Repeat C Section Birth And Scar Healing Process

My first c section birth was completely unexpected (you can read about my first c-section birth here). I didn’t think I’d have a c-section so I packed my perineal care products and stuff for my hospital stay for just one day.

For my second baby, they gave me the option to schedule a c section or try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section).

The scheduled csection option sounded appealing only because it wasn’t my first rodeo and I’d be prepared this time. They’d give me a date and time and all I had to do was show up rather than not knowing when I was going to go into labor or all the other unknowns.

BUT I really wanted to experience a vaginal birth even if it meant I’d tear from front to back. Don’t know why. Maybe because I wanted to know what it would be like? My first OBGYN did a beautiful job on my c section incision and my scar healing process was so smooth. So I was thinking what if they botch it this time around.

Either way, I had no choice by the end of my pregnancy. And I’ll tell you why after I go over 6 things I didn’t expect to experience during a c section birth.

6 Unexpected Things During And After A C Section Birth

Lots of tugging and moving

During my first c section procedure, my husband was having anxiety because the lower half of my body was being tugged around. He could feel the table move while he was beside me holding my hand. I couldn’t feel anything but pressure below my chest.

Feeling a sense of calmness

All while my body was being tugged around and sliced open, I still felt a sense of calmness. Like I knew at any moment I was going to hear my baby’s voice for the very first time.

It’s a feeling that is so hard to explain. During a vaginal birth you’re laying in bed in labor pushing and actively working to get my baby out. But for a c-section birth you’re laying on the table staring at the ceiling, holding your partner’s hand, waiting in silence for your baby’s first cry. This is if you have a non-emergent c-section.

Extremely dry mouth

One thing I remember that bugged me so much was my cotton mouth. All I wanted was to chug a gallon of water. I couldn’t even talk to my husband or ask about my baby because my mouth and throat was too dry.

Super cold and chills

I was extremely cold and had chills even before being rolled into the operation room. I’ve heard of labor shakes before and that’s exactly what it was. It’s when your body shivers and relieves tension before birth.

Happiness that can’t be contained

There’s a natural abundance of happiness also known as oxytocin that makes you experience postpartum euphoria. I felt a surge of it just minutes before hearing my first baby cry and I was bawling my eyes out. My husband was even crying and the emotions in the OR was high.

C section births aren’t usually every woman’s first choice of delivery. But if you get to experience it, there’s something truly special about a c section experience.

Swollen feet

The picture of my swollen feet was 3 days after my c section. And it stayed swollen for almost a week. It was so uncomfortable to walk as if it wasn’t already getting cut open. My feet could only fit into slides or big slippers.

I thought having swollen feet was only for the third trimester! But that didn’t even compare to the swelling after a c section procedure.

Repeat C Section Birth Story

On February 22, 2022, I came in for my routine NST (nonstress test) and OBGYN appointment. And unexpectedly got admitted to the army hospital’s labor and delivery unit due to baby having heart decelerations.

Since I wasn’t at least 36 weeks pregnant, they had to transfer me to a different hospital better equipped with a maternal fetal specialist and NICU for my new baby.

So they transferred me by ambulance (my first time being in one lucky me) and got admitted there from the 22nd to the day I got discharged on the 26th.

After speaking with the maternal fetal specialist on the 23rd, she decided that a cesarean delivery was medically necessary for us because there was very little blood flow (nutrients) going to my baby. And she was under 1 percentile in growth so she was considered severely IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction).

Therefore they scheduled a repeat c section on February 24, 2022, at 9 AM and at 9:24 AM, Kennedy Raine was born. She weighed 3lbs 5oz and was 15.16 inches long. I was exactly 35 weeks pregnant on the dot!

And without any skin-to-skin time, baby Keni was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit immediately after delivery.

NICU Time

Baby girl was sent to the NICU where she would be in an incubator until she was weaned off. Throughout her two week stay, she went through phototherapy to reduce her bilirubin levels and she gained weight to be able to come home.

She was discharged from the hospital on March 11 and weighed a little over 4lbs.

Prior to getting discharged, I drove to see her about two times a day most days. And once a day some days to make sure she had breastmilk.

Unfortunately, it was a long commute for me like a little over an hour each trip.

I was up and about as soon as I was discharged from the hospital and I felt like this helped me recover quicker the second time around.

**Something I learned about recovering after a cesarean section is that you need to move around to heal.**

According to WebMD, walking within the first 24 hours of your procedure is a great way to lower the risk of post-op complications such as blood clots and get your bowels moving.

Repeat C Section Birth

My second c section birth was a lot different than my first c-section experience (very much like the two pregnancies were).

For one, I didn’t experience labor pains like I did with my first pregnancy. I was 39 weeks and 6 days and super ready to pop and even dilated to 9 cm. You can read about my first c section experience here.

So for this somewhat unexpected scheduled c section, I was all in my head. I was anxious and full of nerves because I didn’t have labor pains to keep my mind occupied.

I mean your girl had to walk into the OR butt naked underneath a piece of cloth with strings to tie the back. The whole scheduled c-section thing just gave me lots of anxiety!

Instead of an epidural like I had the first time, I got a spinal block which is basically a shot in your spine. And that was pretty painful but quick. I basically walked into the OR and sat my naked butt on the table, got my shot in my back, and my lower half went numb pretty dang quick.

C Section Birth

The c section surgery itself was also a much different experience than the first time.

There was a lot more tugging and intense pushing because baby girl’s head was stuck. She was breeched and since I was having so much pain from being pushed on, they had to administer more pain medication through my IV.

My husband Vince was telling me I looked like I was going in and out cus I was in so much pain. And he literally told me he didn’t want to experience see me going through that again but whoops hello baby number 3 🙂

Once baby girl was fully out, I was so out of it and in so much pain that it definitely took the joyful experience away that I had with my first baby. Not that I’m saying I wasn’t happy but when you’re in that much pain and drugged up on pain medication, you’re in a daze.

I was ready to fast forward time to where I could finally hold her (which wouldn’t be for another 35 hours after birth).

This c section birth was just very exhausting. But the thing that kept me going was telling myself that this time, this pain, and this discomfort was all temporary.

And I’d soon be able to hold my baby and recover. It would be uphill from here on out.

Post C Section Hemorrhage

And of course along with a complicated pregnancy and an uncomfortable c section delivery, I hemorrhaged. I’m thankful I didn’t have uterine rupture or have major blood loss to the point of getting a blood transfusion.

Gotta count your blessings, right?!

I was too exhausted to really remember every detail of the first hour after birth, but I do remember soaking through pads every 15 or so minutes. Like my bed was red and I was in and out.

There were several nurses that came in to massage my fundus to harden the uterus to prevent me from hemorrhaging. And my goodness, I was screaming in so much pain. They pushed so hard I was bruised up and the bleeding would not stop.

The nurse contacted the OBGYN and he came in to check where the bleeding was coming from. There was just an unbelievable amount of clotting that I was rolled back into the operation room.

They gave me another spinal block. And the OBGYN had to do a D&C (dilation and curettage) to remove all the clotting inside of my uterus.

After the D&C, I was rolled back into the room for further monitoring before I was sent to the mother and baby unit.

At this point I think Vince was traumatized seeing me in the state I was in lolol.

I am so thankful for my nurse who truly advocated for me. Without her diligent care and constant watch, my situation could have been life-threatening.

Watch My C-Section Vlog

Related Posts

The Only C Section Scar And Recovery Postpartum Guide You Need From A Fit Mama

Things I Wasn’t Expecting To Experience During And After My C Section Procedure

15 Secrets To A Speedy C-Section Recovery

Second C Section Scar Healing Process

After a few hours, I was admitted to the mother and baby unit where I would stay until I was discharged.

They had my c section incision covered up like the picture and it would be covered for the entire week with a pad to prevent it from rubbing.

The first 24 hours after my c section, I was in a lot of pain. I think I was more sore than anything from them pushing on my uterus.

Day 1

The next day I was able to have Vince take a picture of my incision. And it didn’t look as bad as I was expecting it to look.

You can read about my first c section incision recovery here from the day of my surgery to the year mark.

That night after a shower, Vince and I both noticed something weird about my incision. It almost looked like I had a very small incision on my left side (right side if you’re looking at the picture) above the actual incision.

But it was just my skin that was taped down weird and not an actual incision. And I’ll show you what it looks like without the tape (keep reading).

Days 1-3 were the worst of my pain and I started feeling much better when I got home. I highly recommend staying on top of your pain medications that are prescribed to you. And make sure to set a timer for each medication.

Day 4

On day 4, my c section incision didn’t look much different. I could tell it looked better each day and I felt much more relief.

I was still taking pain medications like ibuprofen and oxycodone to manage my pain.

2 Weeks and 2 Days

I’m not sure why I waited until I was 2 weeks postpartum to take another picture but this is how my c section incision looks without the tape. And I think I peeled the steri strips off right at 2 weeks postpartum because the OBGYN said if it’s still attached by 2 weeks, to take them off.

And as you can see, there’s an indent above my c section scar (what I thought was a mysterious incision haha). I’m guessing it’s because the doctor sewed me up a little tighter on the inside or it’s related to scar tissue.

I plan on bringing this up at my 6 weeks postpartum appointment and I’ll update this post then!

By 2 weeks postpartum, I felt pretty good. I was moving around a lot. This is mostly because baby girl was still in the NICU and I was up and moving around visiting her. The pain subsided by 2 weeks and the bleeding was very light.

4 Weeks and 2 Days

Here’s an up close image of my repeat c section scar healing process. It looks a lot worse than my first one. You can see the indent again above my c section scar and how it pulls upward.

It’s not painful or anything but I do feel a lot of tightness and pulling on that side.

Here’s a photo of my first c section scar 4 weeks postpartum for reference. You can read more detailed c section recovery and my c section scar healing process in this post.

This is the side view of how my repeat c section scar looks currently. Like I said earlier, it feels and looks like my incision was maybe sewed too tight or deep.

Check out 10 Weird Things About Your Healed C Section Incision Women Don’t Talk About

8 Weeks C Section Incision

*Updated on August 9, 2023

My second c section scar healing process is not nearly as beautiful as my first time. But I’m just glad that it’s healed, shut closed, and nothing is oozing out that shouldn’t be!

Oh surprised, I’m pregnant 2 months postpartum 🙂 Take your birth control!!

Recovery Tips After A C Section Birth

Currently at 4 weeks postpartum, I am feeling really good. Although my experience this time around, both pregnancy and c section birth has not been the smoothest ride, my recovery has been much better this time around.

I highly recommend walking and moving as soon as you can. Doing so quicker this second time around has made a huge difference in my recovery process. This will aid in a faster recovery.

Once your incision heals up and your OBGYN gives you the green light, you can start massaging it to help smooth out thick scar tissue. There are also scar treatment sheets that worked very well for my c section incision and I started it around 6 weeks postpartum.

Also, always drink a lot of water and don’t forget to nourish your body with healthy, nutritious foods.