Practical Tips on Surviving with toddler & second c-section

[Beachgirl123]

Hi,

I had a long and hard labour followed by an emergency c-section with my first, the recovery was hard and I barely got out the house at all in the first 6 weeks.

I'm due our second in a few months and my lil' girl will be 2y9m old. We are thinking of having an elective this time but worried about recovering and keeping up with my very active toddler.

I have a very supportive hubby and he'll have 2 weeks off but after that he works long hours and I have no support locally to help out. We also live in a second floor apartment and my lil girl won't start preschool until next easter.

Just wondered if anyone had some great tips to cope with everything and recover at the same time?

Thank you for reading :)

Xx

2yr 3mo between my two, emergency c and planned c and i recommend:
Get all your own dental/eye/health checks sorted before baby 2 arrives so you’re only dealing with one child.

Take the painkillers!

Small 1L kettle, lighter and easier to manage post op.

Changing mat and nappies under the couch in the living room.

Travel cot in the living room to keep baby safe from toddler cuddles and allow them to nap.

Maybe start thinking if your toddler can climb in and out of the high chair and car seat - we got a little table and chair from Aldi and ate on the sofa for a few weeks.

Double pram - loved the Hauck Duett, though not sure how this would work in an apartment.

Try not to lift anything heavier than the baby!

Congratulations

Same story here though I have month-old twins. DS same age as your DD.
I'd suggest you do some shopping for your toddler. The most popular toys here are Djeco stacking boxes, Duplo and simple jigsaws. Also plenty of books and music. You need ways to keep the older one entertained. Balloons, bubbles, beanbags to throw and catch. Playdough.
Also cook for the freezer, if you have one, especially with a view to mini portions for toddler meals... I find that I and DH can eat later but it's so handy to have a just a few spoons of stew or ragu or a couple of meatballs to give the toddler for dinner. What else...? grocery deliveries are handy. And talking about what a grown up lady your DD is and how she can show the baby how to do everything (like get dressed really fast etc )

Also ELCS procedure and recovery will be easier than labour followed by EMCS. Or so I found.