Amber Hunt
Carrying twins, I always knew that c-section was a possibility. I made it to my "induce if labor hasn't started yet" date. It was the day after Labor Day, Tuesday. I was able to work my landscaping job up until the Friday before that. After 2 days of inducing, it was decided to do the c-section. I'd barely been feeling any contractions, and I wasn't dilating either. I could have tried another day of inducing but decided to go ahead with the procedure. It was explained to me very well and I was totally comfortable with the decision. When the doctor was in there he found that both of their heads were right there and ready to go, but neither was allowing the other to move past, so I most likely wouldn't have been able to deliver vaginally.
After the surgery, and when the epidural's two parts were wearing off, I discovered that the medication made me extremely nauseated. I had to lie in the bed with my eyes closed for long periods of time or I felt horrible. Once the medication wore off I felt better in that way, but then could feel the pain from the surgery. I had to take milder pain medications due to my previous reaction, and had to take it a little more often. That helped me recover physically. Also helpful were the restrictions I was placed under, like not lifting anything heavier than 1 of my babies until told that I could. That gave me time to start healing without straining myself too much. Having the babies' grandparents around for the 1st week, and my husband home from work an extra week after that was very helpful too. I didn't really know exactly what to expect as far as recovery goes. I knew what the procedure was, and that cutting through that much "stuff" was a big deal and would require lots of healing. I guess the biggest help to me, and what I would recommend others do too, was following the directions of my doctors. They know what they're talking about, and while not always pleasant, it wasn't a bad experience for me. I feel like I was pretty well-informed as far as what I needed to do afterwards. I would advise new c-section mothers to not only trust their doctors, but also listen to and trust their own bodies.
I felt completely comfortable with the birth experience I had. I feel lucky that I didn't have to go through the pain of an undetermined length of time vaginal delivery. From when the decision was made to have the c-section to my holding two babies on my chest, it couldn't have been more than an hour or so. Everyone that was in that delivery room was absolutely wonderful. My doctor joked as he was about to take them out of me that I was about to lose a ton of weight. He made me laugh and put me (somewhat) at ease. Don't get me wrong, as a whole I was terrified. It wasn't the procedure that scared me though, it was everything that was to come after.
One of my favorite helpful things were all the pairs of mesh undies I was able to get from the hospital. They were amazing to wear for pretty much the first 6 weeks or so. They were comfortable, and allowed for the room needed to always wear a giant menstrual pad. I was quite surprised at just how long the post-birth bleeding lasted. Having a Boppy nursing pillow was pretty key for feedings since I had two newborns and wasn't technically allowed to lift more than one. Being diligent about taking my pain meds (when I was awake at least) when I needed them was important, but so was giving them some time to wear off as time went on so I could really feel if I needed them as much. Another important thing was keeping on top of caring for my incision. The last thing a new mother needs or wants is any complications from the healing of that.
Today my body is great. I absolutely feel fully recovered. Actually, that's not true, because carrying twins gave me Diastasis recti. I still have an ab separation that hasn't closed. Occasionally I'll feel a little pain/strain if I'm on my back and sit up. But I feel completely recovered from the c-section itself. I'm not sure when it happened, but I no longer have that hard ridge of scar tissue at my incision! That was something I just discovered today!
My husband and I decided that 2 kids was enough for us when we found out we'd be having twins, and we decided to wait until the birth to do anything about that. Originally my husband was going to get a vasectomy. When we decided to have a c-section, we asked the doctor if he could do a tubal ligation while he was in there. He did that after my babies were born. I think that if we were going to have more kids, I would be torn between wanting to try to do it vaginally and having another c-section because I know the latter route and am comfortable with how that all turned out. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that!
