Sister had EMCS under G&A this morning...

[curiousgeorgie]

The baby's heartbeat was lost and they had to get him out quickly, so G&A, Father kept out, and she had a boy! (Sob Sob!)

The thing is, she was not prepared for having a c section... Very sure and adamant she wanted an all natural labour, hadn't found out the sex, and didn't prepare by buying anything she might need.

I had a c section two years ago and can only remember straws being my friend!

Can anyone help me with a list of stuff she's going to need that I can take in for her today??

I expect she had stronger stuff than gas and air for a CS!

Biiiiiig pants that go over her scar

Please tell her to take lactulose religiously while she is having pain relief because it constipates you horribly - this bit of advice is, I promise, the best thing you could give her.

Basically lots of treats, lots of (gentle) hugs. A couple of 'boy' sleepsuits - I didn't know sex of dd but as soon as she was born I wanted her in girly gorgeousness (not pink I may add!)

Congratulations Aunty Georgie

The same happened to me for the same reason, i think it is not in hospital she is going to need the support (even though ask her if She fancies anything) it is back home when the midwives are gone and the bed isn't electric anymore.

She means general anaesthetic

Toiletries, clean towels, a couple of nighties, a bottle she can drink with a straw. Baby stuff.

I second BIG pants and lactulose! I was also given a breast feeding cushion. Although the breast feeding didn't work, I used that cushion for several weeks to help support DD while I was sat down, to protect my scar and bruising. I also used lots of big comfy cushions behind me in bed so I could sleep more upright than usual, which meant I could actually get back up again.

Congratulations to you all. :)

Thanks everyone...

Yes! I meant general anaesthetic... It's very early :)

Exactly the same happened to me ten and a half months ago, except I had a little girl. Glad mother and son are going well. How's her DH? My DH said it was one of the scariest moments of his life.

Things that'll be handy for her:
Big pants - Primark cheap black stretchy pants are just right. Size bigger than she'd normally wear, as high as you can get.

Sports cap water bottle

Shower gel/shampoo on a hook

Roll top yoga type trousers - Hush do lovely ones

Slip on shoes or slippers - Crocs are ideal, but I am sure there must be something more glad and sheepskin out there if you want to treat her. Something she can 'walk into ' without leaning over.

Baby carrier or sling - she shouldn't push a pram for 6 weeks, I had a Baby Bjorn Active that put the weight on my back and away from sore abs!

A big bag of decent ready meals when she gets in.

A cleaner for a few weeks (Lol, I am still waiting for this!)

Arnica tabs to help the bruising

Fresh and dried fruit, maybe Lactulose (if hospital don't supply it) to keep things moving down there .

Lots of offers of lifts until she is fully mobile again.

Lasinoh if she is bf.

You sound likeca lovely sister for posting this. Enjoy your new nephew!

Mintec peppermint capsules for trapped wind pain.

Big huge knickers. Peppermint capsules for wind. Lucozade.

Phone charger
Ear plugs
Yoga pants
Slip on shoes - not flip flops as she'll be wearing support stockings
Food - hospital food is grim and v little fresh fruit or veg so she'll get constipated really easily. If you rock up with a container of freshly squeezed juice, some home made salad, fresh fruit and some nice biscuits she will think you are a god.
Reading glasses/spare contacts

This happened to me with the birth of my twins. It's wasn't much fun so I sympathise with your sister. Birth often doesn't go to plan but we tend to have an expectation of seeing our babies being born; it can be an emotional jolt when that doesn't happen.

Everyone has given good advice about post-caesarean kit. What I would say is that she should ask for a debrief from the consultant who performed the operation before she leaves hospital. Or if that can't be managed, have a doctor go through her theatre notes with her. It can help to have a secondhand picture of your child or children's birth even if it is just boiled-dry medical speak rather than the emotive stuff. In the chaos of hospital it all rather got swept under the carpet and no one found the time to talk through why and what had happened but I needed it; I needed that picture as once I was home I struggled with the huge gap. It felt as if a switch was flicked for everyone else the moment they became a mother but for me I had a hazy, vague introduction as I came round, retching from the anaesethetic. Eventually I had a debreif through my hospital's PALS department and it made a huge difference. Someone giving me the dry, medical facts of the birth of my daughters made me weep - it was all I knew about it and it mattered. I can now tell you that one gasped as she was born and that their cord gases were good. One was laid between my legs as we left theatre and the other baby was handed to my husband, who kissed her face.

Your sister can also ask for a copy of her hospital notes, which she can look through over time. They are free for a certain amount of time post-birth but after a while you have to pay to have them copied. Either way, it's part of a picture that she doesn't have. Oh, and make sure when you visit you take heaps and heaps of photos of them with their baby. We were a bit traumatised by everything and so there are very few photos of us with our twins and, specifically, me holding the baby.

Give her lots of support and sympathy. If she had an expectation of a vaginal delivery then an EMCS can come as a shock, especially if it comes with an added sucker punch of GA. Some people will tell you they had an EMCS under GA and it didn't bother them one jot/all was well. Great for them, but I'd personally say it's best to assume your sister has been knocked a bit sideways by it all and give her lots of tlc. If she does bounce through then all the better/no harm done.

Congratulations to her too. All will be well.

I agree with Kit about speaking to consultant. Ten months on I have recently realised that I don't know why DS's heart stopped in labour. I thought I did, but DH thinks something different. I also remember it being 8pm, then she was born at 11.45 pm and I have no idea what happened in that time.

Thanks everyone... Took loads of advice from this list and spent 5 hours in hospital with her this afternoon. The baby is absolutely beautiful but she is so out of it and having a bad time :(

It all happened because her placenta abrupted or something. All a bit scary!

I had a CS two weeks ago today. It gets a bit less painful every day. Definitely take the lactulose and plenty of fruit, big knickers and as much pain relief as she needs. I haven't needed any since I left the hospital really but those first few days are horrid. Try and move around a little bit more each day and build up strength gradually. Don't let her lift anything heavier than the baby for a good few weeks either. Hope she feels better soon.