After care advice for partner after a csection

[dantiasmith]

I have one daughter aged 9 birthed naturally but this time I will be having a section. There is plenty of advice of how to care for myself and wounds etc but not a lot of advice for partners. Do you have any experience as a partner? What advice or tips would you give to help support me? Thanks, it’s a whole new world for me ha

What do you need help and support with? After a csection your focus needs to be on helping your partner recover from major surgery...

Im the one having the major surgery, was looking for experience advice on how dads have helped mums out.

Hi OP, I have had two sections, first was an emergency, second was planned.

Your OH should be able to come into theatre, hold your hand etc, I think they might be able to cut the cord, but my DH was way too squeamish!

I think my DH helped most with lifting baby, and nappy changes in the early days. Once home after the EMCS I could comfortably feed baby in bed but couldn't stand up holding him to pop him in the Moses basket so DH did the honours, in hindsight a next to me type crib might be easier?

Also DH helped me shower at the hospital after my first section which was really handy - bending to get shampoo etc this was okay as baby was in NICU but he had to stay with baby second time round in the ward as no cots were allowed into the showers, by a lovely HCP helped me.

Also DH was brilliant generally waiting on me, lots of water and food as BF. Tidying up etc etc.

Recovery is really not too bad and my planned section recovery was a walk in the park compared to the emergency!

On another note I do recommend lactulose or similar

Sorry this is very rambly but hope it helps, feel free to PM me if any questions!

Best of luck! X

When you come out of the hospital you mustn't do any heavy lifting (my Midwife said nothing heavier than the baby) so he needs to do that, you shouldn't vacuum either, or drive, so he will need to do that too.

Thank you ❤️

Obviously the usual things that go with a newborn, bring you drinks/food if you're planning to breastfeed too.

If your partner is driving you home...they need to go oh so slowly. Have a pillow ready to put between you and the seatbelt.

I've had EMCS and ELCS...second time round I got really shaky and sick after, so to be ready for that if it happens to you (hopefully not!)

Good luck

If you have a bedside cot, consider putting it onto the side of your partner for the first week or so. I found twisting and getting up out of bed was hard for a little while. Not painful per se, but I knew I had to be slow and careful. I needed to put my legs down in the right place and couldn't with the cot there. So DH had it on his side for 2 weeks. Baby woke, I concentrated on sitting up carefully and then he passed me the baby.

I didn't put any washing in the machine or do the dishwasher for a few weeks either. I probably could have done after 10 days, but I just didn't push it. Washing etc waited till DH came home

I needed a little help getting into the shower for the first 48 hours as I had to step into the bath and felt unsteady.

Other than that, generally it was fine :)

I've had a botched vaginal birth and an elective cesearean. I found I needed the same ammount.of support from my DH for both recoveries.

Very sorry! I'd misread it as you were the partner seeing what support you should get!!! I blame baby brain!!

Some women are totally fine a few days later and others need a few weeks of recovery. You should be waited on hand and foot for as long as you need!!

I suppose it's a bit similar to being on bed rest, but with a newborn baby. Batch baking might be an idea before your csection if your partner isn't a decent cook.

Have a station set up with the things you'll need like pain relief and water bottles. Get your partner to do the nappy changes.

And good luck!!!

Driving to appointments, bringing drinks/snacks, cooking meals.

I signed us up to Hello fresh for a month and he cooked everything, in fact he is still doing it 5 months on!

Building on what scrivette and others have said- absolutely get our partner to give you a break from the house work. I thought I felt ok and was doing dishes and hoovering around 10 days after my first c section. A few hours later I had massive lochia bleeding and abdomen/scar pain. Foolish in hindsight.
I saw a post on Facebook recently that the internal placental/abdomen wound after giving birth is something like the size of a dinner plate. If you could see it you would definitely want bed rest! rest up as much as possible especially in those first few weeks as it will stand you in good stead going forward.

...get YOUR partner to give you a break...

argh phone typos