ecs and preparing everything

[sputnik2]

Hi there,
We were pretty laid back with the preparations for our new arrival and thinking that we have 4 more weeks to go- unfortunately we were told yesterday that our baby is likely to come out in 1-2 weeks time by ecs.

Could you please help?! I'm starting being really nervous...

1. Do I need to pack anything else for the hospital what is not on a 'standard hospital bag list'? Can I wear my own clothes at the hospital, or do I have to wear one of the horrible hospital gowns (I mean before and after the procedure of course)?

1. I'm washing all baby clothes, muslin squares, blankets, baby mats, soft toys, comforters, grobags etc- do I have to wash the cot bumper as well if it's brand new from the packaging?

1. Would you desinfect a brand new baby bed, or just wash it with a mild detergent? Do I do the same with a tummy tub/baby bath?

1. The buggy is ordered but it will not arrive before 1st week of October- will I be able to carry the baby around in a babybjorn after a c-section?!

Sputnik

Can I ask why they want to do a section and how many weeks PG you will be then?

You can wear your own clothes, not sure what they would require you to wear during the actually section, though. I presume anything as long as they can get to your tum!

You could put the cot bumper through the wash but it's not absolutely necessary. Don't worry about disinfecting the baby bath, just wash it in soapy water. What do you mean by the baby bed? It would be impossible to make everything free of germs and in fact you do need your baby to be exposed to the normal environment so don't worry about everything being scrupulously clean.

You won't be able to do any heavy lifting for a few weeks after the section - best to just sit on the sofa, rest, sleep and feed your baby . Have you already bought the BabyBjorn? Other slings are better for the baby's back when newborn - eg Moby wrap, they support the soft bones unlike more structured carriers like BabyBjorn.

Hey Sputnik, firstly not sure about the wearing the hospital gown but you might have to for hygiene reasons but you can certainly change after with nurses help, although you might be so worn out and excited about the little one that it won't really matter so much.

1. You're free to wash the cot bumper if you like, I didn't, but the point is it's your baby and your feelings that count so go with your gut, there are no set rules.

3.You can use a mild detergent that's maybe eco friendly so less nasties for the baby bed and the same with the tub - just rinse thoroughly so there's no residual.

1. You are advised to not do any lifting,driving or anything strenuous for about 8weeks so I suspect you won't be able to carry baby in sling for a while. You won't be going anywhere in a hurry anyway, as you'll be at home recovering so don't think you'll need it before the buggy arrives.

Lastly,you are going to be fine - stay calm. Be clean but don't go into obsessive mode and spend last week relaxing. Hope I've helped a little and all goes well, God bless you and your new arrival!!

Baby in breach and cannot be turned :(
I meant a baby cot, we decided against a moses basket in the end. We have a BB and a wrap (on loan from a friend of mine), I will try to use the wrap first and them move to BB.

I changed into the hospital gown about an hour before my elcs and changed into my own nightie sometime after the birth...I can't actually remember when, I was too busy looking at my dd . Maybe a few hours later.

You may need a few more changes of nighties/pyjamas/clothes than if you were in for a vb as you will prob be in for a few days and it's nice to have fresh clothes. I recommend dark coloured/black nighties and pjs, it can be a bit messy after the birth.

I used a Baby Bjorn a few weeks after the birth, only for short periods of time though, mainly used pram or drove places. I didn't get on with a sling at all but some people love them.

Try not to worry, my elcs was a lovely calm experience, I was just looking at photos of me and dh beaming at her 5 mins after delivery.

With both of my cs's they got me back into my own nightie about 8 hours after the ops. The first few hours were spent on the high dependancy ward while I was still numb and hooked up to a catheter & drip. TBH as they want to get you going as quickly as possible (not a good thing IME) they'll probably change you and give you a little bed bath to perk you up.

I never washed or wiped a single thing for either of my dc's, not the clothes, cot anything. It never occured to me.

Do you have a changing table or a cot top changer. You will probably find it hard to get on the floor to change a nappy for a week or so, my cot top changer was the best thing I splurged on second time round.

I really wouldn't carry a baby in a sling after a cs. Even if you feel ok you won't be healed up internally.

The more you rest after the op the better you will recover and the less chance there is of doing any damage to the wound.

FWIW my ELCS was great, theatre staff talked me through all the tubes and machines as they prepped me and the midwife held my hand until my then DP came in with his scrubs on. It was a much easier recovery than my EMCS, I just made sure I did bugger all for a couple of weeks. You'll be fine .

You can give the cot a wipe down with hot soapy water too- but not absolutely necessary.

Good luck with the birth

Hiya,

I had a ELCS 10 days ago. You will need to wear a hospital gown for the operation but the midwives helped me change back into my nightie really soon afterwards (can't remember how soon maybe a couple of hours).

I took my baby out in the Moby after 8 days and again today (10 days). I didn't think anything of it tbh as you are told that you can't lift anything heavier than your baby for a while so I didn't see it as any different from carrying the baby?

Have been resting as much as poss apart from my 2 outings though!

Good luck. I hope you have a good experience. And please ask if you have any other questions - it is all very fresh in my mind still!

If you're having a section make sure you have big granny pants packed so the elastic doesn't sit on your scar. You will have to wear support stockings before and after the operation so you might want to bear that in mind when choosing which of your own clothes to pack. I would also pack a pair of flip flops. They are good for walking down to surgery in and I also wore mine in the shower.

You don't have to wait 8 weeks to drive, my insurance company was happy if my doctor was happy and they were fine with me driving if I could do an emergency stop. I drove two weeks after having my first. If you take it fairly easy the recovery should be fine - I've had two sections and recovered quickly from both.

I didn't wash anything so can't help there.