2 hour car journey 3 days post C-section?

[Spanneroo]

I had very straightforward vaginal deliveries of my two DDs so this is really new to me. One of my twins has turned breech, so I'm now booked in for an ELCS. I will be going to my mum's for the first week or so after discharge to recover, as my 5 and 2 year olds are lovely but boisterous, and we live in a small place which will be difficult to isolate myself in, should I need to rest/sleep/not be mangled by loving DDs.

If the offending twin does behave herself and go back to head down, I will cancel the CS, but if she doesn't, I'll need to make the journey (2hrs by car) once I'm discharged. The hospital policy for twins is for discharge within 48-72 hours. Will this be doable? I'm assuming I'll need to find a suitable cushion for the seat belt. I know we will be taking regular breaks for the babies anyway, so it won't be all in one.

Obviously, I will not be driving.

I couldn't have following my c-section, the seat belt was just too uncomfortable. There was a distinct lack of overnight help after I had my baby, even though I had a big haemorrhage and a difficult pregnancy. This left me sore and more exhausted than I could imagine. I needed to wee or change my pads a lot and the shuffle to a distant motorway toilet would have been torture.

No. Remember new born can only be in car seats for 30 mins at a time.

As pp have said, newborn babies shouldn't be in a car seat for more than 30 minutes, how are you going to get postnatal care if you're two hours away from your midwife and GP?
Personally I wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere more than a minimal distance, too risky.

Car or train, I don't think it makes a difference. You honestly won't feel like travelling at all. I could barely swing my legs out of bed let alone sit in any form of transport for 2 hours.

I wasn't allowed out of hospital until three days after my c section. I thought that was normal?

It could be done but it won't be comfortable or advised and there may be something unplanned for that May mean you aren't able.

Given the chances of you or the babies needing postnatal care it doesn’t seem practical for you to plan to be two hours away.

DD ended up being readmitted on day 5 and before that point there was a lot of to and fro to hospital.

I myself could have coped with a straightforward two hour car journey if I could just sit there for two hours, but that’s not realistic as you’ll have to stop and get the babies out of the car to have some unscrunched time out of their car seats.

Another consideration is that I also wouldn’t want to be using public toilets when you’ve got an uncovered wound you want to avoid infection in.

I've only got my own experiences to go on, but based on my recoveries from my two CSs, my first reaction is "not on your nelly"! CS2 was a breeze compared to the first but even then I wouldn't have managed a journey of that length on day 3...

I think separating yourself from your other kids (and taking the new babies with you) is a little bit iffy, from a psychological point of view. They're going to feel abandoned for the babies. On the other hand if Grandma invited them up to stay it'd be a treat and they'd be excited, no? And you'd be own your own house, which I'd have thought would be better for you
Hopefully you'd be able to convince the school to count it as an approved absence?

I traveled about 45 mins 48 hours after my c section and it was a journey I'd forgot until reading this!
The whole journey I was watching the clock desperately needing to be home ASAP!

I agree you need a little time away from your dd's ESPECIALLY with twins but a long car journey isn't the answer.

I would actually allow dd1 to miss 'a little' time off school. For example if you are back at home on a Monday I'd keep the dd's at home for 2-3 days (with oldest in the usual school routine) then maybe Thursday/ Friday they travel the 2 hours for a little holiday.
That way dd's have some time with you all which is quite important then have the excitement of a little trip while you get some much needed rest.

Thinking your date will be near Christmas?

Sorry if this sounds harsh but two new babies and your going to leave your older children for two weeks. Sounds like a sure fire way to make them hate the babies.

This is massively outing, but I did 5 hours in the car (with breaks for the newborn, obviously) one day after an EMCS. It was awful, but I did it as I had no option.

Get your Mum to come to you for a few days to recover a bit first, if you can.

Good luck!

I did a trip which was 1hr in each direction (so 2 hrs total) on day 4 just because we fancied it. Totally pain free. I also didn't have any pain on the 15m trip back from the hospital. Everyone is different but I had very little pain overall.

I did 1 hour home from the hospital after 36 hours it was fine

No to traveling post partum
And no to leaving your older kids.

No way

I think separating yourself from your other kids (and taking the new babies with you) is a little bit iffy, from a psychological point of view. They're going to feel abandoned for the babies.
I agree with this. They are too young to understand why you arent with them and might feel resentful that you're "choosing" to new babies rather than them.

Your concern is the older children harming the babies in some way, surely that will still be an issue when they're 2 weeks old?

I would also be concerned about

• postnatal midwife visits as they wont come to your mums house 2 hours away
• 2 hours with newborns in the car as your would have to stop 3 times.
• would you be able to get back to the hospital if you or baby needs to be readmitted for some reason?

You said your mum could take the older kids for a week instead, except your older DD is at school. Could you speak to the school about authorised leave - I would think "mum is having twins and grandma is the only childcare option but lives 2 hours away" would be a pretty good reason to authorise absense, especially in the week before christmas when they'll probably just be making stuff out of glitter anyway.

I had an emcs and took a prem dc home to multiple dc.
Nobody died...

If you husband has 2 weeks parernity can't you have 2 weeks at home all bonding and him looking after you and midwife appointments (they'll want to check the scar) etc. I wasnt very mobile initially.

And then go to your mums?

I think your other children will find it ahrd to understand thag mummy had a baby and left especially as everyone will ask them about being a big brother/sister. (We did a little present after the birth of a "big sister" T shirt, a little toy and a magazine that she still remembers from her first visit.)

I was in hospital both times longer than expected.

I just really wouldn't.

I agree that leaving your older DC to spend time with just the twins is really not ideal and will be hard for them to understand. I imagine the car journey would be horrific too.

My DS was transferred to a hospital three hours away straight after being born. When I was discharged 24 hours after my section and my parents drove me to the other hospital, it was very painful. Obviously nothing would have stopped me going there but it hurt. A lot.

Fortunately it was arranged for me to go into the postnatal ward of the hospital so I was able to have oromorph.

This was after a planned, calm section. I recovered well generally and that was the only time I needed oromorph.

I was discharged the day after dc2 was born by a semi emergency section. With breaks we did a 148 mile round trip to pick up dc1 from the inlaws and then to show my recently widowed dm her granddaughter before going home. I was absolutely fine however I recover very quickly for some reason, haven't needed pain relief post theatre with either of my sections and was out for lunch the day after that.

Wouldn't getting your dm to come to you or asking if you can stay in longer be simpler?

Tough one OP. Hope you work it out whichever way you decide.

As an aside, if you are two hours away from your usual place of residence, are your usual Midwives/ Health visitors aware/ arranged cover by another team (2 hours away) for postnatal visits?

It is achievable. Plan and do test run of the journey to avoid as many pot holes as possible. During the breaks for the twins get dh to hand you one twin and dh holds the other twin. Saving time and avoiding you getting out of the car/ changing position, which is likely to hurt.

Before you get discharged you would need to tell the midwife you are not going home straight away and ask for the midwife to refer your postnatal care to your mother's house. The health visitors and midwifes that serve your mother's area will come to you and you can transfer your care back to your normal place of residence afterwards.

I was discharged 48 hours after c section while baby was kept in hospital. For the next few weeks I had to endure a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive home to hospital and the same back again. I won't lie: it was horrible & I've hated speed bumps ever since... But I survived. So if you're desperate to go you'll hopefully be fine. But if you can avoid going you'd probably feel better!