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Original poster

C section recovery tips?

80 replies

PoppyS34wantstogohome · 31/05/2012 04:17

Had an emergency c section on monday, at 30+2 due to a big placenta previa bleed.

Has anyone got any top tips for recovering from the c section?

I think the large quantities of blood I lost over the weekend, combined with lack of food and sleep, has made me a bit weaker than I should be.

(hope this is the right place to put this post??!

Thanks! :o

OP posts:
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kmdwestyorks · 01/06/2012 16:16

Manuka honey smeared on and covered up lightly, sticky but helped reduce infection (caused by dim practice nurse!)

Andromaca · 01/06/2012 18:20

I had one Emergency and one planned c section and was on iron tablets and constipation was terrible: Lactulose is your best friend and whatever happens don't strain Wink

skybluepearl · 01/06/2012 19:30

get any visitors to cook/clean

maxtrue · 01/06/2012 20:57

I bought Floradex from Holland and Barretts its an iron supplement and its fantastic (completely natural) Midwives were impressed with my iron levels as I took it a few weeks b4 c section and after! The tiredness I had with dd1 didnt appear so much with ds2 and I am positive it waas down to the floradex

Arnica taken is also good as mentioned further upthread

Agree with keeping it dry, I would lie down on the bed after shower to make sure it got a good airing

Go easy for a couple of weeks gentle walks etc but movement is good but in moderation

I found the turning in bed the most uncomfortable as you have to sit up and turn...didnt seem to notice it with ds2??

eatyourveg · 01/06/2012 21:09

Yes I had floradex too for all 3 dc. ( 2 by cs) A godsend and I get it from time to time when I'm simply washed out. Doesn't make you constipated like some iron tablets tend to.

dogdaysareover · 01/06/2012 21:29

I had an emergency c section 9 months ago. Something I really wish I had known was to buy a sidecar cot attachment thingy which clips onto your bed. Would have made bf during the night sooooo much less painful as I could have just rolled DS over to me and then back again iyswim, instead of lifting him in and out of moses basket, which hurt. Enjoy your bundle.

york67 · 01/06/2012 21:30

Great thread. Must show it to dh. He thinks he can get away with having 3 days off work and maybe working from home for 2 days. We have 2 school aged children. Hopefully I can get someone to take them to school for me.

BlackSwan · 02/06/2012 07:39

You need something to pull yourself up on when getting out of bed. In hospital they might have a bed sheet tied to the foot of the bed which you can pull on to help you get up - I didn't have it set up at home but something like that would be a good idea.

yellowdianthus · 02/06/2012 09:03

use a hair dryer to dry your wound after a bath/shower as it reduces the chance of an infection and helps it heal quicker xx

yellowdianthus · 02/06/2012 09:04

wow thats optimistic especially if youre a wee bit older and need longer to recover x

PandaSpaniel · 02/06/2012 09:44

I feel for you. I had emergency c section under general anaesthetic 12 weeks ago. I am pleased to say other than a little ache now and again its all healed and I am back to normal.

However the first few weeks were horrible. I cannot stress enough that you must take it easy and do AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. I thought I was ok and walked around town showing baby off on day 6 and boy did I pay for it.

Did you have a general? I think it takes a bit longer to get over it as you are waiting for the anaesthetic to wear off properly, I felt really groggy for ages.

Like others have said, keep up with the painkillers, they really do make a difference and lactulose is great for constipation.

Hope you feel better soon, don't worry if you have days when you feel you cannot do anything and just want to cry, its normal and it does get better.

Hope you are well soon and congratulations xx

OTTMummA · 02/06/2012 15:17

York! Does he really think that will do? You might end up in hospital for longer than a few days if you don't recover well, I was in for 3 days after my elcs under ga. It took me 2 weeks to be able to cope with DH off in the time and no other children. Please make sure he understands you need time to recover, it is major surgery, would he be ok with you leaving him with 3 children whilst recovering from abdominal surgery?

scottishmummy · 02/06/2012 16:58

I afraid I disagree with the do nothing advice. inactivity delays recovery and well being.a gentle daily walk is good start
big granny pants for comfort
stretchy waistband trousers
eat well, you need good nutrition to recover
gentle daily walk
shower daily

racingheart · 02/06/2012 18:59

I took loads of arnica tablets. They helped it heal quickly.

Also Floradix liquid iron and vitamin supplement is a brilliant source of iron if you lost blood, as it doesn't have side effect of constipation, which is really bad for C-stiches.

CakeInMyFace · 02/06/2012 19:14

I had an EMCS 10-ish months ago. As others here have said, rest loads and take things easy. I got to 4 weeks and thought I was fine, went for a long walk (up a big hill I might add) and was in AGONY afterwords. It actually probably set me back weeks.

The only thing you need to worry about is your baby - get everyone else to do stuff for you. Avoid lifting in/out of cot too where possible. Lots of iron-rich foods, plenty of fluids, and take your painkillers to stay on top of the pain.

monkeymoma · 02/06/2012 20:42

not sure what's been said already

was too late for me to try, should have read the manual earlier, but I read in my TENS machine booklet that it can be used on the scar post cs to help healing

I put pads or breast pads soaked in boiled water and a couple of drops of lavender and tea tree on the scar to help with ingrown scars

no pain does NOT mean go ahead and do heavy stuff - you don't necessarily have "pain indicators" with a CS that tells you you are overdoing it

LordFlasheart · 02/06/2012 21:46

Get yourself out of bed and walking as soon as you can. Dont be afraid of the poo, it has to happen or they wont let you go home...

Spatone (iron water supplement-easy on stomach) and berocca (vits b&c) a'la Nigellaessential every morning.

Good luck!

MrsMc82 · 02/06/2012 22:39

ah yes trapped wind can be horrendous, was the cause of only truly sleepless night i had after having ds....nearly ended up back in hosp wth the pain of it, a few pepermint oil drops and hot water did the trick.......

Antidote · 03/06/2012 14:07

My absolute top tips would be

  1. Make sure you see the physio before you leave hospital and get them to explain how to do scar massage and what stomach muscle exercises to do.
  1. Do your scar massage once you are healed
  1. Don't neglect your pelvic floor!
  1. Scar massage
  1. in the early days once you & LO are home you will need to plan your trips out and about to avoid / minimize kerbs. Jumping the pram up & down kerbs made me wince for weeks.

I agree with those who said don't do nothing. I was told "don't lift anything heavier than your baby OR your handbag, not both!"

whereismywine · 03/06/2012 14:22

Antidote - what massaging advice were you given?

PandaSpaniel · 03/06/2012 14:41

antidote I wasnt given any advice re physio, its 12 weeks since I had lil one and my scar still aches, would my GP refer me do you think? What advice were u given?

monkeymoma · 03/06/2012 16:43

no pysios on my post natal wards either, and I was in for nearly a week so wasn't a case of missing them I don't think, I don't think it's available so please share your scar massage info if you have it handy
thanks x

ladybirdlittle · 03/06/2012 22:09

Something that I was totally dreading was when they said the midwife was coming round to remove my staples. I was picturing them yanking them out (I am a teacher... imagine a wall display staple remover!) but they just snipped through them and it was fine!

ImissMiniPop · 03/06/2012 23:36

thanks ladybird I had mine taken out yesterday and felt the same. A couple of them were uncomfortable, but not painful. Thanks for all the tips, they are excellent :)

FromGirders · 03/06/2012 23:39

Don't go and watch Prometheus. Please don't.
It's really not going to aid your recovery.