what do i need to take and do for my c-section?

[topsy1]

i know that this has been asked before, but can't find thread. booked in next fri for elective c-section and unsure what to take and how to prepare myself...can anyone help?

thank you all - have written a long list - hadn't thought of most of them - except big knickers! got a load of value ones from tescos! had an emergency c-section last time, and found i had lots of useless things in my bag that i 'thought' i should have but didn't use...so all comments have been great...thanks

BIG PANTS! I bought some hideous granny pants from Marks - 7 months on still secretly wearing them as so comfortable! Husband finds them particularly alluring.

Cleansing wipes for your face and hands - I felt really scummy the next morning and too shaky to have a proper wash, felt a lot better having cleaned my face. I took in jogging bottoms, t shirts and slip on trainers which made me feel a bit less grotty than a nightie.

Lovely husband bought me in food - life saver! Hospital food was so grim - would have died of scurvy if left to fend for myself

I had a section for a breach baby.
Lots of bottled water - I drank gallons of. Can't reiterate enought about the big pants. An eye mask too is also really really useful

Also, not some much what to bring but more what I wish I had know.

More than likely you will be in the theatre by yourself while they prep you - your partner will need to wait outside in the recovery room. My dh found this hard as it was a good 15 mins - they had started the op by the time he was taken through and he had got a bit anxious.

Also I was left on the theatre table (being stiched up) and my dh and new ds were taken back to the recovery room where my ds was bathed. I really really wish I had know in advance that they were going to do this as ds was a small baby and I would rather he hadn't been bathed then - what a shock it must have been for him.

Take all the drugs - don't try to be brave. Don't be surprised it you can't get out of bed to pick you baby up for a good 24 - 36 hrs - don't be scared to use the buzzer if you want to hold your baby - you never get the first few days back again and you may have to be completely dependant on the nurses. You can bring them in cakes the next week!

Also in my hospital they don't suction out the muscus in c section babys. In my room all 4 c section baby's brought up some muscus in the first 48 hrs - it was a bit scary for all of us as they can choke a bit. We were all a bit annoyed we hadn't been told to watch out for it..

Don't mean to scare you but these are things that when I have no 2 I will be asking about and making my wishes a bit clearer.

great list y'all! i was fretting packing my bag againlast time i had an unplannned emergency section and my kit was totally useless. what sort of pain meds are available after an elective section (mine is in 2 weeks)? i had an emergency 1.5 yr ago and was on a morophine drip afterwardsbut i also was under general anesthetic for the birth. don't think i'll be so lucky as to get general this time so i am curious as to the routine with an elective.

My lot kept giving me volterol suppositories and I think some pills involving paracetomol and codeine. The day after the section was the only time when I had any pain (as opposed to discomfort), and it really wasn't too bad.
Some hospitals do give a morphone drip, I think.

I had a drip during the op but they took it out in recovery. I'm glad they did because I was able to get up and have a shower 6 hours after the birth which made me feel a lot more human (don't think I could have done this carrying a drip and a bag of wee).

I didn't get told about the mucous either, would've been a lot less worried the first 48 hours as well.

Big knickers like they all said, Lactulose and make sure someone is with you you cant lift baby very easily or lean over and I found the mf's on the ward were always too busy to help ( i know they are understaffed so its not always their
fault) and be prepared for lots of very painful wind lasting weeks after all up your back and round your middle.
After a C suppositories seem to be the only pain releif that works the paracetomol and codeine did not work at all and they refused to give me morphine even though I could not get up to go to the loo because of the pain.

And yes baby will puke alot of brown fluid up for teh first 48 hours.

All of these tips are really great but I have to say it sounds like there have been some awful c-section experiences out there!
I have had two emergency sections and although it was a bit scary and yes a little unpleasant, I was given enough drugs so that I was never in pain, hardly had to use the little button they gave me to top up my morphine. I drank stacks of water which made it lots easier for that first bowel movement, and healed up really quickly with no problems. (Obviously I haven't had a natural delivery and so have nothing to compare it to).
What I'm trying to say is I hope all of these nasty bits haven't scared you too much. I've been told if I have any more babies I will have to have a c-section and am now trying for my third so it can't be that bad can it?

My tips would be: - ask your DH/DP to bring in some sandwiches or other snacks, you can't eat for a few hours before a C/S and if the C/S is delayed then by the time you can eat, you're starving! My DH brought me some homemade crusty bread sandwiches with blue cheese ( which I had missed so much whilst I was pregnant)- and I had a delicious midnight feast.
I drank diluted prune juice for the constipation and that seemed to work.
Take all the painkillers you can get for the first few days;
Make sure you have discussed the "birth" with your midwife in advance. For my C/S they lowered the screen as my DD was being pulled out ( much nicer than it sounds), DD was handed to me immediately by the surgeon for skin to skin contact, we were left to find out the sex, my DH was asked whether he wanted to cut the cord or not and my DD wasn't bathed- it was a great experience -this may be standard, I don't know, but you should definitely discuss in advance.
Good luck

topsy1 you must be very excited! Congratulations I had C Section this May to delivery our wee daughter. Take loose nighties, big pants, slip on slippers, lots of maternity pads.(this was a big shock to me but you bleed just like a vaginal birth) Didn't need mags as I looked at my wee one all the time even when asleep.I took enough clothes for baby for 1 week, I was told would be in 5 days. Had Section on Wed morning discharged Fri. Was pretty glad to get home as didnt get much sleep. Please take care when you get home the operation takes much more out of you than you think. When baby was about 10 days old decided to go for a big long walk, boy did I suffer that night
Anyway good luck for next week.
oops PS take pictures if you allowed of baby when little one comes out, in our excitment we forgot

I'm with clairbear123, I had a c-section as DD was breach and I didn't feel a thing (and I'm normally quite mard)! Only time I was scared was as I walked into theatre as its a bit of an alien environment, but the staff were so kind. Was out of theatre at 2pm and was going to the loo on my own at 9.30pm - bit wobbly but got there myself. I was able to move about an pick up DD myself - cot attached to bed made it easier. Took all pain relief offered and had no pain in hospital or when I got home. I have a tiny almost invisible scar (18 months later)and would only consider having another baby if I could have another c-section!
Big knickers are a must and they made me take off my nail varnish too which had taken me hours to put on - take make-up to make you feel normal - Good luck its sooooo exciting!

I had emergency c-section after waters broke, nothing happened,induction, no dilation...blahdy blah. Think you said you'd had one before, but I think I suffered emotionally afterwards as it was all a bit of a shock. I spent the day (c was at 10.30 in morning) puking up and sleeping on and off (the whole ordeal started on a Wed night and finished on Sat morning so I was a wee bit tired by then) and didn't really get any close contact with my ds...so make sure you make your post operative wishes clear as mentioned above. I wish I'd thought a bit more about this but will do if I have a "next time" - I suspect I would have a c -section again. Big Knickers and sanitary towels over the wound are the way forward - and don't push yourself too much when you come home. I thought I could be superwoman but soon realised that I had to take it easy. Good Luck !

Just wanted to say, c section.....the best expereince ever, depends on your own body as to how quick you recover and just how long before you are pottering about, as with any op, following medical advice is the best option, so dont lift for as long as they say and try and keep the daft socks on too!.
Big comfy knickers ARE needed, bigger the better!.
I also found nightwear that was soft, like lovley fleece dressing gowns and soft nightshirts cheered me up anything to pamper yourself realy! ( but do remeber to keep it safe, as things especialy nice stuff go walking in hospitals, if you leave your bed take it with you ).Oh and i dont know about anyone else but be prepared for your bouncy bundle of joy to be endlessly sick ( acc to m/w due to baby not being del down birth cannal, fluids not expelled in same manner!) so plenty of changes needed!, yours and baby, i ran out, nothing worse than walking through hospital corridoors with an op gown on with ties at back!!!!.

P.S Forgot to say, congratulations, and its an amazing expereince, no pain during just a very strange kinda feeling that somebody is doing something down there but no pain! at all!!! and then suddenly you are greated by this little baby that you never even realized had arrived!.
A Sureal expereince, after my first i said never again (normal del), after my c-section i said well maybe!?.All the best x

Scotgirl - I told them i wanted Dh in the theater with me all the time. they made some faces and rolled their eyes and said they woudl have to check with the surgeon blah de blah but surprise surprie he didnt mind so Dh was there . Made us both less anxious

I also said i didnt want the baby taken away to be bathed or weighed etc after he was born and they respected this. Actually i found all the theatre staff great . I was just a bit shocked as I wasnt expecting a CS!

Hospitals do seem to have a thing about bathing babies. Even the next day on the ward ( yes the ward where they were too busy to give me the baby to feed or bring me water!!!!) they kept wanting to take the baby away to bath him. i just said no. We didnt want them doing it with bubble bath ect because we have a history of eczema

Kelleen - I got one morphine injection about 8 hours afterwards in the hospital. As I went home the next day I got a goody bag of drugs including DF118 as i dont react well to volterol. I dodnt take the paracodeine they gave me ( codeine makes you constipated), just paracetemol and iboprofen. Also I got iron tablets (2 lots) and something to counter the effects of them due to blood loss

My Dh is very organised and dispensed my drugs to me with ruthless efficiency so I was never in pain

Take a dressing gown with a very long and strong belt tie. Before you get in to bed tie it very securely around the foot of the bed.

When you need to get up it's the sitting up part from being in a reclined position that it the killer as your abs are for all intents and purposes non-existant. To sit up, as well as the one arm you have managed to get behind you to push yourself up, you can grab your belt and pull as well.

The advice already given is great, just thought I would amuse you by adding my experience. We got to the hosiptal at 7.30am, it was a hot day and DH hadn't eaten. Anyway, two hours later I was on the operating table having had my spinal block and we were ready to roll. DH is not great in a medical environment and - yep - he fainted. Next thing I know he is surrounded by doctors & nurses and taking oxygen, and I am abandoned on the table. What an attention seeker! Only once he was stable did they perform the c-section, but he was lying on the floor the whole time. It provided a useful distraction for me, as I was more concerned with looking at him than the delivery. He did manage to get up (after a false start) once DS2 was delivered and was fine after that. We haven't been able to tell RL friends or family, though, as he has been too ashamed. My advice to you, then, is to make sure your birthing partner has eaten and is not of a delicate constitution. Best of luck for next Friday - apart from DH it really was a great experience for me.

best thing about cs is NO HOOVERING FOR 6 WEEKS!!!!!!!!!

about taking it easy. Get stronger painkillers for when you go home. Do not carry baby upstairs on 1st night back- I almost dropped ds, luckily dh was right behind me to catch us both

about taking it easy. Get stronger painkillers for when you go home. Do not carry baby upstairs on 1st night back- I almost dropped ds, luckily dh was right behind me to catch us both

Okay, totally scared now: what is this 'wind' you're all talking about? I don't know anything about birthing babies! Section booked for 1 December!

KristinaM - really shocked by you having to argue to have dh there or to have baby not taken away and cleaned up. Never any doubt that dh would be there for mine (first emergency, second planned c-section) - they sort of expected it - and although he didn't faint, he did look really silly in his scrubs outfit. Also, with both they put blanket around ds and put him straight onto me (skin contact is supposed to be good for starting breast feeding). What year does your hospital think it is - 1950?

macneil - trapped wind after abdominal operations can really hurt (just like IBS, if you've ever had that). The solution that always worked for me was to get into a bath, which relaxes you, and then the - ahem - wind passes (lots and lots of bubbles) and it goes completely away.

First 24 hours are the worst. Anything involving abs muscles is a killer. Even coughing. Love the idea about the dressing gain cord!! They should discharge you with some painkillers - ask if they don't offer. I had two different kinds of painkillers to take home with me and they doled them out regularly in the ward. Only paracetamol apart from that if you are breastfeeding (I think? Ask the pharmacist to be sure). I got the most horrible constipation despite healthy eating. Called the ward in the middle of the night in desperation after a couple of days at home - really unsympathetic. Said to eat an apple! Luckily community midwife visited next morning and said I could take Lactulose. Might be worth getting some to have just in case (it's cheap). I had the NCT mesh pants anyway (emergency c-section) and they were great. I can agree about having your bag really well organised - ds peed right through his nappy and babygro and I had to talk this nurse through all my stuff until she eventually found it. Probably even better to get the nappies, wipes, vests, babygros unpacked before the op if there is any cupboard room and you are already on the post ward. Or get dh to do it as soon as you are all wheeled up. Nice toiletries for you - aromatherapy ones are great. BugsAway wipes if you are hygiene conscious - wipe your table, cupboard top, bedhead etc. AloeVera gel is nice on your scar afterwards (and your nipples if bf). Or put some lavender essential oil into some BioOil or any leftover stretch mark preparations you have been using. Aromatherapy remedies aid healing and minimise scarring.

I have to say, it didn't really hurt too much for me after the first few hours (and for that I had some painkilling enema, which was undignified, but worth it) - I was obviously really lucky.

The hospital midwife did give me one really excellent piece of advice though - she said that instinctively after the op you want to lean forward or crouch when you are standing and that it gets better much quicker if you don't. She told me to take a deep breath, be brave (because it does feel very scary for some reason) and stand up straight. I think it must of helped because I recovered pretty quickly.

I'm booked in for elective c-section 1st Dec so lots of useful advice here. Do you have to rely on nurses to change baby or will I be able to manage that myself after op?