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I've had 3 c-sections. The first was an emergency c-section after 24 hours of labor... it was a pretty rough recovery. The next two were scheduled c-sections and much easier to recover from! :-) I had a spinal (which I barely felt) with my 2nd child and I was under general anesthesia for my 3rd because my platelets were too low to safely place a spinal. With both of the scheduled c-sections I had the most pain the day of the surgery, but was up walking around (and showered!) the next day... with the help of pain meds. My daughter was born in January, so I didn't get out much after she was born, but after my son was born I was out taking the kids for a walk up and down our street a week later. I felt mostly back to normal by 3 weeks afterward.

Thanks for your answer I really appreciate it the lady I know that has had a c-section her incision opened up and just all this other stuff went wrong but I appreciate the more positive answer you gave.

Hi - it is SO rare to have anything go wrong with a planned c-section, and the most common problems of those rare occasions are popping a st_tch or getting an infection. The medical staff will make sure neither happens to you during your hospital stay, and when you go home, just make sure to follow the protocol they give you regarding cleaning the incision site and not exerting yourself inappropriately. Whether you get a spinal or an epidural, it will feel like a shot with a little burn, and at first you may freak because you think you still feel your bottom half... then the staff pulls your legs up onto the table and you realize, uh, no - you seriously might as well be missing everything below your chest! They will put a divider sheet across your chest and you'll have the anesthesiologist and you partner (if you choose) up around your head keeping you company. You'll hear everybody working on you - if you think this may bother you, I suggest bringing an mp3 player - and occasionally it will feel like they're jiggling the table really hard, but you still won't feel anything that's happening. The baby is out in like the first ten minutes and a nurse will bring him/her over to your partner to help you hold and give you your first moments of face time, and while you're marveling at your cute little pinch-face, they'll start putting you back together. This part takes longer than the birth part, and the neonatal people will have to take your baby for the initial tests and clean-up, etc. All in all, the whole operation takes less than 45 minutes. You'll then be in "recovery" for a couple of hours and will likely fall asleep. Then they will take you to your room, where you will likely have your baby in a see-through ba__sinet right next to your bed. You will be given a steady supply of painkillers and it'll take a few hours before you start feeling what your body's been through. Now it will totally suck for the next week, and then it will be so that it only hurts if you try to lift something really heavy or do something stupid like popping in a Tae Bo dvd. I actually found the worst thing in the whole experience to be having to let a strange lady help me shower, and since I was in a teaching hospital, I had a group of young male med students be led into my room just as I was trying to b___stfeed for the first time, and I thought I my husband was going to hit somebody. They got right out as soon as the head doctor realized how inopportune a time it was, was they got an eyeful, I'm sure. You're going to be just fine and it really isn't as bad as some people would like to make it! Take care!

Kathalfa ------ Thanks for your answer it was VERY helpful in easing my mind. And I appreciate the fact that u took your time 2 tell me all that. Take Care of urself!!!

Hi just saw your post and noted your going in on wednesday so jealous I still have 10 weeks to wait ohh!! Am going for a 2nd planned c-section dont stress and dont ask people who havent had one for advice lol.... you will be fine, if anyone offers help though take it even if you dont feel you need it. You dont need to survive the next weeks you need to enjoy them lol..

My daughter was a transverse breech so I had a scheduled c-section. Because she was being a bugger and wouldn't come out they had to make a "T" incision and I was told any other pregnancies will be by c-section as well because of the risk of rupture during labour. Anyway, the procedure itself was unpleasant because of the complications of getting her out but my recovery was spectacular. I was up and walking as soon as the feeling came back to my legs and I had absolutely no pain from gas like many do. I took pain killers once when I forgot I wasn't Superwoman and ended up pulling my st_tches (OUCH!!). Since I am not a pet_te gal I was thinking the recovery might be rough but I was pleasantly surprised. I hope when #2 makes an appearance the procedure will be better and the recovery as good.

Geez I gotta check the dates before I reply... Hope your delivery was great!!