Tips for c section/ afterwards

[Kri5ty]

As the title suggests does anyone have any tips?

Im 31 weeks, due to have elective.

im starting to freeze left over meals for afterwards (for my toddler as well as us)

id love it if anyone has tips, ie clothes to wear afterwards that don't irritate scar, are the c section belts you can buy any good? Etc etc

[MarEl]

The only tips that I have is don't wear leggings with a waistband and if you wear dresses, only wear the body shaping tights. You don't want anything to move about and irritate you. For some reason, lying on my side really hurt after unless I put a pillow between my legs.

I wasn't very mobile immediately after my caesarean, but my sister had a caesarean with her girls and after a week got on her bike exercise machine thing and it really hurt her. So, if you're a fitness freak, just keep to the running machine thingy. x

[WorriedMouse]

I had an elective just over 4 months ago and it was fabulous. So much more relaxed than my previous birth. I wasn't in too much pain from the wound (it's uncomfortable but not unbearable) but I was in excruciating pain from trapped wind in my shoulder and ribs for a few days. Peppermint cordial can help so have some of that in.

I found the worst time to be first thing in the morning so if you have a helpful partner ask them to bring you breakfast in bed with your painkillers and stay there til they start to work.

I didn't use a belt but if I felt my trousers to be rubbing I stuck a maternity pad on the outside of my oversized pants to give an extra layer or protection.

Good luck!

[Pixielady83]

In recovery from an emcs here, 1 week in. My top tip would be that if you have an exuberant toddler around it is worth keeping a breastfeeding pillow or pillow on your lap at all times to protect you from inevitable toddler dive bombing. DD is 3 and has been generally very good but has forgotten on occasion to be careful with me. Also don't push yourself too hard too soon, and maybe have family and friends lined up to come and play with your toddler or better still take them out to tire them out in the first couple of weeks. Finally, keep on top of the painkillers. Good luck!

[Possiblyorange]

Do as little as humanly possible for as long as possible! I know the hospital will get you up and moving, and walking to the loo and back and a bit of toddling round is great, but I attribute my v v easy and painless c-section recovery to really listening to the consultant who told me to take it easy and really really not lift anything apart from the baby. I roped in my mum, sister and MIL to help out with DC1 once DH was back at work, and basically sat on my arse for 4 weeks. Which meant I was completely healed by 6 weeks and was able to get back into reasonably intensive exercise with no problems at that stage. Everyone I know who has pushed things on driving/lifting just a bit sooner than recommended has had some scar healing issue. Anecdotal, not evidence based, obvs

[iloveaglassofwine]

Take some peppermint teabags to hospital with them and have a cup of p-mint tea 2 or 3 times a day. It helps with painful trapped wind that you sometimes get when they open you up.

Take it as easy as possible and do less than you think you are able to.

Try to air your wound as much as possible.

Take painkillers when you are offered them (I tried cutting back too early and bloody knew about it).

My elcs was a nice experience and all was calm and under control. Good luck!

[bubblegoose]

I would recommend drinking lots of water and eating fibrous foods to get things moving, as soon as you can. Where I am doctors prescribe laxatives after a c section for this reason. Pooing and even weeing can be painful.

[Writerwannabe83]

I've got my CS this Friday so will be watching this thread with interest.

I've been told to buy huge pants and stick to wearing my maternity leggings as both will pull high up my stomach as opposed to having anything rubbing on my scar.

I definitely intend to do as little as possible

[BikeRunSki]

Shower gel/shampoo with a hook
Water bottle with sports cap do you can drink lying down
Sling for baby (you'll be advised not to push a pram for 6 weeks, so a sling that puts the weight on your back is invaluable)
On line supermarket account!
Amazon Prime a/c for everything else (this may be overkill, but we are rural )
Lipsalve (cs mums tend to be kept in a few days and I found that the warm maternity ward really dried me out)
Over bump bottoms and big pants - under bump = on the scar
Dried fruit and liquorice to ease the first poo.

[BikeRunSki]

Shoes you can slip on without leaning down. Crocs are ideal!

[MoreSkyThanWeNeed]

Don't freak out and cry if your dressing looks like your guts are falling out! After a week in hospital and no mirrors (and big belly), I looked in the full length mirror at home and almost died when it was all brown and looked like a huge open wound. Turns out it was brown gel stuff they put on to aid healing. Phew!

All the best OP.

[ashtrayheart]

Dry your c section area with a hair dryer after you bath/shower. I've had 4 sections. Good luck!

[Peacenquiet2]

Just had one last tue and i repeat everything worriedmouse says word for word. If someone had told me trapped wind in chest/back/ shoulders was possible and could hurt so much prior to my section i would have laughed at them! I was given oramorph for the wind pain but the section pain was nothing by comparrison!
Big knickers help snug up the wound nicely afterwards, and also keep as mobile as posible from the start. Ile be one wk post op tomorrow and have had no choice as have two dcs at home and im able to cook,light clean, dress the dcs etc, just not over doing it.
Mornings are worst when you have stiffened up so have pain killers on bedside table to take before rising if possible (ive not had the luxury).
Honestly i have found having a section no big problem (except the wind pain) and so long as you have realistic expectations you will be fine.

[smorticus]

A pillow will be your new best friend. Sneezing, coughing, hiccups etc can all hurt quite a lot at first. I found hugging said pillow to my stomach really helped.
Take everything really slowly, it takes more out of you than you realise. You may feel like a walk to the shops is fine but you will tire and get sore a lot quicker than you realise.
Let other people cook, make drinks, clean etc
Wear loose fitting trousers and big Bridget jones style knickers to avoid pressing on your scar!

[Strongecoffeeismydrug]

I agree take peppermint tea bags for the trapped wind.
My shoulder hurt more after both my c sections than my scar ever did.

[BakingBunty]

I found getting out of our (very low) bed impossible for the first week so had to sleep on the sofa! Luckily very comfy.
I second what everyone else has said about keeping on top of the painkillers.
I did find that my milk took a while to come in (5 days) but I have no idea whether that was down to the C-section or not.
Hope all goes really smoothly.

[Kri5ty]

Thanks for the tips! Peppermint tea is on my list, and I'll keep hold of my over bump leggings! Dreading afterwards as we have no family to help and OH isn't the best! I know the house will be filthy (and stress me out) until i can clean it!

[Suzietwo]

Ashtray!! How happy were they to let you have 4?? I'm due my third in May and suspect I'll want just onnnnneee more....

[ashtrayheart]

I asked on the table with my 4th whether I could go a fifth (the drugs I think) and they said no reason why not. It all depends on the scar tissue etc I think and the risks supposedly increase with each pregnancy, but my 4th was easier than my 3rd and I have a very neat scar apparently - I've not seen it in a while due to belly size

[Mrswellyboot]

If I have another c section I will be taking colpermin in with me
Extra panadol (I didn't get enough at night only six hourly and had afterpains)
I will buy one of those chippy things (grabbers) for getting picking up stuff
Stock up on microwave rice for handy dinners with your batch cooked meals
Large knickers - in cream as black ones left lots of difficult to remove fluff
Afterwards I just wore the big maternity jeans and large pjs

[FarToGo]

Another vote for peppermint tea.
Big knickers, I bought some quite expensive c section knickers from mothercare but in the heat of last summer they didn't irritate or rub at all. Also you can get similar size pants from primark, the seam free ones are good and a fraction of the cost.

[LavenderFox]

Stock up on trapped wind medication (Rennie etc) because it can be really bad. Do not allow yourself to become constipated, prune juice and the lot are worth having just in case. As soon as the pain settles (in about three days or so) stop taking your codeine-based painkillers and swap them for regular paracetamol because codeine can cause the most hideous constipation and trapped wind if you are not used to it (and most people aren't). Incidentally morphine is one of the worst things to have for trapped wind pains because it paralyses the gut even more and makes it even harder for the gas to escape. Paracetamol and ibuprofen combined should be sufficient for pain control after the first few days, and doesn't harm breastfeeding so take them religiously every 4 hours as prescribed and don't allow the pain to get on top of you.