You'll be fine. I went into labour the day before my planned section, so it was sort of an emergency, I'd been up a long time, and was in active labour so I can't really help on that front, but I was walking about the same day I had it done (soon as the catheter was out!) and healed really quickly.

they will see you a couple of days before so you can discuss any issues (like what music to play, and if you can have skin to skin- these vary from hospital to hospital). The spinal made me shake quite badly, which was a suprise, so watch out for that, and if there is a reflective light above you, don't look at it!

yer i eneded up with a spinal when i had archie as 2 epidural failed. i remember the shaking but i was also vomiting quite badly to but i did have soo many different drugs that day lol x

I had an emer C Section and to be honest what a fab experience, there was Wham on in the background, everyone was fantastic, i did have the bad shakes ect and was petrified but within 5 mins of being in the room you feel tugging etc but he was out and crying immediately, you dont get to hold LO straight away (also my OH didnt get to cut the cord which we wanted but i am not sure if you get this with a planned C section). I was up and around after 6 hours, home by 12 hours and out shopping within 48 hours (we stupidly didnt have any formula milk as i had planned to BF but again went pear shaped) but i have fond memories of C Sections and wouldnt hesitate to have another... good luck and yes your be dead nervous but how exciting!!! xx

I think they do put in the catheter after you have the spinal, I don't remember them putting it in at all. To be honest it is not undignifying at all because you have a screen between your head and the rest of you and your OH stays on your head side - I hadn't a clue really what was going on the other side of the screen. It's only medical staff who see the rest of it and really I think they view it as an operation, you won't be embarrassed, honestly don't worry about that.

Ive had 2 sections, both planned, and they were amazing! Really positive experiences. I had a spinal anaesethic with both my sections which worked fine, and they put the catheter in after they've done that, whch I didn't even feel. I didn't have an enema or anything like that. It felt weird when they were doing the section, like they were washing up in my stomach! They did push on my stomach a little bit after Dom had been born, but it didn't hurt at all x

Babezone- they didn't give me an enema at all. The catheter did go in after anesthesia not before thank goodness lol. I don't know if they pushed hard on my abdomen for that reason or not but I do remember pushing and pulling sensations during the operation, then one big pull and baby was out. The screen is up so you see nothing and the anesthesiologist at mine talked me through everything, he could see from where he was standing and was really reassuring. He told us next time to bring a camera in and the anesthesiologist will usually take a pic of you with the baby and your OH in the operating room! (Which sounded strange to me bc they made OH take off all jewerly for the sterile environment.. so a camera.. lol)

TBH I found the c-section way less embarrassing than labour.. it's a surgery you know.. and your feet aren't in stirrups with your bits out for the world to see lol.

lol its just the whole legs in frog position with them pressing hard on ur abdomen and an enema thats freaked me out lol....hopefully the catheter wil go on after the spinal gosh i stil feel sooo embarrassed at the thought of them having to deal with that area wen im not spaced out on drugs lol. may take a camera then and ask them if they can take couple pics of baby. strange how nervous i am lol. jus preying the after afects arnt half as bad as archies. i jus wana be able to sit and my bum/flu feel fine so who can explain what type of pain it is....burning sensation/dull achey/stinging lol xxx

I already posted earlier saying I had a fab experience with my planned c-section.

I had a spinal too - it was done as I was sitting up leaning over. Then they hooked me up to everything else and then I lay down - and then the catheter went in - and I did feel it going in - I did not lose sensation in my whole body- I could still feel people touching my legs/tummy etc, but it was certain types of pain that I couldnt feel. I could feel touch everywhere, they tested with ice and when I could no longer feel the ice as high as my chest thats when they began.

So, yes, I felt the catheter going in - it was a bit uncomfortable. I had it in for about 12 hours.

Despite mine being an emergency the procedure itself wasn't bad at all - and anyone here who knows me knows I ended up in theatre alone after a LONG labour and a failed epi and the theatre team didn't talk to me at all so I had no idea what they were doing to me or the baby so I've come out of it feeling rather disappointed - BUT despite these things the surgery itself was a breeze.

It is honestly easier than having a tooth out - thats far more traumatic!! It's very quick, yes it is strange being able to feel people touching you/pushing you/pressure etc but not feeling any pain (and BOY do they have to push/shove you to get that baby out!)!

If you're having a planned section you have plenty of time to let the team know what you want - let them know if you want to be told what they doing at each point, do you want to see baby straight away no matter how briefly before they are whisked away to be checked, do you want skin to skin?

Make sure you're wishes are in your notes and let the obstetrician/midwife/anesthetist know at the time!

I missed out on lots of little things due to my circumstances, make sure your planned section is ever bit as wonderful as a vaginal birth by being prepared!

Think of it this way, you get to meet your baby fresh and well rested unlike many mothers who are exhausted and full of drugs you can cherish those moments because you will be able to remember them with a clear head.

...and on the plus side...you keep your foof intact! (thats what I am trying to keep in mind when I feel like my section was horrible!)

Oh I had spinal after my epi failed, I was sat up hunched over while they did it, I had some gas n air but then I was contracting like crazy as they'd upped my drip in the last hour so I didnt notice it go in.

Mind you when I had my epi put in earlier in the day it was fine stung a little like a blood test does when they put the local anesthetic in my back first then it was fine.

I had my catheter put in during my labour when I had the epi and didn't feel any discomfort.

I wasn't given an enema at all.