What can I do to make DW more comfortable during c section

[aclearbluesky]

Dear moms, we're in the final phase of the pregnancy, and it looks like our baby will be delivered with a c section. I was wondering if moms with experience with that procedure could give me some advice/tips on what I can do to make my DW as comfortable as possible during and right after the procedure. What helped you? And what didn't?

Make sure you have some lovely food for afterwards, as what available in hospitals is not fit to feed anyone (yourself included).

have a Polaroid camera, so you can take pictures of the baby so she can have it next to her if there is a few moments when she can't have the baby next to her,

some lovely soft pillows with patterned covers on(so they don't get mixed up) so she can get comfortable afterwards,

lots of nice drinks,

hopefully others will be along with more suggestions soon, the fact you are thinking about this now will really help.

Great ideas from quote. If she's going to have an elective, then she'll most likely get bumped through the day for emergencies so take something to do during the day when you're hanging around - scrabble is good.

She will probably be nil by mouth before she goes in so a delicious meal the night before is a good idea.

Massive pants - scar covering ones that she can ditch afterwards

Make sure your DS can see her baby being lifter out. Insist they put the screen down for that (nicely of course!) make sure the pull the baby out straight, and if they have to rotate baby's head to pull him out, then book a cranial osteopath for him ASAP. Watch carefully how they pull the baby out.

Get them to put the butterfly cannula in the side of her wrist, not the back of her hand, as it's frigging hell, and so very very sore to keep bumping it off the side of the cot.

Make sure they give her a small incision - this can vary quite a lot, a bikini line one is better than a up down one. Make sure they stitch her uterus in two layers, not a quick one layer stitch - important if you ever have sex again! And have another baby. Discuss all this BEFORE you are in theatre with the doc who will be cutting and stitching.

After the section, she will find it hard to lift - it's major abdominal surgery after all, so lift and carry for her, for weeks until shes able to get the severed nerves in her abdomen working again for her core strength.
Bring her back to the docs immediately if there is any fever, swelling, or nastiness on the wound.

She should have an appointment with a physiotherapist as well, which you can book for her, and an appointment with a lactation consultant as well, if she's keen to breastfed, as she'll need to learn different techniques for holding the baby as her wound will be very sore. Bring the baby out for a specified number of hours when she wants some sleep. Don't pop back in if you've forgotten something, as you'll disturb her. Don't go for longer, as she will need to feed the baby. Be predictable and reliable.

You may find it a very emotional experience, so be there for yourself as well, and be there for her too.

Dw I mean

I've posted this on another c section thread recently so sorry if you've already seen it but my one tip would be boxer shorts!! I bought loads of huge knickers to come up and over my scar and tummy but they all rolled down and sat right on my scar-midwife suggested dp bought in some of his well worn so not skin tight boxers and they were great-stayed in place and could still hold a pad (sorry if tmi!!). I had an elective c section at 39 weeks and found the whole experience really lovely, very calm and was great having dp in with me, the midwives gave him ds as soon as the cord was cut and he helped dry him off and then came and sat next to me with him whilst they sewed me up. It was a great experience.

Your dw may be a little quiet or snappy on route to hospital, well who wouldn't it's exciting meeting your baby but less so knowing you are going to be awake while they use a scalpel!! Whilst in theatre chatting about where we could go on our first holiday as a family, it helped calm me down. :) I appreciated a couple of large bottles of water for my bedside table, ample magazines, my dh returning with a bunch of flowers and a thoughtfully written card with my fave chocs, being allowed to sleep even when you are visiting. Oh and the house spotless, all washing done and ironed and a meal prepped ready for coming home!

Good advice here already! If you're both interested, you could ask the surgeon if it is okay to take photos of the baby coming out. Most are fine with this, and so long as you're not that squeamish, they really are photos to treasure. That is the role my DH has during a c-section!! Some will even let you video - mine only did once the baby was out, presumably for some legal reason or other.

He even managed to get most of them in focus for once which I am still stunned about

Just being there for support is the most important thing :) like other people have said. A nice pillow from home,
Nice food and drinks. A breastfeeding pillow might be useful if she is planning on breastfeeding as it can be hard to position yourself properly when you've been cut open. Just reaching out for things is hard so before you leave for the night (unless you are private and allowed to stay) make sure she has everything she may need in her reach. I think as well people tend to focus on the lobby new baby and lose sight of the fact that mummy has just had major abdominal surgery. It HURTS!! She needs to rest rest test when she gets home and be waited on hand and foot. It's so vital she doesn't do too much at first. For physical and emotional well being. Look into bamboo belly bandit for supporting the tummy afterwards. I didn't use one last time but have heard great things. Be aware that breastfeeding can take a while longer to get the hang of because of not having a natural birth. This wasn't explained to me and I came really close to giving up which I would have regretted. Another nice idea is to book her in for a nice wash and blowdry and the local salon when she feels up to it. I found it hard to wash and dry my hair at first and having a blowdry will make her feel tons better x

After both of my Caesars I got a weird and horrible pain in my right shoulder, about a day after the op. A very kind midwife brought me some peppermint tea, which seemed to help. Apparently it is referred pain from wind trapped during the sewing up, and peppermint anything is thought to help - mint chocolate is good...