Can I please have any tips you have for a good elective C section?!

[Babynumber2dueNov]

Hi All,

After much research and soul searching (having wanted a natural hypnobirthing birth) we have had to book an elective c section. I had a bad/traumatic birth with my DD which resulted in massive blood loss and a nasty tear which is why we’ve booked in for the end of the week.
Any tips on healing or things that took you by surprise or things you wish you’d known about c sections? I’m quite scared but understand it’s the least risky option for me! Thanks!

Take regular pain relief and rest as much as possible for two weeks. Those who do more early on take longer to recover.

Buy some big pants, some pads for your pants and pads for your nips, and some moisturising hand soap. Get up as soon as possible after the op and walk upright. Don't lift anything other than baby for the first few weeks. Make sure when you come downstairs in the morning someone has carried down all the bits you'll need for the day and that everything gets taken back upstairs again when you go to bed in the evening. Make sure you have some tv series set up on Netflix ready for you to watch - you're going to be up a lot, day and night. Keep on top of meds (usually paracetamol and ibruprofen) - take them before you need them. When in hospital ask for oromorph. It's good.

I've had two sections - second one was elective - and I've recovered quickly both times. I wouldn't say I'd like to have another, but it's not as bad as people say.

Good luck!

I had an emergency section for my first and my second in April/ march will be elective. Also interested to know any specific elective tips.
After my emergency section I was really grateful for any baggy trousers that sat on my waist and knickers at least 2 sizes too big.
Good luck x

I had an elective c section and an honestly say that for me it was great! Be prepared that you will need help positioning the baby if breast feeding and aim for skin to skin ASAP. I had 3 days in hospital then went home. You will find standing hard, I found walking easier than standing still! Keep on top of pain relief and have plenty of meals prepared in the freezer. I didn't think to do this and we had far too many takeaways in the first month! Despite needing antibiotics for a wound infection I healed quickly. Just rest whenever you can but I would go for the same again if only I could get pregnant again! Good luck

Get some windeze. Lots and lots of windeze.

Never miss your paracetamol dose. Take something stronger if you feel you need it.

Keep a cushion in bed to hold against the scar when you need to sit up during the night. I actually slept sitting up against pillows because sitting up from a lying position was extremely sore and uncomfortable.

Get more windeze 😁

Not elective but emergency.

I moved as quickly as I could (discharged the next day) and really felt that helped with the healing process. But I also listened to my body and stopped and rested when I needed to.

Never forget to take your pain meds before bed - you will wake up in pain in the middle of the night.

Buy the biggest knickers you can find, there is nothing worse than the band of your knickers rubbing against the scar. Also wear maternity leggings or a dress for same reasons.

Good luck!

Take in a really comfy pillow, I took in a big square one to rest behind me as I was most comfortable sitting up with that:

Keep on top of pain relief.

Don't push yourself too much too soon but equally try not to stay still for too long.

Every time I sneezed after I thought I was going to die - make sure you hold your tummy if you do sneeze.

Video it : )

Yes loads!
Walk to the Operating Theatre, make sure you have your phone / camera ready and ask if you can take a photo when you baby comes out, don't be afraid to say if you can even feel the slightest sensation when they check the anaesthetic has worked, don't be rushed into anything post birth e.g. breastfeeding, do it in your own time. Drink loads and loads of water and have something non nauseous to eat (for me this was sweet oatcakes.)

Keep taking your painkillers, have baggy and comfy clothes for after. Move around slowly and do not attempt to wash your hair however much you want to.

I had traumatic labour and c section with dc1 and then an elective with dc2 that is one of the loveliest memories I have.

Ask your hospital if they do the enhanced recovery process, means you should be out within 24 hours.

Be prepared for a wait on the day, I was bottom of the list and didn't get taken down until 3.30pm. It was pretty torturous tbh!

I was up and about 12 hours later, went for a shower etc. The sooner you can get up and about the better.

Keep on top of your pain meds once home and absolutely do not over do it. I didn't lift my toddler for the first 6 weeks just in case

I found the first week pretty tough if I'm really honest but I literally woke up on the 7th day and felt much better.

Make sure you sit up and swivel on your bum so your feet are on the floor to get out of bed. If your bed is particularly high, get a step (a potty training one is pretty good!)

I second the bed prep, I couldn't safely get in and out for about 2 weeks, we have an unusually low bed. I had to sleep sitting up. It makes a Time when you're already sleep deprived worse. Make sure you have plenty of pillows.

Line up adequate support, Asin, DH to help carry stuff. I found a changing table wasn't optional.

Keep on top of pain meds, do not get fobbed off with paracetamol, it's major surgery and my recovery was far harder than I or DH had expected. Possibly because of a v bad infection that developed after, I had ran out of pain meds then a week after was crying in pain because I couldn't move much, it was agony, it was about 11pm at night and I seriously thought we'd have to go into a&e. Managed to grit my teeth to get through it until the morning where I got wound cleaning, pain meds, seaweed wrapping and stuff to sort out the infection - I almost got readmitted but there was some umming and ahing about which area it fell under... Just discharged from midwife care so technically not postnatal but the csection complications needed to take into account our days old baby. Not very well organized. Make sure you know who has care of you if you need pain meds or infection help 5-15 days after when midwives mayno longer be responsible for you!!

Peppermint oil capsules were a godsend for trapped wind (can be in ribs of shoulder, just to explain if you have weird pain).
Get partner to pack bag so they know where everything is and get them to leave out everything you need before going home at night.
You need to drink a lot after so get a big flask with the straw so you can drink lying down.
Get up and moving as soon as epidural wears off, it really does help.
Everything swells up, especially legs and feet (massively for me), drinking plenty water helps, I also ended up taking water balance tablets after they still hadn’t gone down after 9 days. Eat plenty fibre before and after csec, it’s difficult and a little scary when you first go. I had no pain or problems though.
I raised the hospital bed to highest setting to change babies nappy (on bed pads just in case accident), was much easier than trying to bend at all.
If you plan on breastfeeding then speak to midwife about if you need to harvest milk. Breast milk doesn’t always come in straight away with csec. No one advised me of that and I couldn’t feed my baby.
Keep moving about a little but it is a major operation you are having and you will be in pain so you need to rest loads too, get plenty of help for after if possible.
I found it easier to make a pillow nest and sleep sitting up for about 3 weeks - I couldn’t get up off bed otherwise.

Also see if your hospital does physio consulting as part of the post surgery care. My 30min with a physio on the day after the op was critical for safe recovery.

A friend didn't get hers because it was forgotten, she has extremely bad abdominal muscles separation now and I suspect (haven't told her this) that it was probably prevented in me because I was taught how to handle myself during recovery better. I'm not saying it was unavoidable but I was aghast at how effective some of the physio advice was e.g. safely getting on and off the toilet, in and out of bed etc

I had a c section 6 weeks ago and can honestly say I worried for nothing and had the best experience. On my 2 year old DS I had a 36 hour completely natural birth which resulted in emergency surgery immediately(no skin to skin, gone 5 hours etc) I then had two follow up ops at 6 and 9 months. Anyway I was not allowed go for a vaginal delivery on this baby.

The whole experience was fantastic!!!
The recovery too. Two things I did that really helped was I stayed on top of the medication. Do not let them wear off. I can’t stress this enough. My two sisters had drummed this into me(3 sections between them) If you let them wear off this is when you will feel pain and they do take a while to kick back in. I was off all pain meds by day 5.

Walk as soon as you can. This really is key. My DD was born at 2pm. They normally leave you to the next morning but my Cather was not working proper and they wanted to take it out and put back in. I asked if we could just take it out. She said I would have to walk first. I agreed. She was really surprised. By 10pm I had the Cather and drip out and was up and walking. She even helped me shower. It made such a difference.

I can honestly say I had zero problems with my recovery. So remember stay on top of meds and walk ASAP.

Best of luck and enjoy your little one.

Had two elective sections was lovely. Walked down to theatre was out after one night in hospital.
Big pillows pads and pants you buy a heated belt thing off amazon keeps scar covered and warm. I don't drive so no advice there but I was very mobile. Be prepared for the wait I was second down 1.30ish both times.

Some good advice here. I’ve had two sections, one elective, one near-emergency.

Don’t underestimate how much that rummaging in your tummy can disturb your digestion! Peppermint oil capsules and prune juice or even fybogel were great for me, I wish I’d known about that the first time around.

Take painkillers regularly, even if you feel ok. Don’t over do it, but also try for really regular little walks around. For my second section, she was delivered at lunchtime, I had my catheter out about 6/7pm ( I had to keep asking as I wanted it out as soon as possible), showered by 8pm. I then made sure I got up and went to the toilet a few times in the night to keep moving. It was hard, of course, but worth it. I was home within 24 hours. BF both after sections without problems.

As someone else said, you won’t be able to get to your bag very easily- I had two big toiletry bags on my pull-over table with everything I needed for the stay; phone, toiletries, snacks. There wasn’t anywhere in the shower i.e. a shelf to put shower gel, shampoo etc & you won’t be able to bend down for it - take a bottle of old school shower gel with a hanging handle. Nightie, not pyjamas to begin with. Very high waisted underwear, leggings etc. Put nappies, wipes, spare clothes etc in the little shelf under the cot and pull it up as close to the bed as you can. With the bed head raised and the cot close, I could manage to reach and pick her up myself in the night (just!).

Avoid bumpy roads and speed humps on the way home! Take all the help you get offered and enjoy the delivery, both of mine were fab, theatre staff brilliant.

Ooh check your car insurance if driving! Mine said I wasn't insured until a doctor sign off that I was fit to drive after, same as all surgery. So, not insured until the 6 weeks post birth check at the GP. Not that I was up to driving but the point is I wouldn't have been covered if in an accident.each insurance company has different policies apparently,mine was E Sure.

I had a fantastic ELCS! Pain was very manageable and I basically took the same painkillers I do for period cramps (Solpadeine and/or Nurofen). The pain does peak when standing up so you have to grit your teeth a bit when showering or going to the loo.

One thing that I totally underestimated was food. You might have to stay in hospital for 2-3 days and might be awake all night if breastfeeding. Be sure to have someone bring you enough snacks, sandwiches or takeout to last the entire night. Despite all my preparations (granny panties, peppermint oil, even brought my own modem to create a hotspot faster than hospital wifi), I ended up starving in the middle of night and had no idea what to do.

Many people mention digestive problems but that wasn't actually that bad for me. Maybe because I had absolutely terrible pregnancy constipation that anything else was an improvement. TMI but the first poo after c-section was one of the best in my life! Without a 6 pound baby pressing on my bowels it felt like everything was finally working again.

You may need to give yourself blood thinning injections for a week afterwards. Use an ice pack to numb the area thoroughly and inject very slowly which makes it virtually painless.

If you’re in a house have a nappy changing station with spare clothes for you and baby upstairs and downstairs.

Expect breastfeeding to be more difficult.

Don’t even think about carrying a car seat.

Take music if your choice in for the operation. I didn’t and my son was born to the news 😂

Big pants - I bought super stretchy ones.

I didn’t bleed much, an always night pad was fine.

Rest loads in the first week and you will heal much quicker. I didn’t do this for my first and recovery took longer. Second time I was in hospital with my son for a week so I was on enforced rest. By the time I left hospital I felt great.

Milk can take a big longer to come in. My son needed formula top ups in the first few days.

My elective section was massively positive. Calm, quick with a smooth recovery with no after effects.

I had an elective with DD2. Much more control than the emergency with DD1. I got to choose the music in theatre, if I felt sick/light headed at all the anaesthetist gave me some great stuff into the cannula and it went away within seconds.
I got skin to skin as soon as DD2 had been checked over. (She was not impressed - that glare she gave me!) They did offer to lower the screen so I could see DD2 being born - I refused! DH peered round though!
DD1 was due in that evening - the midwife took out the catheter and helped me have a shower so I looked normal when she came in. I was wandering around although with the stooped shuffle 5 hours after the op.
Lots of liquid and fibre to make those first toilet visits much easier!
Lots of air to the scar to avoid infection - if you think it has got infected head to your GP/midwife straight away.
Depending on your medical history you may need clexane injections - I didn’t realise this and I needed them.
Made sure everything was in reach to change DD, drinks and snacks before DH left the ward - he went back to DD1.
Take all the painkillers - I was given a suppository in theatre - it was really effective!

Agree with pp about trapped wind, I found that more painful than the actual c section! Peppermint tea fixed that up.

I had my c section two weeks ago, felt good at day 3, so stupidly cut back on pain meds and regretted it!! Keep on top of them!

Not sure if they’ll be available where you are, but I bought some SRC recovery shorts and they’ve been invaluable!! Expensive but provided support and have made it easier to get around. Feels like it holds everything in.

Try to get out of bed by rolling onto your side and then pushing up with your arms and swinging your legs out. Avoid using abs/core as much as possible, too painful!

Some sort of corset e.g. Belly Bandit post partum - really helps with lack of core stability. If you have a recliner sofa/armchair, DON'T recline unless there is someone in the house to help you up!

Massive pants. Take something to do in case you have to wait beforehand (I was meant to have my c-section at 1pm on the 2nd but was starved from midnight just in case there was a cancellation. I finally went down to theatre at 9am on the 3rd!)

Pack a just in case bag with extra nappies, clothes (for you and baby), pads, food etc so your partner can just bring it in if you end up staying longer than necessary. I do that with every hospital admission now, we've had a few day surgeries with the dc that have unexpectedly ended up as overnight stays.

Keep ahead of the pain by taking your pain relief regularly.
Get some big pants and high wasted loose trousers
Take it easy. Take it slow. For 6 Weeks. Don’t lift anything bigger than your baby.
I found I was more comfortable sleeping sitting up at a bit of an incline. Getting up after lying prone was very painful. Dh had to help me out of bed. Getting up from a half sitting position was much easier.

Big big big pants and lots of fibre Take all the pain relief they prescribe too, don't be a hero like I tried to be. And don't try and roll over in bed when there's no-one else in the house to roll you back when you get stuck halfway...

Also, and it's ridiculous thinking back, no-one told/showed me how to clean and wash the scar/wound area. I ended up with a couple of infections after unwittingly leaving it damp after showering. So ask for all the advice/help/tips you can get from the hospital with keeping it clean and dry.

(If it helps, I used to get DH to lift the belly and dry under it with the hairdryer on a cool setting. Worked a treat but certainly had to swallow my pride!)

I had such a good experience to be honest, despite it being an emergency section. Good luck and congratulations xx