Hi @Animallover87
Skipped over most of the posts as I can see it went into the usual breast vs bottle, vaginal vs c-section debate, but wanted to actually answer because I saw your post and could have written it myself.
I gave birth to my beautiful baby in May via elective c-section and she was straight to formula (except for colostrum that I had harvested for her for her first few feeds, plus a couple of times on the boob after her delivery).
My c-section recovery was super smooth even to the point of the midwife doing my 5 day check saying she hadn’t seen such a well healing scar by day 5. I was out walking (very slowly!) for a loop around the street at day 6, going to a baby sensory class where I was able to sit on the floor (with my partner to help me back up!) at day 11. And while I appreciate that the experience is much different for others, particularly those who end up with an ECS, I feel being 100% the birth of my choice meant I was mentally prepared for it and the recovery, and this helped me through.
Some of my top tips are to keep on top of your pain medication. Don’t wait for pain to kick in before taking it as once you’re in a lot of pain it’s much harder to come back from it, so stay “topped up” as it were. Prioritise this with reminders/alarms if necessary.
Stay mobile. Don’t push yourself too far by any means, only lifting the weight of your baby etc. but DO go and make a cup of tea, DO get up and hobble to the toilet. Push your chin into your chest when getting yourself up. My midwife told me this and I don’t know how it works but it really takes a lot of the pressure off your tummy/scar.
Let your partner do the nappy changes in the early days as bending over or having to stretch or twist might be too difficult for your wound.
Regarding formula, if you’ve made your choice then stick to it. I nearly let people try to sway me or make me feel less of a mum for not trying to breast feed. Two months down the line I clearly see formula was 100% the right choice for me and my baby, who is absolutely thriving. The best thing for your baby and it’s development is a mum that is happy. Like yours, my partner is a very hands-on dad who takes very good care of us by cooking, cleaning etc. and he loves being able to feed her as it’s his chance to bond with her too and takes pressure off of me.
Use ready to feed formula in those early days and probably continue to during the night if you don’t like getting up to make bottles. The perfect prep has been a godsend but be warned it can make formula very frothy and this caused some reflux with mine. Try sterilising a spoon to use to take off the foam on top, or swirl/stir rather than shake the formula when making it. I’ve also found that for the cool water the machine adds at the end I tilt the bottle slightly (like pouring a beer) and this prevents a lot of the foam.
Mam bottles are great, but I also have a NUBY UV steriliser. It sterilises in 3 minutes, you can do more at a time than microwaving, and you don’t need to wait for them to cool down. Mam are definitely handy though for when you’re away from home or for anyone who might babysit. Even my technophobe mum can manage them and I don’t have to bring a steriliser to her house when I visit.
Final top tip is trust your instincts and don’t let well meaning people make you feel bad about your choices, particularly in those vulnerable, hormonal first few weeks. I wasted a lot of time feeling substandard for electing a c-section, but out of 8 women in my NCT class, 4 ended up with a c-section and 2 had incredibly traumatic vaginal births with long lasting complications/recoveries. It’s your baby, it’s your body and it’s your choice so don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself.
Good luck OP!