C-Section Recovery & Postpartum Complications: A Personal Account

Question
Hello I have two children 8 & 3, both of which I have had by csection. My 8 yr old was an emergency csection but after I left the hospital I got a infection which reopened my csection. My 3 yr old was a repeat by my choice, during the operation I lost a lot of blood and I had a horrible shooting pain on top of my head that made me barely able to speak, my husband told the anesteologist, and he said she started shooting meds into my I' i iv which made the pain go away. Til this day I don't know what that was. After I was put into a recovery room a doctor said I might need a blood transfusion but they wanted to wait to see if I could do without. Which I didn't need one after all. Once I got to go home , I noticed that half of my body was swelling  and the other half was normal , this was scary I called the er and , went in but the swelling went down before I got there. So they were unable to tell me what it was. It has been 3 yrs now, and I want to have another baby but I'm scared that this third time will kill me.. I talked with my gyn and he said there is always risks for any csection, and just said well see you next year for your check up or sooner if you become pregnant.. So he didn't make me feel safe on what we want to do..

Answer
I definitely see why you want to get answers! That had to have been very scary for you.

I would definitely try to schedule a consult to discuss your previous cesarean and what happened.  If he keeps blowing you off, you can get a copy of your medical record from that birth and see a different OB and see if he or she can give you some idea of what happened. You can even tell your current OB, "Look, I tried asking you what happened but you were very vague; I really need to know what happened and what can be done to prevent that from happening again and if you aren't willing to discuss it with me, I'll find another doctor who will."

You can also explore the idea of trying for a vaginal birth after cesarean, if that is something you are interested in, although that does not guarantee that you don't end up with another cesarean.

I hope you are able to get the answers you are looking for.