X-post C-Section - Tips for Recovery?

[bellabelly]

Hi, i'm booked in for a c-section in 2 weeks time (although the docs and m/ws keep suggesting that the twins will probably come early anyway...) at Chelsea & Westminster and am just wondering if anyone has any good tips for how to help recovery go as smoothly as possible? I'm starting to get quite anxious and any advice would be very welcome!

FioFio - the wind pain is definitely all wind pain! It gets stuck and I was in more pain from the wind than I ever was from the scar etc. I spent one night walking the corridors to try to shift it and I could have kissed the midwife who suggested the peppermint tea and the massaging my sides in the shower! Once the wind had gone I felt much better and only needed paracetamol for a day or two for the scar pain.

Make sure they put in the catheter after your epidural and not before. I think this is usually standard but an evil MW cathed me before my epi with ds1 and it was a lot of unnecessary pain

The pain really not as bad as I anticipated.
Dont push yourself you may feel about 96 for a while but it will pass.

I second the big pants - I ended up in DH boxers as had not thought ahead.. Also dont rush back into jeans - get some nice tracksuit bottoms (Gap do nice soft yoga type ones that dont look too slobby). I found jeans dug into the scar when I bent over. Ouch.

I'd repeat what everyone says: don't overdo it. You have plenty of time to get back to normal, and the thing is, it can hardly hurt at all! I don't want to oversell it, and I really may have been lucky, but I was on Advil only on day 2, and only felt pain doing sit-uppy sort of movements in the hospital bed. But for several weeks, I had a very heavy feeling when I was walking, and knew I had to keep going slowly, even though I could have happily braved the pain just to get on with things and get places faster. Because you can reverse your recovery, just go s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y, and when you feel you can probably do more, don't.

Arnica is your friend, as are heavy duty painkillers, big pants and the ability to REST A LOT.

You will feel okay in two weeks this DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD DO THINGS! I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to do 'a spot of gardening' 14 days post partum. This was a very bad idea.

Oh and drink lots of water, you have to pass quite a bit for them to be happy that they don't have to reinsert the catheter.

I had mine 8 days ago now and I am feeling a lot better. Things that have helped:

Drink loads - if water isn't your bag take some peppermint cordial or something similar and just drink, drink, drink. Hospitals are hot and dehydrating and you WILL be constipated afterwards, both of which will make the trapped wind worse, so don't make work for yourself!

Take the painkillers before it starts to hurt - politeness stopped me asking for more in hospital - but only once!

Move around as soon as you can - if you thought you had swollen legs in pregnancy you ain't seen nothing yet. Never have I been so sweaty and puffed up in my life - in all the photos I look like an inflatable version of a Viz comic strip character.

Things that haven't helped:

Walking a little bit too far leads to great stiffness and pain later that day - you have to do ridiculously small amounts even though you feel fine, because you don't realise it's too much until it's too late.

Coughing or laughing. DO NOT GULP THE WATER I ADVISED YOU TO DRINK or you will be at risk of inhaling it and then choking just as the spinal wears off and you will feel like you're going to either herniate all over the floor, or just die.

Thanks all for very helpful replies. I'm packing hospital bag this weekend and will make sure I have all of the things that you've recommended!

Take loads of snacks in - raisins, cereal bars, juice drinks etc. Hospital food was rubbish, and having snacks in your little cabinet makes loads of difference.

Take your mobile phone in to hospital. You will be there for 3 days, so you can get LOADS of texting done.

Get big pants!

At home, get loads of people to help at home - housework etc. You will get tired very quickly. And make sure you have the tv remote, kitchen roll and a book to hand near your settee - you will spend a lot of time there.

and take your painkillers, even when you think you dont need them - they are keeping you pain free and will accelerate your recovery.

Good luck!