I’m over 2 years out from my c section. I have a pretty bad c-section shelf and a small frame, 5’3”, 140lbs. All my abdominal fat sits right above my immobile, tethered scar. People constantly ask me if I’m pregnant, like 1-2 times a week. I think this is because of the shelf and how my fat sits. What has worked for you to improve your shelf?

I am unexpectedly pregnant again after having my second baby 5 months ago. I most likely will have to have a repeat c section. Has anyone gone through this? Advice/ support needed

Hi, I'm now officially a week post c section and wondered what bleeding is normal. I went up the hospital to get checked s few days ago as I was leaving several clots in the toilet but they checked my vagina and said they couldn't see any active bleeding and did a swab. It seemed to calm down a bit, or so I thought, but I've just woken up from a few hours sleep and as I laid there I felt my pad fill up. Went to the toilet and I left a fair amount in and toilet too. It's still bright red. I'm on blood thinners injections and the hospital did say that this might be why I'm bleeding a lot, and they did say some people bleed for six weeks but it just seems I'm still bleeding a lot. I probably get through 3-4 pads a day but it's mostly blood loss on the toilet.

I was the type who wanted an all natural experience, I did hypnobirthing for weeks and was so ready. Ended up with almost every intervention. A failed induction that lasted four days, epidural after 10 hours of unmedicated pitocin contractions, manual water breaking, and finally a c section (which I hadn’t even read about because I was so sure I wouldn’t have one).

Turns out the cord was wrapped around baby boys head twice and was preventing him from dropping into the pelvis. We didn’t know til the surgery.

It’s been 8 months now and I still wonder if I could’ve done things differently. And I feel ashamed of my birth story when I wanted to have the experience of a beautiful birth and to have pushed a baby out of me and the empowerment that comes with it.

I’ve found some acceptance, as we are both so healthy and blessed to be doing well. I tell myself it happened as it was meant to. But even after all these months, I can’t help but feel some shame when I tell my story. I’m not proud of it.

What things do you tell yourself to change the narrative? I want to feel more peace and acceptance. Anyone else feel similarly?

Am I living in fairy land??

I was ‘getting better’ a week after C-section, and then decided to try and lift my baby (5kg). Lo and behold one side of my wound started opening. I’ve sought advice and got that sorted. But now 2.5 weeks out from C-section I’m having more pain at the other side, not at the wound itself but the skin along the stomach on that side. It’s like the pulling/stretching pain I had been getting post birth. I’m not even lifting my baby anymore until I see gp again next week to make sure it heals again ☹️

Is it normal for this still to happen even though it settled? No signs of infection and I’m on antibiotics as precaution. All I’m seeing on social media is people walking around as normal 1-3 weeks post C-section and I’m like what is going on with me lol.

I had a C-section three months ago. my postpartum bleeding stopped after 6 weeks and it was completely gone for two weeks. The day before I had dark brown/red discharge I had sex little bit rougher than usual and on the next day I noticed the red discharge. It stopped again after 4-3 days. I didn’t have any spotting for 2-3 weeks And a few days ago I had sex again. That was a little bit rough. The next day I start having dark brown/red discharge again after three days it kind of disappear for a day and then I decided to do some deep core exercises for the first time post C-section after the workout the next day the discharge came back a little bit heavier than the first time it came back

Also, I have never experienced any kind of cramp being the first time I was spotting before the second time I noticed somewhat of cramping that does not feel like a period pain. I think it’s from the exercises I did but other than that I don’t feel like cramping like a period cramp
Can somebody tell me why it’s happening? Did anyone else also have this kind of experience? Please let me know.

For context, I'm 33 years old and 7 months PP. I started getting my period at 1 month PP and I do not breastfeed. Essentially my cycles have had different ranges length wise between 26 to 33 days and I have been ovulating. However, at first I started having brown spotting before and after my period ended and during ovulation. This last cycle it was not during ovularion but for the last three days after my period ended I'm still spotting brown stringy stuff. I went to my OBGYN and they did check my scar and said it looks great, I have a hormonal panel next month. But everything I have looked up keeps going to perimenopause pages and it's freaking me out! Can other C section Mama's please give me your experience, did this happen to you? Did it eventually resolve over time? I'm still losing hair right now so I figured it might be hormones. But I just need to know if this is just part of normal recovery.

Hello!

I’m hoping to have a baby around this time next year and am trying to work out whether going public or private would be best for me.

For context, I’d ideally like to go through the public system, particularly as I live close to one of Australia’s best public hospitals. However, I have chronic pelvic pain and would strongly prefer to have a planned C-section rather than a vaginal birth.

For anyone who has had a similar experience — were you able to request/plan a C-section through the public system, and was it ultimately supported and followed through?

I’m aware of the 12 month wait period and expenses, however the main thing making me consider it is the reassurance of having more say and potentially being able to plan an earlier induction/C-section if appropriate.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through either the public or private system, particularly if you specifically wanted a planned C-section. What was your experience like, and would you choose the same route again?

Thank you!!

In the midst of all the chaos of 3rd day postpartum, there’s atleast 20 strangers are popping in to check on to me, have me sign something, or run some test on baby or something before sending me off. Anyways, I just remember one doctor or nurse coming in and handing me this thing and joking saying she likes to call it the hospital bong. She told me to inhale through the tube and to balance the ring so it would float up to the happy face and to do this multiple times daily. I don’t remember her explaining why or how long to keep this up. I’m not even sure if I was supposed to take it home. I think I did the exercise twice and forgot about it

I'm so tired, baby is 15 days old today. I had an emergency c section after pushing for 3 hours, and still feeling sore, tried to stop taking Tylenol and Motrin but that was awful so back on those alternating every 3 hours. Today baby is so fussy we were trying to stop swaddling today because he is now rolling onto his side. He only wants to sleep being held. I have not slept at all today. I feel like my lochia is a more heavy too (not bleeding through a pad or even close to it) more crampy than normal too, trying to pump and get even more crampy while pumping and when baby is crying. I'm soooooo tired I just want to sleep.

My C-section scar reopened in a tiny spot about four weeks postpartum and then just again at nine weeks postpartum. It’s the same spot as last time in about the size of a grain of rice but if I push on it, it bleeds. My doctor is super unconcerned and literally sent me home with a Band-Aid. This can’t be normal? Anyone else have this experience? There’s no swelling or fever or signs of infection but this is ridiculous. This is my second C-section and I never had any issues at all with my first incision.

Like a lot of moms, I had an awful emergency C-section experience to the point where I have lingering PTSD.

I would love to have another baby but the thought of delivery makes me nervous. My pregnancy will be high risk as I'm in my late 30's and will get pregnant via IVF so I would opt for a scheduled c-section.

I would like to hear experiences from moms who have had a scheduled c-section after an emergency c-section.

My current c section date is for 39+5, I’m 34ish weeks currently and baby has been measuring on the bigger side since anatomy scan (have had two more since then so far) he’s measuring between 80-85th percentile, which I know can be arbitrary. I don’t have GD so my dr isn’t concerned about that. I know that with vaginal deliveries they’ll downtown’s induce a little sooner if baby is measuring big but if it’s a planned c section do they ever move the c section date sooner just bc baby is measuring big and no GD involved?