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!

I left a pillow in my husbands car. Put it across my stomach on the way home but was handy to have in the hospital too- was nice to have my own pillow as a home comfort that was the right size pillow for me!

My first wee post catheter removal also took me ages. I tried running a tap and listening to water on my phone but still didn't help. Online it said to put both feet flat to the floor and rub between my knees and thighs. It worked!

Saw someone recommend arnica pretty sure you can't take it BF

I've had 4 sections (first 2 emergency). Just to say everyone is different.... I didn't bleed much at all after the sections (never used the maternity pads / disposable pants I bought). Lanisoh cream (? spelling sorry) & nightshirts were a godsend with breast feeding the first and the cushion to help with feeding. The agony of this wanted me to stop initially but I persevered and the pain literally disappeared one day after 2 weeks like flicking a switch. Was surreal. Strangely with subsequent youngsters no pain at all breast feeding. I was nowhere near as organised as you.... But big pants a must over the wound. Oh and instead of an expensive baby bath the midwife told us to buy just a washing up basin place in the bath as smaller / easier to fill - worked a treat and never used the (expensive) baby bath 🤦. So excited for you - would go through it again in a heartbeat.

Absolutely do not burn candles around a newborn.

No need for cotton wool or anything to clean the scar - you just need water.

I won’t say anything about the face masks 😉

2x c-section mother here :) I absolutely absolutely absolutely echo the comments regarding a belly band. They gave me a giant one in the hospital and I could literally not have done without it. I wound up switching to a smaller one that I’d already been using during pregnancy, and I found it more discreet.

I know that the thought of tightly wrapping something over the incision sounds terrible but trust me when I say I physically could not have done my recovery for our third-baby-second-c-section without it. (Due to some unique health needs, I was out of the hospital much faster than usual for the second c-section and had to navigate being a passenger, transferring to a wheelchair, bouncing over thresholds and in and out of elevators, zooming down many halls to the bathroom, climbing in and out of the car, etc for pretty much the majority of the healing process as our son wound up in the NICU and I wanted to be with him at his hospital.)

Long way to say the belly band was a lifesaver. I get off pain medication quickly and the band helped me stay confident and not feel like I was about to tear open. (Spoiler alert: both c-section recoveries were complication-free and extremely straightforward; I was holding baby to pop into the pharmacy on our way home from the hospital with our first; I benefited from all the walking necessary with our last; and I was buzzing around baking banana bread with our older children on Friday after a c-section late on Monday. There’s hope! Hang in there and you’ll do incredible!

I know it sounds obvious, but you’re going to be at the beck and call if a bossy little man who doesn’t really care if you have eaten or slept well. I would make sure to have some good quality multivitamin & mineral supplements (not gummys) I recommend the sort where you only need one a day but make sure you take on a full stomach so that you don’t feel ill. (Make sure they have decent iron and folic acid levels as they can help with postpartum hair loss too.) Healthy snacks you can eat one-handed like hummus & crudités, chopped fresh fruit, etc. (Will also help avoid constipation - you’ll be sitting on your bum feeding for what feels like years.) Concentrated, sugar-free, flavored water drops. Helps you change it up. Also different herbal tea flavours. You can have them iced as well as warm.
Kindle books (look into subscribing to Kindle Unlimited if you like reading. It’s kind of like a Library - instead of buying each book, you can download up to I think 10 books at a time from the books that they have available in that section. I have discovered so many fabulous authors this way and it works out much cheaper if you are voracious reader like me.) Otherwise, movie/tv subscriptions….
Foot cream and socks. (Make sure they’re grippy)

Massive pants!

The high waisted cotton ones for M&S were recommended to me, 2 sizes bigger than you need.

Perfect for not rubbing the wound/scar even when closed, and keeping clothes off it too.

I wore them for weeks afterwards and really noticed the difference when going back to normals and dealing with the odd itching feeling from the scar when clothes rest there

I would recommend getting a few sets of 'lounge wear ' ready for the first few weeks , you feel more dressed than pyjamas but just as comfy - marks and Spencer's do a nice waffle material set and primary is great too !

My dressing was removed before leaving the hospital 24 hrs after surgery but all hospitals seem to do things differently.

I know this isn't what you asked but you seemed to be interested in experiences too - I ended up being put to sleep for my planned section due to the spinal not working properly so be prepared for the small chance of that happening too and just be open minded to what may happen !
Waking up to my husband holding baby and introducing him is a really lovely memory so I didn't find it a negative experience.

Brilliant idea for a thread, OP 😊 I’m watching with interest as I may also be having a CS (and I’m totally not organised!). Hope that’s ok!

To the PP who (I think) mentioned balm for the scar once it’s healed/to help it fade, could I use something like Palmers cocoa butter? Or does it need to be specific scar stuff?

No of course not! Welcome! I've found loads of forums on here that have been super helpful regarding c sections!
Also, bio oil is meant to be great for your scar once healed, but use it alongside scar massage which has numerous benifits (you can find loads about it on the c section uk instagram page and even some genuine experts on tik tok!) I've also got the frida silicon scar strips as they came highly recommended! X

I've got a couple but intend to get a couple more lounge sets. For exactly that reason, I want to feel a little more human and out of PJs but still very comfortable.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me also, I'm fully prepared for that possibility, having never had surgery I've no idea how I'm going to react to the anesthetic, etc etc. glad you had a positive experience regardless of that though! ❤️

Thank you for sharing and your positive words!
Any belly bands you'd recommend?? Xxx

Bio oil isn’t great for the scar. (Full of essential oils which can be very irritating). Initially you need petroleum jelly and then once the sutures have dissolved or staples have been removed and all the scabs have fallen off, you need silicone scar gel or tape. The way to heal a scar smoothly and quickly is to keep oxygen out of it.

@Lunamoon23
I sounded quite blunt in my last message, didn't mean to be.

Ice packs are for your boobs. Also a few white cabbages. I'm sadly not even joking, when your milk comes in, boobs can get very sore. Just trust me on the cabbage, you don't need to know any more in advance 😂

Ice packs/ hot water bottles alternated for lower back pain. Also after birth contractions (I'm
Sorry). Honestly you'll take it in your stride, but def have the pain killers ready and don't be afraid to take them! I was dosed up for two weeks.

Erm, what else? Decent tv programs lined up- save them! Altho I couldn't handle any thrillers /dramas. I could only watch glow up, selling sunset and that round the world program with all the couples 😂everything else made me cry.

I've had two c sections.

I did mean once the scar has healed and once you can begin scar massage, which is usually after you 6 week check in. X

No not at all. ❤️

And haha ironically I brought my best friend a cabbage after her first born! So fully trust what you're saying there!

Also not afraid of taking the pain killers for aslong as I need, I've got my bottom bedroom draw full of paracetamol and ibuprofen ready to go! 😂 also happy to see if the hospital offer me anything stronger which I may request, especially for the first few days afterward to help me be more comfortable. Then I'll try with just paracetamol and ibuprofen if possible.

I'll get some ice packs in also, I've got a hot water bottle ready!

I'm due at the start of December, so I've told DH that we aren't allowed to watch any Christmas movies before baby boy is here! Then when I'm recovering we can binge them all as a family. (We both LOVE Christmas) I'm also a selling sunset, housewives fan so I'll stockpile them too! X

All sounds great!

One thing I also did was to collect small/sample/travel sized bottles and sachets of luxury skincare and hair products, and filled my hospital bag with them.

I’m glad I did, because I ended up admitted unexpectedly early. Had to get DH to collect the bag, which I hadn’t finished packing, but did have enough to give myself a mini facial on the antenatal ward every evening, watching Netflix on my iPad, while listening to the poor souls being brought having inductions/already in labour and waiting (for clearly too long) for a spot on the labour ward. Fun times! I got very little sleep, as also being woken for monitoring/meds but at least my face was well looked after.

Lip balm! Breastfeeding is very dehydrating. Obviously nipple cream works brilliantly for this too, but it tastes vile. I seat by Laneige, but everyone has a favourite or two. Keep one by the bed, one in your bag and one next to feeding station.
Also re pain relief, don’t wait until you feel pain, try and take it at regular intervals. This way you can avoid a lot of inflammation which makes things worse.
Speaking of which, get up and around as soon as you can. I know it’s intimidating but you will feel better faster if you do. (2 C-Sections, 3 Babies.)
Afterwards if things aren’t quite right “down there” don’t wait. Go and get a referral to your gynae asap. Don’t suffer in silence. You may need a referral to a gynae physio or a specialist, but get shit sorted while you’re young and can heal!!!

When you say if things aren't right down there? See a gyne. What sort of things are you referring too? I wouldn't have thought I'd have any issues down there if I'm having a csection? Or am I naive? Or do you mean in regards to the wound/scar? Would that not be my GP/HV or midwife?

I'll be sure to keep ontop of the pain medication, even if I feel I don't need it, I'll take it to be sure. And lip balm is on the list!! 😘

You've had lots of good advice but one I'd add is: dry your scar with a hairdryer after washing. It gets it completely dry without any patting / rubbing.

For hospital an eye mask and ear plugs so you can get some sleep (even a couple of hours sleep can do you the world of good whilst DH watches baby, also you may end up in hospital a few days beforehand and will want to sleep). Sliders to go home in to prevent the struggle of putting shoes on. A hand towel rolled up and put between the incision and seatbelt for the car journey home.

Have a little section in the nappy caddy for you - maternity pads, breast pads, lip balm, hand sanitizer and hand cream, water bottle & snacks.

A nice long cosy cardigan to wear over loungewear.

Really easy meals high in fibre to avoid constipation and take laxatives and drink plenty of water

No reason you can’t do shower, skincare and eye masks when DH watches baby. Have a large bottle of dry shampoo in the house incase you are really too tired to wash and dry hair.

I’d avoid scented shower gel (might sting incision) and also scented skincare/sprays/candles etc not good for baby

@Lunamoon23

I had an infection after down there. Stuff moves around from the pregnancy.

I had heard of this from many women who've had c sections but a pp further down advised against it because it's blowing crap at the incision and could cause an infection? X

@JLT24 I actually wear an eye mask every night at home, so will defo pick one up for the hospital too! Something about the pressure on my eyes makes it easier to drift off, and with hospital lights will be very useful! Also ear plugs... yes!! Can't believe I hadn't thought of that. I'll be sure to pick some up too!

Noted about the perfumed products and candles. Hadn't realised they're bad for a newborn until someone mentioned it further down! Xxxxx

Sorry have only skimmed thread, but some really nice high quality non greasy hand cream . My hands were dry and cracked from all the hand washing after nappy changes and it really helped,