C-Section this Friday- tips?

[Oct18mummy]

Hi

I’ve just found out I will be having a c-section on Friday (baby is transverse etc) anyone who has had a c-section do you have any tips of things I need to take/consider/recovery etc would be really grateful to know

Thanks

I've had 2 emergency sections. My recommendations would be:

Big pants, wrap dresses (comfortable on the incision/handy for breast feeding if you intend to) and get up as soon as you feel up to it.

Big pants definitely.

Keep a pillow or cushion nearby at all times. If you feel the need to sneeze, cough, anything like that, hold it against your stomach.

Take the painkillers for the first few days, even if you think you don't need them.

Good luck! It was only uncomfortable for me for a few days both times.

Take Arnica tablets from now and for the first week - get them in homeopathy shop or somewhere - stopped me from having swelling and bruises. Try to buy them this morning and take a full dose today

I wore PJs because I always to and I was fine in them.

Get up and have a shower as soon as they let you - you will feel loads better.

Have a sleep after they put you in the recovery room - you will have cuddled the baby and the baby will be off with Dad and a nurse being taken care of so don't worry about the baby, just sleep - it will be the last proper sleep you get.

Also, sleep as much as you can in hospital.

You should be fine - I have had 3 c-sections and my last in my 40's. I was up and about the next morning after first 2 and the same evening after no 3. I recovered much more quickly than my DSIS who had a normal birth with lots of tears. I also breastfed all my DC so there is no problem with breastfeeding after a c section, get them to latch the baby on to you when you come out of recovery, you are still chilled from all the drugs and baby is hungry and will latch on easily and this will set you up for breastfeeding from then on - that is if you are intending to breastfeed.

Best of luck.

Big black full pants and huge sanitary towels - you'll bleed just as much as a vaginal birth.

Peppermint tea for trapped wind.

Take all the painkillers they offer and tell the anaesthetist if you feel even a tiny bit sick as they can adjust the drugs so you aren't sick.

And enjoy it! I loved mine.

Small packet of apricots every day to prevent constipation.

Good luck and congratulations.

3 weeks out from mine.

Mobilise as soon as you can (without overdoing it)

Take your dressing off in the shower once given the ok by your nurse - it's a lot less uncomfortable than doing it dry. Same goes for the sticky patch that'll hold your catheter tube.

Get a water bottle with a straw

Make sure you have everything in reach whenever visitors leave

A feeding pillow may help. Also, if you are BFing the lying back position may be most comfortable.

My c sec wasn't planned but was a far better experience than I expected. Good luck!

Thank you everyone this is so helpful! I will be planning on breastfeeding so good to know nothing affected there. Do you get a chance to have immediate skin to skin? I have my preop appointment tomorrow so will also ask lots of questions then. Thanks so much

@Oct18mummy I had immediate skin to skin and then lots of time and encouragement to do first feed in recovery. Also did delayed cord clamping, had our own music on etc.

Re: BF, milk took a while to come in post c-section (day 6-7) so she lost a lot of weight - but there were other factors that also contributed to this.

I'd encourage you to take as much help from the midwives on the ward with breastfeeding as possible. I think I was unusual - most women find their milk comes in day 3-5 but it's something to be aware of with a c section. I was told that c section women have better BF rates as they have more support in hospital - not sure if this is true but the midwives on my ward were brilliant with positions, hand expressing colostrum if needed etc.

Huge pants! I bought some from primark that went well above my scar. They also gave me big mesh support ones which I loved (I think you can buy them on amazon)

Very loose clothing - i wore maxi dresses and harem pants that I could pull right up.

Prunes / prune juice for constipation. Plenty of high energy snacks and water. Lots and lots of packets of maternity pads (think I went through around 60 easily!) I took my pregnancy support pillow and it was brilliant as I struggled to get comfy.

I also took my own paracetomol and ibroprufen (although I didn't end up taking it but I'd heard from friends their pain relief was sparse and often missed but luckily mine wasn't)

Good luck 

Make your own sausage pillow. Put a folded facecloth in to a pillow case and fold it lengthways until it is about the size of your pelvis, then roll in to a sausage shape. Use surgical tape or washi tape to hold the pillow case in its sausage shape.

Every time you move, cough or sneeze, hold the sausage against your incision to support it from the outside. Trapped wind may also cause pain and you could try holding the sausage every time you trump too.

I've always used this after my first op. I've had CS but also several abdominal surgeries where the incision is slightly above the CS and almost hip to hip. I think I'm a bit of an expert on this one.

My last surgery was CS for DS, I was up and begging for the catheter to be out after 8 hrs and home after 24hrs. Mobilising safely and as soon as you can is the most important part of recovery. Best of luck!

I had a planned non-optional section 3.5 weeks ago.
Milk does take a few more days to come in after a section so maybe have some formula in at home (we bought the premixed as it was only for a couple of days) and buy some fenugreek to increase supply.
As pp say, big pants are a must.
I‘m just wearing maternity clothes as they avoid the scar. I wouldn’t buy clothes specifically for postpartum as your shape changes day to day. The uterus takes much longer to go back down after a section compared with vaginal birth so your stomach is different every morning.
You are restricted in what you can lift afterwards so maybe do a huge online shop before.
Take all the pain relief and expect it to get worse in the late afternoon each day. For me, the shoulder pain was excruciating for the first days but it gets better very very fast.

Lots of snacks and drinks easily to hand with a straw to drink through. You have to be nil by mouth from the night before and depending on where you are on the list it you might not have your c-section until the afternoon. I was so hungry afterwards and you can’t get out of bed to get your own food.

I requested a hospital bed which the crib can attach to. Much easier for breastfeeding. I also breastfed lying on my side to begin with again so much easier.

Definitely try and get up and have a shower as soon as you can. I took some nice toiletries, clothes and a bit of make up and it made be feel psychologically better!

Take every painkiller offered to begin with.

I had 3 planned c-sections and once I mentally accepted that this was absolutely fine then they were actually very positive experiences. I did struggle to breastfeed ds1 but asked for loads of help from breastfeeding specialists and fed all 3 ds until they were over 1yrs old.

You have to be nil by mouth from the night before and depending on where you are on the list it you might not have your c-section until the afternoon.

That's not true. My last emergency was meant to be an elective but dd had other ideas and I was told at my pre-op to have a high carb breakfast at 3am and that I could drink clear fluids until 7.30 am (and I was meant to be 1st on the list). I was told if it was pushed back, they would let me drink water. I think it's part of their enhanced recovery program that they push eating/drinking as late as possible.

With my 2nd, I had my dh there for the spinal, holding my shoulders. They dropped the curtain entirely just before dd was born so that we could watch her coming out bit by bit, seeing a head and one shoulder out with the other shoulder rippling under your skin is a bit "odd" but also amazing. They untangled her from the massive cord, put her on my legs with it pulsing for a while and then cut it. Whilst the midwife gave her a 2 second rub and a hat, the anesthetist pulled the gown mostly off me and she was on my chest in about 4 minutes from birth. I was worried about the temperature but they just put a blanket over both of us. All checks, measurements and vitamin K were given in recovery. That was at 6 in the morning so I assume they should be fine doing it if you aren't in labour and they haven't been awake all night.

I used carriwell hospital knickers after my c section 3 weeks ago. They are mesh knickers that can be machine washed and they were brilliant. You can find them on amazon but for some reason I can’t link to them. I would really recommend them.
I couldn’t bear anything close to my scar so definitely loose clothes and nighties for bed. Also yes to removing the dressing in the shower. It took me about a week to look at my scar as well.
Lots of maternity pads as you will still bleed quite a lot.
They did delayed cord clamping. I didn’t hold the baby in theatre as I felt sick but I breastfed her in recovery and milk came in after 3 days. They held her up above the screen so we could identify the sex as we hadn’t previously found out.
You will feel pressure on your abdomen when they are getting the baby out. It doesn’t hurt but it does feel strange. I wasn’t prepared for it and I think I would have preferred to know beforehand.
I had terrible trapped wind and peppermint tea was amazing for it. Definitely get plenty of that.

I watched some YouTube videos of sections beforehand, which might not be a good idea for everyone but for me it really helped as you feel the movement (but not the pain) and some movements are very weird, especially just before the baby comes out.
Also it’s cold like crazy in the theatre, I didn’t expect it and couldn’t stop my teeth chattering, which made me a bit nervous (they hold you still for the spinal though).

Yes I had immediate skin to skin. Then nurse and DH went off with baby while I was sewn up.

Also had no delay with my milk coming in on day 3 - that was more uncomfortable than C-section - had 1 DD and 2 DS and all fed like mad from the first minute.

Best wishes

Best of luck tomorrow

Thanks so much everyone for your advice and best wishes, I have followed a lot of above so hope it will help my recovery etc! Will update how it all goes x

If you're reading this now go grab some carbs it'll help you through the actual bit of the c section and help healing up afterwards.

Use a hairdryer on a cool setting to dry your wound after a shower - completely dry = less risk of infection. Shower every day for the first couple of weeks!

I've had both natural and c section and I'd pick a c section again any day of the week! Good luck! X

Oooh Good luck!

Im very late to the party but my only advice would be to refuse codine if you can manage without, as it can make you constipated. My post birth poo was worse than the labour before my EMCS

I didn't make that mistake second time! My ELCS was beautiful, really calm and lovely. Hope yours is too.

Big meal the night before - I had Mexican with beans. Big pants, big pads. It will hurt but clean pain is easier to deal with so get to that shower as soon as you can. Don't stress about baby weight loss, it can be more dramatic in cs babies. Order a full meal each time from the hospital menu.

Go home in an easy car or take a step if it's high. Cushion for seat belt.

On a more personal level, don't cry too much when they're giving you the spinal - it makes it difficult and really freaks the midwife. Only sip the water - if you glug it you may find it bounces straight back up again. Don't worry if you see a staple on the shower floor - your guts won't drop out of the hole left.

There's a world of difference between an emergency and a planned section - I've experienced both - make sure the stuff you read is relevant to the planned, and all the very best to you - it's only 15 minutes from your birthing day! Don't be scared to ask for help!

My tip is... Enjoy! Lie back and in a few minutes baby is here. No rushing to hospital, no waiting in agony for hours, no screaming, no pushing, no drama at all! I loved mine.

Try to be mobile as soon as possible. With number 1 I didn't do this and found it so difficult to then get up and about. With number two it was hard but I literally forced myself to get up, shower and be dressed really early the next morning. Honestly I couldn't believe the difference it made.