Preparing for elective c-section...seeking practical tips

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I've googled this a bit and most of the information is advice about medical recovery. I'd love to hear weird tips and practical solutions to make life easy after my c section.

We live in a property with stairs, the kitchen and living room are downstairs and the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. We have a 9 year old and 11 year old from previous relationships who spend time with their other parents. We also have a dog. I have a supportive DH, who is due to start a new job at around the time I give birth so we are unsure as yet how much time off he will get. I have my mum and my PIL who live half hour and hour away respectively. They can help I'm sure.

I assume I will have to base myself upstairs for the first couple of weeks, so that I don't have to climb stairs to use the toilet. We have a small fridge we will put in our bedroom for snacks. Perhaps I can bring the kettle and tea bags upstairs too!

I have organised all school drop offs and pick ups for dc during that time...have paid for a TA to do this

Currently training dc to prepare all school stuff the night before...uniform, lunches, homework. Maybe give them each a set of keys so I don't have to go downstairs to let them in

I guess I will have to arrange a dog walker...any thoughts on this? Could ask mum or PIL to help

Big pants or some of those post c section bands things

Should I co sleep with baby, or a moses basket by the bed?

Am I thinking along the right lines? I really want to make life as easy as possible. Am I missing anything really obvious or not so obvious?

I think you'll be surprised at how mobile you'll be. I was quite happily up and about, going for walks etc three days after first section. We had an upstairs flat and I don't remember stairs being too much of a problem. Second time round, we had a toddler and only upstairs bathroom and again stairs weren't a problem. I found the most uncomfortable thing was laughing.
Only advice is big pants and pop a sanitary/maternity pad in the front of them to cushion the scar. Also peppermint is good for the post-section wind - either tea or I had some peppermint cordial which was lovely but probably tricky to get hold of. Also as it's elective you could be waiting in the 'queue' for hours so take a book/magazine.

wow thank you, maybe I am making recovery a bigger thing in my head than it needs to be!

I am in my 40s so worry about my body not being what it used to be. Also I hate faff so want to keep that to an absolute minimum!

Thanks for the tips.

I was home 24 hours after my c sec and could manage the stairs by then. I wouldn’t be worrying about basing yourself upstairs.

I found the first week the most difficult. Getting into and out of bed were tricky but I could manage it.

In contrast to the PP I wasn’t up for a walk 3 days after. It took a good week before I could do anything like that.

Honestly I was way mobile enough not to worry about stairs from coming home from the hospital. I was a bit careful getting out of bed but that was it. We went for a walk to the park with the buggy on day 2. I was really surprised but it was really not a situation where I had to plan to be bedbound.

You just can’t tell.

First section, ds was in scbu for two weeks. I stayed with him and just had to walk the length of the hospital multiple times a day.
It was hell on earth the first two days but I had no choice but to manage.

Second section, In hospital for two nights, breezed through. It was great. No pain, short walks at 5 days and back to doing a mile round trip school run at 2 and a half weeks.

My section last summer, my baby was born at 9:30pm and I was sent home at 10am next day.

For four weeks after, if someone had have handed me a gun, I would have shot myself. No infections, but the pain was immense all that time, even on strong painkillers round the clock. I had to stay in the bedroom. I physically couldn’t make the stairs for three weeks. Just getting up from the bed for the first two weeks was hell.

So three elective sections, all so different pain wise.

Big BIG pants. Any pants that sit on or near your scar will not be want you want at all! I didn’t buy disposables, just high waisted cotton M&S in a size up.

Get some peppermint capsules (Holland and Barrett) and tea. The trapped wind after a csection can be excruciatingly painful. I suffered after both of mine.

If you're hoping to breastfeed then a decent breastfeeding pillow. Trying to find a comfy position can be hard and this will help.

Something you can easily carry from one room to another that you can bung all your stuff in I.e. phone, nipple cream, bottle of drink, muslin etc.

For the first day or two you'll feel like you've been run over, but by day 5 to 6 you'll see a big improvement. That said, don't overdo it too soon.

I was 38. CS late on Friday with spinal block and epidural mixed. Home lunch on Wednesday. I spent most evenings at the hospital walking the halls. Fed dc then my dm and I went shopping for baby clothes. I drove (auto) and walked around Target for 20 minutes or so then came home. Dd was in the bassinet in her own room after the first night.

However, I was down to Panadol after 48 hours but advised by the mid that there were others after 4 days still pumping morphine.

Just decide where you are going to feed and get the most comfy chair you can find set up there with a table beside it for water, book etc.

I had an emergency section and had no issues going up and down stairs at home. The one thing I did find useful was a changing station set up on top of our dresser as it was just the right height so I didn't have to bend over. I wouldn't have been able to get down on the floor or bend over something to change.

And yes to big pants - DH got sent out to buy some as the ones I had were too low-rise and were sitting right on my scar!

The only reason I coped with the last recovery was dh working from home. Dc went back to school the day his paternity leave was over, but it was fine as he could still do school runs and then just worked from the bedroom and waited on me hand and foot as and when needed, thank christ.

I don’t know what I would have done if hw had to go back to the office after two weeks, it would have been hell!

I was up and about as soon as I was allowed... make sure you take pain relief for a few days and have lots of pillows for when your sitting on the sofa. I remember my DH pulling me off the sofa because I couldn't use my core muscles to get up after lying on it.
Don't put necessities in high places!!
I got some big high wasted knickers 3 sizes too big for me and they were the comfiest things EVER!
I also think it's a bit of a taboo subject but no really really talks about their first bowel movement after a c section. Have lots of fibre to keep things moving 😉

Take your painkillers on the four hour time. Set an alarm. The only time the pain got too much was when I was late taking them. Keeping to a schedule kept things very manageable.

Noting everything, thank you.

Now to see if we can rearrange the furniture so I can fit a bf chair in the bedroom. Even if I'm fine going up and down the stairs...I hate them at the best of times and would love to have a good set up jn the bedroom anyway

Also...any tips on the dog? He will only be 10 months when baby is born so still a pup who can get excited, although has a lovely nature, I don't want to leave them alone (another reason I want to stay upstairs so I can keep a closer eye)

I've had two. As pp have all said you will be fine with stairs just don't lift anything heavy or do any reaching high up etc.

Both of mine were different pain wise, none at all with the first and really quite painful with the second.

Does your dog jump up? That could be an issue, maybe hold a pillow in front of your scar if that is the case. Def don't leave alone with the baby, close them in another room if too excited and introduce to baby on a lead the first time (with lots of treats and praise etc.) so that they can be pulled back if needed.

Get a six foot charger cable for your phone. Take it to the hospital. Have one downstairs and upstairs in your house. Basically, whenever you sit down, plug your phone in. Nothing worse than a baby finally nodding off on you and you're on 4% battery!

Excellent advice on the dog and the charger !

Take a dressing gown for while you're waiting around in a hospital gown and to put on top of you after surgery. I forgot mine and my body temp was very low after surgery.

Plastic bag on passenger seat of car for journey home so you can easily twist to the side to get out the car.

Get your husband to bring up a wheelchair to help you leave the hospital. I am convinced the long walk out the hospital and to the car is what made my first night at home so painful.

We get prescribed dihydrocodeine at my hospital and it gave me awful constipation. This time I am mainly going to eat vegetables and have a few prunes with each meal, and after the first day of no poo I will start of stool softeners too.

My first section was with second baby, and that was a lockdown baby. I can't wait for the next one (January) when we hopefully won't be in lockdown and can have help with childcare!

Hope yours goes well 🙂

Oh I also took some extra pillows for the hospital. One for between my knees and one I use for breastfeeding. And my nice memory foam pillow for under my head. I usually sleep on my side so the hospital one came in handy to sort of cuddle and have up against my face so I could feel just a little like I was sleeping on my side. I did struggle the first week or so, only being able to sleep flat on my back...

You're right to sort things out in advance, but you might surprise yourself. I had my CS on Tuesday morning, was walking around by dinner time, went home on Thursday morning -- and took the tube. Our flat was on the raised ground floor, so steps were inevitable.

The one thing I found very painful was getting up from a low chair/bed I would have given years off my life for one of those 'tip you gently to a standing position' chairs aimed at old people and stepping over something raised -- unfortunately, as our only shower was an over-bath model, I couldn't shower for a while.

Other than that, just keep up with your painkillers.

Good idea on pillows...I will be bringing my own pillow for sure!! Will I have to sleep on my back after the section? It kills my back when I lie like that for too long

Plastic bag on car seat is genius!

All really good points.

I was fine with stairs, didn't have any issues with trapped wind and was in the park with the baby in a sling after a few days. It was turning over in bed and getting in and out of it that really got me, partner had to pass the baby for feeding as I couldn't lean over to pick up or turn to feed lying down. He had to drag me to the edge of the bed so I could swing my legs out to get up more than once too. No real advice on this I'm afraid other than having someone else in the house if you want to lie down! I took pillows downstairs and set myself up on the sofa for most of the first couple of days, it got easier fairly quickly.

think I will avoid setting up downstairs on the sofa for a while because of the dog and also the stairs

Good to hear lots of you didn't have such a tough recovery x

One thing about an elective - my milk took longer to come in than for a natural birth so to keep an eye on hydration in the baby (assuming you plan to breastfeed of course but if not ignore me!).
I would recommend you take a water bottle or two with you as the hospital will be boiling and trying to pour a cup of water is both a pain in the arse with a catheter in and a recipe for getting wet.

I was up and about the next day and had literally no pain, a slight pulling feeling if I moved too far or too fast but beyond that none. Good luck!

Beware the swelling! For about a week after my section my legs/feet were so swollen that only one pair of shoes I owned actually fit!

Also, your situation is slightly more difficult because your dog is still basically a puppy, but I'd strongly recommend doing (safe) introductions as soon as possible once you bring baby home. If you keep them apart, you're far more likely to inadvertently create a bit of a "them" and "me" situation, which could provoke a jealous reaction from your dog. What you want is for them to see the baby and learn their sounds, cries, etc so it all just becomes a new normal for them and nothing to be afraid/jealous of.