Discharge home after csection

[Littleguggi]

Hi all, I'm due to have a cesarean in 2 weeks time and was just wondering what to expect following discharge from hospital. Practical things ie going up and down the stairs, getting in and out of the bath, and getting in and out of bed? I know it's very individual and depends on how the cesarean went and recovery is different for all. If anyone has any handy tips on how to make things easier once I'm home that'll be great! My husband will have quite a bit of time off with me and I have family close by. Thank you :)

I was in 5 days due to low iron and baby dropping some weight when my milk was delayed but I don't think this is typical.

I would say for a couple of days you might need your partner to pass you the baby to feed in the night from the cot.

Stairs were okay for me, just take it slowly.

Lots of big soft knickers that come up high.

If you are BF the rugby ball hold can be nice as it stops the baby lying on your scar.

Set a schedule for the pills you need to take.

The injections in your leg each day aren't very nice, hopefully your partner can do them for you.

Take lots of peppermint oil to stop trapped wind (super painful!)

Have lots of smoothies and fruit after the birth to make having number twos as easy as possible as you can't push at all initially

I was in for a few days too but once out I had no trouble. First bowel movement was ugh a bit scary and midwife kept asking me if I’d had one! We went out to a restaurant the second day back (breastfed there too no worries!). I did stick to the guidelines about not driving which just meant I walked everywhere which was good for me. My second c section my boy was 20 months but I don’t recall it being a problem- I think I told him that I couldn’t lift him but gave him lots of cuddles on the sofa. I tell you pushing them both in a double buggy was good exercise!

I've had 2, big straightforward and was only in for one night with each.

I would second the peppermint tea and just drinking plenty of fluids general. Stairs are doable but you wont want to be up and down every time you need a wee so if you don't have a down stairs loo I would set yourself up, upstairs with whatever you need.

Keep ontop of painkillers for at least 5 days, I was ok with just paracetamol but even if you feel ok just keep taking them!

Try to keep fairly mobile (this is where lots of water helps!) But just pottering back and forth to the loo/ wandering around the room a couple of days, don't try too much, it'll slow you down anyway in the end.

Good luck!

Thank you, that's really helpful and reassuring to hear especially as I'm starting to feel anxious about it. In terms of washing, do they advise baths or showers? I can imagine getting in and out of the bath isn't easy. My bath especially is quite high, and I don't have a walk in shower!

It probably varies by hospital but at mine, you go in the day before your section for the pre-op briefing where they talk you through what will happen and give you a table to take on the morning to neutralise stomach acid

At this meeting, they also assessed whether I was suitable for 'fast track discharge'. From memory, the criteria was normal BMI before pregnancy, no blood pressure or other issues during pregnancy, baby expected to be normal centile with no expected issues

If you qualified for fast track discharge, they promised to get a specialist women's physio to you within 12 hours of birth to have you out of bed and walking.
I then also had to show I'd eaten, had a wee and poo, and had established feeding.

I had my c-section at 10am and was home by 2pm the next day. It would have been sooner but it took til then for a paediatrician to come and do the checks on the baby because they had a busy morning

My top tip: Get a dressing gown cord or strap to tie around the headboard or foot of your bed when you get home, and use it to pull yourself up to sitting, so you don't put any strain on your stomach
I used my strap for about a fortnight

Keep on top of the painkillers. For longer than you think you need them! Either bath or shower is fine, I would go for a shower as I didn't find sitting back up easy after my emsc x2. Take an extra pack of wet wipes to hospital to freshen yourself up with, there's a lot of sweating gets done after giving birth, more so as you will have had iv fluids. Take it easy, you will have had major surgery and need time to heal.

Oh, and keep up the fluids to help with potential constipation. Decide for yourself whether or not to take peppermint supplements, some evidence suggests it hinders milk supply. And on a general note, even if you think the bleeding has slowed down, keep changing pads regularly to help against infection.

My SIL used to hold a pillow on her stomach if she needed to cough or sneeze. Also have a load of meals pre cooked that you can eat with just a fork. Like mac and cheese with bacon crumbles etc. pretty bland stuff is best while you are figuring out breast feeding. A blanket to put round your shoulders for night feeds, you get chilly. A sports water bottle so you dont spill it all over yourself if you try to have a drink still lying down. A travel mug so you can have a warm cup of tea with the baby on your lap. A notebook to write down feed times and poops etc. Baby brain is a real thing

In overnight, took the painkillers for a couple of days, moving round was ok but slow.
Pushing the pram through the snow taking the older child to school a week after c section, freezing cold because I was too fat to do my coat up!
Was fine for me but we are all different.

I craved a sugary drinks after both my sections.

With both I was up and about after they removed the catheter. Slow but it was good to keep moving. I didn't overdo it though. Pillow pressed into your belly for coughing,sneezing and laughing.

Keeping up on painkillers is a must, even if you feel ok I'd keep going for a little longer.

Bath is great for removing any sticky dressing residue.

Numbness and tingling in the scar is normal.

Even when you feel ok a couple of weeks on still be careful not to jump back Into house life. 5 weeks after my section with ds I thought it would be great to hoover upstairs. Lifting up my Hetty up those stairs was a terrible mistake.

I found a sling easier than a pushchair for a few months, the stretchy ones are good and if you're wearing it correctly it shouldn't be near your scar.

The idea any using the strap to pull yourself up is a great one, going from lying flat to getting up is a bit of a mission!

I had an emcs and healed really well, was walking around town on day 5 to get baby registered.

I was discharged after 36 hours and catheter out/shower at 12 hours. The midwife advised regarding baths/showers and I was allowed to get it wet for the dressing to come off on day 5.

I don't remember having problems with stairs but i think me, DH and baby mostly lived in our bedroom for the first few weeks! Was easier for sleeping and feeding though did venture downstairs during the day, i just had to ensure dh took baby down and loses basket etc.

I also had no pain from the section but longer walks (ie more than about 20 mins in one go) tired me out easily. I didnt find it difficult to push our buggy but I didnt lift the carseat until I was well healed (around whe I drove again at 8 weeks, could have done sooner but didnt see gp for insurance ok until then).

Good luck!

Loving the tips thank you! Keep them coming!

I'm struggling to find these big pants everyone is talking about! Does anyone have a web link? I brought some cotton full briefs from Primark yesterday but they don't seem high waisted enough and keep riding down, despite trying a small and medium size.

Hey OP I think I got these ones (in black obvs not white!) in a big size

www.marksandspencer.com/5-pack-no-vpl-high-rise-full-briefs-with-modal/p/p22212902

Agree with all of the above. I was surprised how quickly I was up after emcs and how quick my recover was in general.

One great bit of advice we had after was to make sure we had plenty of babygro’s. C-section babies can be very mucousy & throw up a lot while they are getting rid of it. It was great to be prepared & not run out of clean clothes.

Good luck 🙂

I just got some full briefs from sainsburys and they did the job well

My big c-section tip is to have DP pack the hospital bag with you. You'll be stuck in bed post birth and it is annoying to have to explain to a dumbstruck new Dad where to find your glasses etc in the bag.

Side note: I am not in the UK. It BLOWS MY MIND that women are discharged one night after having a c-section on the NHS. That just seems absolutely brutal to me. I was in four nights and I needed every one of them. I see on here how low breastfeeding rates are in the uk and I wonder if this is part of it.

Good luck OP, I hope it all goes well for you

@YesimstillwatchingNetflix

I didn't have to go home after 1 night, but I was offered the option and took it because I wanted to be in my lovely bed, with my lovely family and my (average) kitchen

I would have gone out of my mind with boredom if I'd been there for 4 nights!

When DS was 2 days old, we went for a short walk to a friends house, when he was 5 days, we walked to the pub. There was absolutely no reason for me to be stuck in a hospital bed.

And I breastfed til 12 months

Thanks all, just packing my hospital bag now and will go through it with my husband tonight. Great tip!

I was in for 2 nights with my eldest but that was a VB, and it was due to her not feeding well. In the end I managed to breastfeed her for 12 months. I think sometimes women are in a hurry to be discharged, I'll be asking to stay longer if I feel I need it!

I was in for a month, had some complications and needed a further operation plus twins in nicu.
Bed and stairs no issue but have a shower not bath.

They are keen to discharge you and after care is crap in my experience. I got an infection due to that and was readmitted. IIn hindsight I was discharged too soon. I knew I should not go home my wound was v painful. Lots of issues. Nurse was a bitch.
Hope you have better luck

I’m sitting in the hospital now waiting on the ok to go home - my little girl was born yesterday at 10.53am. If your partner is allowed to stay with you I’d totally recommend this - I could not have managed to get up constantly to feed/change her. Moving helps definitely.