Hospital staff help post emergency csection

[CaseofEllen]

Does anyone know how much help hospital expect to provide to mum overnight? I had failed forceps/cup delivery ending up in emergency section.

Partner is here during the day from about 9am-10pm but I feel like at night time I'm always pressing my buzzer asking for things.

I can't pick him up on my own/change his bum/prepare his formula in kitchen. I'm 3 days post section and feel like I'm doing so shit and getting on the staffs last nerve! Am I asking too much from them?

They don't really care for baby. They will care for you.

It's harsh, but you are possibly expecting more from them than they will give. I never had anyone to change baby, or do anything at all. I'm not saying it's right, but it's just what they seem to do nowadays.

In my parents generation, the babies were all taken to a nursery overnight so Mums could recover. Their current thinking is that baby should be with Mum. *sigh.

Congratulations on your baby btw! A bit of a shock to the system eh? You're pretty much treated the same after c-section or natural birth from my one and only experience (c-section).

Wow this thread says so much about post natal care in the UK doesn't it. Like some of the other posters, I had an EMCS under GA at 11pm on the Saturday and went home on the Monday afternoon as I couldn't take being there any longer. I had a catheter and hated buzzing for the HCAs too. They seemed very grumpy. The midwives were lovely but very stretched. Everyone is different OP. Take your time and don't stress about asking people to do their jobs. They're there to help you.

Oh and ignore the posters who bounced straight out of bed and did 2 rounds of boxercise whilst breastfeeding triplets. Do what's right for you.

Are you happy to state your age as I personally thinks it can affect recovery. Have you had complications or was it straight-forward? Apart from the obvious exhaustion, is there another reason you are struggling to make the bottles? Did you lose a lot of blood? I did, but because I was just a point above the point of a blood transfusion, I didn't get one - I really could have done with it.

And OP, birth, especially by EMCS is a pretty traumatic thing to happen! You then have the recovery from the surgery and the whole unbelievable responsibility of a new baby who you love more than anyone you've loved before becoming yours to look after!!! Fuck me.

I also got the baby blues on day three when my milk came in. I vividly recalling trying to change dd who was screaming hysterically as she hated and still hates the cold - wouldn't mind but the ward was about 40 degrees lol.

Picture this. A nightie stained with blood, breastmilk flowing down the front of my nightie, dd screaming, me crying tears onto her as the doctor came along to check her. He took one look and then said to his colleagues - 'we'll come back to this one'. PMSL. I can laugh now, but I felt like the world's worst Mum. I thought that I was the worst mum ever.

If I get reincarnated, I want to come back as a Man!

Keep buzzing. If you feel you can't do those things, then you need help. Could you get your partner to bring in those ready prepared bottles than you just need to put the teat on?

My experiences though was that they just didn't have enough staff to be useful. With my first, I had to walk to NICU within 24 hours of a emergency section (down a flight of stairs and at the other side of the hospital) because the alternative was not seeing my baby.

Are you happy to state your age as I personally thinks it can affect recovery.

I'm not convinced although I do think it's very personal. I had my last emergency section six weeks before my 41st birthday and bounced back.

I had an emergency section in a busy area of England and the postnatal care wasn't good, but keep buzzing.

I had a planned section with dc2 in Germany and the care was world's better - I got told off for changing dc1's nappy as my job was resting and gentle movement without bending or lifting to facilitate my own recovery and breastfeeding, I was to buzz for everything else!

If you're unable to get out of bed I hope you're being well looked after medically, you must have complications.

Congratulations on your newborn

@blueskiesovertheforest

How long were you in the Germany hospital for?

Oh you are giving me flashbacks: I remember being propped up in standing position against the bed ( I had rung the bell as she was crying in her cot, a nurse had come in and handed her to me .) with dd in my arms and no way of getting back into bed or going anywhere else. I suppose I was lucky I was in a private room (because of complications) but I remember thinking if I collapsed on my baby no one would notice for hours.
Get yourself home.

Romax 5 nights after a planned section in Germany - I checked myself out after 5 but the state health insurance (which everyone has - deducted straight from pay as a percentage like PAYE, state pays it for people on benefits, children and non working spouses included free with wage earning spouse/ parent) pays for 7 nights.

You can stay 5 nights after a straightforward vaginal birth - you don't have to obviously but it's available.

Everyone is in ensuite twin rooms.

Wasn't sauna temperature here either like it was in the UK - big fully openable windows.

I had 2 sections but dc1 was in scbu for first week so can't judge with that one. Dc2 was born at 2pm, dh went home at about 9pm. Dc2 was in bed with me because I was breastfeeding and because I'd a section so couldn't have reached cot easily, he just fed all night and didn't need his nappy changed overnight but I did all nappy changes when dh wasn't there. Was some craic night 2 trying to leverage myself up and slide off the bed to get nappy etc while doing it silently so as not to disturb other mothers

I had zero help after my cs and when I buzzed to ask for help the nurse told me the policy is you have to look after your baby yourself. I said I couldn’t and she shrugged her shoulders and said that’s why you’re encouraged to bring a birth partner.

I think it is possibly a bit unusual to have limited movement and be feeling so rotten at this stage, perhaps ask the staff about your own recovery? You may have lost a lot of blood / be having a slightly slower recovery from the anaesthetic than most and the staff need to be aware so they can help you more. It varies a lot. I was helped with changing the first one or two nappies and being passed baby to breastfeed for the first 24 hrs ish after emcs, but after that was very much encouraged to be mobile and do it myself, was home after 48 hours and that seemed to be the ‘normal’ expectation and I felt well enough to manage that. My friend on the other hand could not pick baby up on her own for quite a few days and this made the whole process much, much harder for her, emotionally as well as she could not respond easily when baby cried 🙁She did recover though!!

I haven't had a c section so can't really comment but congratulations on the birth of your DC, and I hope you feel better soon.

Hi everyone, just wanted to say thanks for all the replies. They did help me realise how I was feeling post csection wasn't necessarily 'normal'.

I have had the community midwife out the last two days and explained how unwell I felt. They did obs and said they're fine. Today ended up being rushed to hospital as I was in severe pain and almost unconscious. Hospital have ran lots of tests and said I am severely anemic - lost 2/3s of blood during birth which wasn't picked up on. Glad they're is an answer now and best route can be figured out!

@CaseofEllen - really sorry to hear you've been so unwell. Hopefully now you can start to recover. Congratulations on your lo x

CaseofEllen get well soon - how depressing that you had to work out for yourself that your recovery wasn't going normally, and were just regarded as helpless or annoying by staff Not a good look for the NHS, and what hope is there for new first time mothers with fewer emotional and mental resources than you who don't question what's going on?

Doesn't sound good op, I hope you get the care you need and get to the bottom of what's wrong. I was fully caring for both my boys on their first nights so it definitely does not sound like you are feeling normal!

Pleased that you now know what's wrong and hope you start feeling better soon

My anaemia wasn't picked up on either. Rubbish postal natal care and then hopeless local midwife at home. But fab health visitor who took one look at me and knew something was wrong.

Congrats on your baby

I had hardly any. Despite being attached to a drain and a drip I was expected to fully self-care and look after the baby. I'm sure being made to move so much contributed to the pain I had for two years in my scar. Hope you feel well soon.