Your top new mummy tips...

[zebedeetwinkle]

Don’t know if this is the right place to post but here it is anyway

After two miscarriages and one baby lost shortly after birth (hospital negligence) i am 9 months pregnant and scheduled for a c section tomorrow! And only now I’m terrified!
After trying for so so long (almost 2 years since our angel baby was born, and two miscarriages in the past year) I’m so so scared of doing something wrong! It’s our miracle baby and I want to do everything perfectly even though I know it’s unrealistic!

What are your top tips for c section and new mummyness? 😀😀😀😀

No c section advice but absolutely make a nest on the sofa/bed. Have pillows galore, keep snacks and drinks on standby at all times.

Also, I had a little plastic basket by the side of the sofa and the bed filled with nappies, creams, vest etc. So I never had to get up to change the baby.

Those first few weeks, get some rest! Keep everything you need in arms reach.

Good luck!

Eat lots of fruit in the days following your section. The pain meds (take everything they offer, don't be brave) have a tendency to bind you up. You want to keep everything nice and soft until your wound heals.

If someone says, if you need anything doing sure just let me know. Have a list ready for them. Run the hoover round, do the dishes, hold to baby while you have a shower etc.

Enjoy your baba and good luck

Defiantly ask for lactulose. I asked for 2 days and only got it when being discharged. Before that I was crying in pain and I'm sure it was the wind/poo which made my stomach feel worse than labour!

Don't try and do too much in that first week. I felt pretty good and insisted on going to shop, out for walks etc then suffered big time in the evenings in pain! This time round I will take it easy more.
Take all pain meds on offer!
Have a drink nearby at all times, especially if / when breastfeeding.
Accept help.
Congratulations OP! So exciting. I can still remember those first few weeks of having a baby. It's so overwhelming but those quiet times when you're sitting staring at your sleeping newborn in your arms are magical!

Oh also in case anyone hasn't warned you- a few days in you might feel extremely emotional and cry at any given moment about nothing at all. Don't worry it will pass!!!

My two top tips:

1. Tie an old bed sheet to the foot of the bed and use it to pull yourself to a seated position for a week or two after your section

1. Dry shampoo

All the best for tomorrow

Take all the help you are offered and ask for help. I still ask for help constantly and DD is 15 months old!

Post section you will have the most awful wind. I farted like a buffalo the day after mine and I was so uncomfortable. Peppermint helps.

I've had 3 sections, 1 emergency, 2 planned and it was fine. The first 2 days are the worse, but it's surprising how fast you heal considering what your body has been through.

Congratulations! Enjoy your newborn, you will be fine. I remember coming round and seeing my firstborn (after a looong labour and ES) it was wonderful. I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. I was awake for my next two and that was a beautiful experience too, being present. Oooh I'm getting excited for you, remembering!!

Really happy for you! Enjoy, rest, congratulations!

Remember that ‘perfect’ is negotiable!
Trying to move post c section is a literal pain. Do what you have to do and no more.

Enjoy snuggling that baby, time passes quickly so if you need to cosleep, hold baby etc just do. They grow out if that so quickly!

If baby screams in the evenings it may be due to being over tired, so what you can to get them to take regular naps.

Read the gentle sleep book- god for understanding what to expect and how to help baby.

Good luck and enjoy!

1. Take all pain meds. You don't want them to wear off and find out how sore you are!

1. Make all nappy changes your partner's job. Carrying the baby around, bending etc will be tricky for you at first. Daddy doing the changes saves you the exertion, gives you a break (esp if you're BFing) to go to the loo, eat etc, and ensures he gets time with the baby to bond.

1. If you're BFing, the first few days (and more importantly nights) are likely to be tough as the baby cluster feeds to bring in your milk. If in doubt, shove a boob in it!

1. Have lots of snacking food in the house, especially fruit and dried fruit to stop you getting constipated.

I absolutely loved my EMCS, it felt like everything was under control, the hospital took excellent care of all of us who had had sections, and I recovered quicker than I thought I would.

The very best of luck

Don’t - seriously - aim for perfection. It is the path to misery. Perfection doesn’t exist. You will definitely do things wrong from time to time. Stay on mumsnet for reassurance when you (like all the rest of us) let it roll off the bed!

Expect to feel shock, awe, exhaustion, confusion, anxiety, and more love than you know what to do with. Take it one hour at a time, accept help, let the house be a mess, get some good boxsets lined up. Lastly, I mean this kindly, your baby doesn’t know it’s a miracle baby - let it just be a baby (and then toddler/child etc!) Good luck and congratulations!

Definitely accept help and also allow the baby's dad to do the nappies and bath etc for the first week or so. I know some people might find that hard, that you're missing out but there will be a million more and it's nice for them too. I always remember that my now ex did DS's first bath and thought it was great he had sort of 'ownership' a bit more than he might otherwise have done.

For you.. A thermal mug so tea stays hot longer and lots of things put within arms reach. Keep. Up the pain meds even if you feel OK for the time the drs recommend. Congrats and good luck x

C section advice - get the midwife to tell you timings for your pain medication and set alarms on your phone. Make a pillow fort for sitting/sleeping it's honestly the only way to get comfortable. Get up and active ASAP as walking is the only way to make sure you don't seize up!! Also a large refillable water bottle with sports cap constantly to hand!!

New Mummy tips just enjoy your baby I'm sure it will be so special for you after waiting so long. Don't put pressure on yourself for bonding/feeding etc these things are unpredictable and can take time so don't feel guilty if you don't succeed straight away!

Best tip ever: I read that babies need time to themselves without background noise so they can think their baby thoughts cause they can't filter out noise. I made a point of doing dd down in her moses basket awake at times and not getting her out straight away when she woke and let her gurgle for a bit until she started to squeak for attention. The unintended side effect of this was that when she woke in the night she would happily gurgle away to herself for ages and would fall asleep again. If she wasn't sleepy at night, she would wave her hands about and be happy for hours. Sometimes she didn't go to sleep straight away and could spend as long as 3 hours talking to herself and then went to sleep.

Putting dd in her basket!