I know I'm worrying about this early.

I read the instructions on the hospital website where I would be delivering my baby.
It says that at midnight, you stop eating. 3 hours before surgery, you stop drinking the clear liquids.
They put a catheter for the urine.
Now, I know that I still have to do #2 even when I don't eat....it's usually all bile. Are they going to help me up a few hours after surgery to let me go to the bathroom....or do I have to suffer and hold it in? I know the urgency won't be as bad since there won't be any food. Please, someone put my mind at ease. LOL

I had no issues. Your bowels tend to stop working and it could take some time after surgery to go. It was quite quickly after the c-section that feeling returned to my lower half.

Thanks Annikki.
I don't know why I am worrying about that. I guess I worry about everything these days.

Hi missa,

I worried about the exact same thing prior to delivering our son. But like Annikki, I also didn't have to go as the system shuts down.
Good luck. How far along are you?

Don't worry about it. They tried to get me up about 1 hour after my c-section to move me to a different bed. I had issues with the epidural wearing off, but that's not unusual for me. If you need to be up, you can be. This surgery is NOTHING like what you've already had and you'll be amazed how quickly you recover from it.

Lu, I am 12 weeks along now (almost out of the 1st trimester woohoo!!)

Jill, on the hospital website, they make it seem like the c-section is such a big thing. LOL I guess it seems scarier than it really is. I'm sure I will find it a breeze.

I'm sure it is a big deal if you haven't been through what we've been through

I just had a c-section 7 weeks ago. It felt very similar to my previous gut surgeries and they even used my original colectomy scar. I didn't have to use the bathroom for at least 24 hours. It was nice. The recovery was about 2 weeks until I felt decent and about 4 weeks until I felt useful and normal.

Glad this topic was opened as I am only 10 weeks pregnant but already have worries about the C-Section that is if I have one.

I worry about the epidural not working and feeling things happening during the actual surgery. I know this is very unlikely but from my other surgeries I have a bad track record of epidurals working. I know you are awake for the procedure and that scares me witless. Those that have had C-Sections is this a weird feeling and do you feel any pain during the procedure?

Sorry to be asking so much but I'd rather ask those that have had it rather than my doctor.
Corrinne x

I was given the tubing for both an epidural and a spinal. They wanted to have the option of doing a spinal because they weren't sure what kind of adhesions they would find and apparently the epidural time length isn't as good as the spinal option.

As for being awake I was pretty freaked out about that. ONe of my friends who has never had surgery but had 2 c-sections told me that though you are awake, you are a little fuzzy, things seem almost surreal. I would agree with that. Also, my anesthesiologist talked to me and my husband through the surgical part of the procedure (I also told my OB that I didn't want to hear them talking about things like hand me a scalpel, so the surgical team was very quiet). I also wore a mind/body relaxation tape during the early part of the procedure and that helped.

Here's the thing - once your baby arrives, you won't think for one second about what the drs are doing. So you really only have to get through half of the time in the OR before you'll be completely consumed with the baby - what does he/she look like, what are the vitals, listening to him/her cry, getting to see him/her once the nurses are done, getting pics taken, etc...

I was in the OR about 45 minutes total, the last 20 minutes Alex had joined us, so I don't remember them sewing me up at all.

Thanks for bringing up this topic. I can relate about worrying, Missa.

I'm 20 weeks and was relieved last week when my OBGYN started to talk about me having a C-section, especially since I'm carrying twins!! (I was worried about "disturbing" what's been working so well for me these last 8 and 1/2 years by going through a vaginal birth). However, even though I was relieved, I got very nervous at the same time. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

Marcene, I didn't realize they could use the original colectomy scar? Did your doc suggest that?

~LJ

It was one of the first questions I asked when I started going to the OB. It wasn't for certain that they were going to be able to. Had there been a lot of adhesions and a need to get the baby out quickly they would have opened me up vertically. But there were very few adhesions so they used it and even did a revision of the scar for me because it was keloid. I had to keep reminding my self to take it easy on the scar because it didn't seem new to me after the c-section because my stomach still looked the same.

I wanted the bikini cut rather than using my midline scar (which had already been opened again for pouch removal). Dr wasn't sure he could do that until he saw how I carried the baby. But, it worked out. I found the bikini cut much less painful to recover from and it is quite small and low, so doesn't really show much.

I had a c-section before any of my pouch surgeries and still found it to be nothing. I may have felt some pressure when they were pushing on my stomach to "pop" the baby out, but that may also be my imagination since I could see her doing it. It took no time at all, although it may take longer after surgery and scar tissue, etc. They had me in there and ready, then brought my husband in and he sat down. Right away I said "It's strange knowing they're going to cut me soon" and he said "What's even stranger is you not knowing they already have!". With that I heard the doc say that they had a head and then that it was a boy. All in all it was probably under a minute. Then I heard him cry and they brought him over and, like Jill said, all I was concerned about after that was him. It was really nothing at all so I would not be worried.

The thing I'm terrified of is being pregnant after my surgeries. I have a loop ileo now that I will likely keep until after I try (and hopefully succeed) in having another baby. The loop is attached at two ends and, as my stomach gets bigger and there is a baby in between, it just seems like this wouldn't work out well. How can my belly get that big and have the stoma sticking way out there and still be connected to the j-pouch at the bottom, without it pulling the stoma in or something?

My surgeon and ostomy nurse both tell me it's fine and women do it all the time but I haven't been able to find one that has. At least not on this board.

Good luck!
Erin

Just to weigh in further... I had a c-section on august 20 (very successful) with j-pouch and lots o' adhesions. they did do a bikini cut, though it was debated up until the incision whether or not to do a horizontal cut or go in through my vertical scar. I was also doubtful of the being awake thing, but I didn't feel a thing. Not only do they drape off your lower half, but I had warmers on my arms which made so much soft noise that I didn't hear anyone really talking except my husband and anethesiologist. In terms of the c-section incision and recovery, I'd say no sweat whatsoever. Nothing compared to the other abdominal surgeries.

However, with regards to the 24 hours afterwards, I also had the same concerns about needing to go to the bathroom. Because of the pain meds, I felt no urgency and did not leak, but I did get plugged up pretty badly because the digestive system shuts down after surgery. the few days after surgery were tough on my system because I couldn't pass ANYTHING at all for 3 days. Imagine what that felt like! In the grand scheme of things, this is nothing. I'd go through it again in a heartbeat for the baby. but something I will consider next pregnancy is asking about a bowel prep before hand and definitely not consuming anything by mouth for a day or two afterwards. Just something to think about or ask your doctor about...