silly elcs questions......

[NameOfTheNick]

So I'm booked in for an elcs on friday, and I have some silly questions that forgot to.ask the consultant last week, so mumsnet to the rescue hopefully!

1. So I understand the reasons for having a catheter for urine, what happens to number 2s whilst still numb from spinal? Do you not poo at all, does it just come out and has to be cleaned up? told you there was silly questions!

1. Do you get pins and needles when the feeling starts coming back in you legs etc?

1. How long does the numbness last for after the section has been done?

1. Has anyone managed to have skin to skin straight away in theatre when baby has been born, I gather from the midwifes response that this isn't the norm in our hospital.

If you can throw any answers my way I would be really really grateful!

1 - hmmm, not sure - don't think I pooed (didn't smell anything and don't recall being cleaned up) - try to go just before your section??

2 - Yip - tingles and pins and needles - I was advised to try to point my toes / rotate ankles asap to help the feeling come back.

3 - In our hospital they get you up and washed after 4 hours. Feeling was back by then but I found it very wobbly / hard to push myself up etc for at least 5 hours

4 - My baby was 5 weeks early and had to be taken straight to scbu. He was placed briefly on my chest (swaddled) before being taken though so imagine with a 'normal' baby you could have skin to skin??

Good luck! A few tips:

• Try to walk tall asap after your section - a bit sore but really helped my recovery according to my consultant!
• Pack dried fruit / fruit juice - the first poo is hard work after a section / iron tablets!
• If you're a shorty consider taking a toddler step / asking for one in the hospital. I'm 5'2'' and struggled getting on and off the bed even when it was lowered

(Reads intently as due to have elcs in 6 weeks....) :)

I ended up with an EMSC so answers may still be relevant.

I was on iron so no need for the loo!

Didn't get pins n needles as feeling came back in my legs

Numbness. Do you mean from where you are cut open?! 8 weeks later I still am and I know people that still feel numb 3-4 month later!

Skin to skin i can't answer. I had to have a general. But according to my husband who asked the mw I did buy just for a few seconds

1. Not really sure, didn't really care
2. No pins and needles that i remember
3. A few hours for bodily numbness, a few months till no numbness around the scar
4. I had the curtain dropped when she was born and straight up for skin to skin.

A couple of other things i found:

1. i felt quite sick after the spinal was wearing off, but they gave me anti sickness pills which worked well - don't be afraid to ask for these
2. take all pain meds offered
3. when you go for a shower (usually 24hrs after) take someone in with you as the heat can make you feel woozy
4. Ask MW to swaddle baby so you can pick them out of the cot easily with the 'handle' of the swaddle
5. Take arnica before and after - it will help with the bruising and swelling

Good luck with it all, i'm sure it will all be fine - both my CS's were lovely experiences, despite the first being emergency rather than elective

After DD had been checked out I had skin to skin, put her down my gown with her little hat on & we went back to the ward like that.

I can't recollect pins and needles just the hideous itching which seemed to last for hours but in reality probably didn't.

It Was a positive experience for me.

Good luck!

I had a EMCS in the middle of the night so my circumstances are a little bit different but thought they might help.

1. I didn't do a poo until after I had got home - so at least 48 hrs after c-section - the anaesthetic and lying around will slow up your system. Dried fruit is your friend!

1. Yup pins and needles

1. Can't remember but I do remember the tried to get me out of bed about 12 hours post c-section and I was very woozy so went back to bed for another few hours. That may have been more to do with lack of sleep as I didn't get to the ward until 4am. I was up and about within 18 hours

1. dd was swaddled and placed next to me after her apgar test. I couldn't see her as I am long sighted and she was too close.

Please don't take arnica without discussing it with your doctor first - This is really really important. Arnica is a blood thinner, which means you could bleed more and they could have problems stopping you bleeding during surgery. This happened to someone I know, and the situation was pretty hairy. It's a powerful drug, even though it's herbal!! Generally, blood thinners prior to any surgery are a really bad idea.

Good luck with your ELCS, mine's later in the year so I'm paying close attention to people's responses!

Hiya, I had an ELCS on April 19th and found it to be a wonderful, happy and peaceful birth. I was nervous on the day, but the (NHS) team were FANTASTIC ^in answer to your questions:

1. I was really concerned about being constipated afterwards. I didn't 'go' until 3 days after the section, and all was fine. I made sure that I ate well - including adding a piece of fruit to every meal, and snacking on dried fruit in-between. Ask for liquid Lactulose. It's great for softening stools so that they come out easily. And, try to walk around as soon as you can. It may only be to hobble to the baby at first, but i starte to move around pretty quickly after.

2. I didn't get pins and needles. I was amazed that I was indeed, numb, an so kept testing myself and willing my legs to move (Which I couldn't, of course ...) My feet kind of twitched at first, then movement came back 'up' from there.

3. I started twitching my feet about 2 hours later. Complete feeling had returned 5/6 hours later.

4. Baby was delivered, I got to have a peek over the screen. She was then taken to be wrapped in a blanket, apgar count, etc, then handed back to Me^ a couple of minutes later. She was placed under my theatre gown (I'd kept my right arm out so that this could be done) and she was put directly onto my skin and to my breast straight away (and was covered by her blanket to keep her warm).

I loved my ELCS. I hope that you enjoy your baby's birth on Friday Good luck! Xx

That should have been Really should preview messages before I post them ...

1. I had to do a poo before I left hospital, apprently . Both times I did it after the ctaheter wasout, probably within about 36-48 hours.

1. I got mental pins and needles with first section, none at all with second, just gradual feeling coming back.

1. I was tanked up on painkillers both times, so never had any pain, really. It was tender and a bit twingey, and that whole area was what I would describe as 'weak' for weeks and weeks, but never had any pain.

1. I had skin-to-skin straight away, then whisked away in my eye line to be checked over, then back on me for skin-to-skin, then wheeled alongside me to recovery, where had hours and hours of lovely skin-to-skin cuddles.

Oh, yes, I agree with Talkgiraffe about arnica! I was going to take it after the birth, but as OB said that it was taking longer than usual for my blood to clot (most likely down to my diet. I'm a pescsterian (veggie who eats fish) and quite health conscious), I thought that I'd be asking for trouble if I took something that thinned by blood further.

Quite glad I didn't start taking if before. Yet, I've read many posts on gets from women who swear by it. I guess it would be okay if you don't have any clotting issues x

Type-o's aplenty there. I'm blaming this stoopid iPhone. Hope that post made sense!

I had no idea about the arnica, i took after post c-section, that must have contributed to my pph.

I had an emcs and the one thing I wish I had been warned about was the terrible wind afterwards!
It was so bad that the woman in the next bed could hear my guts rumbling away and I couldn't control it at all.

Peppermint water helped significantly but it was so embarrassing!

I managed to have skin to skin with ds straight away in theatre and breastfed it may not be the norm in your hospital but if you include it in your birth plan as I did your wish may well be granted .

2 ELCS both generally good....

1. I was worried about this but never an issue. On the wee front I found it really hard to go the first time and didn't go enough iyswim so it really hurt afterwards as my bladder was so full . The second time I was aware of this and REALLY pushed even when I felt my bladder was empty-this worked really well! Second the fruit etc to ensure no constipation-you don't want that.

1. Yes, pins and needles first time had mental shakes too that lasted for about 4-5 hours and second time mad itching (no shakes). I mentioned this and they gave me something for it. I would say if you feel anything unusual, like this, tell them and they can usually give you something-I had god awful sickness the second time too and this was sorted out by an IV anti sickness shot.

1. Delivered both DDs mid afternoon and was up about 6am the next day. Numbness around scar lasted about 9 months for DD1, DD2 still numb after a month. Not a problem though.

1. Had skin to skin straight away with both and bf after about an hour. Ask for this. As someone else said remember to leave the top of the back of your gown open to allow this. Alternatively you can get something called a Gownie which is a hospital gown that has a flap at the front for this purpose- from the pretty company. Might be worth just checking with your hospital that you can use your own gown. I did and it was fine, but they'd never been asked before so I'm glad I did to stop me fretting if I could on the day!

Another thing I would say is make sure you tell them if you feel "funny" at any stage during the birth- they can adjust your meds so you feel ok- I did this the second time (as I didn't realise the 1st time) and it means I can remember the birth and felt fine throughout.

Good luck!