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I've never had a v____al birth, so I can't really compare the two. I've had two c-sections. You're awake for the c-section and you feel a lot of pressure but no actual pain. You will have a catheter. You might get very cold, shaky, or itchy. The incision is usually closed with staples and then covered with bandages. The catheter will remain in for a while after the surgery. You will have a lot of v____al bleeding, just like a woman with a v____al birth. You'll also have a lot of gas, which causes really awful pains, but you can ask for medicine for it. You'll also have cramps from your uterus contracting to go back to its normal size. After both of my c-sections I sweated so much that the sheets were soaked though every hour for the first day. At first it hurts a whole lot to get out of bed after the surgery (for about two weeks). If your incision is really wide it will make movement even more painful for you (my first was from hipbone to hipbone). It will hurt to cough or laugh, or if you strain during a bowel movement. It will hurt to lift things. You'll be given pain meds, and they do work, but you may find that if you take enough to be effective, you can't stay awake to take care of your child. It took me three months to feel completely recovered from my first c-section, and about four weeks after my second. I didn't have any major complications (and I'm sure you will hear from those who did). I had a spinal headache after my first c-section, a reaction to the anesthesia. Every time I stood up it felt like I had the world's worst migraine. I also fell while carrying something heavy six months after my c-section and felt something pop along the incision line. I had really bad pain in that area for more than a year, which my doctor said was caused by weakness in the connective tissue. The only problems I had after my second c-section were terrible swelling (I gained 20 lbs during the 3 days I was in the hospital, don't ask me how, they didn't feed me anything but broth and jello). I was swollen to the point that I couldn't walk very well. It took about a week and a half to go away. I also got a rash over the incision. It lasted a couple of weeks and while I had it the incision was leaking a little fluid.

There is pain either way. If your epidural works with the v____al, it is a much better experience. I personally am thrilled with my 4 day old daughter born via VBAC and found that experience to be far superior to my c-section. With my c/s I had to take pain meds for quite awhile and my baby was sleepy, but I couldn't manage without medication. I have not even taken a tylenol with this birth!

Thank you for your response.Bear,this really help,I have read up on things like feeling pressure,but no pain throughtout the op,and that coughing and movement is difficult afterwards.However,what I found useful,which is what I wanted was more personnaly things,like the sweat through the bedsheets,the size of the scar..ow!For Gemma,interesting.I just cannot imagine,and yes,I know its natural,but opening up,a feeling of trying to get say....a football down a plughole,only the football has neverendings..that in itself is ow! Gemma,if you are still there,what does the onset of labour feel like,are tens machine helpful at first.Also the epidural,how do you cope before you can have one?o many questions,but again thank you.

I tried for a natural birth with my daughter and after 72 hrs of labour ( yes it was painful but bearable ) i was rushed in for an emergancy c section due to the fact that my daughters hear rate dropped because she was stressed. It took me so long to get over my section i coughed really bad one day and split the st_tches i was in so much agony. With my son 14mths later he was breach so had to have another c section and this time it took me quicker to get over i was walking after about 7 hrs and out of hospital in 4 days but the pain was still bad and i got an infection in my scar and it took about 6 mths again to heal and 4 yrs on its still sore and you lose all feeling in that part around the scar. Its 5 yrs i havent felt it now and doctors said it wont come back because when u have a c section they cut so many nerves. My cut is from hip bone to hip bone but its so faint u can hardly see it now. Im on my 3rd pregnancy and no doubt this will end up a c section. I would say i prefered when i was actually in labour naturally because i felt more in control but at the end of the day its you that makes the choice so good luck =)

I had both, my c-section is the one that caused all my problems. I had to be transfused, and had great difficulty walking, bending, sitting and getting in and out of bed. You use your abdominals much more often than you realize until you have had a section. It's not fun having an episiotomy, don't get me wrong, but if you are sitting you can at least cough or sneeze without doubling over and you can lift things much easier. Best wishes on your birth!

I just had an elective csection (planned on a v____al because of a previous csection and the horrendous recovery, but baby was still floating at 41 weeks, and at that point they could have pulled her out my ear... :) This section was completely different in many ways.... I went in, had a spinal but had a local shots first so it hurt no worse than the iv - just breathe deep and relax. They then ask you to swallow an antigas syrup - take it like a shot of liquor. They wheel you in, and in my prep room they cover you with warm blankets and test the b___st, chest, and legs to make sure your numb. Like Jbear, I felt pressure but no pain. Baby cried immediately and hubby took some unbelievable pictures - this is the down side, you cant snuggle and hold your baby like a v____al. I couldn't even wipe the tears from my eyes, so I sat there with blurry vision listening to everything. The first two days after recovery was great, literally pain free for me because they added morphine to the spinal, so I was able to move around quite a bit. I did suffer the itchiness which drove me nuts, but the recovery - still ongoing as she was born 5 days ago, is a mix of sore st_tches and pain in getting up and down, but fine once I am up or down... I also suffered great swelling from the surgery - my legs and feet are greatly swollen and are draining slowly. The csection for us was the absolute smartest thing we could have done since the cord was around her neck twice... but all in all, this was a wonderful experience and next time I wont waste time wondering about it, I will just go for csection. Either way, the end result is staying up for hours just LOOKING at this wonderful being who just fills you with such love. Best of luck!

thank you for your replies,I feel I can write my name name.As I get bigger I am getting more and more in a panic over how this baby will come out.I just cannot comprehend dilating etc etc.Please,would you tell me,before you can get an epidural,because yuo have to be at 4cms to get it,what does the labour pains feel like?How can you relieve them,I am a bit worried over the relaxation techniques,maybe a tens machine?For those ladies,good enought to answer back on the c-section front,it seems many of you have had the aftereffects from a section,last longer,but is the pain really bad,like walking up the stairs,trying to get out of bed etc.also I thought the incision was only about 5to 6inches long,Amy's was hip bone to hip bone.I know either way is going to be difficult,and my midwife is increasinly growing concerned about my anxious approach.

I didn't have any trouble with stairs after my c-section at all. People had said I would, and I was worried because my kitchen was downstairs and my bathroom up, but I didn't have any trouble with it. Getting out of bed the first couple of weeks really is a b___h...when I had my second c-section, I was so scared of the pain that once I was home I slept sitting up on the sofa, but then my legs swelled up like crazy. It's not really a constant pain after the surgery as long as you take the meds they give you, it's more of a pulling pain you feel when you move. My first incision was really big, but my second was about five inches. I was amazed that they got the baby out of that little hole. After the skin incision is healed, you still have a lump of scar tissue inside that feels like a banana, and takes a couple of months to go away. I was like you, really scared of the idea of birth. My mother had problems during the birth of all three of her children, to the point that she nearly died during mine and that of my youngest sister. Just hearing about it while I was growing up was enough to freak me out. Anyhow, I was so scared of having a v____al birth that every time I tried to read about it while I was pregnant I threw up. I signed up for childbirth cla__ses but then I didn't go because I kept getting migraines when it was time to go. I didn't have the option of an elective c-section. I was actually relieved when the induction didn't work, and I was glad that meant I could choose a c-section for my second delivery.

I was so worried about delivery and labor too. I was especially terrified of the 1-4 cms. part like you said. I went in at 2 cms. and for only an hour did I have to work really hard with the sharpest of my labor pains...at precisely 4 I got the world's most perfect epidural and didn't feel another thing until after delivery and then I was just sore. I found with my second child that staying home in labor UNTIL I thought I was about 4 worked MUCH better, I was able to move about, walk, distract myself, and so that period was pretty much non-existant the second time. My third was a scheduled c-section due to transverse baby and boy....I hate to tell scary stories, but my fear over labor was unfounded and my lack of worry over my c-section was a mistake. I personally, did not enjoy the c-section pain or the recovery at all. You get pretty intense pain before or you get it after, I prefer to have the most pain BEFORE I have a newborn to get up and care for, that's the nice thing about v____al deliveries. Good luck

To help with your decsion, you might want to visit the left-sided abdominal pain site as well as the infections/wound draining site. Those complications are not uncommon and are more difficult to deal with ultimately than a day of labor, believe me!!! Best of luck to you.

once again I thank you from the bottom of my heart.I wanted to get,as I have,replies back from expeience,and not from the books I have been reading.ast night I watched a programme,I had seen before about midwives,and childbirth.A poor lady really needed an epidural,but when the midwife went to get him,she had to apologise that he attened an emergency,so she struggled on.To see these women in so much pain,begging for this,even at one stage a c-section,I just find it difficult to imagine the pain.I would hate to chose a natural birth....with the drugs,and end up with a ceasarean anyway.Are there a lot of drugs available to help you cope with the pain?JBear,you seem similiar to me,and was pleased with your section.is the pulling pain,very bad,or does the pain meds take this away,maybe like gas and air,take the edge off things?

I agree wholeheartedly with Emilie~ You see on the TV shows they never show what the c-section moms look like a few hours after their c-sections, or the next day when they take out the catheters or when they are in recovery and the nurses must mash down on your brand new incision to help your uterus contract. God help you if the pain meds wear off...this stuff goes on for days and days sometimes, not hours, days and weeks for some. I can't stress enough that Emilie was right about the pain before you have a newborn to care for...it really is better to get through the pain while you still have a chance to rest before full-time mothering by yourself. Another thing to consider, many many women do NOT have painful deliveries, their epidurals are given properly and in a timely fashion, isn't that the best goal to shoot for? Good luck and best wishes.

After a v____al birth, the muscles around the v____a, urethra, and a__s MAY become slack. You can tone these muscles up-and add to your s_xual enjoyment-through Kegel exercises: tighten your muscles very slowly, as if you are stopping urination, and then release the muscles slowly, ending by drawing your pelvis up slightly. Do 10 repet_tions at a time. These exercises can be done while you are doing the dishes, cooking, or making love.

Kegel exercises don't actually seem to do anything.

Seriously, if they showed what women look and feel like after their c-sections it is QUITE comparable to the stuff shown on TV...don't believe that women post surgery aren't in their own pain hell, not all c-sections are great, believe me.

kate - my scar is about 4-5 inches - and it's shrinking every day (I had my C 4 weeks ago) - most doctors do the low transverse "bikini" cut. I had st_tches, not staples, and highly recommend them. the pressure during the surgery is annoying and uncomfortable, but not painful or unbearable at all. and it's really not for more than a few minutes since it doesn't take long for the baby to come out. my incision has healed perfectly and i really don't think it's common to have gaps in the scar or anything! i know it happens to some people, as do infections, but not everyone. also, as for the baby shows - they are SO dramatic! i was so scared after watching those shows every day and when you do have it, all the doctors and nurses are so calm, you can't help but be also. i had a great experience, - just remember that the doctors and nurses know what they are doing and trust them! good luck! oh, i think you sweat a lot after both kinds of deliveries - you lose your water weight (hey, i was excited to sweat out weight!) :)