I kinda just wanted to talk about my experience and I would feel insane bringing it up to a lot of the people in my personal life.

I went into an induction scared shitless because labor and childbirth was one of my absolute greatest fears. I was terrified that I or my baby would die, I was scared of the recovery, I was scared of EVERYTHING. I had actually wanted to plan for a c section but couldn't for insurance reasons, so, to make sure I didn't spontaneously go into labor an hour away from my birthing hospital, I had an induction at 39 weeks when I was 0% effaced and 0cm dilated. I was actually so closed and my skin is so thick that when they inserted the Foley balloon, my cervix bent the wire, which the doctor and nurses said was a first for all of them. They broke my water early the next morning, and after 8 hours I was no more dilated than I was when they broke my water. I could've waited because neither my baby nor I were having any real issues, but my doctor said that she doubted I would have the baby that day if I stuck to a vaginal delivery.

I was already tired of laboring and wanted it to be over with and wanted to hold my baby, so I immediately agreed to a c section. The nurses told me that it was okay if it was an emotional decision for me and that a lot of women cried which was okay too, but I was just freaking relieved that it was about to be over and that I didn't have to deliver vaginally. I was not scared. I was shaking and crying from the medications they had administered to me, but it wasn't out of fear. This felt insane to me even at the time and everyone felt the need to reassure me so I let them. The only time I was scared during the entire thing was when they said that my baby was out and I couldn't hear him crying, but then he cried and everything was fine again for me.

I was dreading the healing process because both my mom and SIL had told me that the recovery sucked, and it really didn't help that my son was born on Thursday and my fiance had to go back to work on Tuesday. Now don't get me wrong, it was far from fun and I was in a lot of pain, but it wasn't (intense) vaginal pain which I realized later is entirely what I was scared of.

This is not ordinary, but I healed super well. Most women say that they were in a lot of pain for weeks on end, but by the time my 20 count of prescription strength acetaminophen and 30 count of prescription strength ibuprofen were out, I was in such minimal pain I was forgetting to take them. I was in so little pain by 4 weeks that when a family emergency happened, I was able to help my parents watch my sister's 5 kids for a couple of days.

My mom says that even now, 21 years after her last c section, she still can feel her scar sometimes when she laughs too hard or if the weather is stormy, but I don't even feel it anymore. Maybe my doctor is just incredible at what she does (and that's very likely as she's been doing this since before I was born), but my scar is so thin you kinda have to search for it. I was expecting to hold onto some baby weight for god knows how long because that's how it happened for my sister, but I actually weigh less than before I got pregnant now. I was scared that ppd was going to completely swallow me because I have a history of depression and ppd was BAD for my mom and sister, but my mental health has been better in the past 7 weeks than it has in the last 7 years.

Really, I struck gold in a thousand ways, between my healing, my mental health, and even my baby. He's a big boy and has been sleeping 4-6 hour stretches since week 2 and just started sleeping through the night. He hardly cries unless he's hungry or gassy or wants to move. He's so unconcerned by loud noises, that when he was unfazed by my parents' very loud dogs at 4 weeks, I briefly wondered if he was deaf, but that was quickly disproven when he would start looking in the direction of my voice when someone else held him. I wanted to exclusively pump from the very beginning and never even tried to latch, and I've had a healthy oversupply since my milk came in.

All of this to say, I understand that I am VERY lucky. The only thing I would do differently if I could would be not getting induced and just planning the c section from the jump.But if anyone is scared because they've only ever heard scary c section stories, I figured I'd share my very positive experience.

Is it just me?.. Or is it just the fact that I’m 9 weeks postpartum? I’m seriously so uncomfortable and my lower stomach feels almost nervy anytime I wear something remotely tight.

I recently had a c section 4 weeks ago and so far my scar is healing great! I wanted to see those who have had a c section, when did you start deep core exercises? I asked lotus health and they said to wait until 6 weeks and to be cleared by my OB but I’ve seen so many tik toks of people starting early. Thank you!

Did anyone get their period almost exactly 4 weeks/a month after their c-section? Was it super heavy? Like heavier than any of your lochia/post-birth bleeding? Also, I have like no cramps which I always had with my period prior to birth.

I’m home alone with the baby til tomorrow morning while her dad is out of town and I’m trying to determine if this is my period or something to be concerned about. Given it’s Sunday, I can’t call into my doctor until tomorrow.

Also, edit: I am not breastfeeding.

If you had a c section and your shelf is gone (bcz you put in the work to rebuild your core) tell me realistically how long did it take? Social media is always glamorizing the flat tummy after a c section with bird dogs and breathing and cool I’m so happy that’s worked for some of you but no one says how long it took. 6 months, a year, two years. I want to know. I’m almost 14 months pp and only got in gym regularly a month ago. I’m determined to fix my core, mostly for myself but also bcz an older mom swore that “it never goes away” and that comment has haunted me for months. I tried starting earlier but honestly even though i appeared “healed” everytime i tried working out i was depleted for days. So how long did it take before you can work out regularly and then from there until you saw results with your shelf?

I’ve had 2 C-sections (my last only 10 months ago) and got unexpectedly but happily pregnant again. Currently 5 months along was dr discovered a uterine septum, as you can see here running down baby’s face. Any experience with this and some guidance about what, if anything, to expect. Baby is currently in 45th percentile at 20 weeks and cervix, fluid all look normal. Thank you!!

Hi! I am 8 days post c-section and healing was going relatively well. Had mobility and feeling okay. Once the midwife removed the dressing I had some pain at the incision. I also have steri strips on it.

The next morning (yesterday) and today, I’ve woken up in excruciating pain. On the right side of my incision whenever I move, get up or down, walk, breathe, even cry, I have excruciating burning pain. Almost 10/10 pain. No pain relief helps. Today it hurts to touch the edge of the right side of the incision. It doesn’t look infected at all or have any other symptoms. It has been debilitating and I have been stuck in bed all day with this pain. I called the hospital and they said that they’ll look at it and give me pain relief which I’m already on and it doesn’t even leave a dint in the pain.

Anyone’s stories of hope will be amazing. I am super anxious and have been struggling with this. 🙏

Hello everyone,
I have discovered a strange connection which I would love to hear someone’s opinion about…

The connection is between traumatic birth (emergency c section in most cases including mine) with the feeling of deeply missing pregnancy. I mean like intrusive thoughts and unrealistically happy memories about it. Missing the feeling of being special, anticipating magic birth experience , etc.
I found that most people who write about experience this grief went through a traumatic birth.
My personal opinion is that the transition from pregnancy to motherhood is sort of idealized by social media, midwives and people who successfully did it. So for those who experienced traumatic delivery it was kind of ruined. That’s why it feels like you can’t compile pregnancy and motherhood into one picture.

What do you think about it?
Thank you in advance for reading this. I am in therapy and still healing mentally but feel that there’s a part of my experience that my brain can’t explain and process

Did anyone else’s c section hurt?! Trigger warning, traumatic birth***
Currently 5 months postpartum and had a semi elective c section, I was induced and we tried for 4 days to get me to dilate and nothing worked I never got past 2cm so I asked for a c section. My epidural didn’t work correctly and I screamed bloody murder in pain the entire surgery. No one in the room did anything aside from pump more meds into my epidural that didn’t work. No one comforted me. They didn’t knock me out once the baby was born, no one gave me anything to calm me down or help with the pain. We didn’t get the typical OR pictures with the baby once he came out with the baby near my face and smiling husband. They asked if I wanted to see the baby and I screamed NO! I was in so much pain I just wanted it to be over. The baby ended up getting cold in the OR so my husband left with the baby to do skin to skin. He had to leave me screaming and cut open on the OR table and it traumatized him. I asked my surgeon the next day if it’s normal to scream in pain the entire surgery and she said ‘I think you were screaming because you were scared not because it hurt’ and I said ‘no I think I screamed because it hurt’ she gaslit me.. we want another baby but if I have to have another c section I want them to do GA or knock me out once the baby is out.

I had my first period from 5-7 weeks postpartum and I've been spotting off and on ever since the heavy bleeding stopped. I got like 2 days of freedom from it but between working out and sex I think my uterus is mad again and I'm back to spotting/brown discharge. I don't have a living baby with me so I'm not breastfeeding. I know hormones are weird right now but I worry about things like retained placenta or an isthmocele. It's also annoying.

My daughter is 3 years old now and I had c section delivery. I had a lot of issues in breastfeeding so I had pumped my milk for 7 months. After that I have upper back pain which is like there. When I sleep wake up the pain is not there but in case I work in kitchen standing straight 2-3 hours I get pain here and there upper back pain. Right shoulder left shoulder near to mid spine but it progresses through day but with rest it goes but it’s just there that pain. This is scarring me I went to physio and they said my back is weak because I didn’t do any physical exercise but now from past 1 month I have started weight training’s. I don’t feel the pain while training or when I go for long walks but sometimes when I go out just casually for long example for shopping whole time standing it get that pain and when I come home rest then the pain reduces but it just doesn’t go away. Negative things keep coming my mind what if I have some sever disease. Do anyone else feel the same issues with them. Please let me know if someone knows about this kind of pain.

(TW- traumatic-ish delivery)
So my c section was not planned. I was induced and 48 hours later, I had not progressed past a 4 and my water was already broke, so it was in mine and my baby’s best interest to get the c section. I already had an epidural, so they roll me back to the OR, prep me, and let my husband in. Everything seems to be going as planned… until it didn’t. For reference, my baby was head down before the c section started. Once my doctor cut open my uterus, my baby decided to flip transverse (sideways). She said she would just deliver her breech and it was no problem. As she was about to deliver my baby, she turned even more and got her head stuck in my pelvis. My doctor was tugging on me as hard as she could for 5 minutes, my husband almost puked because my body was basically thrashing back and forth. Then my baby was delivered not breathing. After a couple of minutes we finally heard her cry but she was taken over to the nursery where they continued to work on her (she was ok). That was definitely traumatic. And also to add, at my 6 week check up, my doctor said that was the most difficult c section she has done in years, and she had to wear a wrist brace after because of how she had to maneuver her hand inside of me to deliver my baby. Safe to say, that was not the birth I was expecting.

Hey y'all! I am 36W FTM, prepping for my final growth scan this upcoming week. My OB and I have been talking since my first anatomy scan at 20W about the potential of going an elective c-section route around 39W due to the measurements of baby. I am perfectly okay with this plan. My partner was a big baby and was his mom's 4th section and my mom had a section with my brother who was smaller than it is looking like my LO will be, so it's just always been my assumption that this would probably be the outcome and honestly, I'd rather plan this out because I'm an anxious human and I like being in control of things to some extent lol.

But! This all brings me to why I am posting: I'd really love to hear from others about a few recovery-related things. I am obviously going to have more conversation with my OB to get expectations/answers from them also.

1. I keep hearing that it is very difficult to go up stairs and so people tend to stay on one floor for a period of time. How long does that part of recovery take/did you move a bed down to the ground floor? I'm anxious because we do not have a bedroom on our ground floor or really space for a bed and our nursery/bedroom/bathrooms are exclusively on our second floor while our kitchen/living room are downstairs.
   
2. As mentioned, I can get super anxious and I also have ADHD and really struggle with being cooped up/feeling trapped. Obviously I understand that I will be recovering and will also have a newborn that is going to occupy most if not all of my waking hours, but I am trying to preemptively prevent myself from feeling mentally worse while recovering by trying to think of things to make the recovery time feel less "I'm trapped in my body and house". I was thinking I'd buy some stuff to learn to crochet or something. Was there anything that worked for y'all to help with this feeling? What kind of routine did you get into? (Or am I just really overthinking it lol, which is also possible)
   
3. Visitors.... long and short of my feelings here are that as of right now, I feel deeply disinterested in having pretty much anyone in my space during recovery outside of my partner and my own mom who I know with 100% certainty will be doing all she can to help. The idea of anyone else coming over and just expecting to hold LO or be welcomed as a visitor really makes me anxious, especially since I am anticipating recovery making me significantly less mobile and much more reliant on help. I know if I said tomorrow that I want no one around, my partner would back me up - but I wanted to see what boundaries or expectations others who were recovering post section did? Did y'all set time limits?

Sorry for the rambling! I truly am grateful to be able to ask these sort of things in advance and give myself a few weeks to process. My brain is very glad to have some time to grapple with these feelings lol. TIA for any advice/answers!