C section - essential tips

[Gigondas]

Am likely to have elective c section in 2 weeks if baby doesnt move. What do I need to know about prep or recovery? Or point me in right direction of a thread as know it will have been done before .

Well you will be in for a couple of days,maybe three,so allow for that in terms of bras nighties etc. If you want pjs then make sure they are really long in the body so they don't rub on your scar.Re pants go to Marks and get a a few packs of the waist high cotton jobbies in a size about three up from your pre-preg size.(I bought 16s,I am usually a 10).They stay up and don't rub the stitches.San towels as you will bleed as though you'd had a normal delivery (sounds obv but some people don't realise that).Plenty of snacky things and trash to read when the baby is sleeping and you can't. You won't be up to novels.Decent slippers that are grippy enough for slippy floors and can deal with swollen feet.A dressing gown.
Take arnica afterwards as it will help with healing.Take all the pain meds as they do make it all more bearable and try and move about slowly as soon as the catheter is taken out.(about 24 hours after surgery).You will feel as though your insides will fall out and be clutching your tummy but all will be fine. I didn't have the terrible wind with either section,but it can happen.
When you get home you will miss the hospital bed like mad as it adjusts by a button ,so take getting in and out of yours slowly.Don't do too much too soon,if you get a return of bright red blood when things are slowing then that is a sign you are over-doing it,so take it easier.

Based on my experience:

they will shave the top couple of inches of your lady garden with a dry bic razor if you have not done it yourself.

the theatre staff are brilliant but don't expect to have too much interaction from the surgeons actually doing the op (mine didn't speak to me at all) - the anaesthatists (sorry about spelling) are your friends. There will be at least two if not three of them plus maybe students, plus a midwife. They will be with you for the prep and the spinal block and will sit with you at the head end while the surgery is going on, so I do hope you get the fantastic, affable, reassuring, friendly types that I had.

Recovery:

It is very strange indeed not being able to move your legs for a few hours.

Getting out of bed will be sore and tender and make you wince for a day or two. Just bend over at a 45 degree angle, do not try to stand up straight.

After day 3, recovery is amazingly quick!

All the above, although I found bleeding to be much much less.

When they latch baby on in recovery make sure s/he is on properly. You can't really feel the pain of bad latch because of morphine I was gnawed for 3 hours - still have a bit missing to prove it!

Keep ringing bell. Take tons of carton drinks and easy snacks you can eat almost lying down for first 24 hrs. Ask for bedbath.

Keep up pain meds & keep stocking things on as long as poss. They will likely send you home with injections - not as bad as you think.

Agree re theatre staff. No interaction with surgeons just anaesthetists and mw. They were fab. I bled a lot and they made it so I didn't really twig what was happening. DH fainted!

Get them to lower screen to see baby lifted out and so you can tell sex. Amazing!
They also put DD's face next to mine for immediate skin to skin while they stitched me up etc.

Big knickers (I got 14 and am usually 10) from m&s. M&s also do cheap yoga pants which i wore at first as you won't want any zips or seams anywhere near incision.

Sorry for stream of consciousness! Honestly, it was fine and much better than my prev experience with forceps etc.

Good luck!

Ok then just listen to QTpie then op, as she obviously knows better!

Whatever drugs they offer you take them. Take them every time they are offered. If they ask if you would like something for pain - say yes. When these things start to wear off you will feel it.

Ask for and accept help. Be sure your first week at home consists of lying about with your newborn. Don't push yourself. Take good and kind care of yourself. C-section is major surgery and you will need time to heal.

Take the pain medication! I didn't with DS1 because I didn't want to drug him and oh my god. Took everything they offered and then some with DS2 and it was a completely different and much better experience!

Ask them to drop the screen so you can see your DC being born if you want. The angle and your bump will mean you don't see any gore.

I had a 'natural cesarean' with DS2 and it was magical.

I am on day 6 after having an ELCS and would echo other posters really. I was encouraged to get up about 6/7 hours afterwards (basically once spinal had wore off) and even though it was hard, I am really glad I did. That was the hardest bit really.
I actually took the arnica a few days beforehand too, and also peppermint capsules which I am sure is why I had no wind issues at all.
The actual experience was lovely (compared to previous VB birth) and I had excellent staff too, made a difference. Went home after about 36 hours, but that was a decision I made with the midwife. I was up and about, catheter was out on the previous day, and i felt fine.
So far, I am doing well. Trying to take it easy, no jobs around the house etc. Few twinges at times, but still taking diclofenic and paracetemol which help.
I actually feel much better than i thought I would! Midwife came today and is happy with my recovery.
Oh and also, no issues with feeding, milk came through on day 3 just like with my other chn.
Good luck, it will be fine!!

Thanks all and keep them coming. It is looking 90% like will have one and hadn't really though about it before (dd1 was textbook pregnancy and reasonably straight forward birth). This pregnancy not so much - am perry incapacitated due to pgp so in some ways a c section would be a relief as I don't feel up to a labour.

Also tips on feeding great - I had a nightmare with dd1 so good to hear it is possible.

I also went home after 36 hours.

Bring travel-size things that you can keep by your bedside during the hours you can't move too well -- wipes, tissues, juice boxes, snacks, water.

Some may yell at me for this but: I also brought paracetamol with me and thank god I did. It is really important to keep on top of your pain meds and at my hospital they were rubbish about bringing paracetamol around on time, so I took my own when I was scheduled to.

Overall i thought the recovery was not too bad, certainly not as bad as I feared, and even better than some women I knew who had vaginal births. So try not to worry too much, and good luck!

Big knickers for pads and start taking lactulose as soon as you can coz the pain killers will bung you up good and proper and you just don't need that on top of everything else.

I won't lie and say it was painless, but I manged to get up, changed myself out of the theater gown and into a clean nightie and knickers six hours after the op. I'm sure it helped me get mobile quickly. I even changed DD's clothes as I wasn't impressed with what she was wearing!

I took a shower 10 hours later and I was able to lift my baby in and out of the bassinet immediately as the bed had lift controls and I just used them to help. I got the MW to leave changing stuff for her under the bassinet and I managed to do everything myself without getting up.

Ask for help if you need it, but do try and get mobile - even if it's just a slow stroll to bathroom. In all honesty, it was no where near as bad as I thought it would be - I'd do it again tomorrow and I'm a real wimp. Good luck!

Oh and I agree with QTPie, I was told to stand up straight - no stooping.

Have had 3 c-sections and recovered very well and quickly after all 3 - was discharged the next day after 3rd.

I found that keeping moving helped my recovery but do not over-do it. I bled a lot after my 3rd as had a 19 month old to look after as well and definitely did too much.

Had the shoulder tip pain with 3rd and peppermint helped and also took arnica. And feeding pillow invaluable.

Good luck!

Dont worry about the CS stoop, it comes naturally!

Second all of the above. Pain meds come and go with fashion IME. DD1 (16 years ago) all I got was paracetamol, DS (13 years ago) 'have what you like!', DD2 (12) '?' (flu epidemic so short staffed).

Demand pain relief, you dont get a prize for not having it.

Dont forget the camera. We had some amazing shots as the anaesthetist was a keen photographer.

Dont be surprised if an emergency CS puts you back a bit (we read the paper while we waited!).

If you dont want to see the CS performed dont look into the mirrored lights!

I have had an emergency CS, an elective CS and a 'you have no choice' CS. The middle one was by far the best (I had flu, a chest infection and Bell's palsy for the third!).

A nice, healthy, planned CS is by far the best way of giving birth!

Re feeding- I know people say it is harder because of scar etc but actually I found it absolutely fine, took my feeding pillow with me and used it for the first few times but now it's fine. She is lying here feeding as we speak!!
Also, I was worried about milk coming in later, but mw told me that if you have already had a baby before then it is more likely to be the same time as then, regardless of delivery. Certainly true for me.
Would also say that I am quite wimpish with pain too and yet found it far far better than my previous VB.

A wise MNetter suggested Tena Lady pants and they were fab! Very soft against the scar, could put maternity pads in and then just throw the whole thing away when done. Just one pack for your hospital stay I would suggest.

I echo staying on top of the meds. And take no notice of people telling you how quickly they were up and about. I felt inadequate for struggling with an uphill walk while some of my friends were driving after three weeks and overdid it. With hindsight I should have just stayed put for the full six weeks. It's really not that long although it feels like it.

I was also told to stand up straight as soon as possible but I won't lie, it did hurt. Got easier the more you did it though.

I second the lactulose. I suffered badly with DC1 but had very few problems with DC2 and I'm sure this is why.

Keep the scar as dry as possible to avoid infection. I washed with tea tree oil or salt water, patted dry and in the early weeks even took the hairdryer to it to make sure it was dry. No creams or oils on it for at least six weeks I think is the guidance but you might want to check.

Had no problems lifting the baby or feeding (was also worried about milk coming in late but it was fine). Bending and changing nappies was a bit harder but doable albeit in slow motion.

Best of luck!

i agree with all of the above.dont be afraid to ask for help or think i will just get on with it when i get home.take it easy as you just slow the overall recovery.i found laying and feeding more comfortable with 2nd c sect,although managed ok sit up with feeding pillow with 1st.hope it al goes really well for you

Oh do ask for help changing nappies the first night - the ward helpers were more than happy to do so.

Oh, ditto lactulose or another natural laxative (Movicol is good). I didn't crap for 6 days after having DS by (emergency) c-section and when I finally went it was excruciating. And having a changing table coz bending over is difficult.

The more you can get mobile the better, I see this as a nursing assistant with post-operative patients all the time. HOWEVER, listen to your body. The MWs forced me to get up to have a shower the morning after DS was born, even though I felt very shaky and it was the last thing I wanted to do. I subsequently fainted on the bathroom floor. Once I'd come round the MWs refused to help me up for "health and safety reasons" and it took me 20 agonising minutes to pull myself up to a standing position using a chair (if this happens to you don't take their bullshit, they are obligated to help you and can do it perfectly safely using a hoist and sling).

Also it's important to keep the wound clean. You should be given a bottle of an antiseptic bodywash called Stellisept to take home with you from the hospital (it's standard practice in the NHS Trust where I work/live, anyway) - bath your wound with some of this mixed with warm water and pat it dry with a clean towel. It is ok to touch it as long as you're gentle. I couldn't stand to look at or touch my wound, and it consequently got infected and took a long time to heal - I was still going to my GPs surgery to get it dressed twice a week when DS was 4 months old. If you have any concerns I would recommend seeing the nurse at your GPs practice - they have a lot of experience of caring for wounds, more so than MWs.

Best of luck.

My hospital gave me big net knicks to wear and I asked for a couple more which I just handwashed. Ask your midwife if they have any.

Take some music to listen to.

During the spinal dont be alarmed if your legs get shaky and you start shivering, its just the anaesthetic working.

You will feel rummaging but no pain.

You will be surprised when they show you the baby so quickly. Mine was born within what felt like 10 minutes after the op started.

In recovery you will be drugged up to the eyeballs so best not to phone people if you dont want to be reminded forever after of the crazy nonsense you were spouting.

Ask for a bedbath the day after.

If you have any weeping from the scar tell them. If it continues after a few days ask for antibiotics.

Drink lots of water, take a fan and wipes. Snacks, nappies etc within easy reach.

Ask them to swaddle the baby and keep beside you, saves you lifting in and out of the cot.

Once the catheter is out do some shuffling walking around.

Good luck. My ELCS was the best calmest loveliest birth and recovery far easier than my previous EMCS.

You might not get constipated -- I didn't (cross your fingers!)

Accept that you probably will not sleep that first night and just go with it. The endorphins will keep you going. Get as much rest as you can in the days beforehand.

It does all vary so much.

I didn't get constipated and showered the next day and was fine - had make up on and hair done as well

Oh and I bought cheap big knickers from asda and just chucked them away - not terribly environmentally friendly but as mil was staying and very kindly doing my washing - well . . . .