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i bonded just fine..i have had 2 sections and i dont think the bonding was any different...and yes you get to b___stfeed as soon as you go to recovery...which is about 20-30 min after baby is born..i was able to get up and sit in the chair next to the bed 6 hrs after i got my spinal ( you have to lay flat for 6 hrs to avoid the headache) and the next day i walked to the nursery to get my baby...i think you will be fine! good luck

See the "when did you get to see your baby after c-section" thread. I just bumped it up for you because there were a lot of good replies there.

AmyB and Nerdy Gril Thanks for your replies. Needless to say, I'm very nervous. I was really hoping for the v____al birth, but this is great and thank you Nerdy Girl for pulling up the other question. Alison

Hey Alverran, My stories are on the thread that Nerdy Girl bumped up, but I just wanted to add that even though I didn't get to hold/nurse mine right away, we bonded well when I did finally get to see them! So, even if for some reason you don't get to hold baby or nurse right away, don't worry- the moment right after birth isn't the "be all end all"- there's plenty of time to bond:) Good luck to you- hope the handstands work ;)

I had a c-section with my daughter. For me I was mentally prepared for it and after talking with friends figured that made it easier for me. The best advice I have is make sure you can touch or kiss the baby in the surgery room. I did not get to but I also didn't know to ask (as a first time mom). The is the only thing I wish I could of done differently. I had no problems bonding with my girl. She is now 5 1/2 and we are very very close and always have been. The hospital was very good about helping me with her and feeding. I kept her in my room the whole time and called for help when I needed it. I think if you can relax and realize the c-section is needed that it will help you enjoy the birth of your baby more. My c-section was at 38 weeks. Best of Luck to you!!!

Crazycoconut Thank you for your rea__surance and kind words, it helps to have others put things in perspective. Thank you everyone for your replies. I think it's the fear of the unknowing. Going to the Lamaze cla__ses and everything and then have a completely different outcome is not so bad. Thanks.

I had a great scheduled c-section but I will say it took me a little longer to bond with the baby. I mean, you go into the hospital, all of a sudden the baby is out, surgery is over and your sitting back in your room with a new baby! I am a first time mom so maybe I don't know all about bonding but I think that by having a c-section it made it a little more unreal than if I had pushed for 24 hours! I am SURE I would have appreciated more getting the baby out if I had to do that.

I just have to say that bonding is a process, not an instant moment. The baby won't love you less or not form a bond with you because it takes an extra 20-30 minutes after birth for you to get him/her in your arms. I completely understand wanting to hold the baby first, but believe me, those minutes will not have any effect on your ability to form a strong, loving bond with your baby. My last two children were delivered by c-section. My 7 year-old daughter wasn't placed in my arms until I was in the recovery room. To this day, that girl tries not to leave my side because she loves her Mommy. This is because of the time I spent with her after delivery and love I gave, not because I held her the moment she came out. My son is only a week old and is soothed by me just picking him up when others have tried rocking, bouncing, etc. So I know for a fact he knows who I am and is bonding with me because of the time I spend with him. So please, do not a__sociate not being able to immediately hold the baby as loss of a bond. That's just not the case.

My only problem with being with my baby immediately (I was) was that I was too doped up to notice. I was given a lot of meds. My doc didn't think my epidural was strong enough so I got the spinal block ontop of that, so I was basically drooling all over myself. All I remember the nurses saying was how floppy I was and they put my baby girl on my b___st immediately once I was out of the OR. Don't remember it, though. My hubby told me later.

Been There thank you for your reply. I have the section scheduled for 8 Aug. Naturally I'm nervous (never been operated on) and this is the first baby for dh and I. I appreciate everyone's support and answers.

I'll be thinking of you next Tuesday. Good luck!

Hi there, in my opinion, you have nothing to worry about...I had a quite difficult birth - I was in labor for over 10 hrs, just to find out that I had to have an emergency c-section because the baby was getting distressed..However, as soon as they brought him to my bed (pretty soon after giving birth), I 'bonded' with him straight away, it was definitely love at first sight!! I also put him on the b___st right away (lying down), even though my milk only came in 3 days later with a force..He is now 2 mths old, happy and healthy, and I'm still bf...I got up and down after surgery as soon as I was allowed to, which helped a lot..At first, it was extremely painful, but you have to work through the pain and just keep moving, I recovered a lot faster than other solely for this reason...After 5 days, you know it's there, but you'll be able to do everything pretty much as normal...Every day it will get better and better! Don't worry, you'll be fine, I wish you the best of luck!

foxhoundsrgr8 Thanks so much for your reply. How soon after were you able to get up? I hope to recover as well as you had. Thank you again.

My son was born by emergency c-section 14 weeks ago. I went through 12 hours of natural labor until it was found that he was in a brow-facing presentation. It only occurs 1 in 500 times at the very most, so we don't hear about this possibility often during pregnancy. Anyway, when he was delivered, I saw him for about a minute, then they took him away to the nursery. My husband was with him the whole time. I was pretty disappointed & sad that I couldn't be as well. I saw our son again an hour & a half later, and we haven't been separated since. I still b___stfeed him successfully at over 3 months old. Healing from the surgery SUCKED. It was pretty difficult to bf at first... to stand up & sit down... & those hospital beds are hella awkward to deal with. At first, you may only be able to bf in the football hold. But I can bf in the crosshold & laying down now, although football is still our favorite. Once we got home from the hospital, it was about a week or two later that I was going up & down stairs (although the performing obstetric surgeon said I shouldn't for six weeks, nor should I drive a vehicle). It was really helpful to have my mom there for the first bit after childbirth. It will probably disappoint you to not be with your baby right away. Just know that this is normal... and personally, 14 weeks later, it's seems so far away & I have such a strong bond with my son (he's happiest with me, always smiles with me, always looks around for me, etc.) that I don't much care anymore. :) Good luck to you! :)

Two more things: 1) They kept offering me morphine-like meds in the hospital for pain. I'm glad to say that I stayed away from those creepy drugs... and only broke down twice to have a mild over-the-counter pain reliever (I think it was Tylenol or ibprofen). 2) Even the "lactation specialists" in the hospital don't seem very supportive of b___stfeeding, but don't be discouraged! It hurts like f*ck for the first week or two... until your nipples get more calloused up (although they aren't literally rougher)... but it gets so much easier as time goes on. Women who quit nursing overwhelming do it in the first month of pain & frustration. Hang in there!

Alverran, I was in surgery between 8:30 and 9:45 am. I didn't get feeling back in my legs until around 2:00 pm that day (the anesthesiologist hooked me up with some strong stuff). I was up and walking at 5:00 pm. The baby stayed in my room all night that same night and I kept getting up to feed him and change him. I also made sure to take the Ibuprofen I was offered and percocet. Yes, I still felt pain and I was very clear-headed. The nurses were amazed at how well I was moving, but I was determined to get moving as soon as possible because I knew it would help with recovery. I also wanted to be able to attend to and spend time with my baby, rather than send him to the nursery. I just suggest that you stay on top of the pain medication. I felt the pain, but I'm pretty sure it would have been more intense if I hadn't taken the pain medication on a timely basis. Best wishes!