Having A C-section Is Not The Easy Way Out

If you read my previous blog, I shared how I was induced early with my first child due to cholestasis. I was in labor for four days. It was the worst pain I thought I experienced. I don’t think I would experience anything more painful than my first labor and delivery experience. Well, I was wrong—again. I had an emergency c-section with my second child.

Throughout my second labor, my blood pressure kept dropping low along with baby’s heart rate. My nurse and the charge nurse would run into my room repeatedly to make sure we were both stable. After 22 hours of my labor not progressing, things started to tank even more. More nurses, the charge nurse, and an obgyn on-call rushed into my room to assess me. Before I could even process what was happening, the doctor told me I needed a c-section immediately because of fetal distress. My nurse came and explained the procedure to me quickly. She cleaned, gowned me up, and in less than 5 minutes, I was already in the operating room. My stomach and legs were numb from the regional anesthesia. There were too many people in the room for me to keep count. I was scared for my life. But I was more scared of something going wrong with my baby.

I stared into the operating lights on the ceiling. Before I could catch my breath, I heard my son’s first cry. Cry of relief, tears rolled down my eyes. I cried with joy knowing that my son was okay and that he had finally arrived. After surgery, I was too numb and drugged up to even hold my baby. My blood pressure was severely low, so I was hooked on many fluids and medications. I remembered my nurse would shake me and try to make me stay awake with her. It felt like a blur in slow motion. I can still hear the echoes in my ears and like my world was spinning. It was a scary moment for me because I can feel my body in pain, but I was too weak to even say anything. I remembered faintly whispering to my nurse that I’m okay, trying to be stoic when she asked me if I was in pain or dizzy.

Having a c-section is not the easy way out. To hear other women say that we took the easier way out for labor is so disheartening and upsetting. Giving birth in general is so painful and traumatic. There is no easy way to birthing, so why do women feel the need to compare and put down mothers who had a c-section? Not only is the process different from vaginal delivery, but also the recovery. Not to mention, there is already so much shame from mothers who have c-sections. I feel like I was robbed again from having a “normal” delivery.

The first time getting up hurts like someone stabbed your stomach. I cannot stress how painful it feels. You can’t help, but to naturally strain while you move, and by doing that, it hurts even more. Relax. Using a pillow against the incision will help it feel better. Don’t push yourself. And guess what? The 3rd day post-op hurts even more. Take it slow.

Take the narcotics because tylenol and ibuprofen will wear off, AND you will feel the excruciating pain. I’m really sensitive to narcotics, so I always try to avoid them. After surgery, I told my nurse I only wanted tylenol and ibuprofen for pain management. Hours later, I begged for some narcotics because the tylenol weared off. I was in so much pain, I couldn’t even get up to drink water with my medications.

Have swollen legs during your last trimester? Your body basically blows up after having a c-section. The struggle with water retention is real. My face, arms, hands, legs, and feet were extremely swollen. I tried to drink as much fluids to pee it out. My legs were so swollen, it made it difficult and painful to walk. Every step I took, I felt like the veins in my legs were going to burst. 24 hours post-op, it’s okay to start moving and walk a little bit to prevent blood clot in your legs.

Seeing your incision for the first time actually makes you cringe. For me, I had metal staples for my incision, so every time I moved, I could feel it move around and hold my incision together. It made me feel sad looking at my incision because I thought having stretch marks from my first pregnancy were “ugly”—this is even more “ugly”. I’m learning everyday to appreciate and love my body with my new scar. Let’s own it because this scar was worth it!

The incision staples removal is not painful, surprisingly. BUT, it’s gonna itch like crazy. I was so nervous to remove the staples, but it took less than 10 minutes to remove it. Taking a shower without the metal staples felt so refreshing. Afterwards, my incision started to feel itchy and dry. It was frustrating to resist the urge to scratch. I used lots of body oil to keep it moist and prevent it from itching.

Your incision will heal, and it will get better after 3 weeks. If I can tell myself one thing, I wish I took more time to take care of myself and not push myself to do many things at once during recovery. It will get to you, and you will feel stressed out and emotional. Don’t feel ashamed for asking for help, deciding to NOT breast-feeding, saying no to visitors, eating that donut you wanted instead of “losing” the weight, looking like a hot mess, crying because you can…I promise you, mama, it will get better.

Your stomach will never feel the same ever again. I’m 6 months postpartum right now. My incision has healed, but once in a while, I will feel a burning sensation especially when I’m carrying heavy stuff, exercising, or just relaxing. Sometimes, the thought crosses my mind that what if my incision is infected or possibly opens? That can happen if you don’t take care of your incision, carry heavy things right away, or move recklessly. If you have signs and symptoms of an infection, and you start to feel more pain, please see your doctor as soon as possible.

Why are c-section mamas not taking the easy way out? Everytime you go through a major surgery, you’re also putting your life at risk especially when you have another human being inside of you; the risks have just intensified. It takes a different kind of bravery and strength to undergo such a major surgery for such a tiny, little human. We have to swallow our fear, so we can bring our babies to life.

We are brave. 

We are strong. 

We are beautiful. 

Don’t you ever forget the sacrifice and courage you took because you are one badass mama regardless of what people think and say. 

Always bad,

We are brave. 

We are strong. 

We are beautiful. 

Don’t you ever forget the sacrifice and courage you took because you are one badass mama regardless of what people think and say. 

Always bad,