Staying in hospital one night after Elective C Section

[AutumnLeavesandCandleLights]

I had my pre op assessment this morning and will be having my elective c section on Wednesday.

12 months ago, I had an emergency c section and we stayed in for four nights. When we were finally allowed home, I was still very much in pain and found it incredibly difficult getting in and out of bed, on and off the toilet etc.

I asked the nurse today what the standard length of stay is following an elective and was told they aim to get women home the following day...
whilst this is good in some respects as I don't want my 12 month old being apart from us for too long/want things to return to 'normal' as quickly as possible, I'm a little concerned that the following day is a bit too soon to be discharged after a major operation?

I understand that if I can use the toilet on my own, eat, drink and slowly shuffle about, there's not much reason in me taking up a bed on the ward - but honestly, without the morphine last time I was in total agony. I don't see how 'strong' painkillers are going to cut it after 24hrs of being sliced open.

Has anyone been discharged the next day after an elective and felt totally okay/comfortable/as pain-free as possible at home? I'll admit I wasn't comfy on the ward last time and by the second night I was starting to grow quite miserable that I wasn't surrounded by all my home comforts, however, I was quite relieved knowing I had a full team of medical professionals around me in the first few days.

Just a little bit worried that I'm going to be in as much pain as I was last time and then expected to kind of just deal with it.

I had an emcs on the Saturday morning and was told I was medically well enough to be discharged on the Monday. Ended up staying in a week though due to DS being poorly.

Pain wise it was much better than I had anticipated. I can't take diclofenac so just had paracetamol and ibuprofen which I took religiously. I had a prescription for oramorph if I needed it but I managed fine without it.

To be honest the worst pain was the trapped wind! That took a good week/10 days to properly pass.

I had an elective with my first baby in 2015 and stayed in for 2 nights. I had morphine afterwards as often as I could as I was in agony. When I got home I really struggled, I was bawling in pain at some points and it was a real shock to the system. My friend had an emergency section the following year at the same hospital and was out the next day as the policy had changed! She took it in her stride but if you’re not feeling ready don’t be afraid to say!

I had an emergency c section last week and was sent home the next again day!

@Sunshinegirl82 omg the trapped wind couldn't believe the sounds coming from my stomach!

MW on ward gave me a peppermint oil thing for the trapped wind. Cured it immediately. Brilliant.

I have had two EMCS but had no labour for the first one so in practice it was much more like an elective. I think I was discharged on the third day first time, second day second time, but to be honest I would have liked to go earlier both times as I hate staying in hospital. Second time I was quite close to self discharging in fact as it took ages for the doctor to arrive to discharge me and I really wanted to go home.

One big difference was that first time round I was pretty scared about moving, where the second time I knew that the midwives were right in saying the quicker I was up and about the better. For me there were no benefits and plenty of downsides to staying in hospital longer.

I think if my c section could be done tomorrow morning then I won't feel so uneasy about leaving Thursday evening.
If I don't end up going down to theatre until closer to late afternoon though, then I may request staying an extra night for my own peace of mind above anything else.

It is good to know recovery from electives seem to be a bit smoother in comparison to emergencies. I'd laboured for three days before my emergency c section, hadn't slept in almost four days then didn't sleep a wink the entire time we was in hospital following the op, so I think a long labour and sheer exhaustion hindered my recovery last time - hopefully going in tomorrow a little more refreshed will be good for me.

Oh God the trapped farts. They were definitely awful. Lactulose was a lifesaver

I was sent home about 36 hours after an emcs with paracetamol and diclofenac (?) I was fine except for the day i was too busy to remember to take any pain killers till after lunch time, when it was pointed out by MIL that I'd gone a bit peaky looking and i said yes, it was a bit uncomfortable. More fool me!

I stayed in just overnight for both an emergency and an elective. The elective is a totally different scenario imo and I was in less pain and was less tired as I hadn't been in labour for three days. It's definitely standard practice where I live. I was still in a lot of pain too but everything is a bit more organised and calmer when it's planned even though there is another child to care for. Good luck.

Starting to get anxious now knowing we're leaving the house in just 9 hours to head to the hospital! Also a little bit sad to be leaving our 12 month old tomorrow. He's only spent one night away from us and that was when he was four months old so I know I'm going to be panicking about him even though he will of course be absolutely fine with his grandparents and I've no need to worry about him whatsoever.

Feeling so excited to meet our newest little love, but also a little bummed out knowing I'm not going to be pregnant anymore. DP only wanted one child and whilst he's been supportive throughout this pregnancy and can't wait to meet his second baby, he's already said countless time he's getting a vasectomy as soon as possible because he really doesn't want any more.

It's kind of weird coming to terms with the fact I've only got a few more hours left feeling a baby wiggle around inside me and then that's it, I'm done for the rest of my life.

I'm definitely looking forward to having a bottle of wine though, after spending practically the last 18 months straight being pregnant I think it's overdue and well deserved!

Thank you everyone for your comments and replies! Will update at some point over the next few days and let everyone know when I was discharged/how it all went

I hope everything went well today autumn

Hi everyone -

Just thought I'd update with how things went today!

We have our beautiful baby boy, he was brought in to planet earth at nearly 2pm this afternoon following a very straight forward, uncomplicated and relaxed elective!

I'm in no where near as much pain as I was in comparison to my emergency section just 12 months ago. Just got up for the first time and walked around for about 15 minutes. I was scared when I initially got up, but quickly realised that it was virtually pain free!

Only had paracetamol and I think ibuprofen so far? I could be wrong on that front though.. I've been told I can request oramorph if I feel like I need it, but right now I'm doing okay!

Currently feel as though I'll be alright to head home tomorrow! Fingers crossed x

Congratulations OP!

I was in quite a lot of pain after first csec because maybe I had laboured beforehand, also sleep deprivation and expectations. Was pretty fine after the next 2, my last baby I discharged myself after 24 hours because I couldn't take another night in that infernal place. Was a bit sore when I got home, took the diclofenac/paracetamol, was fine, ate pringles, appreciated my crappy house and blessed quiet quite a lot.

Congratulations! .

Yay! Congratulations.

Huge congrats, glad it went well and the pain isn't as bad xx

So pleased to read this. I have my ELCS on Monday so your update has helped to relax me!