C section recovery really scared :(

[imjustbxx]

I'm Having a planned c section is the recovery really as bad and as painful as people say it is and does it take a really long time. Will I be able to do normal things, will I be able to look after my baby I'm so scared someone please help

Ooh no it's really not that bad OP! My recovery from an ELCS was miles easier and quicker than my recovery that my previous awful assisted delivery.

Everyone has different experiences, but mine was overwhelmingly positive. Yes, it was sore for the first week. Keep on top of your pain killers, no missing doses. Keep the pain at bay rather than needing to get rid of it. Rest. Don't lift anything heavier than your baby. Keep really hydrated and do not let yourself get constipated (codeine, if you take it, will cause this!). Maybe have a bottle of lactulose in for when you get home.

Good tip I was given was to stick a maternity pad to the inside of my massive knickers over my wound to keep it dry and pad it a bit and also to take a pillow in the car for the journey home to put under the seatbelt to protect your wound. Both helped.

Good luck!

My recovery from an ELCS was fine - once the epidural was out I was able to manage the pain with paracetamol, was up and shuffling round the corridor with DS over my shoulder very soon after. My obstetrician said a baby sling was fine for getting up and down stairs (lived in a first floor flat at the time) and in fact would help support the scar. Within about a year you could barely see the scar.

Do you have anyone to help you?

Personally I found the first few days much more painful than I had imagined but I stupidly thought there would be no pain! I did take paracetamol regularly & took it easy.

Get up as soon as you can afterwards, keep on top of painkillers and I’d definitely recommend peppermint oil with warm water and soluble paracetamol for the first couple of days- trapped wind was the most painful bit for me!

When you stand up, make sure you stand up straight and avoid the temptation to hunch over.

Get whoever is picking you up to bring a thin pillow for you to put between you and the part of the seatbelt that goes over your lap....not sure if it actually makes a physical difference but it was definitely a psychological help for me!

I found recovery to be a lot easier than I expected, having built it up to be a majorly scary thing.

@ImFree2doasiwant

I had a planned c section. The spinal worked REALLY well, and I couldn't actually get up until the next day. The horses helped a lot with the baby, passing him to me to feed etc..

At home, I didn't have any help really. Getting up from the armchair was the worst. Oh and the walk to the car from the hospital because "D" H ignored me when I asked him to use the pick up bays.

Anyway, it wasn't bad, I went for a slow walk when ds was 1 week old. I felt pretty much normal by 3 weeks.

I love the image I get from that typo 🐴

Within that first week I was able to go shopping, go on day trips, cook meals, entertain friends, chase my toddler round the garden, change nappies on the floor etc.

Yep this was me as well. Took baby and toddler to the park for a walk just fine. Plus I was also driving after a week. Probably could have done it sooner but didn't have anywhere to go.

This sounds weird but I didn't really feel any pain. Like the wound was a little sore but more like "hmm that's a little sore" and not like "ahhhhh omg the pain" iyswim.

Everyones experience is different but hopefully yours will be like mine. I can honestly say it was a great experience.

As another poster said people tend to be quite sympathetic. I took it really easy even when I felt capable of doing more.

I was asked to peel my c-section dressing off in the shower - is that what you're referring to OP? It was fine.

The trapped wind was awful - very painful and embarrassing on a packed ward!

Wish someone had told me about c-section pants so I could have lessened the 'overhang'- see if you can get some, just Google them.

I did get an infection in my c-section scar which took months to heal, but I don't know anyone else who did. I was just unlucky. Just keep on top of pain relief and if you have any doubts or concerns about your recovery seek help.

I had no family close by, so no help and it was all manageable. I used a boomerang pillow to comfortably hold my baby in my arms and loved every minute of the newborn stage.

Good luck OP.

Yes, the trapped wind! I'd forgotten all about that

I have had two emergency sections now, first 24 hours you may need a little help grabbing baby from cot. I recovered really well from both of mine and planned sections normally have much better recovery. As long as you don’t overdo it for the first 2 weeks, no long walks, no housework - literally just spend it enjoying your baby you will be fine!! The pad is fine - just a bigger plaster pulling at your scan, way less painful than having a wax!! You may have to inject your tummy for a week or so afterwards, I found that painful but you just get on with it!

My ELCS recovery was great. Keep on top of painkillers. I was in more pain from the PGP I'd developed during pregnancy than the surgery. Take it easy, don't overdo it just because you feel fine.
The dressing I had was pretty sticky so I did take it off in the shower just because it was easier.

I agree with everyone - my recovery was very straightforward, far more so than a lot of my friends who had vaginal births. The pain was more like a pulled muscle than anything else really and I could move around very easily and do absolutely everything normally. I actually wanted to walk from the recovery ward to the post natal ward (carrying my baby) but was told I wasn't allowed!

I had an EMCS with one of my DC.

I did need quite a bit of help with getting DC from the crib the first day or two, but we were in hospital for a week (because DC had jaundice, not because of the CS), and by the time we were discharged I was able to manage fine. Although I was careful to take it slow and easy.

I had a planned c-section and it was honestly great. If I have another baby I would definitely chose that again. I was also pretty worried about pain and recovery and had heard some horror stories. I was bracing myself, but the reality was actually far better. I had DD at 15:45 but was up and about the next morning and by the time I left hospital I didn't find I needed to take the paracetamol every four hours as the pain was only occasional and mild.

However I guess because I experienced a lot less pain then I expected, and was much more able then I thought I would be (paired with a very lazy exH) I did too much. In fact I was bloody stupid with activity levels and ended up splitting my wound on one end. It got infected and I needed a weeks antibiotics and proper rest and it was fine. I think that was completely my fault for doing too much though and pushing it too far and would definitely rest more if in that position again. I would have been fine looking after the baby and walking upstairs, general pottering around... but I was doing stupid shit like hoovering the whole house and pushing a buggy on sand in week one and two.

It's quite hard to predict what an individual's recovery will be- some people are fine and some take longer with more pain. However, I think generally planned c-sections have better recovery and less pain. I had a planned one and was out the next day and walking around. I would recommend a good pair of support knickers- you can get specialist c-sections one. They hold it all in and give you a bit of confidence when walking about,

Nothing further to add on the recovery as loads of advice above...but .

Take vaseline for in the theatre! They give you a drug to take away the saliva (or something, my memory of it is hazy) and I remember desperately wanting something to help my lips.

Also your first sneeze or laugh after your second will remain in your memory for a while, ouchy! I remember saying to my partner, pleeeease dont make me laugh!

*Section not second!

I'm having one next week and I'm so scared I'm really squeamish and a wuss 😭😭😭😭😭😭
The thought of it is terrifying me I don't know how I'm going to cope on the day!!

@cherryappl

I'm having one next week and I'm so scared I'm really squeamish and a wuss 😭😭😭😭😭😭 The thought of it is terrifying me I don't know how I'm going to cope on the day!!

Please try not to worry too much. Before I had my section I read all kinds of cautionary tales, and they led me to believe I’d be in terrible pain for weeks, unable to walk for days and not able to lift my baby without help.

I know everyone’s experiences are different, but in the end everything was so much easier than I’d expected. I had an elective c-section in June as I’d been hospitalised with Covid pneumonia in March (100% would not recommend) and still had a lot of difficulty breathing. However, I was able to stand up 6 hours after the birth, and was discharged the next day. I only took paracetamol and ibuprofen, and never found the pain to be unbearable (didn’t actually need the boatload of laxatives they sent me home with either).

Wishing you the best of luck with your birth. Incidentally, I have a couple of (female) friends who are doctors who think that caesareans are unfairly stigmatised by health professionals, and have always said they’d rather have one than a vaginal birth!

Hi @pseudanonymity, do you mind me asking if you saw much improvement in your breathing after your c-section? I’m in a similar situation, currently 36+2 and still suffering with my breathing having been in hospital with pneumonia back in August. I’m also thinking an elective c-section would be the best option for me as I’m worried my shortness of breath and inability to take a deep breath would prevent me from progressing well in labour.