Aftercare - Csection.

[Lunamoon23]

Hello!

I'm having an elective c section in December, this is my first baby, and I'm terrified.

So instead of focusing on my fears, I'm trying to push past the events of the surgery and focus on the after... of course, the outcome, my little boy.

But, I've started putting myself together a little get home basket of stuff, to care for myself when we get home. (Not being selfish, I've brought everything baby could possibly want or need, he's well taken care of, just know I'm going to be feeling a little crappy so wanted to take care of myself too)

So far, I've got, face masks, under eye masks, a decent shampoo and conditioner, a luxurious body wash and new body pouff, for that first at home shower post birth.
I've brought some of infinity nighttime sanitary towels for extra comfort for the bleeding, a peri spray bottle to keep myself clean and fresh down below inbetween showers due to bleeding, some extra high cotton underwear, and the Frida disposable briefs, my favourite deodorant and body mist, organic cotton wool for cleaning my wound, a couple nice soft fluffy bath sheet towels. Aswell as some new pjs for when I get home, hair scrunchies and clip. Some nice smelling christmassy candles for the bedroom, I've also got an excessive amount of paracetamol and ibuprofen stored away in my bedside draw, maybe too many! 😂 but didn't want to run the risk of running out and sending DH to the shops.. So stocked up!

Anything anyone can think of they'd recommend made them feel more human?
Or for wound care?

I know the basics of making sure things are high up so I don't have to bend a lot etc. we've brought some In shower shelves etc so I don't have to and changing mat is high and next to me crib will be on DH side to begin with so he can pass him to me for night feeds (hopefully breastfeeding) .. also got some breast pads for leaky boobs both reusable and disposable.

Thank you!

Good tip on the compression socks! I'll get on Amazon for some!

And I've got moisturiser and lip balm in my home pack! This is why I said shout face masks too as I know how drying hospitals and stuff can make the skin! Xxx

@Cinai ahhhh! That makes sense 😂😂😂
I might purchase some of the nipple shields which you use while breastfeeding, so that if it becomes painful etc I have them to hand. But I'll definitely get some more nipple cream/balm too! X

I read my kindle loads when my baby was small. I didn't constsntly want the TV on as I enjoyed the quiet when he slept. I think I reread all the Harry potters on night feeds and it helped me not feel so lonely.

Annoyingly! I hate dates!! I've had this recommended to me many times but I don't think I could eat them! I'm making sure I have plently of high fibre foods in though for post section to hopefully help spur it on! 🤞🏼

I'm actually attending a breastfeeding masterclass at my hospital next month! But will ask about the lactation consultant too! My mum breastfed all her kids so I know she'll also be on hand to help me with her pearls of wisdom which is reassuring. She is also coming to the masterclass with me so she can top up her knowledge haha.

And absolutely. Husband will be off work for four weeks and he's great - so have no worry's about it. I keep reminding him how hands on he'll need to be etc and he seems well prepped for it, we've also done a food plan for the two weeks post c section, all foods he's confident in being able to easily prepare solo and quickly but they are healthy also, I'm also going to do some batch cooking prior so some days he'll just need to pull it out in the morning and reheat with some veg. Xxx

Unfortunately I'm really not a reader. Dont think I've ever finished a book in my life. So it'll be a lot of tv and YouTube or online window shopping I expect haha.

Also ladies, can anyone advise:

How long after the surgery will the dressing be removed? Is it before I leave the hospital, Or in the days following? If in the days following, am I able to get that dressing wet? As in have a shower and it be ok? I presume it'll be a waterproof dressing?

& when the dressing is removed, I think I read further down about wrapping cling film around my tummy to shower to keep the wound dry, is that nessasary? I thought you were able to get it wet but not wash the wound with soap/etc. but then ensure it's fully dry after.

I've heard lying on the bed naked for a while to allow to air dry or even using the hair dryer on the cool setting to ensure it's fully dry.

I asked for a pico dressing on my wound and it was amazing! Healed so well! You keep it on a bit longer than a normal dressing too.

I couldn't really recommend one - my last child is nearly six and we don't live in the UK so probably wouldn't be relevant. However I had the same issue so I just ordered a few different ones, none of them too expensive, to see which I liked best (this was for after the repair operation, which was when I found out I should have had them in the first place). I wouldn't wear them in the first few days, when you'll largely be sitting or laying down and resting, but after your staples are out you should be fine, and you can kind of adjust them and wriggle them about so you can get support without rubbing on the wound. You wear them over your clothes and so with comfy things like joggers you're quite well padded, and my nurse advised me to use a nighttime sanitary pad over my wound anyway, belt or not, to make sure nothing rubbed on it. It's basically to take the place of your stomach muscles, which won't work at first. The belt takes the strain off them. The relief it gives is amazing.

A handheld fan for hospital. Maternity wards are really hot, and it's common to feel nauseous and boiling as the anaesthetic wears off post section. I thought I was going for to pass out, it was the worst 30-60 mins of the whole thing!

Compression socks - hospital supply one pair, I would have loved some clean ones!

A pillow or cushion to put under the seatbelt for the journey home.

You can also get section support knickers, which can help you feel a bit more secure, especially if you are having to walk around.

Scented candles/air fresheners are not recommended around newborns as their lungs aren't fully developed so I'd definitely strike that off your list.

Apart from that sounds perfect

I've heard alot about these, but it's my understanding they don't like to give them out? I presume due to expense? I'll defo ask my midwife about it at my next appt though! X

It kind of depends on your healing. You can use a waterproof dressing the first few days but when your wound is healing well you can get it wet but as you said, making sure it dries properly afterwards is essential. Care for it well, exactly as the aftercare nurses will advise you.

There's one other thing I think you need to know about. I'm a geek and knew I'd be having C-sections for medical reasons, so I researched like mad. I read up all I could read and thought I knew what I was getting into, but there was one thing I found very misleading. It was the idea that with an epidural you don't feel anything. I feel a very important distinction was missed in most of the literature, which is that while you don't feel any pain during the section - really, none at all - it's not true to say you don't feel anything. In a way I found it very physical, almost violent, I felt I was being jolted about in a small boat on a stormy sea, or on a big fairground ride. I'm not saying it was unpleasant or scary, in fact I ended up giggling during the process. It was just completely unexpected because I'd been lulled into the idea that you don't feel anything, you just lay there in peace like the winding down section at the end of yoga. I don't know what others have to say about that but that was my experience.

I think I had the stitches removed quite soon (5 days?) and I don't remember the dressing at all. I think it was just a standard dressing. I had to have a shower at the hospital before I was allowed to leave and it wasn't a big deal at all. I had a shower every day (and then a bath from about 10 days). I didn't bother with cling film or anything, just washed it was water and let it breathe. Do not use a hairdryer! That just blows crap into the wound. The wound recovery for me was very straightforward.

I don't think the candles, face mask or body spray will be used in the first 6 months.

I've heard that a lot! So have got a handheld fan for the hospital!

Someone else has recommended extra compression socks so I'll defo add them to the list! Great idea regarding the cushion too!! X

@SharpLily yes!!! I've read alot about that on forums and the csection Uk page. Many often explain they feeling tugging and pulling when baby is being removed. Just no pain!
So thankfully I know to fully expect that. But thank you for mentioning it, I agree, I expect many women don't expect that. Xxxxx

@mynameiscalypso ah okay, it's my understanding my stitches will be dissolvable. At least that's what my midwife has indicated. And most I've spoken to have said they had dissolvable stitches too. Which I'd much prefer personally.

Good point about the hair dryer, hadn't thought of that. I'll just lie down for a while and allow to air dry if possible. X

It probably varies but I've had 2 sections and both times, a midwife's removed my dressing at home on day 3. It can be a bit stingy but nowhere near as bad as you'd think.

Oh and once it was off, a midwife first time round recommended putting a pad between the wound and my pants (sticky side on the pants obvs!) and it really helped it not rub on the material.

I would second the stool.
You will probably have a lot of morphine and codine and they cause awful constipation. I had terrible problems so ,if you do, you might find this advice grim but useful. My bowels completely shut down . Even enemas did nothing. The midwife advised running a warm bath, popping a glycerin suppository up your bottom and sitting in the bath until you feel you want to go. Then you either get out and go in the loo or squat and poop in the bath. It sounds appalling but by the time you've had a midwife manually evacuating your bowel with her fingers you're past caring. Let the water out, gather the poop up in toilet paper and flush down the loo and clean the bath. I hope you never need to do it but ,if I'd known at the start of the problems, it would have saved me a lot of hassle and pain.

Yes apparently! I asked and they accepted it straight away. Maybe it's a case of if you don't ask you don't get. I'd say it is definitely worth asking though!

I have a Nuby one which has washed brilliantly. Previous Mothercare one was too ‘long’ and went lumpy within a few weeks (and I didn’t wash the cushion pad).

Re bath and body care, remember baby’s skin will be sensitive, and they are also sensitive to smells. They want to smell ‘you’. Steer clear of anything overly strong smelling and use as natural products on your body as you can - not so much hair, but face and body. Remember also that your hormones will be going wild! So what worked for you before hand may not work post partum.

I used Sanex, Cereve, and Cetraben post partum as baby would sneeze and sniffle at strong scents and my skin became very dry and sensitive as the hair loss kicked in (oh, the joys!). Not glamorous, but it did the job!

I still go through a lot of sugar free fruit squash. Post partum sweats and breastfeeding thirst are real…

Nuts and snacks for your bedside table!

Just to balance out the poo stories, I never had a problem despite morphine, codeine and iron tablets. I was discharged with huge quantities of laxatives the next day even though everything was operating like clockwork.

Fabric eyemask to block out the light when you want to sleep. Maternity wards are often very brightly lit and ,if baby is asleep, you can rest during the day. If you're in hospital the night before your section , take ear plugs. You might manage some sleep.
Black/ dark navy dressing gown is useful. You will bleed heavily and it makes it easier to walk to the loo, past other people's visitors, if you know a leak won't show. Be prepared that, when you stand up, you'll have a 'gushing' sensation.

I used this after my c section, not necessarily all of them at the same time, but having the range of different options was really good. I was up and about straightaway, with no pulling or straining on the wound at all. Had a pad over the scar, attached to pants, underneath. Can’t recommend it enough and like another poster said, these should be given out in the recovery room! Midwives on my ward had never seen them but were impressed. I recovered very quickly compared to two friends who didn’t use one so I only have that to go on but I really recommend it.

www.amazon.co.uk/Chongerfei-Postpartum-Recovery-Postnatal-Shapewear/dp/B01EVGLMM8/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1IY9HRY2XY9Z7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GzybgzbPeYwMCbYksHoqAwFbiXh9q8WpSVgEi9MgX2CsS5lYs5LgYkZpCPIWrvOja_l1XJR9xxsnjlZGhZdLGtyC1xD1Vaiyz6CRbB3ZXUBaYG-YxhrW6-8UNtl54KORLZwHdl7OyaauPdANxpVwPgVYu9gWk5u_WTbByzgVhSUVGNuy03R1D-4QQ86A5QutjFZcLB7I0QlvjEhYwmpMtVHq8Gl5GrsJuJd8tfllYLc3jmridorB9fZgwnkBD_GgnvPxrkW7S7jYeysBdAvGC9JkRzdk0RCvF_JtucInN7M.EaERvL6qHJ07JgvkMDdPnbBnpPQDUS06vsBDpmJX-i0&dib_tag=se&keywords=c+section+belt&qid=1728251135&sprefix=c+section+belt%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-4

I love your little basket of treats op! I totally get why you're doing it; the morning after my second ELCS I washed my hair in the hospital shower and shaved my legs etc (don't ask me how 😂) but it made me feel clean and fresh.

Some great ideas here, and all I can add is lip balm, and also have a pillow nearby and if you need to sneeze, sit down and squeeze into it - feels like you've been ripped open at first.

Best of luck!