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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

how much help does the hospital give you after a c-section

78 replies

griffintribe · 16/02/2008 13:55

I am planning on having an elective c-section and i am aware that i will need LOADS of help once i am home, have dd 2.6 as well.

Was just wondering how much help i will get in hospital after the first 12 hours when the drip comes out and i am up and about.

Will i be left to just get on with looking after the baby or will the nursing staff expect to help with feeds and nappies etc

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

PestoMonster · 16/02/2008 13:59

You are pretty much left to your own devices once the drip's out. However, if you need assistance that's what your buzzer is for. Just don't be afraid to use it and ask for help.

needmorecoffee · 16/02/2008 14:08

Bugger all. And they'll have you out of bed and walking within a few hours. You can ask for help with lifting the baby but generally they expect you to do it all. If you do ask they will sigh....

Original poster

griffintribe · 16/02/2008 14:09

What even if its a big baby? which mine is going to be

OP posts:

CristinaTheAstonishing · 16/02/2008 14:12

I think you'll get as much or as little as you ask for. If you need help then ask for it rather than wait for it to be offerred, they can't guess who wants to be left alone and who wants a hand. I felt pretty energetic after mine and was up and about v quickly. The pain only started in earnest once I was home.

spicemonster · 16/02/2008 14:13

None whatsoever. Either sigh as nmc says or in my case say 'what's wrong with you, broken your legs?'

LadyMuck · 16/02/2008 14:15

It really varies tbh. Depends on how many staff, how many patients etc. You can always ask for help. I had nurses wheeling ds2 away so that they could cuddle him at night whilst I got some sleep. But every member of staff is different.

Lulumama · 16/02/2008 14:16

the baby rooms in with you, so you are supposed to do the care for your baby.... you can of course ask someone to help you to pass the baby and help you get her latched on and for help with changing if you are in pain and cannot move etc..

depends on how many staff are on teh PN ward..

mears · 16/02/2008 14:17

WEre you a CS last time?

You should get help with baby care initially and helped to feed baby be it breast or bottle. Once you are fully mobile and able to move freely you will be expected to look after your baby mainly yourself. Sad but true

mears · 16/02/2008 14:18

spicemnoster - did you complain about that response? Totally unacceptable

Original poster

griffintribe · 16/02/2008 14:20

No mears i was a very traumatic forcepts delivery which resulted in dd having a scar on her right cheek which is still there today. I suffered quite a lot of bruising and tearing and suffered pain for months afterwards

OP posts:

mears · 16/02/2008 14:24

I am sorry to hear that. I just wondered whether you were having an elective following an emergency one.

I presume you have had the discussion about labour. Second births tend to be easier because the body has done it before - I just wonder whether the option of labour but no forceps had been discussed?

Yeni · 16/02/2008 14:26

I am worried about this too. I'm having a section next week and I'm dreading being in the hospital at night with nobody to help me.

Original poster

griffintribe · 16/02/2008 14:26

Mears, that option has been discussed but i am terrified that i will get in a position where the baby isn't coming out and the only option is forcepts.

I was very very lucky last time that my dd survived

OP posts:

pollyblue · 16/02/2008 14:28

Don't be afraid to ask for help! My dd was born at 10.40am and my catheter was removed at 6am the following day after which i was expected to pretty much taking care of myself and the baby. In retrospect i wish i had been more forward in buzzing for help rather than struggling - yes the staff are busy but you've just had surgery and have a new baby to deal with.

Bluebutterfly · 16/02/2008 14:28

I hate the NHS.

Sorry, I do and my mother who recently retired after being a nurse for over 30 years agrees. She thinks people are treated like s**t far too often.

Having a baby is supposed to be an amazing experience, but the way that the system "manages" labour and post delivery mums is quite often both patronising and demoralising at the same time.

I know, I know... underfunded, underpaid, oversubscribed blah blah blah.

We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Problem with all these "reasons" is that there is no excuse...

SofiaAmes · 16/02/2008 14:31

I got absolutely none at all. And just to top it all off my emergency buzzer was broken, so when I did have an emergency in teh middle of the night the first night, I was not attended to (despite crying and screaming hysterically for an hour). Finally one of the other patients in the room had to crawl down the hallway to find a midwife. Personaly I would plan on having someone stay there with you.

mears · 16/02/2008 14:34

By the sounds of what you describe, your DD had a way to go when she was delivered by forceps. If the baby's head was too far down for a CS then it would be a 'lift out' forceps or vacuum cup which is a different situation than first time round.

Women who have forceps first time round usually deliver the next baby themselves, even large ones. That is my experience as a midwife anyway.

Sorry, I don't mean to question your decision - it is just that it can be harder caring for a toddler post CS than after a vaginal delivery.

If you are totally sure of your decision for CS I would advise that you come home as soon as you are medically fit so that your DH can help you as much as possible.

mears · 16/02/2008 14:36

If you are not able to come home early then definitely do not be afraid to use your buzzer. I second having someone to help you.

rookiemater · 16/02/2008 14:40

It depends on what hospital you are in. I was very well treated for the first 12 hours until the catheter came out, they changed nappies and brought baby beside me for feeding. Yet another friend in a different hospital, with known problems with level of staffing, didn't get this help.

Ask people about the hospitals reputation, friends neighbours, anyone, that should help you to find out.

procrastinatingparent · 16/02/2008 14:48

With DC4 (I have had 4 CS) I was told that I had a free pass for the first 24 hours, in that they were happy to do anything I needed, but that once I was up and about I was expected to do what I reasonably could.

My advice is to take all the pain meds you are offered - don't be a hero - because if you are in pain you can't look after the baby.

I had lots of help at home which I really needed but recovered from this one the best of all I think.

ninedragons · 16/02/2008 14:50

I got a week in a lovely hospital room with a cot for the baby and a bed for my husband, breast feeds overseen by the lactation nurse, and all formula feeds, nappy changes and baths done by the nurses. The registrar even came to my bedside to fill in the paperwork and drop off the birth certificate.

Bliss. But I'm not in the UK so my experience is irrelevant to you, unfortunately.

Be assertive about dinging your bell whenever you need help, and even if he can't sleep in the room with you, the more your partner can be around to help the better.

fizzbuzz · 16/02/2008 15:33

Haha, no help IME, apart from 1st 12 hours. More help at home

dd deposited entire feed on me after 1 night in hosp (later diagnosed as reflux)

I had to stagger to sink to clean her, change her, change me. When dp came in I was in floods of tears. Would this happen after major surgery elsewhere? Nurse at the time informed me "well babies are sick you know"

Yes, I did know actually

Oblomov · 16/02/2008 15:43

I had a planned CS at Kings. The staff were brill and helped me and ds all the time. Thay helped me in and out of bed, with feeding.
But then to be honest, I was up and about and was fine, very soon after surgery.

crokky · 16/02/2008 15:47

It will depend how busy the postnatal ward is and how many staff they have there. The best thing to do is organise visitors (DH, mum etc) who will be able to help you during visiting hours. Don't have people to visit who are just coming for a chat/to see baby, have people who will help you feed/dress the baby and might help you have a shower etc. The staffing levels in my hospital were totally inadequate and this was why the care was so bad. Staff are often unfamiliar with your notes because they are just too busy. If you need help, you must press your buzzer as they don't come and check on you if they are too busy.

kitstwins · 16/02/2008 16:28

Second the others. Use your buzzer and get friends/family to come and HELP you rather than just gloat over the baby for five minutes and drop off a bag of grapes. It's incredibly hit and miss and you might get lucky and coincide with when they're not busy, but chances are you won't. So plan for worse-case scenario.

Oh and push for help. Don't be heroic. They're understaffed and so if you don't ask they'll leave you to struggle and go and get busy dealing with the four thousand other things that are on the list. You'll need help. For all the stories of people feeling "fine" and leaping out of bed afterwards the reality is that it's major abdominal surgery and you'll be sore and pretty useless for days. And the more you push yourself and overdo it the slower you'll heal so if you can take things easy in the early days then you'll reap the benefits later on. I didn't (not much choice with twins) and I badly regret it.

Best of luck.
Kx

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