10 Things Nobody Told You about Cesarean Birth! 

I was in labor for 2 days after induction wasn't really working. I went in on a Friday night and by Sunday morning I finally made it and was fully dilated. I pushed for 4 hours. She never came. I got an infection and the doctor said they had to take her. I felt like an absolute failure. I never had surgery in my whole life and it was very traumatic. Afterwards, I felt disconnected from my baby because I couldn't do the things I wanted to with her due to being bedridden. It took many weeks for me to adjust and not feel so terrible. C section Moms deserve so much more validation for what they go through

Friendly reminder: anyone watching this channel more than likely enjoys babies. Please feature Rosie as much as you want/need.

Having not had any family and due to the complications of my pregnancy, relying solely on my husband's income of which we could not afford to miss a single day of.. you alone gave me so much support and 2 years later I still watch your videos and tear up. I cannot possibly thank you enough for making me feel so safe and empowered about the scariest year of my life. All the love and best wishes to you and your beautiful family!!! ❤❤❤

I know the uncertainty of whether or not I could call it "birth" was something I struggled with, and it's reassuring to hear the validation and affirmation even over a year later that I did indeed give birth. Thank you. And also, look at the little bald head! Such a cutie that baby is!

I will *never* be upset by a Rosie cameo 😂❤

Holy cow is this video underrated. I learned so many things here that I haven't read or heard anywhere else! Thank you especially for tips about the weird/unpleasant sensations that can come as a surprise to first-timers.

I’m glad I watched this… I ended up having an emergency C-section on Friday at 31 weeks due to a surprise diagnosis of preeclampsia and HELLP, had 3 seizures on the way to the hospital and they needed to get the baby out. They completely knocked me out and had him out in under 15 minutes.

My anesthesiologist & her assistant were awesome! They did make me & my husband feel supported , and took those precious first pictures for us while I couldn’t think of anything else😵‍💫 The ‘rummaging in the purse’ analogy is oddly true haha.

I had an urgent c-section back in May. Definitely was not what I wanted. Thank you for the reminder that it's ok to feel two opposing emotions at the same time. I'm thankful my son is alive and well because of the quick decision and action of my medical team, but I'm still a little disappointed that I didn't have a vaginal delivery. I would love to watch a video on how to do scar mobilization and desensitization. Mine is still very sensitive. Thank you so much! Also, love the short hair!

I had an actual emergency c section. I had gone in for a routine NST and couldn't get heart rate to stay properly. A nurse pressed a button and suddenly about 10 people were in the room. I had a few mins to call my husband to tell him to rush there now. Luckily my babies heart rate came up just enough for them to attempt a spinal quickly so I didn't have to go under but was told that was what was likely going to happen. Was very happy to not have to go under as it was scary enough. There was no fluid left and the cord was wrapped around baby. But she's here now and completely healthy. Would much rather of had a vaginal birth like I did with my first if I could have this recovery is rough!

I had mine with a planned c-section and I wouldn't have had it any other way. There was no stress, no crazy truck baby situation, no surprises. The team was 10/10 amazing. If anyone is birthing in or near Seattle, WA, I highly HIGHLY recommend the team at UW Medicine!!

One to add, THE GAS, I was in tears of pain before I requested medication and a hot pack. It helped a ton

I’m so glad you recommended taking a picture of the scar at the hospital - it gave me such peace of mind as I healed in those first few weeks. Also, no one told me about scar mobilization in healing and it was so important! I did regular massage in the shower when I was soapy, after it had healed, and it made a big difference imo.

Love this ❤️. I also liked how you differentiated between “unplanned” “urgent” and “emergency”. My first was a crazy heart shattering twin birth - successful vaginal birth then emergent c-section due to abruption. They were planning on moving forward with a c-section anyways because my beautiful baby A had passed in the delivery room and baby B was in distress (having decelerations and not recovering from them well at all) so they were already prepping but not ready and suddenly my nurse saw something (lots of blood I’m assuming?) as she stopped talking to me and ran to get my OB who had temporarily stepped out. They both came back in immediately and he told me that I was abrupting and baby was coming out now. He looked at my anesthesiologist and told him I needed to be numb in 60 seconds or put me under. He didn’t even blink and I was numbing up. They started cutting as others were still hassling with the drapes and curtains. She was caught in the upper segment as a bandals ring had formed so instead of doing a lot of pushing on me he had to ‘T’ the the incision to get her out - but she was still out amazingly fast. Then it was nuts my alarms were going off her alarms were going off people were yelling at each other and it was just terrifying. I didn’t get to see my survivor again for 24 hours… and then not for awhile after that blood loss made me very very weak. My second and third c-sections were much better. But oddly all uniquely different. I’m so glad you talked about them, some ladies like to treat us like we didn’t give “birth” or “had it easy” in some way and it always breaks my heart because of course that’s not the way I wanted it to go…

And you’re absolutely spot on about VBACS some hospitals are really supportive some not so much. Some of them (like mine) support them but really don’t like them on “nonstandard uterine scars” from the previous c-section. Some of them support VBACS but they have to move along accordingly to their little guide and if things start taking too long or straying from what their idea of a standard VBAC is then they want to jump to repeat c-section MUCH sooner than if you were just having a regular repeat vaginal birth. So you really have to KNOW where you’re provided and your hospital stands on VBACS before going in.

I had a true emergency C-section due to cord prolapse and my daughter did not survive. I had only 30 minutes with her alive, although she was living for 2 hours, because an hour was spent putting me back together. I have serious issues with people claiming they had an emergency C-section because their baby was breech while in labor- sorry toots that isn’t an emergency or even an urgent.

I had an emergency c section due to cord prolapse. I was put under general anesthesia. Recovered fairly quickly but for me it took me a while to come in terms with psychologically. Extremely grateful to all the medical professionals who were incredible in taking care of me and helping to bring my joy and wonder in this world.

this is my favorite style since the big chop! love your natural curls!! (:

My anesthesiologist was so wonderful! I had no idea he'd be such a support and was so grateful for it.

Loved the video! I am hopeful you one-day will do a similar video 10 things.... About home births.

Thank you. I was doubting that I had an emergency cesarean because although my baby was I'm distress and the process was hurried, they did have time to have me sign thr papers which I feel like wouldn't happen with an emergency. So it makes a lot of sense that I actually had an URGENT cesarean. It was still scary but so glad I didn't have to go under.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I had an unplanned cesarean birth a week ago. And I'm so glad I watched this video before the delivery. The information you shared here definitely helped me navigate through the process. I was shaking like hell in the OR, and knowing that it's normal make me less scared. Also like you said the anesthetists were great! They hold my hand to comfort me and explained what's going on with the surgery. Again thank you for sharing! I do believe understand what may happen during delivery will make the delivery experience less scary!

Loved this video. One thing I would have liked to know going into my c-section was how long it takes to be done AFTER the baby comes out. It's not like in the movies so it takes way longer than you think. It made me feel like something was wrong but everything was perfectly normal.

Holding my 4 day old son. I went into labor, had constant abdominal pain and a fever. I had a uterine infection, he also pooped in the womb, and wasn't tolerating pitocin too well. I had to have general anesthesia because unfortunately the epidural couldn't take all the pain away and things got a little traumatic. No worries though, feeling happy that he's here and safe!

You look so lovely with curly hair 😍 Thanks again for another very useful educational content!

Thank you so much for this information!!

After 30 hours of waiting and not dilating, I was taken to the OR for a Csection. And you are right, my bff was the anesthesiologist. All of them threated me with so much respect and love. Thankfully it was a good experience. I wanted a vaginal birth, but it didnt happen.

I loved my cesarean, even with already having one this was a really helpful video as I’m coming up to my second planned one!

I definitely will never forget the I feel like I can’t breathe feeling. That was so scary. I’m having a repeat c section in September and this video was a nice reminder of a few things!

I had a vaginal birth but I’m watching this for more knowledge for the future!

I'm having a c-section in 5 days. This video was very helpful!

Thank you for the difference of emergency and unplanned! I had an emergency csection with my son (after 18 hours of labor/water being broken, upped epidural & it went so fast) and a planned csection with my daughter. The recovery was definitely harder the second time (in the hospital is when you can’t feel it because you’re getting your meds every 4 hours, I had much more pain after going home) but the csection itself was so much less stressful and easy, I walked into the OR, got my spinal, laid down (I did feel sick for a few minutes but the anesthesiologist gave me medicine that helped with that) by the time my husband walked in I was smiling and ready to meet our baby girl! I didn’t feel nauseous or barf until after the spinal wore off (I got the IV meds & the patch behind my ear). **RU-vidr Abbie Herbert made a clickbait video, she had a planned csection, her water broke a few days early**

Could you do a video on back to back births please, I had this with my son but wasn't aware until 10 months after and have very little knowledge on them :)

I know it's not nice to say about your own birthing experience, but for me my c-section felt like someone was pulling trash bag out of me 😂 Best wishes from Poland for you and your newest baby, she's the same month as my son :D

This video came just in time for me! Im scheduled for a c section next week:) Thanks for all the info

Very thankful my first birth was an urgent c section. Water broke unexpectedly at 36 weeks, so I went to the hospital because baby was breech. They did an ultrasound but didn’t get to check my cervix because my water was still breaking-she was still breech. They left me for about 2 hours, when they came back saw that I was contracting like crazy-in active labor. I was dilated almost to a 5 but did not feel a thing. They had a bunch of C sections that day. Kicked out a planned C section and had me wheeled into the OR asap (which was like an hour later), prepped me. One thing I was not prepared for was that weird sensation of them tipping the table to let gravity move my spinal tap with me strapped to it. I felt like a giant space ship in orbit 😂. I was pretty prepared for the shakes as my anesthesiologist was a GEM and gave me the full side effects run down. Also the whole spinal tap procedure took a full 20 minutes. Then baby was out. I was so cold I was surprised at how hot she felt to me. No issues from being slightly premature, and no issues from me (except an unexpected infection from my scar they treated me with antibiotics). My scar looks great and my baby is a healthy happy 2 year old. I am happy I had a c section the first time around because if I need a c section next time I will know exactly what to expect

I never heard of urgent but that's what I had. I had a epidural yep definitely threw up but after the c section and also when I ate lunch when I didn't know I was going have a c section at that point.

I had an emergency c-section after 3 days of active labor without any pain relief. It was pretty scary with all the alarms and people yelling, and I was so tired and not really sure what was going on. Honestly don't remember much of the experience. I remember the mean nurses though, with their cold fingers up the vag with no warning. The thing I wasn't prepared for post op was the swelling, so much so that I leaked liquid out of my skin, and the numbness. It's been 8 months, and I still can't feel a thing between my belly button and mid thigh.

Oh wow I really needed that last one😩😭

Oh my gosh that itching lasted for two days on me. It was bad all over my face . All they gave me was Benadryl and it didnt help. :( i thought i was the only one that had that. Thank you for making this vidoe. How are you? Ive never had epidural i always had spinals. They scared me at first. But the my second c section wasnt as bad. They wouldnt let me get up until the next day for both births. Maybe it was just me but yea it was frustrating bc i wanted to get up

Loving your new look! Beautiful! Just delivered my first baby via c-section due baby being breech at 39wks. I expected it to be much worse than what it actually was. Great experience! & a healthy baby boy!

When I had my c section the person doing my epidurals actually refused to let me have one. I was induced on a Friday still in labor on Sunday even after petocin, water being broke, and folly balloon , and having major pain. Thankfully my ob was there and talk them into doing it. I had the most horrible birth and hospital experience. My c section went well but the whole experience and staff, except my doula, & ob, were just awful. I’m super thankful for my support person, my doula and my ob. Unfortunately after my baby was born my doula and ob wasn’t there as much any more, the hospital staff was awful. I did 2 epidurals the second one was a combo.

I wish I could’ve seen this 4 months ago. I was planning on my third unmedicated birth but I had an emergency c section under general because of a prolapsed cord. From the moment the cord fell into drs hand, to the time he was born was 6 minutes. Took her 1 minute from the time I was under until he was out. It was so fast and scary, looking back it’s incredible to think about how fast my dr and the staff was.

Im like crying while watching this because I am so terrified about the idea of being sliced open while awake. My doctor said she will not knock me out though. Im very happy to have the information, just terrified.

I wish i would have watched this prior to my induction last week. I ended up getting a c section due to macrosomia and to avoid shoulder injury. Recovery sucks though.

I had a c section 4 months ago and everyone told me the recovery would be a complete nightmare. It was amazing! I didn’t even need pain meds after 2 days and could walk up the stairs do everything normally right away. 10/10 would recommend 🤣🤣

Also I didn’t have the support needed when I was home. That is very important.

Going home on Lovanox. That was what I was not ready for.

Thank you for this! Having my first child via c-section on Monday the 20th, and I’m scared shitless!! 😅

Thank you so much for this video! I was curious, if you have a brain, spine, and retina tumor, is general the only way to deliver?

Can you do a video on induction? I will have to be due to blood thinners. I’m a FTM and feel so overwhelmed by the thought of it

Mine was unplanned for sure. Pushed for 1hr 30 min with epidural. Daughter's heart was going up and down and was told I could push her out but it might end in emergency C-section if she couldn't handle it. Chose for C-section to protect her odds. Wasn't in my best interest, but was for hers.

Thank you so much for this! I’m having a scheduled caesarean birth next week. I had very bad pregnancy sickness till 20 weeks and I’m scared of being nauseated again so it’s very good to know it’s normal and what to do. How long does the nausea and vomiting usually last? Is it just during the procedure?

Can you do a video about birth after a 3rd degree tear? I had a 3rd degree tear with my first child. What should I expect with the second?

Thank you for that, lots of useful information. I'm especially thankful for that last part, the reminder that it's still a birth. Somebody asked me the other day if I had a "normal birth" and it made me upset... can we just destigmatize c-sections? This was not what I had planned or hope for, but I am so thankful it was an option because otherwise my precious boy probably wouldn't be here today and I don't know about me!

Had my baby 6 days ago. Wanted a natural birth, ended up getting epidural that didn't work, pushed for 4 hours and had a c section. I was under anesthesia. Wish I would have researched c section even though I had heart set on natural

For anyone about to go through a c section i highly recommend getting a warmie. Theyre like a weighted beanie baby that can be warmed up in the microwave. I got one for my c section and it is smaller than a pillow and does a better job of pinpointing exactly where you want to apply pressure when it comes to coughing or sneezing. It has also been nice for propping my belly up as I try to sleep on my side in my recliner at-home during my recovery. Good luck to all mamas out there needing to go through a c section. It is scary, and for some hard to accept that you can't have a natural birth. Im glad that the loss of my last pregnancy at 24 weeks really put things into perspective for my husband and I cause nothing would have gone to plan with having to have a c section, having a bicornuate uterus, and not getting my baby to latch properly and having to forego breast feeding to breast pumping. In the end, whatever birth plan your baby decides for you just know, you are still a mother and you did what you were meant to do for your precious baby. May all your postpartum recoveries be quick and as painless as possible.

This video would have been perfect 8 days ago. I went in on Friday the 10th to schedule my c section for the 28th, told the dr id see him before then, and my little man decided to break my water 36 hours later at 9:30 Saturday night, thankfully I was only 1 cm dilated but was in shock the entire drive to the hospital, he was out at 12:50 am on the 12th of December. I think being in shock from my water breaking helped me not freak out before my c section even though due to him being breech with me having a bicornuate uterus I knew it was going to happen. The anesthesiologist truly was my best friend in that 30 minutes from when the spinal was injected till I was out of the room, he was so attentive checking on me every 2 minutes and administered the antinausea medication which thankfully worked so quickly, but the entire team at my hospital was amazing and my scar is healing beautifully. And having my baby boy here in my arms has opened up a new world of fear, but I would go through it all again just to have him here with us.

I had what my Welsh NHS hospital called a “crash cesarean” after cord prolapse when we went into theatre for forceps…I cannot believe how quickly you amazing medical marvels work. Saved my baby and me after we both had dipped HRs. God bless you all!!!

Do you have a online birthing classes? Im finding it difficult finding any type of birthing classes near me do to covid.

Can you do one regarding Tolac?

I wish I could've watched my c section! Q: what about silicone patches for the incision? & will that "shelf" ever go away? 😔

I got so nauseous and almost passed out right after my c section, I felt awful. It really took me like 20-30 min to feel with it enough to hold my baby which really sucked. My arms were even numb, I will say thank god I had no pain in delivery but i think the meds really hit me hard. And good to know it was urgent, not an emergency, I tell people that and they’re confused lol.

Rosy (sp?) did great! 👍🏻🤣

My hands and feet were swollen really bad after the surgery. I didn’t notice any itching.

I will be having a c section with my current pregnancy due in July. With my 2020 baby, I went into labor naturally and didn’t realize I’d have heartburn, hiccups, and vomiting at the same time while actively pushing! It was horrid!

What was weird during mine was the fact that I felt no pain but I could feel all the tugging and touching my legs and stomach. It was the strangest sensation. I also had the shakes really really bad. My baby girl was stuck in the canal and they had to push her back up so they could get her out.

I had 3 babies and my last was a C-section because she was breech and wouldn’t drop. 9 months later I manage to still have numbness in the area as well as an intense itching feeling along the scar line. It can be annoying until my baby smiles at me - would do it all over again in a heartbeat to bring my baby here safe.

I was not able to have a photo taken of the scar. I was in hospital 6 days, but even when I left I was told to leave the silver bandage on for as long as possible

I was so grateful for my anesthesiologist, because when I went in for my c/s he was supposed to change shift but he stayed with me and was praying over me and rubbing my head because he knew how scared I was and I remember him telling me “you still did it mama, you still gave birth” because he heard me tell my bf that I failed 😭

Our anesthesiologist was amazing, he pulled the plunger out of a 60cc syringe just after our son was born. It sounded like a champagne cork being popped. He said every birth should be celebrated, and he likes doing his part. I however looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to my abdomen after my c section. When I went home my incision was covered with a bandage that I had to go back a week after to take off. My arms were also very numb during my c section, so when they put baby on me to nurse while they stitched me up, my husband and LC had to get him latched. I was also so tired I kept falling asleep and thought that was because it was day 3 of my failed induction, but my best friend had a planned twin c section and she felt the same. Must be something with the meds.

There is medication they can give you to help with the itching??? I had it so badly that I actually scratched through my own skin and was bleeding down my arm. Was told there was nothing that could be done, I just had to wait it out 🤬

My anesthesiologist was great, got all the med students to move so I could see my baby as they took him right to the warmer and cleaned him up etc before I even got to see him he really stepped in and was like hey give mom baby now .

My epidural came out and they couldn’t get a spinal properly placed. They knocked me out with general anesthesia

I wish I found your video before my I unplanned c section

Oooh, I had an emergency c-section! A real one! General anesthesia. I kinda....liked it better than my epidural urgent c-section with baby #2? haha It was nice to go to sleep and then wake up and there was a baby. Sitting through the shaking and shoulder pain wasn't fun.

Technical question - why is a spinal or epidural preferred over general? And, is the patient able to request general if that's what they want to do?

Someone told me the same thing about feeling like you look around in your purse for something. My 1st c section I threw up so badly and it just came out of nowhere.

Im nervous as hell for mine. Ive never broken a bone or had any type of surgery. So this is huge

My first of 5 c sections was emergent. Baby had inhaled meconium and was having heart decels and not recovering well. The dr on call told me they had to put me under to get him out and save his life. After delivery he was resuscitated twice before they stabilized him in the nicu with all sorts of tubes and an o2 box. I was left in a hallway for four hours post delivery and mri barely conscious post op. They finally found me and brought me to a post partum room and they began apologizing with letters and flowers and writing off my hospital bill. My second c section was after a failed vbac. I was induced and Labour progressed and I pushed for 6 hours. I could see her crowning in the mirror and the impatient ob said section her. 😢 After that I wasn’t allowed vbac so I had csections that were gentle with specific birth plans to make it as close to a real birth as possible. Dimmed lights, music, immediate skin to skin and breast feeding, hands off approach from nurses, delayed weight and testing, delayed cord clamping and no bath….. One piece of advice I’ll say is get a birth plan and also discuss pain relief especially for post partum! I had a reaction to additional anesthesia given in pacu. I got hypothermia and it took 4 hours to get my temp back to normal. Scary. Wo t be doing that this time around. Currently 15 weeks

I had an unplanned C-section because baby wasn't tolerating contractions well. He wasn't tolerating because there was almost no fluid left in there with him. Are there ways to keep an eye out for leaking amniotic fluid at home to catch it before it gets to that point? I'm not pregnant again yet but I'm worried that could happen again.

The itching is real! On the operating table I kept having to tell my husband to scratch various parts of my face. I thought I had dog fur stuck on my face and later the nurse mentioned it was a normal side effect. For me it wore off relatively quickly but I remember thing wtf? Lol

I remember being so surprised and delighted by the support from my anaesthesiologist… not sure if my c-section was considered urgent or unplanned, but I was certainly not prepared for it. He was so reassuring, explaining so much about what was happening, took pictures for us, kept me calm while I was shaking uncontrollably and didn’t know why. He made the whole situation feel a lot better.

Thank you! My baby's heart stopped during labor and everything soooo quickly went from normal to terrifying. She'd also pooped in the amniotic fluid. I had no epidural so had to have general. She ended up fine so I am grateful. They aggravated my thyroid with the tube which had me coughing for days which made the incision hurt like a mf. I wish I'd been told to go easy on the morphine lol. Did not tolerate the morphine well but didn't realize it so would take more to feel better.

I had a csection about a month go. After it I did get nauseous and was about to throw up but the gagging was so painful it made the nausea go away lol.

I threw up after my 2nd c section(I might’ve with my first too but don’t remember cuz that was 14 years ago) but idk but all the sudden I was gonna throw up so my dad had to grab me a barf bag……..lol! Don’t know why I felt sick afterwards though.

You look 10 years younger with darker hair. It looks so pretty.

Are there any pain management options other than epidural for a vaginal birth? I’m so afraid lol

Mine was unplanned and turned a little concerning with her decrease in heartbeat and they told me we needed to go now to ensure our safety. All I know is that my anesthesiologist kept telling me I was 'tanking' and he needed to race my heart. They asked me if I wanted to meet baby and I was like no let her go meet g.ma and auntie... as I lay there thinking I was dying. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Obviously I didn't but who knows how many times he had to "race my heart" lol. WishnI had this prior 2 baby cuz the tugging was legit, I was like hey what is happening down there y'all. I didn't walk much at all, they asked me to but I struggle with anesthesia and I needed help walking for the first 2 days. Rosie is adorable 💗

I had a traumatic urgent c-section. My baby was in distress, I was not in labor, and I was so scared. I planned for a natural, unmedicated birth, and knew that a c-section was a possibility, but never thought I would actually have one. I had itching, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and disorientation from my anesthesia. I was so hazy in the moment that I had my son that I remember not being able to talk and make sense, and I really wanted to hold him and see him. He was rushed to a NICU at a pediatric hospital in another city before I could ever see him or hold him, so I still struggle with calling my c-section a birth. It doesn't feel like I gave birth, even now, a year later. I may choose to never have any more children because I still cry when I think about how scary the whole experience was. I've called my c-section an emergency c-section because of the situation, although I do remember the doctor calling it an urgent unplanned c-section and from the moment it was decided I would have the procedure to the baby being delivered was less than an hour.

I have zero memory of having skin to skin. There is time missing. I didn’t experience nausea and Vomiting. I was nauseas all throughout my pregnancy.

If vaginal access is necessary to help with the delivery - do they tell you beforehand/ask for consent?? Not like we can say no anyway… being paralyzed on a table while people poke and prod at me as me feeling anxious for mine. 😵‍💫

I had an emergency c section (baby’s heart was dropping after failed induction) I was not put in general anesthesia just epidural. I had a horrible experience my blood pressure was extremely low and I was suffocating. I also was robbed of skin to skin . I didn’t see my baby till after 2 hours later In j my room. Honestly I hate all medical personnel now mostly rude af bully nurses. I also never got nauseous or itchy so it’s not Everyone

I am terrified of needles and wouldn't let them stick me without my husband. My c section was unplanned. I was planning an unmedicated vaginal birth because I was so afraid of the needle in my back. They ended up letting him be the one to hold me while they stick me.

Yes I got crazy itching each time 🤣 I hated it!

My little lady had to be delivered by caesarean (breach, one foot by her head and one in my pelvis AND the surprise in the OR the cord was wrapped three times) so it was planned as the best way to safely deliver but I was so mad, angry, disappointed and crushed… and they kept calling it an elective caesarean… it made me so cross. That wasn’t my plan! But she was happy, healthy and perfect but I wish they’d change terms… geriatric mother ALSO sucked lol. Or is that just a uk thing?

I had a c-section but watching this video i feel like i havent had a c-section. Nothing matches my experience 😶 or maybe i forgot everything!

Asked for clear drape, delayed cord clamp, keep vernix on, skin to skin and breast feeding in the OR. Told no to all. Saw my child for the first time in a phone picture. Wasn't allowed to hold him till the recovery room. Left alone to be put back together, listen to the doctor talk about how good of a job she was doing to the nurse. Having a c section was my worse nightmare during pregnancy, and it was even worse than I thought it would be. It's been 8 weeks, and I still can't think about, let alone talk about my son's birth without crying.

Omg I am not the only one with a 6 month old who doesn’t sleep! 🤣

The one thing I had never heard about c sections was that a spinal block *could* be insanely painful when administered. Not the case for most people but that was by far the most traumatic part of my experience. I felt like I was being electrocuted over and over. Also I had no sensation of having to pee afterward for like 24 hours at least and was in pain because I didn’t know I had to pee 😅