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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Elective cesarean / injections ?????

39 replies

PrincessJadeina · 21/09/2012 20:11

Hope someone can help me as I was seriously freaked out by my midwife app yesterday.
I went in knowing I wanted an elective cesarean, as my first experience had resulted in 48 hours of labour then emergency cs. The midwife basically spent an hour telling me the merits of a natural birth, and ended with if I wanted an elective cesarean I would have to inject myself for a week after with blood clot reducing drugs and def wouldn't be able to lift/hold my 1yr old for 6weeks.
I'm just wondering if she's trying to freak me out? I havnt heard about these injections before. Has anyone else had to do them. And also how long really can u not lift your older child? I guess I'm just panicking as my child is only 1 so obv still needs to be carried around,lifted into cot etc and husband / mum will not be around for whole 6weeks to help.
Thanks for any response. X

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

RubyrooUK · 21/09/2012 20:16

No idea but as I'm having an elective and have a toddler, I'll bump this until someone informed comes along.....

AnitaBlake · 21/09/2012 20:18

I had anti-clotting injections for the first five days DH was supposed to do them but I was still in hospital so the mw did them instead. I don't know about the no lifting thing, sorry. Xxx

RancerDoo · 21/09/2012 20:20

The injections are standard issue when you are post cs and in hospital. But they are not self-administered and you can always say "no thank you", which I did once I was up and about.

It is hard to pick up an older child after a cs, and the advice is often not to pick up anything heavier than your baby. Having said that, after a couple of weeks i bet most of us were picking up our older children (albeit carefully!).

GreyTS · 21/09/2012 20:21

I had daily injections of a blood thinner while in hospital after both emcs and elcs so about 4 days, they are painful (in the thigh muscle)but over in seconds. After elcs I had a 20 month old and newborn and coped fine, DH working and in college, was recovered in 2 weeks. But I did spend most of those sitting on the sofa,lots of activities, colouring and sticker books etc for DD1, BF'ed DD2 so no bottles to prepare. It can be done I promise.

gettinganumbbum · 21/09/2012 20:21

i had to give myself these injections too, i don't know all the reasons for it but for me it was because of my bmi, they go in a fleshy part like your belly or thigh, and i found they only hurt if i was trying to be gentle about it, if i just got on with it they weren't too bad,

as for the carrying i'm sorry i'm not sure as my eldest was 4 yrs at the time, so he was definitely too big for me to be carrying, but your lo will be a lot lighter so might not be too bad after a couple of wks,

good luck

blackteaplease · 21/09/2012 20:22

You will have to inject with fragmin for 5 days to reduce risk of dvt. Its not that bad. I had elcs 10 days ago and have had no problem lifting dd who is 2.8.

FreelanceMama · 21/09/2012 20:23

Hi, I had my Elective (breech baby) in January and I had a slow recovery i.e. I lifted a heavyish pushchair about 4 weeks after to put in the car and yes, Ow! My partner took holiday and parental leave (unpaid) to help out. But other women recover quicker. It was my 1st baby so I don't know what it would have been like with a 1 yr old to lift, but it's worth doing all you can to reduce how often you have to do it, especially in 1st 3 or 4 weeks.

Re: injections. I can honestly say doing this did not hurt - except when I once tried to do it in a hurry. I had to do it for 5 days after I was discharged from hospital. You pinch some skin on one side of your tummy and inject there - the other side the next day.

Good luck - the actual procedure was lovely. Honestly.

YouOldSlag · 21/09/2012 20:27

DH is Diabetic and always shooting up so I got him to do it to me. It was only a few though as for the first few days you are in hospital and they do it for you there.

The needle was extra fine and I hardly felt it at all.

Anyway I wouldn't worry. If you can handle an epidural needle you can handle anything

Original poster

PrincessJadeina · 21/09/2012 20:31

Thank u so much everyone. Really appreciate your replies.
Xxx

OP posts:

VivaLeBeaver · 21/09/2012 20:34

The needles are tiny, both in length and thinness. The injections are very easy to do. Official advice is not to lift anything heavier than your baby for 4 to 6 weeks. Listen to your body, if it hurts don't do it!

elizaregina · 21/09/2012 22:10

princess doesnt surprise me re your MW!!!!

I have already been offered ELC by consultant but met with MW to discuss early epidural if i went into labour - I told her my last one was too painful and she was in a sort of hazy daze telling me that women simply dont get how great water births are - she just ignored me when i said i was open to the water but physically couldnt even move my foot so couldnt physiclaly walk to get into the pool!
ignore her - dont let her scare you and stick to your guns.

a friend had hernia recently - and had to self inject he is a total wuss and he managed it..

elizaregina · 21/09/2012 22:13

also if you re read lots of ELC threads many many women are up and about alot quicker than 4 - 6 weeks.

they have to give the longest dates.

Panzee · 21/09/2012 22:14

I got 2 injections 3 years ago in hospital. She's trying to,scare you.

blueshoes · 21/09/2012 22:24

She is a scaremongerer. You only need those injections if you are not mobile. Most women are mobile (as in walking about) within 24 hours of a cs, much earlier than me. And even then, for my elective, no one came round with a needle in hospital. Certainly no one asked me to take a needle home and I was discharged exceptionally early, within 36 hours, at my request.

For my emergency cs, they did come round with the needle, but after a few times I made sure to not be in my bed around that time (I was mobile, surprise, surprise). When they caught up with me eventually, I refused it. The nurse tried to threaten me (oh, the power trip) and I made her check with her supervisor. She never came back!

aloysiusflyte · 21/09/2012 22:24

I had an elective section and didn't have any injections afterwards - I've never heard of these before (hope it's not something I should have had and they forgot!!)
I was up and about ok after about 2 weeks but that was my first so I didn't have to lift anything too heavy.
If you want an elective section it's your choice, don't let her scare you off the idea.

hazeldog · 21/09/2012 22:30

I had to do them after elcs. They were little plastic tubes with a tiny needle you just held it on your tummy and clicked a button. You don't even feel it its so little. I had slight bruising after a few days. Thought it was standard practice. Maybe depends on your hospital

hazeyjane · 21/09/2012 22:41

I had to have the clexane injections, this was 2 years ago, and I think you had to tick 2 of the criteria for being at risk from dvt, 1 is automatic, because you ar post operative and I ticked one other, which was that I had mild varicose veins.

I was mobile pretty quickly after the cs (too quickly, because I developed phlebitis from over doing it!), and had to have 2 weeks worth of injections, I was in hospital for 8 days, but still did them myself, because I was in SCBU with ds, and so wasn't an inpatient for most of my stay. It was fine, much easier than a bloodtest type injection. I had to stab them in my thigh, it didn't hurt at all.

endoflevelbaddy · 21/09/2012 22:47

DVT prevention has been a big government agenda over last few years so hospital trusts are incentivised to risk assess all patients that come in, and prescribe an anticoagulant for anyone who will be immobilised for any period of time. So you will almost definitely be offered some sort of fragmin/clexane injection, and could well be up to 6 wks worth for you to continue with at home, just depends on the trust's guidelines - some only give on an inpatient basis even though the risk of developing a DVT can extend beyond that.
You don't have to take them up on it though, chances are you won't have get to be immobile for any longer than it takes for epidural to wear off. Don't let this midwife frighten you, unless you have a previous history of DVT or clotting problems you'd be relatively low risk. And if you do have the injections they won't effect you being able to lift your baby, they're not the nicest of things but hardly dibilitating.
Best of luck to you OP, hope you get the birth you're wanting.

Fairylea · 21/09/2012 22:52

The injections aren't that bad at all. My dh did mine for me.

I was up caring for ds the day after in hospital and was independent caring for him during the night albeit with some careful moving about !!

I found it easier than my vaginal birth with dd. Much easier. Maybe I was lucky.

mayhew · 21/09/2012 23:19

Don't freak out about this. Most women tell me that thinking about the injections is infinitely worse than the reality. Very thin needle, very small amount injected.

Although I agree that you should only have it as informed choice there is some sound reasoning underlying it. DVT is a clot in a leg or pelvic vein. Some can break off and travel round your system until it gets stuck. Usually in the lungs where it causes pulmonary embolism (PE). Now, PE has been a leading cause of sudden death in mothers for some years. This has reduced following widespread use of ant-clotting injections.

All pregnant and newly delivered women are at increased risk of DVT due to placental hormones making the blood stickier than usual. Anti clotting treatment is only offered to those with additional risks eg previous DVT, family history of DVT, BMI over 30, surgical delivery etc. Of course being fit and active does offset some of the risk but it does not overcome the fact of pregnancy plus surgery.

Its a bit like vit K for babies. Although the chances are that your baby does not need it and will be fine, if she did need it and didn't get it the consequences can be awful.

eggsandwich · 22/09/2012 21:50

Nice to know that things haven't changed and that MW really know how to scare you! I had two CS, the first was 12 years ago, an emergency cs was in labour 24 hours and fully dilated for 3 hours, my ds cord was wrapped around his legs. So when pregnant 2 years later with my dd I opted for a elective cs I was in hospital for four days, and when I returned home did'nt do and self administered injection's, must be a new thing, also when in hospital both times, I picked up both my baby's as MW were to busy, nothing was said, but I had been told at antenatal class's that if you had a cs you were not to drive or pick up baby for 6 week's, which is easier said than done considering my dh did shift work at the time, both my parents were deceased and MIL decided that she wasn't very CONFIDENT with baby's, so I had know choice but to pick my baby's up.

Newtothisstuff · 22/09/2012 22:26

I've had 2 electives.. The last one in May I've never had to have any injections !!

SuiGeneris · 22/09/2012 22:33

The bloodthinning injections are really nothing to worry about: very easy to do (top of the thigh is easiest) and less painful than tweezing your eyebrows.
People also need them in many cases, not just Caesarians. For baby no.1 I had to do daily injections for 12 weeks.

As for the lifting, I followed the advice of not lifting for 3 months and was ok, in fact much, much fitter and healthier after the elective section than after the "natural" birth.

mayhew · 22/09/2012 23:08

Well ladies, it looks like not all units are routinely offering anti clot treatment.
NICE guidelines
www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG92QuickRefGuide%20LR%20FINAL.pdf
Page 23.
I'm not saying that you have to have it, but you should have the option?.

fluffypillow · 22/09/2012 23:15

I came home with these injections. Only did three, as I was b'fing and they were making my nipples bleed so much where they were cracked (because they thin the blood.)

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