How best to support daughter and baby after a caesarean

[WillThingsEverBeFergaliciousAgain]

If you had a c section and needed support to recover can I ask what was helpful, what pissed you off, what could whoever was staying with you in hospital have done better, what was needed after and any other advice you could give me please.

Im going to be a granny in a few months and I'm the only support person around.

I've never had a section before and I have zero experience of supporting someone after one and I am very cautious about not doing too much, taking over, or generally being annoying afterwards.

I already plan to get my baby set up all comfy with her baby and then disappear off out for an hour at a time from hospital, and make sure that they are comfy and resting at home while I get on with cleaning, cooking, washing etc.

Any advice, experience or anything else is much appreciated. I can imagine it would be quite claustrophobic needing someone around 24/7 in those early days but we dont have a lot of choice unfortunately.

I think I had to wear the post-surgery stockings for 2 weeks after, so having a spare pair to wear whilst the others are being washed is helpful.

From memory, I had to have blood thinning injections for about 10 days post surgery. Both are precautions to avoid developing a blood clot and I think it’s fairly standard. They show you how to do it before you’re discharged - they’re very easy to do. But yep, she’ll definitely need some support.

I had 3 sections. My advice would be to keep her topped up with pain meds, keep them regular. It's easy to think you're doing great until you forget a dose!
Encourage her to keep moving. You can seize up and then it gets really painful to get moving again. It feels like you want to just wallow in bed or on the sofa but that hinders recovery.
Keep topping up her drinks and make sure she's hydrated. You sweat a lot and it's easy to get constipated especially if she needs iron supplements and that hurts. Straining when your stomach muscles are trying to knit back together isn't fun!
And yes a lovely fresh bedding set for when she comes home is a really nice thing to do.

You sound like a really lovely, thoughtful mum op. Your daughter is lucky to have you.

First things first make her eat a high good protein diet before and after the op this will ensure great healing

Because they send you home with the injections and medical staff don’t visit you to do them.

It is exciting OP - and you sound excited.

I am glad you can share this time with her.

In the hospital - don’t leave her alone unless she tells you too. It’s a very lonely place and I didn’t want to be on my own at all. Also the effects of surgery made me unwell and I kept dropping off with baby on me so having someone there made me feel safe.

At home - don’t ask, just do. Having extra mental load of telling someone what to do is infuriating. Do the dishes, put a wash on, put the laundry away etc.
Make easy meals than can be heated up, buy lots of snacks in so she doesn’t have to go to the shops.

Don't do what my mum did which was pop round to 'help', insist I get out the house for a walk with DH, then say as soon as we were back 'Didn't you hear her start to cry as you left?!' in a cross tone before handing her back.

We had literally been round the block (as far as I could go after the section) and baby had been fed/winded/changed right before I left. That walk was the first time I'd been out in the sunshine and fresh air in ten days due to complications post birth and we were gone about 7 minutes.

Don't do that and you'll be grand