of help and felt very out of it from the pain meds. I had a vaginal birth with ds #2 and I thought it was a piece of cake. I had a short/easy labor(3 hrs) and pushed just twice and he was out. I was out of the hospital in 24 hours and back to my self in a few days. The only problem I had was hemmeroids, but I had those with my 1st ds too.

By Tink on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 11:31 am:

I had three c-sections, two by the same OB, and recovered from all of them very easily. I was off pain meds within 48 hours and was up walking around, once the epidural wore off. The only time I had any trouble with pain was after I had my tubes tied with the last birth and that was still within 24 hours of surgery. I really do believe that it is a completely individual thing. My next door neighbor had a planned c-section with her first birth one week before my emergency c-section after 16 hours of labor and I was up and around before she was.

By Colette on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 11:52 am:

I've had 3 also - first one was an emergency and recovery from that was much different than recovery from the 2 scheduled ones. Your body is sore and exhausted from being in labor and then it has to recover from surgery on top of that.

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 11:56 am:

Ditto that *it's different for everyone, everyone has a different level of pain tolerance, each circumstance is different, etc.*

I had two vaginal births, and they were VERY different. With Jeff, I was in labor for 3 days, he was stuck, they had me pushing for almost 10 hours to try to get him out and right before I was going to have an emergency Csection, two nurses literally leaned and pushed on my belly while I was pushing and pushed him out. I had a LOT of pain afterwards, my recovery was slow, etc.

With Jen it was totally different, very easy delivery, not much post partum pain, recovery was very fast.

Everyone and every birth is different.

By Crystal915 on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 12:47 pm:

I had a very easy C-section. I was up and walking as soon as my spinal wore off, and was ready togo home the next day, although they let me stay because the kids were having trouble keeping their temp up. I was 20, and it was my first surgery of any kind, they used dermabond instead of stitches. I had mild pain at my incision for a couple weeks, but only needed pain killers for the first week or so.

By Eve on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 12:58 pm:

Karen-Where can I sign up for the very easy delivery and not much post partum pain??

By Andi on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 01:23 pm:

It is different for everyone, that said.

My section was very easy too. Yes, it was a little painful (it is surgery after all) but nothing to bad. I had staples and a catheder but those came out pretty quick. I was up and moving around as soon as I was released from the hospital. My friends laughed at me because they came to see DS the day after we got home and I was getting drinks and food for everyone. I do think I over did it a bit because at the end of the day I was sore.

By Vicki on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 01:28 pm:

LOL, yes Conni, 25 hours with NO pain meds!! I started having contractions through the night on Sunday, but had a Drs appointment for Monday morning anyway, so I waited until I got there to see what was going on. They sent me to the hospital since I was having them and was 7 days over due. So I got to the hospital Monday mid morning. I was all preped up and then got the pitocin. They told me at that time that pain meds and such could slow the progression of things, so that I should tell them if it got unbearable and we would see about something at that time. Well, either dd or I didn't tolerate the pitocin very well because they could get it to a certain point and then her heart rate would drop and we would have to start all over. So by the time things really started getting very bad for me, her heart rate would drop and they would have to stop it. I never dialated past 4 through all of this!! Early in the morning on Tuesday, her heart rate dropped extreamly low. They shut everything down and actually come ina nd took blood out of her head (yes, while still inside!!) and sent it to the lab for an oxegyn level to be taken. So once again, everything stopped! It came back that she was fine, and we waited for the dr to finally come back in. He decided at that time that she wasn't going to likely come on her own, so it was decided that I would have a section. That is when I finally got the epidural! I had her at 12:53 and was out of bed after breakfast Wednesday morning!

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 06:31 pm:

Karen, I think I would rather have my 2 c-sections, than a vaginal birth like your first one! Sheesh! I would have been exhausted!

By Jodes on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 06:56 pm:

My c section was fairly easy for me too, like everyone else said, every body is so different. I didn't need any pain meds when I came home from the hospital, and I was up and moving right away, I too had staples. The worse part that I remember was the terrible gas cramps!