Are soft-food only diets normal in UK after c-sections?

[feesh]

Because I live in the Middle East and went to visit a friend 27 hours post-c-section at the weekend, and was shocked to discover she was only just being allowed solid food. Is that normal practice? All they'd been giving the poor girl during her 3 days in hospital before and after the section was soup and jelly!

My husband had abdominal surgery at the same hospital for a hernia and was subject to the same policy.

I would've thought that in Britain such restrictions don't apply? In which case I am definitely getting hubby on the case of sneaking in sandwiches, flapjacks and McDonalds and jammie dodgers when I have my c-section in December!

God no! I had mountains of toast the morning after mine!

How very bizarre

No sounds weird!!!

Not at all!

I was starving after mine! I was allowed water straight away, toast after a few hours and a full dinner 8 hours post op (because that was dinner time, rather than having to wait that long).

Well I was offered toast straight after and had a normal diet for the 7 days we ended up staying in hospital for.

I was given a normal meal a couple of hours after which I promptly threw up.

thisonce I can't imagine how much that hurt

Probably something to do with them fiddling around with your bowel I should think, and the fact you can't poo for a few days afterwards. Not sure what the medical reasoning behind it would be, but maybe they think it makes the person less uncomfortable if they have little in their bowel.

Right that settles it, thanks ladies. Husband is going to be under strict instructions to sneak in as much food as humanly possible :)

It is a rather old fashioned management but lots of maternity care in the Middle East is old fashioned or defensive. Paralytic ileus, when your gut goes into spasm after being handled, is a possibility after a CS but the MW's/doctor should be listening for bowel sounds which are a pretty good indication all is well. If your tummy gurgles or you can pass wind then you are good to eat .

I too ate to much and threw up but I was starving and it was 4am. This was after c-section at 12.30am so not immediately afterwards.

The next day I was on food as normal in the hospital, the only exception they made was to bring me meals on a tray while I was laid up in bed. As soon as I could walk I went to the canteen to collect meals like everyone else.

My mum had the condition trafficwarden mentioned aftre having an EMCS with me. She was vomiting pretty violently so they gave her anti-emetics and sedatives to avoid bursting all her stitches. Soundd horrible.

I had an obstruction so was limited to fluids at first, then only "soft" foods, in small portions. I was SO hungry!

I was absolutely ravenous after my planned CS - I'd been nil by mouth for a while waiting for the theatre to be free.

I drank a LOT of water as soon as I was in recovery, ate toast about an hour later, which was the best toast I had ever had.... then that night ate spanish omelette my partner had cooked and brought in, a lot of grapes, some breadsticks, a flapjack and there was some chocolate in there somewhere.

The next day I ordered 3 meals from the hosp trolley and my partner made me some more spanish omelette and brought me more fresh fruit. I was like the hungry caterpillar. I felt totally fine and it all tasted great.

Yes, it was painful! Worse was that it also went all over my newborn DS who I was holding. I was still on recovery with the call buzzer out of reach and had to wait 20 minutes for some help while trying to balance an overflowing cardboard tub of sick in one arm and my soggy newborn in the other. TMI?

When the nurse came back she was annoyed with me I think but after throwing up five more times gave me an anti emetic injection that was like magic!

Moral of story is.... Don't eat hospital mashed potato directly after surgery!

I had EMCS in 2008 and ELCS in 2010 and both were late afternoon and I was only allowed to sip on water afterwards. Definitely no tea and toast allowed! First food was toast and tea for breakfast the following morning and then sandwiches for lunch and tea from the 'light menu' nothing from the main menu 'til day 2. Second time round I was prepared for this and brought in some more supplies to see me through as I was ravenous the first time however I did suffer from paralytic ileus and was readmitted 4 days later in a bad way - still have bowel trouble now :(
I would eat with caution after CS.......

Don't they chaeck for bowel sounds?
Normal in Middle east. My friends husband brought her snacks in when she had a section out there