Pain relief at home after ELCS

[snowydrops]

I got home yesterday from hospital after a relatively straightforward ELCS on Tuesday.

I am recovering ok I think, mobile ish, walking and can stre out of bed / too the loo etc by self.

I'm still in quotes bit of pain. In hospital krill oral morphing then ibuprofen and paracetamol.& did feed them orphans so much by day 2. They've sent me home with nothing but I'm am now in quite a lot of pain. It may be due to the at journey/ walking upstairs and I laughed quite a lot for the first time yesterday (which killed).

What have others taken for pain when home? Anything stronger / different to paracetamol and ibuprofen at all?

Any other tips for minimising pain other than doing very little?
Thanks

Thanks

[TynesideBlonde]

Wow! I was sent home with lots! Phone GP. I had codine and (I think) diclofenac which I took full dose of for a week then started spacing out the codine & dropped the other before finally moving on to paracetamol. You absolutely do not have to be in pain. Definitely call. Enjoy your new baby!

[Newmom2b]

I was sent home with paracetemol and ibroprofen and also injections to have everyday to prevent DVT. The painkillers you can get over the counter but I would call your triage/labour ward as they have obviously forgotten with is not good.
Congrats by the way! X

[WidowWadman]

I had ibuprofen and diclophenac to alternate. And the DVT injections

[meglet]

I was sent home with voltarol and paracetamol to alternate. I also got the hospital to write the times on the boxes.

[snowydrops]

Ok, I'll call the GP this morning. Just taken dose of ibuprofen and paracetamol which hopefully will help over the next few hours.

I don't have the injections luckily as it was an elective and apparently I am low risk so I was pleased to avoid those!

[pippitysqueakity]

Was sent home with paracetamol when midwife came round she sent DH straight back to hospital for codeine I should have been given, so it may be an oversight. Pain will hamper your recovery, so get on it!

[Taystee]

I just had paracetamol and ibuprofen. I had an elcs and I imagine was also low risk, but still needed the injections...

[Petallic]

I was prescribed codeine & diclofenic to go with home also. Ask your midwife to arrange a prescription for stronger painkillers if paracetamol/ibuprofen aren't enough. Try not to do too much but there's no need to be in pain whilst you are recovering. I also found walking up stairs sideways helped in the beginning and getting out of bed by rolling into side and then pushing up with your arms to minimise using any tummy muscles etc.

[snowydrops]

So I called the Dr this morning who has prescribed codeine to be taken additionally if I feel I need it on top of ibuprofen and paracetamol. I probably won't need it much but found that by the end of the day I am much more sore so possibly will do then.

Midwife has just been to the house. She has now told me I shouldn't be taking ibuprofen and it should only ever be paracetamol it breastfeeding. I find this hard to believe given I've just had major a do surgery but that's what she said. I reminded her that they gave it to me in HOSPITAL and she said it's ok for one or two days but no longer as codeine and ibuprofen go into the milk.

DH was with me and then piped up when she left that she must have a point if it's in the midwifery nice guidelines. So does this mean I should only take paracetamol?? I am in quite a lot of pain if I do anything other than lie or sit still so I can't see how this is going to aid a quick recovery as in the hospital I was td walking and being mobile was crucial.

Any advice??

[andadietcoke]

I took both ibuprofen and paracetamol post ELCS when I was still in hospital and bf DTs and they couldn't/wouldn't give me anything stronger but knew I was bf'ing

[seaoflove]

I was ben unions about that advice.

Can you ring your GP again to double check?

[seaoflove]

Bloody autocorrect!

I would be dubious about that advice.

[SoftSheen]

I had an ELCS 10 weeks ago and was discharged after 24 hrs. I found the pain too much once I got home, so the GP prescribed diclofenac, which worked well. I was/am breastfeeding.

It is not true that you cannot take anything other than paracetamol when breastfeeding. Follow your GP's advice and ignore the midwife.

[snowydrops]

I'm actually quite annoyed because DH is now worrying I shouldn't be taking anything and that makes me feel bad for needing too!!

I will check again with the GP. Can I just ask how long you took the pain killers for? I am on day 3 currently

[meglet]

planned cs about 3 weeks.

EMCS just over 6 weeks.

your gp should be able to prescribe something more heavy duty. They gave me stuff that the midwives refused to.

[PassTheCremeEggs]

You can take ibuprofen when breastfeeding, your midwife is talking nonsense - NHS confirmation here - www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2461.aspx?CategoryID=73&SubCategoryID=107

Codeine is excellent!

[PassTheCremeEggs]

...but don't take codeine for too long, it's highly addictive (think it's 3 days you're meant to limit it to

[TynesideBlonde]

Paracetamol is the only drug you can obtain over the counter if pregnant or bf. Many other drugs are safe for short periods of time with medical advice. If you're taking codine and paracetamol you don't really need ibruprofen. I took all of the above when bf and have recently had to take codine for 2 weeks while pregnant.

[andadietcoke]

snowydrops definitely as long as I was in there (6 nights).

[Purplehonesty]

I had paracetamol and diclofenac for about a week after my sections. Breastfed fine and midwife told me to keep taking them until I felt better

[geekaMaxima]

This is the BfN fact sheet for analgesic drugs and breastfeeding that all midwives and GPs should be aware if but usually aren't.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are fine when bf.

Codeine is okay in limited circumstances but needs caution because different people metabolise it differently so it's hard to predict how much passes through to breast milk. Minimum effective dose for shortest time is the advice.

[HappyAsASandboy]

I would phone the postnatal ward to check what you can have. They give pain relief to postnatal women all day every day and can easily check with your registrar/consultant if necessary.

The Breastfeeding Network also have a Drugs in Breastmilk helpline run by a pharmacist. Their number is on their website, but this is their help sheet for pain relief - www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/analgesics.pdf

Congratulations on your baby :) and good luck with your recovery.

[Izzy24]

Advice from geekaMaxima spot on.

Except the bit about GPs and midwives 'usually' not aware.

Change that to 'sometimes' and include the fact that information can be misunderstood at times of stress and that covers everything!

[CorBlimeyTrousers]

IIRC I came home from hospital (4 days after c/s) with paracetamol and diclofenac. I can't remember how long I took them for. I had the blood thinning injections while in hospital but wasn't considered to need them once home because I was moving around more.

Second the advice to push yourself up from lying down with your arms not your stomach (you'll know you're doing it properly because it will feel hard on your arms!). Don't overdo it.

Hope you recover well and enjoy your baby.

[snowydrops]

Thanks, I've continued with the paracetamol and ibuprofen (taken together) and it's seems effective enough for now so not needed the codeine.

I'm also wearing a c-sec belt now which I think is helping buy trying to still take it easy.

In the night my scar felt really stingy and itchy too. I am guessing this is normal for now. Is there anything I can put on it to help ease the itching? It looks ok (don't think infected) but I've been too cautious to put anything on yet!