Tips for C section, preparation and recovery, please

[christiana]

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I used a sling in first weeks OP, and it was fine. And that was with a heavy baby (10lb 14oz).

I can't imagine that a c-section baby always needs help with breathing. Ask them to keep the baby in the room with you unless there is a need to take it away. If you google "fisk" and "natural caesarean" you'll see find an article (in the Guardian, I think) which explains how sections don't need to be so procedure-driven. In that article I am pretty sure the baby is delivered onto its mother and while your lot might be able to do that I really don't see why they couldn't give the baby a rub, hand him/her and a towel (or something to keep baby warm) to you or your DH and do the apgars then.

This is the problem with a section, TBH, you abdicate all control (which has its attractions!), but the downside is that procedure tends to come ahead of "softer" considerations.

might not be able to do that. D'oh.

And as for the sling I was using one by about the third week after my CS (was off the pain relief by then). The only time it hurt after that point was if I was bending a lot, so picking DD up lots at night, cleaning up my niece's toys, that sort of repetitive bending was uncomfortable to about 5 weeks. Everything else was fine.

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I had awful pain from trapped wind....DH went to Boots and bought peppermint oil capsules, 1 a day - MAGIC

I honestly had virtually no pain following my elective c/s which was 5 weeks ago.

I felt a bit of pulling when I first stood up, but that was actually the dressing not my skin - there was a small flap of skin trapped under it. Apart from that though, no problem. About 3 nights after I woke in the night with severe abdominal cramps for about half an hour -it was trapped wind! That was the only pain I had. I had painkillers for 72 hrs, that was all.

I was ready to go home after 24 hrs, but I did stay in a second night. But I wouldn't do that again, it was horrible to be left alone with no dh there and to be honest the ward staff were useless and I would have been much better at home. No problem carrying/lifting the baby.

I drove after 3 weeks with no issue, actually would have been OK a week or so before that.

I was able to hold the baby immediately and while I was being stitched up, no problem. He had Apgars of 9 and 10, and needed no recuscitation - he was born at 38 weeks.

Good luck!

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Wax bikini line. Actually, wax most of the top, as the lower they do the incision, the better it will then be hidden.

First two days, breastfeed with baby sprawled across your upper tummy.

You can lift baby up from the beginning. Probably not a good idea, though, as you will not be very stable on your feet for the first day or so.

That 6 week driving ban was from an earlier era when there was no hydraulic power-assisted steering etc. I drove 2 weeks after elCS with no problems.

You will not be given anything to eat except some watery soup thing (better without, really) until you pass gas. Then will eat only very light food (yoghurt, apple puree, etc) until you pass stool. So "cool bag with food and soft drinks" probably not a good idea.

My top tip is:

Get up that first night. Hold onto someone, and get out of bed, if only to walk to toilet and back. The quicker you get up, the quicker you will recover.

Cabt really add much else, however I wore DH boxers after both sections rather than spending more money on huge pants. His boxers are actually really comfortable and I didnt have to wear them for that long.

I don't know about not being given anything to eat until you pass gas - I was given toast and a cup of coffee in recovery about half an hour after DS was born! And actually I was starving by then as it was midday and I had been nil by mouth from midnight.

There certainly seemed no restriction on being able to eat or drink anything on the ward - I was offered a delightful veggie curry at 5 pm. I sent DH out to the local M+S for a sandwich and a cake instead though!

mags - I'm amazed at your hospital. Normally, they wouldn't (and shouldn't) let you eat until your abdomen starts functioning normally again. Until they, they should have fed you intravenously, and you wouldn't feel any hunger whatsoever.

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you're not allowed anything to eat until 4 hours post-op. This is the critical period for complications. Then you can eat what you want.

The whole passing gas 'rule' is tosh. The surgery is not gastric/intestinal so there's no reason not to eat!

Well I certainly ate sooner than 4 hours post op - as I said before, I was given toast in recovery!

I asked for food in recovery but wasn't allowed any (anaethetist was standing by my bed looking worried for a couple of hours so I suspect they thought I would be going back into theatre). Noone was eating in recovery.

But when you get back on the ward you should be allowed to eat what you want. I didn't, but that was because I had missed dinner! Cote- did you have your section in the UK? If not that might account for the difference.

I still think it is worth taking food in. If they don't want you to eat for a bit then don't, but my experience of the NHS is that whether dinner appears tends to depend on whether the previous occupant of your bed ordered any (or on you having been there when orders were taken). A bit of self-sufficiency doesn't go amiss IME - your DH can always eat it if you don't! (Actually the last time I had abdo surgery I was starved all day and finally made it to the ward at 8pm. A few hours later I needed to eat but there was no food, and I was sooo incredibly glad of a packet of prawn cocktail crisps left there by my DH!)

Re the visits, I was not up to dealing with other people for about 24 hours afterwards but I had emcs (following long and crappy labour and a lot of drugs) so that added to the general patheticness. The woman in the next bed had an elective and she had about 10 visitors that evening. None of them were small people though - you will still have a catheter in for some (24?) hours after the op (so you'll be in bed with a sanitary towel clutched between your legs), you might not want to show your DD your bag of wee and you won't be moving much! But if she is old enough to understand that you won't be up to much then why not...

I was given a cup of tea 5 or 6 hours after my section, took one sip and puked it straight back up. No way I could've eaten anything at that point...

Yes to big/disposable pants.

Check your scar very carefully every day and if there is any sign of swelling or weeping, see a doctor asap - don't let it slide - infected scar is horrible and you need strong antibiotics asap.

Take in plenty of entertainments and food that you can set up by the bed and reach easily - magazines, chocolate, biscuits, juice etc.

And yes to take it easy - yes, get up and move around but do not get home and start thinking you can do everything, live a normal life etc - you need to rest and focus on the baby and accept any help you can. Do not do what I did and hobble off to a barbecue with the pram the day you get home and then suffer exhaustion for days.

• Prunes etc to keep my digestion OK

dont knwo about prunes but i was RAVENOUS and teh food was in short supply and TERRIBLE. eg after having virtually no food or drink for 24 hours i was given a cup of sweet milky tea and a dry white roll

lunch was small slice of cold meat and lettuce. no water

• Can you take laptop and dvd's in? can you plug things in by your bed?

dont knwo, i came home teh next day so no time for it

• If allowed, cool bag, with some nice food and soft drinks. Are you allowed to take a bottle of champagne?

no where to keep cool bag. you need to hide food in drawer

• Tea tree oil and lavendar oil for bath - do they have baths in hospital

no baths where i was, only one very dirty shower

• V shaped pillow for breastfeeding. Is there anything else that will help on bf front given my sore tummy

• Been advised to ASK FOR MORE DRUGS if I am in pain

i was discharged how with LOADS drugs. Dh dispensed then like clockwork. i woudl advise that you DONT wait to see if you need them. just take them - there are no awards for bravery

• If recover well, when can I expect to be able to do? Will I be able to go swimming after a few weeks and things like that?

you will still be bleeding after 2 weeks. i think dr will advise gentle exercise only after 6 weeks

• Can I lift my baby from the beginning?

i was told no, in hospital they supposedly lift baby for you

Definately the peppermint tablets, I had atrocious trapped wind, it was the worst bit!
As for pants, think of the biggest pants you could ever imagine wearing and then double the size of those when purchasing.
Also, I had attached to my bed at the bottom a sort of chain thing with a handle to haul yourself up to a sitting position from laying down, make sure you ask for one of those in the hospital if it isnt there. It helped me no end as you dont realise how much you use your stomach to sit up.
Get someone to bring you in a nice new bag of pyjamas and nighties after the initial 24 hr bloodfest is over, its amazing how many you get through and then you can send home the used ones. I didnt get anywhere near enough and had to get my mum to go and wash them.
Good luck, I hear electives are so much nicer and faster to recover from than emergency ones, I hope it goes well for you x

MrsHappy - I had my elCS in Monaco. Same principles as in France. Possibly the "no food until you pas gass & then only light stuff until you pass stool" rule is so you won't have horrible trapped gas and constipation. I didn't have any of that and neither did anyone I know who had CSs here.

Funny to see how much these procedures vary. Doctor took off my catheter the same afternoon (about 7 hours after operation) and said he wanted me to try to walk to toilet when I felt like a pee. Which was only an hour or so later, as I was hooked on a continuous stream of IV fluids anyway. I did and it was hard but I felt much better immediately afterwards.

MrsHappy - I had my elCS in Monaco. Same principles as in France. Possibly the "no food until you pas gass & then only light stuff until you pass stool" rule is so you won't have horrible trapped gas and constipation. I didn't have any of that and neither did anyone I know who had CSs here.

Funny to see how much these procedures vary. Doctor took off my catheter the same afternoon (about 7 hours after operation) and said he wanted me to try to walk to toilet when I felt like a pee. Which was only an hour or so later, as I was hooked on a continuous stream of IV fluids anyway. I did and it was hard but I felt much better immediately afterwards.

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