C-Section Surgery – Weird Things Can Happen
Having a c-section surgery is one of the most common and safest surgeries. But no matter how common or safe something is, there are still weird things that can happen that you didn’t expect.
Morgan of ”Adventures in Diapering“, knows a thing or two about having a c-section, she’s had 4 of them. Morgan caught my attention because she has written about some of the weird and strange things that have happened while having her c-sections.
Even though these things may not be pleasant, none of them is life threatening, but thanks to Morgan, knowing about these things will help you know what to expect and possibly help you avoid them, giving you a little reassurance 
Weird Things That Can Happen During a C-Section
By Morgan at Adventures in DiaperingThis is a list of weird/unexpected c-section side effects that I wish someone would have told me about before my c-section procedure.
For those of you that have had a c-section, did you have any of these things happen? If so, were you scared? Have any of you had any other unexpected side effects during a c-section?
*Uncontrollable Shaking I had no idea that shaking was normal when I had my first c-section. I started to panic a bit because I thought something was wrong. I was really glad to hear that this is normal, okay, and even something that happens to tons of c-section moms. Know that the shaking goes away as the spinal wears off.
*Being numb all the way up to your chest and being unable to feel yourself breathe With each of my c-sections, I have felt numb in my hands and face, and it is very scary, but it’s only been really bad with my first two c-sections. The anesthesiologists did the spinal a slightly lower with my last two babies and that seemed to help a little.
*Still being able to feel your legs during surgery, but having no pain I’ve only had this happen once. It wasn’t a bad thing at all, but it was a bit of a surprise.
*Feeling really cold, even with a pile of warm blankets on you. It goes away as the spinal wears off.
*Really really bad pain in your shoulders, arms, and other various places.
You can blame trapped gas on this one. I was very scared after my first c-section when my arm started hurting really bad. My nurse informed me that it was from gas, but I had no idea how common it is for c-section moms. With my 4th c-section, I had really bad pain from the gas in my shoulders, but remembering that it was normal helped me not get scared that something could be wrong.
*Itching like crazy EVERYWHERE! It’s bad, and it’s happened for me with every one of my c-sections. With my last one, the antihistamine they gave me didn’t work. Then they tried something else, still didn’t work. They told me the only other option was giving me something that would wipe out the itching, but would make the pain med. stop working. I opted to continue itching but be pain free.
If any of these things do happen to you during a c-section or recovery, tell your nurse/doctor/anesthesiologist. They can check and make sure everything is alright and help you feel better.
For those of you that have had a c-section, did you have any of these things happen to you or have you had any other weird things happen to you during or after your a c-section?
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I had the itching too, it was awful!!
i had terrible itching for the firste 2 days of c-setion and ive had 3 and currantly pregnant with 4,i always got terrible sickness and was vomiting for the first 6 hours with every one it was really awfull and always thought with the next one it would be easyer but it hassnt so atleast im preppared for all the annoying side effects of c-sections as ive had them all.
i had a c-section 29 years ago and still have a huge belly. i look 7 months pregnant. Nothing i do will make it smaller. Is anyone else having this problem/
Help
For women with a huge belly, especially after having a c-section, it can be heartbreaking, and it’s tough to get rid of this because your muscles after surgery get weak and unless you got into a good exercise program after surgery, your muscles just get weaker and weaker giving you that huge belly that’s so hard to get rid of.
The encouraging thing is it’s never too late, the bad news is, short of liposuction, the only thing that works is exercise. Here’s what I do. I have one of those large exercise balls. I sit on it with my feet firmly placed under a chair or bed, somewhere that will anchor my feet so I don’t move. Then I do regular sit ups on the ball. I like this because the ball doesn’t stress my neck but it also exercises my back muscles.
Be careful of these exercises because they can make your abs really sore, and if they get too sore you won’t do them again, so start out doing only ten. Then work up a few more each day until you can do 50 a day. Just doing 10 of these sit-ups a day for 7 days will make a difference. I hate doing sit ups but these work so well that it’s the one thing I stick with every day, but consistency is really important with theses. Warning: don’t do sit-ups if you’ve had a c-section within the past 6 months or so. Sit ups and crunches can be harmful for c-section moms, you’ll be much better off with a post c-section recovery exercise program.
hI agree that the best way to get over the effects of the big belly which discouraged the heck out of me at first. I didn’t like to exercise much, if i did it was aerobics, which was good but didn’t do a lot to build my stomach muscles. The 3 exercised I did that really helped a lot were twist with a resistance band, bicycle rows, and planks. You will need to ease into it but doing them consistently will work wonders on your stomach muscles.
Hi Rachel, I agree that doing anything consistently will help.
Trouble is that most people give up if they don’t see results right away and that can be a big mistake. Thanks for your feedback
I’ve had 3 c-sections – will be having my fourth in about 2 weeks. I’ve never had a flat tummy, but I’ve always been in the normal weight range for my height. My belly seems to have grown with each c-section, but after the last one, I started a regular exercise program and switched to low glycemic index diet. It really helped alot and my belly fat decreased significantly. I’m definitely going to be jumping on that program again after this baby is born. Switching from processed to whole grain/all natural foods really seemed to be the golden ticket for me.
As for strange c-section issues, I’ve experienced them all — the shaking, the itching, the numbness from the spinal, and the shoulder pain. Not the most fun to deal with, but they all end up going away eventually. I also had the joy of dealing with a spinal headache after my second child. This is what happens when spinal fluid leaks (internally) from the puncture site where the needle went in — worst pain ever! I was in the hospital for 4 days complaining about my headache problems when (on the day of my departure) one of the nurses finally told me what was going on. The only way to get rid of a spinal headache is to lie completely flat on your back until the pain stops. Once I did that, the pain finally disappeared after another day or so. If that doesn’t work, then they have to do another procedure called a spinal patch, but thankfully it went away on its own after I stayed on my back.
Good luck to all the c-section mommies!
Hi Candice, thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I know they will be helpful for everyone who reads them. Your feedback is much appreciated.