Taking a 12 day old baby on holiday ?

[Jencottage]

Desperate to get away as feel like I've been exhausted all third trimester, have a 8 year old daughter who would love a holiday, hubby coming along too. I've found an amazing deal in Sardinia, 7 nights at half term, full board and kids club for the 9 year old and golf for hubby. Me and baby could be on the beach all day chilling ! It's a 3.5 hour flight, shall I book it or is baby too young ? What would you do ?!?

I was in hospital for a month after my c section.

Definitely not.
A very young baby on a hot beach? Really? How will that ever be relaxing?
What if things don't go to plan? I think I would give it a good few weeks after - like book after the baby is born and you are all more settled.

I wouldn't do it especially with that airline; not the most reliable and prone to delays and with such a young infant and limited safety net around you. You have the future to have memorable holidays and fun together.

Good luck.

No. You need to stay at home and get used to having a baby, and feeding a baby. It’s exhausting! I was in agony for about a week after c-section, and took 6 weeks to heal - pretty standard. I was told not to go up the stairs too much the first few weeks, not to left anything heavier than baby. It is MADNESS for you to think of unnecessary travel so soon. Yiu’ll Have enough to occupy you trust me!

You will struggle to get travel insurance if you are only 12 days post c section. I’ve had 2 c sections and I wouldn’t have been able to go on holiday so soon. Could you book something for the summer holidays and then you have it to look forward to.

I was still in hospital until 15d post section.
Said baby is now 11wks old and hasbeen so unsettled last few days due to the heat being hot bothered and not wanting to do anything but nurse in a cool darkened room.

Throw in new born cluster feeding and it soundslike actual hell on earth as an holiday. Thats before look at the risks.

I had a c section and both myself and ds where treated for strep Which I caught in hospital baby was in intensive care and I was in hospital bed for a week; my birthing plan natural birth went out the window. I would not plan a flight and the thought of getting sand near a c scar makes me feel ill not to mention breast feeding or sterilising if using a bottle: you will have midwife and health visitor appts when you get home, I would delay the trip until baby is older

Sorry to be a real party pooper as totally understand that you really want this holiday more than anything but I don’t think any Dr would sign you off as safe to fly 12 days post c section due to your increased risk of thrombosis. Also unfortunately due to the position of the wound infections and poor wound healing are common. Taking a small baby and other dd away probably all well and good but dealing with your own health post c section as well may not work out to be the holiday you’d hoped for. Hope all goes well with your little one

Have a baby-moon in BED! Those early days are so precious and so fleeting. I had the easiest births but still just wanted to rest and enjoy my baby at home (not in the heat without home comforts). Even more so second time around.

What if your baby is poor at feeding/doesn’t gain weight, you have complications or are very uncomfortable. Baby won’t have had vaccinations (therefore prone to all the nasties in the plane). How good would the medical support be if you needed help?

New baby+c-section wound+sand=potential problems

Sorry, but it sounds madness.

Get your dh to take your daughter away if you must.

But I’d rather have him home looking after me and taking the older one out for trips in between.

Very unwise to even consider being able to fly so soon after surgery - you won’t get insurance.
But mostly no matter how much you feel you need a break it’s not worth risking the health of your newborn by taking an unimmunised baby on a plane.

We have a place there and if you book a little in advance there are always good deals so I wouldn't just jump. May/June or Sept/Oct are fantastic times to go still good weather and the crowds and heat of July and Aug are avoided. By all means give yourself a break but maybe wait a month or two. As it happens we took our daughter in Aug (born in March) and had a great time although we did avoid the hottest time of the day (say 12 to 4)

I'd book something for the future so you have it to look forward to rather than just going. I was an utter wreck at 12 days.

I remember when pregnant 'planning' going away for New Years somewhere a four hour car journey away. Baby was due mid December but yeh it would be fine
As it happened he came a week early but by new year I'd still only left the house for an hour here and there and felt utterly disoriented and overwhelmed
I can almost guarantee you won't feel up to it

If your baby gets ill for some reason that early on in Sardinia it will be really stressful. I am quite hung go and was out and about 2 weeks after my C section in London but I wouldn’t have booked a holiday abroad so soon. I think it sounds like a bit of a hair brained scheme to be honest.

Ha ha - gung ho! Not hung go.

Plus with my middle child I had pre eclampsia after birth and was in hospital ten days after having him

I've not had a C-Section but would be very wary of travelling so soon after major surgery, plus reluctant to expose a newborn to a germ filled environment like a plane.

This being said, I do think the assumption that all women are zombies after giving birth is unfair. My DS is 12 weeks old, so this isn't me looking back through rose-tinted spectacles brought about with time either. I had a vaginal delivery but was induced, had an episiotomy so a fuck load of stitches, DS was slightly premature etc. so not totally straightforward. But I'd also had a shit pregnancy and I felt a million times better once I'd had DS and I was very lucky and healed well. We were in hospital for a week as he was a 35 weeker, but I was up and about quite happily within a few days and once we were home was walking the dogs, meeting friends, all sorts. I appreciate I'm lucky, but you can't say all women are like zombies after giving birth. I would have been more than capable of going on a relaxed holiday at 12 days post-partum. I'm just an anxious person so wouldn't have done, nothing physical would have prevented me, though. Whatever happens you're going to go through the cluster feeding and difficulties of having a newborn no matter where you are.

No no no no!

Each to their own but I wouldn’t! You’d be exhausted and it wouldn’t be relaxing

My mother travelled with me to Spain when I was 18 days old, to visit my Grandmother and again when I was a little over 6 weeks. She said it was fine. Then again she hadn’t just had a c section?

I think it all depends on what you can cope and manage with. Kids club means you and your partner could just enjoy the day with the new baby but I don’t think it’s a good idea for the baby to be on the beach like another poster has said?

@Jencottage
I know some mothers just need or want to get out but....
Your older child is almost 9.Your body is not 9 years younger,so in all honesty you have no idea how your recovery will be.
I wish you lots of luck in whatever you decide