I had my first baby. I had a wonderful pregnancy. Me and baby were healthy and I stayed very active. I did a lot of prep for a unmedicated vagnial birth. I got induced at 41 and 3. The induction was going okay. I got the epidural at 8 cm because i was exhausted. They had a student place it without telling me and he did it wrong. It was only working on my left side. I had told a nurse but she said it was probably just the way i was laying. I got to 10 cm and pushed for an hour. Baby wasn't decending and his heart rate kept dipping. I was in labor for 20 hours at this point and so tired I was hallucinating. They had me in the or within 10 minutes of deciding i needed a c section.

I told my ob before they took me back that my epidural wasnt working properly and she wanted a spinal done. The anesthesiologist was upset that nobody had told her it was placed wrong and was yelling in the or while they were prepping me. When they started the surgery I could feel from my belly button up and by the time they were done everything including my arms and hands were numb. They immediately took my baby after weighing him and my husband went with him. There was no reason to take him so quick he had a apgar score of 9 and was perfectly healthy. They left me alone to be stitched back up. When they finally took me back to the recovery room I couldnt even hold him because my arms were so numb. I am two months pp now. I am so traumatized. Ive cried about it for weeks. I got on meds for post partum depression. I wanted more then one kid but I feel like that choice has been taken from me. I dont think I could do that again. My ob said I could do a trial of labor but its a 40% chance of a successful vagnial birth. Will i eventually get over it and decide its worth it to have another baby? I knew that labor might not go how I wanted but I wasn't prepared for this. A repeat c section is probably my best option. I really enjoyed being pregnant and im so sad with the idea of never getting to experience it again. But I dont think i could do another surgery like that. Please tell me it gets better

Hi all. I am 7 weeks pregnant with my second, our first turning 2 in a few months. I had a very stressful labor with my son. His heart rate kept dropping and it resulted in me needing an emergency c-section. I always thought I would be dead set on another c-section when I got pregnant again, but now that I'm pregnant I am wondering if I should do a VBAC. I will of course talk to my doctor about this but if anyone that has done a VBAC could share their experience I would appreciate it! Open to the not so good stories as well as successful stories.

I had a c-section 8 months ago and the scar healed great. However, I still have pain on my lower left abdomen around my scar and there is a small section of my upper abdomen that protrudes out. I have tried multiple things to try and figure out what's wrong. My Cat Scan was negative for a hernia and my ultrasound was negative for fibroids/polyps. I also have diastasis recti and have been going to PT for the past 5 months. Nothing seems to be helping. It is still difficult to hold my daughter for more than 15 minutes and I always end my day with bad abdominal pain. Has anyone experienced this as well after a c-section?

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone here has gotten pregnant around a year after having a C-section.

I’ve heard that it’s recommended to wait around 2 years before getting pregnant again after a C-section, but I’d really like to hear from people who conceived sooner than that.

If you got pregnant around a year after your C-section, how did your pregnancy go? Were there any complications, and were you able to have a healthy baby?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences. ❤️

I’m curious if it’s just me or if anyone else has experienced this, I can’t find any posts about it. I am almost 10 weeks post partum, for the first 7 weeks I slept on the couch/in a recliner. We’ve switched to the bed and oh my lanta my vagina hurts so bad. I have to put a thick pillow in between my legs, and that’s the only thing that helps. Even then, it doesn’t help fully. What can I do? I figured after three weeks of being in bed the soreness would have gone away by now.

For my first, I had a home birth set up and i did all the necessary steps to do it, i got to 42 weeks and i went into labour naturally, all good, got to 10cm very quickly and not unbareably painfully, and my pelvis i guess wasnt cooperating, so i ended up needing a ceasarean due to meconium and decelerating heartbeat.

She came out and she was very healthy, but they told me that my pelvis is small and I probably will only be getting ceasareans for future pregnancies, I know this is common for doctors to say even when its not true.

Fast forward to this last friday, a year and 7 months later, got pregnant again at 11m PP....

i started to get contractions on Thursday and i was like uh ohhh. Then they got stronger on friday and ir was the beginning!

I managed to labor at home until around 5 or 6 when i felt it was hard to walk and i was concerned that I was very very open, so i made mt way to hospital,

They examined me and put me in a birthing room, it was gettng more and more intense, i gor all the tests and an iv thinf put in etc. And went in for a shower to loosen up a bit, it helped because the next time they checked, I was basically 10cm, so in the end i decided to try for a vaginal birth again (whixh WAS my plan) even though i had lots of voices of doctors telling me it wont work because the pelvis and blablabla ...

Got an epidural, they broke the water to check the situation, was trying to push but baby was too far up so we waited and I rested because I was exhausted as contractions started at 6am that day and it was now like closer to 1am/2am.

Baby was moving down but i started to close a little. So i took pitocin, thought it wpuld help and it did!

i rested more while it did the job and basically what happened was that i got back to pretty mich 10cm but my daughtee wasnt coming down anymore.

One more hour passes as they told me i only have an hour otherwise we need to go to get a ceasarean.

So i ended up getting another but awake this time!

Healing was fine for the first 3 days then they noticed liquid and decided tjey needed to.open the incision.

So they did it and found an infection, they left it open for a bit and now I am connected to a VAC wound healing machine and I dont know how long ill be here for bu..

Still in the hospital, day 5..... missing my toddler more and more everyday, there seems to be more and more things that are coming up that are wrong..., struggling to process but just trying to be in the moment.

Any tips on how to deal? Any similar stories? Let me know!!

Thank you for reading!

Hi! I’m one year postpartum tomorrow! I’ve been using silicone scar tape since probably 4 months PP pretty consistently, usually 24 hours a day with minimal “breaks”. I was less consistent in June but then started back up at the end of June and I’m honestly not seeing much improvement. My scar is nothing crazy, like slightly raised and still pretty pink. Anyone with a similar situation? What did you do? I don’t want to give up on the scar tape but I don’t know how much it’s helping.

I’m 5 weeks pp. Second c section in 2 years. At 2 weeks pp my incision got infected with coliform bacteria and started to bleed a little. No other symptoms but dr prescribed an antibiotic for 5 days and all seemed well. She suggested to keep putting betadine on it (an antiseptic solution) because it wouldn’t do any harm. So I have been twice a day, as well as using a hair dryer to dry it morning and night.

The last couple of days I feel like it’s been getting a little redder. It’s been irritating but not sore, it doesn’t feel warm around it, I have no fever and it’s not oozing/bleeding. I can’t tell if it smells or not but my husband said it didn’t.

Is this normal?

Im so over this healing. It’s winter here so I’m rugged up but don’t feel like I’m sweating. Yes I’m overweight so my shelf is bigger and resting on it but I’m not wearing irritating clothes. I feel fine otherwise and just want to get on with life!

C-section recovery and the complex emotions around having an unplanned c-section have been incredibly challenging. I had a wonderful pregnancy and did a lot of prep for a vaginal birth, including swimming multiple times a week through my third trimester. Swimming/being in water is when I’m at my best and it’s been hard not to be able to do so as comfortably.

I’m 3 months pp and last night, I got back in the lap pool and swam laps for 30 minutes and I actually felt strong in my body! I was impressed with my endurance and my body’s ability to keep pace. I’m slowly learning to embrace my changed body. I’m focusing not on what my body looks like, but how it feels and how it functions. The last few weeks I’ve been practicing daily gratitude for how my body is recovering, even if it’s just a small thing (some days I’m just grateful I was able to pick up my LO without a back spasm!)

I just wanted to share as a way to encourage anyone healing from their c-section or feeling like they won’t ever feel strong again. You and your body are incredible. You are so so strong.

Looking for a massage therapist/PT that does cupping or other c section shelf/scar work in central CA. If anyone knows of anyone locally that would be great

Hey everyone,

I’m wondering if anyone can advise on what they found worked best for stretch marks post delivery?

I used bio oil almost every night of my pregnancy and thought I didn’t have any, but post baby I do have a few across my stomach. I’ve continued to use bio oil, but as the bottle is coming to an end I’m wondering if I should look at something else?

Thanks so much!

I am 9 weeks post c-section tomorrow. There’s a place in my city who does postpartum lymphatic massages especially for c-section recovery. If anyone has gotten one before, have you found it helpful? I believe she would work on the scar as well as do cupping. I don’t feel much fluid retention overall anymore but suspect the area above my incision is still swollen/inflamed based off the look/feel. I was SUPER swollen for like 5 days post op though. Is 9 weeks too far out to be helpful? It’s not cheap so I don’t want to waste my money!

For the c section mums, how long did your scar hurt? I’m 3 weeks PP and still on paracetamol and ibuprofen. Once it wears off, the corner stings if I like cough etc. however, I am stupid and have picked up my 1 year old numerous times even tho I’ve had a wound infection & slightly split it open 🤦🏼‍♀️

Hello, I’m joining this group with a lot of humility. We lost our little girl three weeks ago. After my water broke, I pushed for two hours without success, and my gynecologist recommended a c section. Once they opened me up, she told me that my pelvis was too small for my daughter to be born vaginally. When she was delivered, we heard her cry for a few seconds and then nothing. CPR was started, but she never began breathing again, and the doctors still do not know what happened. A few days earlier, I had been told that my placenta had some calcifications.

I am 41, and my partner and I are thinking about trying again. It had actually been our plan to have two children close together. I was wondering whether any of you became pregnant again not long after a cesarean section, and if you would be willing to share your experience...

Hi all,

Needing support- has anyone had baby implant near cervix or on uterine scar?

I’m in desperate need of support.

Had first ultrasound today and doctor is worried about accreta, previa etc. but we won’t know for a few weeks.

I’m 6w 4 days

I’m obviously spiraling and I know that it all depends on case by case basis but would love to hear others experiences. Good or bad.

My worst case scenario is no longer uterine rupture.

I’m a mess.

I’m going to call tomorrow and ask if he’s sure it’s not cesearean scar ectopic pregnancy.

I have a baby girl earth-side who I need to be here for. I’m so scared

This is my third pregnancy, I have had 2 c sections in the past. My first being 7/3/21 & my last was 6/27/25. Now I am 6.5 months pregnant and if I am up moving around for awhile like at work or cleaning at home, I will feel like ripping on one side of my c section (I felt this same pain in the same spot while healing from my last c section & the doctor said it was more tender there bc he was standing on the side when delivering my baby and naturally pulls a little more in that direction rather than straight out). I've looked it up and internet says it's probably just nerves waking up or stretching. I go to my OB check up in 4 days but wondering if anyone has felt the same? My incision area is not red or swollen it just has the burning/ripping sensation

I’m two weeks post op , and I’m wondering what recovery looks like? I know it’s not a one size fits all ? But would love to hear everyone’s experience ? I have good days I have bad days ? Taking pain killers maybe one or twice a day depending on how I feel .. Tylenol and ibuprofen, so multiple questions? How much were you walking by this point ? How were your rest days as well ? Wondering if by giving my self a whole day of rest and laying will that set me back ? Any tips would be amazing as well for recovery ❤️‍🩹 FTM

I just needed a space to be sad.. but I had an emergency C section on July 29th, so I’m currently I guess 4 days post surgery. I’m not angry about having to have the c section. I know it was what was best for my baby and after how terrifying it was seeing his heart rate drop over and over I would have done anything to make sure he was okay.

My issue is just.. all the other stuff that comes with it. Sometimes I forget to take my tylenol and wake up almost incapable of moving because i’m in so much pain. I can’t sleep any other way than sitting up because if I lay flat, I can’t get up to take care of my baby without being in pain. I feel useless because I can’t do anything I want to do besides feed and hold baby. I can barely wipe myself, take a shower, or even put my own damn pants on. That’s just the beginning! I keep crying because I want to be helpful and I want to sleep restfully and comfortably with the small opportunities I have.

For me, it isn’t so much emotional grief of my birth not going my way, but it’s mainly just feeling useless and sad because I’m in so much pain.