Need to know's re: c section

[somuchtolearnabout]

Currently pregnant with baby #3 and for reasons not necessary to bore you with, I am having a c section after 2 natural births.

What are your "must knows" for before / after c sections? I'm only slight in build and admittedly (and obviously probably selfishly) concerned about a pouch afterwards. Is this guaranteed or not everyone gets one? What are your best tips for a good recovery bearing in mind I have two young children at home. Luckily a very hands on husband and family close by so it could be worse in that respect. My eldest starts school about 5 weeks after my section and I'm hoping I'll be ok to drive him by then, is that realistic?

Basically - give me your idiots guide to c sections please

TIA

I haven't got a pouch- I was worried about that too.

Apparently it's chalk and cheese in terms of recovery for an emergency and planned which makes sense.

I had a teddy pillow from dunelm which was a god send for feeding/propping up.

Should be okay to drive in 5 weeks.

I massively lost my appetite after and it really messed me up so make sure you eat even if you don't feel like it.

Take loads of lactoule and hold a pillow over your belly for the first poo.

It will feel like you'll never stand straight again but you will!

The cannula is 100% the worst part. I found the spinal absolutely fine because they use local anaesthetic first. Get a good Spotify playlist

Get vertical as soon as you can possibly manage it. Mine was just before lunchtime and they had me showering by evening. Take ALL the painkillers.

The trickiest bit is not picking up your other children!

I'm a hugeeee wimp with pain and one of my top tips is numbing cream! I used this for the blood thinner injections which I had to take for 10 days afterwards and it really made a difference. I also got them to numb my hand for the cannula insertion. The spinal I actually found fine surprisingly. I did struggle with the recovery, but everyday does really get better. I couldn’t help but compare myself to everyone else who was out and about in around 5 days, but everyone is different. Keep on top of the meds.

Other tips:

• Bring a pillow for the car to place between you and the seat belt on the way home
• I took dried prunes with me to eat after (and drunk lotssss of water) to ensure my first toilet experience wasn't traumatic... it definitely worked
• Have lots of high wasted cotton knickers, I wore these for a long time after. A few weeks later I actually bought some with built in support which seemed to help - I’m having another section later this year so will be investing in some of these for earlier this time
• Even if you feel better, take it easy. I felt lots better and then did a bit too much lifting and the next morning was in pain again, I set myself back about a week

I was driving around 4 weeks I believe and I actually didn’t get a pouch either.

Just come back to this thread and can't thank you all enough for some really priceless advice. There's so many things I wouldn't have even considered and I'm so glad I started this thread to ask.

Good to know a pouch isn't inevitable, but let's face it, if it's the price I have to pay for a healthy baby then so be it. Although of course if there's anything i can do to limit it then I will do it.

Great advice re: taking the painkillers, I'm admittedly that person who "feels fine" and doesn't take them, and ends up bitterly regretting it when i feel like shit and have to wait for the painkillers to kick back in, so alarms and timer reminders it shall be.

To the person who tried to warn me off a section, thank you for what I'm sure is well meaning advice, unfortunately it's not an option for me. If I want the best chance to ensure my baby is born alive then it's a section for me. In an ideal world would I choose it? No. But that's my reality and I've made my peace with it.

Thank you again to everyone who sent their well wishes, will try to report back in a few months (hopefully with a healthy baby!) and let you all know how it went 💕

Take a cushion or pillow with you to hold against your stomach on the way home. And use one to hold against you when you sneeze/ cough / laugh.

Make the time to air dry your wound regularly after.

Walk as soon as you can.

Really listen when people say not to overdo it or push yourself, I didn’t and have set myself back.

Make up a little caddy for overnights so you have everything you need in arm’s reach to minimise how often you need to get out of bed.

I also had a little basket I used to take everything downstairs for the day in then whatever I needed upstairs at the end of the day - basically minimise going up and down the stairs as much as you can.

Get out of bed by rolling onto your side first.

Good luck, I had a c section after a VB and it was honestly nowhere near as bad as I thought.

I don't have a pouch/overhang from mine, so it doesn't always happen. Mine wasn't an emergency so it wasn't rushed, I wonder if that makes a difference? Everyone involved seemed so chilled and relaxed.

Recovery wasn't too bad. I definite prefer vaginal delivery (hoping for a vbac this time), but not as bad as I thought it would be. I could certainly drive 2 weeks later, but couldn't lift anything heavy and sneezing was very uncomfortable.

One thing i wish I had known - the first post partum poo.... oh dear god so much worse than with vaginal delivery. I was CERTAIN I was going to rupture something and bleed to death in the loo. I also needed morphine for it - the only time I needed anything other than ibuprofen/paracetamol. Ask them for lactulose. I asked the midwife afterwards if it was normal and they said "oh yes". So I thought for flips sake why had nobody told me it could be agony???? But that's that's pretty small part of the recovery, it's not a long term issue. Worth knowing though.

I was CERTAIN I was going to rupture something and bleed to death in the loo.

@TinyTeacher laughing my tits off at this 😂😂😂

@somuchtolearnabout I can laugh now! Cold sweat of panic at the time. I was embarassed thatI'd be found dead like that 😅

After my vaginal birth, I was left with a definite overhang. It doesn't seem to have gotten worse after the C-section, but it was a contributing factor towards the wound getting infected. So that's my advice. Make sure the wound gets aired as much as possible so it's clean and dry. Accept any and all help offered. I wish I had made DH do more (he's got other good qualities), but I overdid it where he wasn't helping, so didn't air my wound as much as I should have. Get moving asap and keeping on top of painkillers cannot be stressed enough. Try to find a balance where you're regularly moving, but resting too (to air the wound!). Hopefully your older kids will be able to look after themselves for a little while and help you out here and there

As a small ray of hope, the first post-partum poo after my C-section was easy. I had no trapped wind or constipation, and the most painful part of it all was the hobble to the toilet. I hadn't taken any stool softeners or laxatives either, so no idea why it happened that way.