tips on surprise caesarean

[woodstock3]

First baby just diagnosed breech at 41 weeks (tiny detail everyone previously missed, inc consultant who confidently pronounced it optimally positioned 60 secs before scan revealed it was, duh, upside down) so am having caesarean in 12 hours time...in all the commotion forgot to ask the really useful questions, like what should now go in my hospital bag - guessing i wont need the swiss ball/carefully selected labour snacks/massage oil etc? and afterwards - know im not supposed to lift stuff but can i carry the baby in the sling we've got (baby bjorn that goes on yr front)? or lift unfeasibly large macho pushchair that DH bought up and down steps? do you still bleed as much afterwards? will bfeeding still work? grateful for any other advice....

The best thing I packed second time around in case I needed another section (apart from my huge knickers that is) was an flight mask and a packet of ear plugs which meant I got a little sleep whilst on the ward.

not sure if you will see this

arnica tablets - doesn't matter if you start them a couple of days after your op.

tea tree oil - few drop sin warm water for bathing wound - helps prevent infection and promotes healing.

peppermint tea or cordial - helps with trapped wind - never used it until my 3rd section and it was brilliant.

Yes you will still bleed

breastfeeding may take a little longer although with dd3 my milk came in around day 3 from memory.

boomerang pillow for feeding - protects scar.

they will give you a little shave - as they tend to make the cut as low as possible.

hope it all goes well.