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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

C section painkiller

61 replies

AlexandraMum · 06/06/2021 13:34

Hi girls, I live in UK and I will go to do the elective c section with my first pregnancy.
I know post operation I have to be in hospital for 3-4 days to ensure the recovery goes well.
However I m not sure what painkillers they give in Uk for c section recovery who does breastfeeding. If you have experience about this I would be very happy to hear from you. What painkillers you had and how did you manage the pain?
Thanks a lot. Smile

OP posts:
Fitforforty · 06/06/2021 13:42

Lots of people who have ELCS are out after 48 hours and some times less.

In my experience after the first 24 hours they give you a packet of paracetamol and ibuprofen.

im2sad · 06/06/2021 13:46

They like to have you home in 24 hours now, catheter out and mobile after 6 hours. My first I was only given paracetamol but my second they gave everyone oramorph as standard which I would recommend asking for (it's safe if breastfeeding). If you avoid straining your stomach muscles by pushing yourself up out the bed etc you won't feel as much pain.

Original poster
AlexandraMum · 06/06/2021 13:47

Ibuprofene and paracetamol are not very strong for such a big surgery. How did you manage? Did they give you anything else stronger?
I know that my pain threshold is very small and ibuprofen and paracetamol are not going to help me.
I had and endometrium curettage (a small operation) and they discharged me with ibuprofen and paracetamol and it was very very painful. I wonder how it will be with c section which is a major operation.

OP posts:
Original poster
AlexandraMum · 06/06/2021 13:50

@im2sad

They like to have you home in 24 hours now, catheter out and mobile after 6 hours. My first I was only given paracetamol but my second they gave everyone oramorph as standard which I would recommend asking for (it's safe if breastfeeding). If you avoid straining your stomach muscles by pushing yourself up out the bed etc you won't feel as much pain.
I m going to be in a private hospital and they say that I can stay up to 4 days if I want to. I m hopping stay more than 24 h just to be sure i have medical assistance when I have pain. Thanks for the tips and the name of the pill. I will put it down on my list to ask about it. Did it work well with you?
OP posts:
NerrSnerr · 06/06/2021 13:51

I had co codamol and ibuprofen after both mine. I also had some oramorph when still in hospital. With my first I was in for 4 days as I had a bleed and was in HDU for 25 hours. The second I went home after about 48 hours I think.

Greybeardy · 06/06/2021 13:51

Where I am, as a general rule. ... diamorphine in the spinal with a diclofenac suppository intra-op then co-dydramol & ibuprofen for afters (all as long as there are no contraindications). Oromorph for breakthrough pain. Patients are able to self administer the co-dydramol/NSAID. For patients with significant/complicated pre-op painkiller requirements then obvs things are tailored more individually.

Lemonlemon88 · 06/06/2021 13:52

I didnt have a c section but I had a very bad tear which I was prescribed tramadol for.

ShowOfHands · 06/06/2021 13:58

I have had two caesareans and went home 12 hours after one and 24 hours after the other.

I was offered paracetamol and ibuprofen but didn't need them. I didn't experience any pain afterwards. If you are going private, ask what they offer as it may be different to what is available on the NHS.

KurtWilde · 06/06/2021 14:01

I was offered co-codomol whilst in hospital but sent home with paracetamol and ibuprofen. They worked just fine for c-section pain.

Original poster
AlexandraMum · 06/06/2021 14:01

Wow girls. You are angels for helping and in sharing your experience.
For how long you are allowed to take the oramorph or any other strong painkillers? Did you take it regularly or just when the pain was unbearable?

OP posts:
Chwaraeteg · 06/06/2021 14:05

I just had paracetamol while I was in hospital because I can't take ibuprofen. It wasn't quite sufficient - there would be about two hours where the previous dose had worn off here I was in quite a bit of pain (about a 6/10 I reckon) before the next.

Bizzarely, once the worst of it was over they sent me home with dihydracodiene 😐 O think they had a rule about having to have a blood test to check how you metabolised pain meds if you were breastgeeding, before you could be prescrolibed anything. I only needed to take the dihydrocodeine when I split open my scar and the midwife was unable to see me because we were snowed in, because it was too late by then!

ParadiseLaundry · 06/06/2021 14:09

I was given dihydracodeine both times. Although the second time they only gave me three to come home with Hmm my GP had no problem giving me a prescription for more though and gave me 60 more tablets!

Louisa4987 · 06/06/2021 14:15

I took paracetamol and ibuprofen and kept it topped up for the first 3 days and honestly never felt pain, bit stiff and achey perhaps but no actual pain. I was also able to walk without issues and stand upright etc the following morning with no issues. Getting in and out of bed I had to do slowly but other than that I honestly had no issues. Don't assume you're going to be in agony you might be surprisedSmile

daisyducky · 06/06/2021 14:30

Yep home after 24 hours with paracetamol and ibrupofen and didn't need anything stronger. In hospital they missed a few does and I didn't require it. I've a small pain threshold too.

I had a much easier recovery than my vaginal birth 2 years previous

Hope all goes well with your c section.

SkankingMopoke · 06/06/2021 14:34

DC1 was ELCS and I had paracetamol and ibuprofen post surgery plus a couple of doses of oramorph when the pain was particularly bad. I was in for 3 nights (7yrs ago).
DC2 was EMCS (rupture). I had a morphine drip for 1.5 days, then paracetamol and ibuprofen. I was in for 5 nights or 5 days - can't remember which as it was a pretty awful and rather blurry experience! (5yrs ago)

I agree paracetamol and ibuprofen is fairly inadequate for post major abdominal surgery, and it wasn't enough for me after both births, but is very typical of how 'women's' pain is managed/understood/believed IME.

Original poster
AlexandraMum · 06/06/2021 14:38

@Louisa4987

I took paracetamol and ibuprofen and kept it topped up for the first 3 days and honestly never felt pain, bit stiff and achey perhaps but no actual pain. I was also able to walk without issues and stand upright etc the following morning with no issues. Getting in and out of bed I had to do slowly but other than that I honestly had no issues. Don't assume you're going to be in agony you might be surprisedSmile
Thank you for your encouraging words. I m scared for the after pain because of my low pain tolerance.
OP posts:
Original poster
AlexandraMum · 06/06/2021 14:40

@daisyducky

Yep home after 24 hours with paracetamol and ibrupofen and didn't need anything stronger. In hospital they missed a few does and I didn't require it. I've a small pain threshold too.

I had a much easier recovery than my vaginal birth 2 years previous

Hope all goes well with your c section.

That sounds great. If you have low pain tolerance and you felt good after this gives me a hope that I will manage pain very well. Thanks for sharing
OP posts:
EastWellowBride · 06/06/2021 14:42

Hi. I only had paracetamol (and nothing at all for the first four hours due to a misunderstanding) and it honestly wasn't that bad. I think planned c-sections are a lot easier than emergency ones from what I have heard from friends.

KurtWilde · 06/06/2021 14:44

I didn't find the pain that bad tbh and all mine were c-sections - planned and emergency.

imaginethemdragons · 06/06/2021 14:45

Home in 24 hours,
At first cocodamol but only for a couple of days really.
Then paracetamol and ibuprofen but only for the first week.
No morphine, nothing opiate based. Didn’t need anything that strong.

I have another child so had to get home quickly in order to care for them.

SinkGirl · 06/06/2021 14:45

I take oramorph at home anyway but had reduced my dose so much during pregnancy that I wasn’t on much. The anaesthetist was more than happy to write me up for a much higher dose and told me that as I was familiar with my pain management that I could just request the amount I wanted up to that maximum. That continued until I went home about 36 hours later. They were fantastic with my pain relief - if what they give you isn’t sufficient just tell them. The good thing with a spinal is that it wears off gradually so you can get ahead of the pain when it starts.

jackstini · 06/06/2021 15:04

I have very low pain threshold - as in passed out the first time I had my legs waxed and threw up the first time I had my eyebrows plucked!

I had cocodamol and diclofenac for a few days and was absolutely fine. In the shower the day after and no issue breastfeeding, just needed baby to be passed to me for the first few times

All the best Smile

yikesanotherbooboo · 06/06/2021 15:05

I had diclifenac suppositories and then paracetamol and ibuprofen but like a pp I didn't really have any pain.
The big benefit of staying in hospital for a few days is establishing feeding .
Best of luck

Original poster
AlexandraMum · 06/06/2021 15:17

Thank you all girls. You are fantastic. Big hug to all of you for beautiful support.

OP posts:
makingababy · 06/06/2021 15:19

Morphine plus ibuprofen (I can’t take paracetamol) for the first 24 hours in hospital. Then just ibuprofen but I was offered or could ask for oramorph as required for top ups. I was in hospital for 6 days post op due to baby being admitted, I only took three doses of oramorph in that time.
When sent home they gave me the remains are of the oramorph bottle in case needed, with strict instructions to keep taking the ibuprofen even if I thought I felt well enough not to. I didn’t take any more oramorph.
Paracetamol rather than ibuprofen is the usual prescription where I am in Scotland though.