h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My first child was an emergency Caesar in Addis Ababa "I think the baby's getting tired" after four days labour. The second in another African hospital was an elective because the child was nearly a month late. The first was a general anaesthetic, the second an epidural, Because they were full-term (9 and a half and 10 lbs respectively)they were incredibly beautiful and I fell in love with them immediately I saw them, a feeling which persists 31 and 27 years later.No medical or emotional problems. Sometimes everything goes just right. (who wishes similar luck for anyone else in the same boat)

Well....I've not experienced a c-section from the mothers perspective...but I was a 'birthing partner' for my sister in law who had to have a c section. I had to put on a lovely paper gown and socks...and a hair net...I got to put the music on and then hold hands whilst the epidural was given.....I held a sick bowl (my poor sister in law reacted to the anaesthesia with fluctuating blood pressure which resulted in sickness)....stroked hair....and was generally amazed by the whole procedure...it did look like they were washing up in her stomach...I was glad I didn't have to wash the floor (the waters flooded out with a large 'woosh')and I saw my beautiful godson as he was lifted out...I have photographs of the whole thing.....I was initially dissapointed as I was looking forward to experiencing a natural birth...but it was on the whole a positive experience.....not as daunting as it first appears.....

I had 2 c-secs - Amy was breech which meant they hardly let me labor at all, and with Shorty, we tried to have a V-BAC (vaginal birth after cesaerean) but after 36 hours of labor (and still only reaching 4-5cm), she started to show signs of fetal stress. Neither was in any immediate danger, but off to the operating room we went.

Lord Scott was the first father to be allowed in the OR in the small town Virginia (US) hospital where Amy was born, but being the squeamish sort, he sat next to my head and sort of slouched down behind the screen so he couldn't see what was going on. Actually, he followed that tactic with both kids, but was still glad to be there as they were being delivered. I, on the other hand, was upset that the screen obstructed my view of the birth.

The recovery is the hardest part of a surgical delivery. You see women who have had vaginal deliveries bouncing around the maternity ward within a few hours, and two days later, the c-sec mother is still having trouble getting out of bed unassisted. The area of the incision will definitely be painful to the touch, and most women need pain medication for at least a few days. Weeks later, you're still avoiding any heavy lifting, which seems silly when you consider the weight of the baby, plus baby carrier/car seat, plus diaper bag puts you way over your safe weight limit every time you go anywhere.

I don't recall any serious bonding problems, but I do believe that nursing the baby as soon as you're capable of doing so after the birth, even if it's several hours later, can go a long way towards creating that bond. (hey, both girls and I are on hootoo - there *must* be a lifelong bond there!) I figure that if parents can adopt a baby who is already several months old and bond to that baby, then I certainly ought to be able to bond successfully with a child I carried under my heart for 9 months, even if we were separated for a few hours immediately after delivery. But truthfully, both hospitals where my children were born were very good about allowing me extra time with them, even though I wasn't capable of caring for them while I was in the hospital because of the surgery.

One thing I would suggest to a woman who finds herself having a section is to really rest as much as possible after going home. The first time around, I tried to do too much, such as cooking, a little laundry, and some minor cleaning chores, and my recovery was definitely more difficult. The second time, we were living in a house with only one bathroom, which was on the second floor, and since I was only allowed to do one flight of stairs a day, I spent most of my time on the second floor, where I was far away from the chores like laundry and cooking. There wasn't much else to do but lie in bed and rest, which helped speed my recovery.