C-Section Must-Haves / Hospital Bag

[PoppyAmex]

So after 37 weeks of Hypnotherapy, NCT classes and spending a fortune in things for my hospital bag, I now have a scheduled c-section which renders most of my bag irrelevant (think magicool sprays, lactulose, tea tree oil for stitches, labour snacks etc.)

I've done very little research on c-sections and have no idea what to pack now - any suggestions would be brilliant! What do I really need, please?

You'll want snacks on the post natal ward believe me. And big knickers.

Sports bottle to drink from.

I had an ELCS and loved having magicool spray on the ward afterwards!

Tea tree oil is good for your bath at home as you're 100% going to have stitches/wound following your section, and lactulose is a good idea as you really, really won't want to "push" anything hard after a caesarean.

I would say that a nightie is essential and not pyjama bottoms as you're likely to have a catheter in for about 24 hours, which you won't want to feed down your pyjama leg!

Best of luck :)

I loved my 100% cotton size 18 knickers (normally size 12) . I lived in large trackies that rode over my scar. A flannel and wipes could also be useful as you might be finding it hard to wash yourself in the first few days.

I looked sexy in those days

Your hypnotherapy won't necessarily be wasted - any relaxation/breathing techniques you have learnt to help you focus and relax you can still use to help you through any moments you find stressful. This is a serious point - obvs anything you have learnt that is totally specific to a VB won't be applicable, but staying relaxed and calm makes any birth experience better.

Tips for bag - peppermint oil capsules, in case you get trapped wind. Take them as per instructions without waiting for trapped wind pain. You can get them in Boots or Holland and Barrett.

A large refillable water bottle with a sports style cap (i.e one you that means you can drink one handed and leave lying on your bed next to you without it leaking). If you have to call a MW everytime you want a drink of water, you'll end up getting dehydrated. And they only seem to give you a tiny cup of water anyway.

Very big pants - you want the waistband sitting on your belly button. Or above! You want them to be clear of the scar.

A big v shaped cushion. John Lewis do a fab one for twenty quid. Going from lying down to sitting up is tricky straight after a CS - all of those position changes are - but a big fat V shaped cushion keeps you beautifully propped up.

I bet lots of things you've packed for a hospital VB will be relevant, too. Lip balm, flip flops, food - you will still have lips, feet and a stomach after a CS as well as a VB!

I meant to add, you may want a couple of pairs of 'roll top' waistband yoga trousers for going home in and your first week or so with your scar. Sainsbury's ones are about a tenner and are lovely and soft, they sit reeeeally high up on the waist if you unroll them and won't irritate your stitches. I bought my normal size and they fit well before and after the birth

I took my own pillow, lovely to have a wee bit of home in a ward. Also please please pack some earplugs. The lady in the bed next to me spent 3 days speaking on her phone and then she snored all night. Flip Flops and Lip Balm, hand cream are a must. Changer for your phone, ipad etc.

Don't put anything on your stitches until it has healed, or at least it's had a few weeks to 'recover'. I had a large plaster on for about 24 plus hours and then removed it in order to 'breath'.

My HUGE pants were from M&S...night towels / pads are better imo than normal period pads.

Get a wax, I had an emcs and the MW dry shave me...ingrown hairs not much fun.

Arnica! I couldn't believe the bruising. From my belly button down to the tops of my thighs was a solid band of purple. I suspect I might have been an extreme case though.

Big second vote for the the arnica. that and peppermint tea and take dried fruit to help with wind. The arnica helps very much I am convinced. Recovery was super fast. I just had surgery for another reason altogether, did not do any peppermint and omg was it gas hell. Fingers crossed for you.

Everything everyone else said but take snacks in your handbag. I went in at 8am (nil by mouth since midnight) and didn't have my cs until 5.30pm. By the time I got to the ward, I'd missed dinner so didn't eat for over 24 hours. Not nice

Boots used to do (hopefully still do) an inflatable c-shaped cushion which fits easily into your bag and is great for propping the baby on while you feed so it's away from your scar.

Giant pads - you will still bleed a lot (you probably already knew that but I didn't

Open backed slippers which are easy to get on and off without bending.

These are all great, thanks.

I feel really stupid for having spent so much time researching and preparing for natural birth and not even contemplating the possibility of a c-section, so am trying to cram information in now.

Big knickers that come up waaaaaay above your scar.

I wore lycra shorts on the ward as it was so damn hot.

A sandwich (you can get your name sticker from your notes); the nurses can put it in the fridge. I was ravenous after my CSs.

Lots of magazines, chocolate.

Do get up and moving as soon as your spinal wears off. Get someone to obviously stand with you. You'll be up and about and in the shower as normal the next day. You'll feel like you automatically want to walk bent over, but do stand up straight.

Make sure the anaesthetist gives you rectal Diclofenac after the CS.

Poppy, if I have one bit of advice it would be to cram information about the baby! I had a c-section and spent ages reading everything I could about that, and to be completely honest got so hung up on the birth I almost forgot there'd be a little new human being completely dependent on me to know what to do with them at the end of it all. If I could go back in time I would really read up on breastfeeding (if that's what you intend to do I recommend La Leche League's 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - so wish I'd had that in my hospital bag as dd had problems feeding, though we did work it out in the end), and I would have packed more than 3 vests and 3 sleep suits...! I packed a ton of stuff for me for the hospital but hardly used any of it, most of my stuff had to go in a cupboard that was at floor level and I had room to keep a bottle of water, a snack or two and a book on the shelf next to the bed. Hope it all goes well and enjoy your new baby

PoppyAmex - NCT classes are great for lots of reasons, but they don't really spend much time on CSections! I found This Page really useful for explaining it all.

I haven't had mine yet, but I'm also taking simple puzzle books because I figure DH and I will be hanging around for a while waiting! I've also divided up my bags into 'pre-birth' in case I have to go in early and for the morning and 'post birth' (and 'baby'). Someone recommended towels for the shower and a nightie/PJs that are easy to open up for breastfeeding (seeing as we're going to spending a while in them!).

Most of the things you have packed for your vaginal birth will still apply for a caesarean birth. You will be in hospital for several days so and stuck in bed for the first 12 hours so it will be highly relevant.

There is a great book www.csections.org/?p=41 that has a complete list of all the things you would need for a caesarean birth from face flannels to maternity pads to headphones. It has lots of information in general including how to prepare your home, yourself and your family for a caesarean birth.

Good luck

Brilliant stuff, thanks!

Following up on your suggestions, I'm now reading as much as possible about breastfeeding in the c-section context.

I took travel Scrabble but tbh I was too much like a cat on hot bricks to concentrate. It's like waiting for the only bus you can get but you don't know when you're going to get there. Some people may of course be able to reach a zen-like state of meditation.

Oh FFS I don't know why, but that has just reminded me - shave off the top of your pubes otherwise they do them in the hospital with a dry bic.

Remove nail varnish, both nails and toes.

Things to pass the time/entertain. I assume you are having an elcs, you may have to go in very early, but you may not be first on the list, you could get bumped for emergency procedures.

Certainly take snacks/drinks, most hospitals will have a patient kitchen, with a fridge/freezer, microwave, toaster etc, you can leave things in the fridge, sandwiches, fruit or even ice cream/ice cubes for drinks. The ward I worked in always had a stash of salads/sandwiches/yoghurt's for ladies that had missed meals, but you can't count on it.

Pillows very useful, they are usually in short supply on post natal wards.

Mp3 player essential, I would use this to block out noise rather than earplugs, more likely to hear your baby. Post natal wards are hellishly noisy unless you have the good fortune to be put in a side room.

I would 100% read up on breastfeeding, watch latching videos on youtube or wherever. The advice given in hospitals can be abysmal. The breastfeeding advisor I had with ds2 was useless (I actually used to work with her on the ward), she half heartedly tried to latch him on, then wandered off saying he wasn't hungry , the other bfa was a mentalist and was really quite rough with the babies. Bf is the same whether cs or vb.

Money for the TV thingy (if you don't have a 3g ipad, or laptop with dongle )

Good luck and congratulations.

Take your own mug. You will be in hospital for at least 2 nights, and the freebie plastic cups that are next to most coffee machines in the ward are tiny and heat up.

It will be difficult for you to bend after a CS. At home, preprae a changing 'station' at waist height, with all of the things you will need to change the baby to hand at that height eg mat, towel, nappies, wipes, nappy sacks/bucket/whatever, change of clothes, water, cotton wool. I changed our baby on the dining table downstairs and on our chest of drawers upstairs for the first few weeks. This time round, I have bought a £25 changing table from Ikea.

Ask for whatever painkillers you need at hospital and to take home. Don't wit to be offered. Keep on top of your pain.

When you're back on the ward, get your biorth partner to unpack your bag with whatever you will need and put it so that it is accessible to you from your position on the bed.

Good luck. I did NCT classes last time, and was completely unprepared for a CS afterwards (mine was an emergency one). Turns out that 6 out of the 8 women on my NCT course ended up with CS. None of us had a clue.

I had an orange every day while in hospital. With all the excitement, you probably won't be having your five a day and it's such a relief to have one less thing to worry about (I know it probably sounds crazy now!).