Hospital bag for C Section- What should I take?

[Glammama]

First time round I had a vaginal birth but next week I'm booked in for a CS due to baby being flex breech.

I have no idea what I need to take which will specifically be of use. I've figured out all the other things, breast pads, toiletries etc.

What did people fing invaluable or wish they'd had with them?

Thanks in advance,

G

sorry, that should of course read find, not fing.

Peppermint tea, seriously..you can get terrible wind after a section!! Something to do with the air being trapped inside when they open you up!

Clothes that are comfy, no tight elastic on your wound. Longer tops that won't rub on wound as well.

Good luck, hope it goes really well!

You mean I will get more wind than right now?? Poor DP! I don't really do elastic these days so I'm hoping I can stay in my nightie for a few days. I'm working on the premise of having one clean one a day.

Thanks for your message and good luck wishes.

Nice large pants, changing mat so you don't have to change your baby directly on the bed, magazines, puzzle book, bottle of Ribena...

Had ECS last time, planned one this time - will be taking an extra pillow (hospital beds I found very uncomfortable), ear plugs and eye mask (to try to sleep during the day when DH is there).

Based on what I've read on other threads, arnica tablets, peppermint cordial, and get people to bring some nice food. The only hospital food I could face was the cheese and biscuits and cereal.

Massive pants - seriously, get size 20 under your armpit jobs so that there's no danger of the elastic being anywhere near your scar.

Snacks - if you're going in for an elective, you'll probably get bumped throughout the day as they deal with emergencies. I was nil by mouth all day, had my CS at 5.30pm and didn't get fed until 8am next morning! I was ravenous.

Long nightie/dressing gown/slippers. You'll be shuffling around for a good few days so you want something that will maintain your dignity while you're going past all the DHs (and to hide the horrible white anti-thrombosis stockings you'll be wearing).

Ipod/credit card to buy credits for the telly. Visiting hours usually finish around 8pm and I was bored stiff a lot of the time.

Good luck

Should clarify, the pillow was to sit on really, rather than prop me up. Had a very sore backside after a short time on those beds.

Good idea, the pillow. I took a V-shaped one in which doubled as a back rest for me and something to put baby on whilst bf-ing.

Definitely second nice snacks and nice things to drink, hospital food is vile.

...I had an elective also due to breech and they don't let you drink or eat for ages before so I was hallucinating about fresh orange juice by the time they wheeled me in!

At least you have sensibly gone for a winter baby and will not be wilting of heat exhaustion like I was!

Top of my list would be big pants with a wide soft waistband!

I found my own sooo uncomy they stopped right on the scar and it hurt! In the end and when i got home i stole DH boxers and wore them, not in any way sexy bt that was the last thing on my mind!

Oh and if you're not an emergency CS you often have to wait around..so take lots of things to distract you from the waiting!

Mine was booked in for first thing on the Monday morning but a couple of women had to have emergencies so obviously they got to jump the queue and I didn't get into theatre until lunchtime..

big pants and jumbo pads.

Second hattyyellow on things to do - i spent 3 days on the delivery ward waiting for my induction to officially fail and to get to the front of the CS queue, sewing!
Also a good book - last bit of reading i did for a while!

Wow, so many relpies, thank you.

I think I'm being dense here, jumbo pads? Will I be bleeding then?

Yes sadly you still get the lochia after a c-section. The pads are also handy to hold over your scar if you sneeze/hiccup and when !!! Take some prune juice or similar - trust me you'll thank me for it

Why did I think I wouldn't get the lochia? And I'm putting prune juice on the list right now.

Oh god, my elective c section's next Monday. I thought I'd bougth everything, I'd not thought about big pants at all as my normal pants have coped throughout pregnancy.

My normal pants are big pants Think I might have to go for the comedy sized novelty pairs one finds on market stalls.

Good luck thequietone with your CS.

OK, I'm getting confused now. Are big pants the Bridget Jones ones? I don't wear thongs but briefs (god I hate that word, so unfeminine). I just reached down to check where my pants go up to (can't recall the last time I could see my pants!)and they sit right above the pubic line. Is this where they're going to make the incision?

yes, that's likley to be it, you want pants that go up HIGH to your natural waistline (remember having one of them? Sigh i do...)

Yes, usually the incision is round about the top of the pubic hair line. So you need pants that are nearer your belly button, say, than your pubes. I found a website last night which had pictures of scars. That gave me a whole new insight, let me tell you.

I'm also thinking of attacking the hair down there before I go in. Otherwise I might get an overworked midwife with a dry Bic. Even though I long ceased to be able to reach down there I think I'll do my own preperation. I asked DP but he's too scared and just told me to take a posh razor in with me.

Hello merry! Was wondering about you as hadn't heard much from you recently.

Boy short style knickers are the best as they sit above the scar.

Take your own drinks if you're not a fan of tea, coffee or water.

Tips for recovery:

When you're allowed to drink, get as much water down your neck as possible. When your wee starts running clearish they can then take out the catheter - although you will probably have to ask.

If you don't want the canular in the back of your hand for days, ask them to take it out approx 12 hours after the cs.

Take you pain relief medication on time. I took mine on the dot and until I finished the course. If you wait until you are in pain, you're in trouble!

Get up and about as soon as you can. It helps your recovery and healing. Although don't push yourself too much - you will know when you've done too much.

Once you're up and about, always take a pad with you when you go to the toilet. Once you've finally shuffled to the loo, the last thing you want to do is have to shuffle back to your bedspace (then back to the loo again) because you realised the pad you've got in is at saturation point!

Good luck xx

I think I just lived in the disposable pants from boots, which come right up around your middle..I dimly remember they worked out cheaper than buying new big bridget jones ones and could be thrown away..

I would get your DH to shave you first definitely, I got mine too..it feels more like preparing to be a christmas turkey than a mum doesn't it!

And don't worry in advance about scars, mine is such a neat silvery line 2.6 years on, you'd hardly know it was there...

Ooh and you probably know this but if you're planning to breastfeed, no one bothered to tell me that after a c-section your milk can take longer to come in..

Lots of good advice here. My arse is so mahoosive anyway that I think I'll just have to settle for whatever isn't going to sit on the scar.

I'm not really worried about the long term effects of the scar, (it's a bit like a badge of honour, imo) it's more the fresh wounds that had me sobbing. But lots of things have me sobbing right now. Especially when I asked DP last night if he would carry my bag of wee when/if I wanted to go to the bathroom and he said no!! In his defence though he said I'd have a stand for it but last night, him carrying my bag of wee was the benchmark of his love for me. And he didn't reach it.