I'll be honest, after my first natural birth, I thought I was done with kids for good. I mean, I'd been saying for years that I was done, but it's one thing to say it and another to actually face it.

Fast forward to January 2023, when I had a medical checkup and an ultrasound. That's when they discovered a fibroid in my uterus and sent me for further testing. It turned out it was small, about 2 cm, and just needed to be monitored. For the next year, I went in for ultrasounds every three months, watching it grow gradually. But by December 2023, things had taken a strange turn.

That's when I first ended up in the hospital. It turned out the fibroid was necrotizing from the inside out, infecting the surrounding tissues and causing severe abdominal pain. After two weeks in the hospital, they finally managed to clear the infection, but the doctor told me I needed to get my affairs in order and have a laparoscopy in another city ASAP if I wanted to have kids. If I didn't, I could just wait for the next inflammation and have a strip operation in my hometown, which might even involve removing my uterus.

At that point, I really wanted kids. And at 29, I felt like I was still young enough to have them. So, I packed my bags and headed to St. Petersburg to have the fibroid removed at Pirogov Clinic. Getting in wasn't easy, especially with a 4 cm fibroid that's not even considered an indication for removal, even privately. So, I finally made it in September 2024.

Cesarean sectionAnd after six months of monitoring the scar tissue, they finally gave me the green light for pregnancy. I was convinced I'd be having a C-section, anyway, since they wouldn't make me deliver with a scar on my uterus.

But when I asked my gynecologist at 25 weeks how the delivery would go, he just chuckled and told me I'd be delivering naturally. Now, I should mention that they didn't care about my previous surgery at all. They never checked the scar tissue on any of my ultrasounds, and I kept asking about delivery, but got the same answer every time.

It wasn't until 35 weeks that the doctor suddenly remembered the possibility of a Rh-conflict and sent me to get blood tests. And when he saw I hadn't been seeing a specialist, he finally got concerned about my previous surgery and sent me to the hospital for delivery.

At 38 weeks pregnant, I found myself at the hospital. To be honest, the hospital I was initially sent to wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so I ended up switching to another one where the doctors seemed more competent and whose decisions I trusted more. Initially, the whole thing started with a routine check-up that ended up with me staying in the hospital for a week because, on the second day, the doctor determined that I wouldn't be able to give birth naturally. The risks were too high, even though the ultrasound didn't show any direct signs of needing a C-section. Fast-forwarding a bit, I can say that this decision was the right one, and I'm grateful to the doctor for being cautious and not pushing for a natural birth, which would have meant losing my uterus and possibly ruling out the possibility of having a third child.

Preparing for the operation

Since I was already in the hospital, they just didn't discharge me, and I spent the next two days waiting for the operation. I was taking my blood pressure, doing a CTG, and reading. Before the operation, I had to give blood samples - urine and a bunch of blood tests (8 vials). The day before the operation, I had to give blood for an HIV test, which is a mandatory requirement before the transfer.

I didn't have any specific dietary restrictions beforehand. The 'diet' started the day before the operation. I could eat whatever I wanted until lunch, but after that, I had to stop snacking and have a bread-free dinner. And then, only water. Drinking water was allowed until midnight, but after that, I could only moisten my mouth and spit it out.

Cesarean sectionI also had to get an enema (both in the evening and in the morning, right before the operation).

That morning, I had to put on compression stockings without getting out of bed, go for a CTG, visit the enema room, and then just lie down with my hands on my belly and wait for the scheduled time. They told me the transfer time was 9:30 am. By that point, I had changed into a hospital gown, packed my things, and signed the other bags - the nurses would take care of those.

Cesarean sectionThe operation

I don't think any review can truly convey the feelings you experience before and during the operation. Even though I'd prepared myself mentally for a C-section, it's still a daunting experience.

First, they take your blood pressure, then they insert the IV catheter, followed by the urinary catheter, and only after that do they help you turn onto your side and show you how to position yourself for the spinal anesthesia. For me, this was the most terrifying part - I'd read all the horror stories about the long needle going into your spine, and I had a pretty vivid imagination.

As it turned out, the injection was almost painless. You can feel it, but the urinary catheter is what hurts more.

I have to say, the staff during the operation were amazing. The nurse kept asking how I was feeling, and the anesthesiologist was constantly talking to me and trying to calm me down. When I started feeling nauseous (which is a normal reaction, by the way - they warned me beforehand that some people get sick during the procedure), the anesthesiologist had me breathe in some oxygen, which helped a bit - everything went smoothly from my side.

I was taken to the operating room at 9:30, the operation started at 10 am, the baby was born at 10:03, and all the procedures with me were finished by 10:40.

I was expecting the worst in terms of sensations. The incision itself wasn't painful at all, and I didn't feel anything 'moving around' inside. The only thing I felt was a strong pressure when they were delivering the baby, like they were trying to pull out my organs too, and then they stitched me up - I didn't feel a thing. Except for the moments of nausea, I didn't feel anything at all. I even felt like taking a nap at some point, because the night before the operation was rough with those practice contractions, and I was exhausted.

After the operation, they transferred me to another gurney and sent me to the recovery room.

Depending on the hospital and the city, what happens after a C-section can vary. I was prepared to spend six hours on the recovery bed and then head to the postpartum ward. But in our hospital, they make you stay in bed for a whole day - they even forbid you from lifting your head, because it can lead to a headache later. So I spent most of the day from 11 am to 8 am the next morning lying in bed, reading a book, trying to take a nap, and drinking plenty of water.

Recovery period

Ironically, the hardest part of my recovery was the diet. I'm a foodie, and the thought of going hungry for two whole days was torture. The first day in the recovery room, I could only have water. The second day in the postpartum ward, I could have clear broth for breakfast, and slightly thicker broth for lunch and dinner.

C-SectionI was lucky to have a sympathetic nurse who brought me extra broth and even some porridge. I ate it cautiously, just a few spoons at a time, to see how my body would react. Although it's strictly forbidden to eat anything like that after a C-section, I had to hide the bowl in my bedside table to avoid getting in trouble. But hunger is no joke, and I was desperate. Thankfully, I didn't experience any complications, so by the next day, I was ready to tackle the diet.

Day three was all about the first table diet. No heavy food, no baked goods. I was only allowed to eat normally after my first bowel movement (and they gave me a laxative that morning to help it come out), so by evening, I was ready to go, and by night, I was happily munching on bananas and cookies. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for breaking the rules – you've got to listen to your body. Mine recovers quickly, like it did after other surgeries, so I wasn't worried about this at all.

Along with the diet, I had some recovery procedures. I had IVs with oxytocin and acetaminophen (three times a day) and an Eniksum shot (once a day). Our hospital uses dry sutures – they just stick a sterile bandage over the stitches in the operating room and you go home with it. Before discharge, they do an ultrasound to check the stitches, remove the old bandage, and replace it with a new one. You've got to keep that area dry for ten days after the surgery – just wash your lower half and upper half separately. Oh boy, that was a real challenge for me. After the stitches came out, I was supposed to apply green soap after every bath, but I never got around to it, what with having a baby in my arms all the time. The stitches healed just fine.

I also had to keep taking Eniksum shots for six more days and take Ferum Lek for a month.

Cesarean or natural birth: what's better?

I didn't have a choice in my case – after the surgery, it was clear that a cesarean was the only option. Even though the laparoscopy was done carefully and the stitches were small, they ended up in a bad spot. In the stretched area of my uterus, the stitches got stretched out too, and if I'd had a natural birth, there's a good chance the tissues would have torn, and I'd never have been able to have another baby.

So, I'm glad I chose a different hospital with more experienced doctors who didn't just go for a vaginal birth for the sake of statistics – they actually assessed the risks and didn't experiment.

Even if you don't consider that, I have to say I prefer a cesarean section.

First of all, it's a lot faster. With my first baby, I was in labor for 25 hours, with a broken water bag and two oxytocin IVs – the stimulation made the pain almost unbearable. Plus, the medical staff just left me alone, and I almost gave birth on the floor.

Secondly, there's constant monitoring from the medical staff. With my first birth, I had internal bleeding that they ignored for over four hours while I just bled out. Here, the monitoring was constant – they'd come and check on me, press on my belly, and assess my condition all the time. At one point, I was even getting tired of all the attention – how often can you have someone come and check on you, press on your belly, and ask you to push?"

Let's be real, the downtime was a blessing in disguise. At first, I was freaking out about not seeing my kid for a whole day (spoiler alert, I only saw them twice), but it ended up being a great experience. I was able to fully recharge and get my energy back. With a C-section, I didn't have that luxury - I barely slept for 1.5 days, was completely exhausted, and was left alone with the newborn.

A shorter recovery period. Every day in the hospital, I was bouncing around on pain meds and was actually feeling pretty good, even refusing extra pain relief suppositories. When I got discharged, I was told to avoid pain meds, and I thought I was going to die from the pain. But nope, the discomfort passed within three days, and then I pretty much forgot I had surgery. Occasionally, the skin around the incision site would feel a bit tight, but overall, the recovery was significantly faster - after a vaginal delivery, I was creaking and groaning for almost a month.

The downsides are there, but they became insignificant for me:

Delayed milk production, the dance of trying to get breastfeeding going, and the first day of exclusive formula feeding. With my first child, my relatives would guilt trip me into breastfeeding only, and if I didn't, I wasn't a 'real' mom. We ended up switching to formula after a few months, and I breathed a sigh of relief. So, with my second child, I approached things with a 'shrugs' attitude - formula is formula. A month in, my baby is still on a mixed diet, and it's convenient, at least, because I'm more mobile. I can leave the house, and grandma can feed the baby formula. Or, I can spend the whole day in bed, and the baby can just hang out on my chest. It's variety, but in my case, it's because breastfeeding never quite took off, and I'm still struggling with milk supply.

Scars on my skin. Honestly, this didn't even register for me, since I have scars from my laparoscopic surgery on my stomach. I wear closed swimsuits, so it's not an issue at all. But the numbness in the lower abdominal area? Yeah, that's a problem. There's a chance it'll go away within a year, and I'm hoping it does, because the constant feeling of numbness is super annoying.

The inability to sleep on my stomach for a couple of weeks after the surgery. I was counting down the days until I could roll over and sleep on my stomach, and when I finally could, I just didn't want to get up.

The pain after delivery was way more intense than after a C-section, but it passed way faster.

Overall impressions

From the positive side:

1. The chance to save a life, my uterus, and the prospect of having more kids.

2. No tears, hemorrhoids, or other complications from the C-section.

3. Everything healed up in record time.

4. The opportunity to rest after giving birth.

5. The ability to monitor my condition from the hospital staff.

6. Quick recovery.

C-Section Honestly, I didn't have any major complaints about my experience. The negative aspects were pretty minor, and the operation itself was a breeze compared to labor. Yeah, the catheter and nausea during the procedure were pretty rough, but it was nowhere near as bad as dealing with contractions for hours on end.

For me, even if I decided to have a third kid, there's no way I'd opt for anything other than a C-section. It's so much easier, both during and after the procedure. In the first couple of days, I did have some thoughts about how it wasn't exactly 'giving birth,' but I quickly shook those off. The baby was in front of me, and they just pulled him out – I didn't exactly have an easy time pushing him out either. So, in my opinion, a C-section in no way diminishes the mom's contribution to the 'birth' process. And trust me, there's no need to get depressed about it (and PPD is already a thing).