Planned c-section - packing & pain relief

[Pjmaskmummy]

I have a planned c-section in 11 days - for those of you who have had one before any advice on what to pack?

Also what pain relief were you given post?

I had a crash section following a 5 day failed induction with my first born and all I was given was paracetamol and lots peppermint tea... this time I have ongoing medical abdominal issues and I've been on strong pain relief throughout the pregnancy too so I'm more worried about the post op pain.

I totally understand about you being concerned about the pain relief. I was only given paracetamol after having DC1 and I had to beg for that.

On my first I had morphine at first and then diclofenac and paracetamol to take home

I was given paracetamol suppository in theatre and then paracetamol regularly on my 2nd

I thought paracetamol was standard but I've been seeing some posts recently where people have said they had strong pain relief. I also can't have any anti inflammatories which does limit the pain relief I can have too.

I'm not generally into alternative therapies etc, but someone recommended arnica tablets to me. With my first planned section I started taking them 4 days PP and really turned a corner. On my second planned section I started the arnica on the day of my section and my recovery was 10x easier. I think the trick is to try and get up and about as soon as you can afterwards, catheter out etc and to keep moving little and often, and not to expect to be completely pain free - knowing it's a bit sore stops you doing too much! I managed with paracetamol and ibuprofen but obviously you can't take NSAIDs so you may get a small amount of Oramorph- just be wary that it can be quite constipating and the first post section poo is a scary time so may be worth getting some lactulose or similar on board. Good luck - I loved my planned sections, so calm and controlled.

talk to your anaesthetist - it's them that will be doing the prescribing. What they think will work best for you will depend a bit on what you're already taking and any other medical problems you have. They may also be able to persuade the MWs to actually give what's prescribed too.

I had morphine, paracetamol and ibuprofen for the week I was in!

I had paracetamol and dihydrocodeine and then I occasionally had ibuprofen in between but didn’t really bother with that until I stopped the codeine after a couple of days after some severe constipation. Side note - if you have any sort of codeine, make sure you get some lactulose and just take small doses until you know everything is moving ok! There are some good threads on here with what to pack but the main (c-section specific) things I’d suggest are:

• very long phone charger
• a water bottle you can keep on your bed
• high waisted, big black knickers (I recommend M&S)
• nightie or oversized T-shirt for hospital and a dress or some high waisted soft joggers to go home
• include some high fibre snacks, eg dried fruit or chocolate raisins.

Thanks for the advice. I think the problem last time with the care being so poor and not seeing any drs after the birth has made me concerned about the pain relief aspect but I'll make sure I have a chat with that before about the post op pain relief. I'm on codeine long term so am well stocked up with lactulose.

The anaesthesia made me vomit so I had nothing for the first 24 hours apart from the suppositories given in surgery.

i found it manageable tbh. The pain generally was better than the pain when trying to vomit so I went without.

Wishing you a safe and happy delivery!

I had paracetamol and ibuprofen but I did also have a shot of oramorph (no idea if that's how you spell it. Liquid morphine) on maybe day 2 when it got a bit much.

I had an emergency with my first so had a planned with my second. I have a spinal issue so both pregnancys I was on very strong pain relief.
After my planned, I had strong morphine for a few days ( I take morphine at home for my spine)
I advise getting some peppermint capsules, they really do help with stomach pain/trapped wind after surgery. Peppermint tea if like it/can stomach it. You'll probably find it easier to move around after your planned as you've already had a C section in the past.

I was given regular paracetamol and dihydrocodeine whilst I was in hospital after my EMCS and then prescribed more to continue taking when I went home. I asked for morphine before trying to move about for the first time but that was it and I found it was just the initial movement that hurt and then I was fine getting about.

I had my EMCS under general anaesthetic and needed the maximum amount of morphine when they brought me back around as I was in so much pain. Make sure you are honest when you’re in pain so they can give you the right dosage.

Paracetamol, but I had to chase it up every time, in between vomiting. So effectively nothing useful until I was discharged.

paracetamol and ibuprofen regularly.

Top up with codeine when pain is a lot

Once I got to the post natal ward I think they only gave me paracetamol and a type of codeine. Sent home with the same plus Lactulose.

Take

• Very long phone charger
• Loads of snacks as breakfast is at 9am and dinner at 5pm
• Big water bottle you can drink lying down like a Camelbak. The nurses want you to produce a fair bit of wee in your catheter bag
• Button down nighties and flip flops/Birkenstocks etc. Seraphine do good ones, look on Vinted
• Headphones and ear plugs
• I found it helpful to bring my pregnancy pillow to hospital

Definitely bring an extra pillow. Mine was just a normal one but I used it for support when feeding and DH used it when attempting to get some sleep on his pull out bed.

Like you I can't take non-steroidal anti-inflamatories. They gave me Oramorph and paracetamol initially, but I didn't like the way the Oramorph made me feel so asked to come off it. The sent the pharmacist up to discuss the options and I was given Volatarol suppositories to have along with the paracetamol. Whilst it is a non-steroidal anti-inflamatory, I was told I could take it as a suppository because it goes straight into the bloodstream. The two combined worked really well for me.

I got morphine in the beginning and then just paracetamol and ibuprofen. Hospital ibuprofen is not the nice sugar coated ones so I would recommend to anyone to bring their own. Just don't forget to tell the staff when you take them.

Definitely pillows.

Dressing gown with big pockets. I found it helpful to put my hand on the wall when walking around under the influence of morphine because I was scared I was going to fall over. I ended up carrying bottles and stuff around in my pockets.

Hi op and congratulations!!

Just to say, a planned section and the recovery from it can be super different than from a crash section. So hopefully you'll find it easier this time round.

I had a planned section. Just needed paracetamol and ibuprofen as pain relief and peppermint tea. That was sufficient for me but I did notice that if I didn't spread it out well enough I'd start to get quite sore so make sure you're timing it when you get home and trying to stretch it across the day! The more rest you can get on the other side the better. I did too much when dh went back to work in week 3 and pulled stitches.

For packing, I brought a nappy bag for ds with everything he'd need in it. Brought 2 sizes of clothes (newborn and 0-3 incase he was bigger/ smaller than expected).

A case with all my stuff but I put my slippers and dressing gown on top so that I could quickly grab them after changing for delivery. Especially as you need to walk to the theatre and the gowns are see through and open at the back and walking in stockings can be slippy.

I then had everything else I'd need on the bottom. So things like a long phone charging cable and battery pack. Snacks as I was really hungry after but I'd missed lunch so had to wait until dinner. A cushion to put between your tummy and the seat belt on the way home. A few button down nighties because then it was easy to open for feeding/ wound checking/injections. Bluetooth headphones so i could watch shows on my phone. Leggings and a big zip up hoodie and slip on sandals so I could dress myself really easily and be comfy. High waisted pants/ leggings.

I had harvested some colostrum in advance so I brought that in a cool bag. Plus maternity notes, copies of my birth plan (you can make one for a planned section). A big water bottle as I was really thirsty and you have to pee a certain amount before they can discharge you so the more you drink the better. An extra pillow/nursing pillow is a good shout.

Have some stool softener at home waiting on you to help when you need to go and plenty of support lined up especially since you already have a child.

I think I had diclofenac and codeine. I wouldn’t have thought paracetamol would cut the mustard but everyone is different with different pain tolerances I guess.

High waisted very supportive knickers were a godsend for me. It helps to wear something that feels like it’s holding your tummy in a little without being tight

Was only given paracetamol and ibuprofen but was discharged the next morning. Had no idea stronger pain relief was available!