C-section booked : advice on what to expect

[le42]

Could anyone offer me some advice on what to do on the days leading up, anything extra to pack I might not have thought of, aftercare advice....

How soon were you able to walk up stairs, I live in a flat (no lift) and have 26 stairs to get up... will I be okay?

Thanks in advance lovely mums!

Don’t get frustrated would be my advice. Take things slowly and steadily and let your partner help as much as possible. Laughing, coughing and sneezing will hurt for the first couple of days! But as long as you keep up your pain medication you’ll be fine. I remember really noticing I’d turned a corner back to feeling normal again on day 8. Mine was an emcs though, and from what I’ve heard the recovery for an elective is quicker as you won’t have spent the previous three days in labour with no sleep! Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly :)

Thanks ladies!

I have shellac polish on my fingers and toes - I should get that removed right? (Grrr what a pain)

Following as having a ELCS on Thursday. Sounds like I need some peppermint tea!

I had one 11 weeks ago. For the first week I needed a lot of help from DP. I hunched over naturally when I stood, I struggled to walk, struggled to climb in and out of bed and onto and off the toilet- he had to help me greatly doing all of this. He also had to shower me outside of the actual shower because I couldn’t lift my legs into the shower- yes, it was a mess. Couldn’t turn over in bed either so once I was in that was it, I couldn’t move.

Once the first week passed I was ok. Not great but ok. Once two weeks had passed I felt pretty much normal again. I hated the injections you have to have for 10 days after the surgery most of all... and laughing, laughing hurts A LOT. They also don’t give adequate pain relief, for some reason you’re only sent home with paracetamol and ibuprofen . I had to get stronger painkillers from the GP.

Despite all of this, I still preferred it to my three vaginal deliveries. Far less traumatic.

Oh and I didn’t remove my nail polish, they never said a thing about it.

Last thing- I was very surprised but I was actually discharged 15 hours after he was born! I thought I’d be in for a couple of days but their policy is to discharge ASAP provided no issues due to infection risk. I was glad because who really wants to be stuck in hospital? And I hated being away from DP.

I don’t you need to remove your nail polish unless you’ve been specifically told too - think of all the women who have emergency c-sections, no time to remove nail polish then. I had fingers and toes painted and it wasn’t an issue :) But if it’s playing on your mind, see what your midwife says.

Pain relief varies, seemingly by hospital as far as I could tell. I was sent home with Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and Tramadol (their default is dihydrocodeine as the stronger drug but it makes me sick)

Depending on your size/position of scar etc you might have very poor visibility of the wound. It's worth asking your DP to keep an eye on it for you so they can watch for any signs of infection. I was discharged by midwife at day 10, but then got an infection on day 13. It wasn't awful so don't panic about it, but if you can't see it yourself then it's worth making sure someone knows how it looks and can see if it starts looking a bit funky.

I had mine at 2pm and had a shower and was pottering to the tea room the night, was out at 11am the next day and was ok with the stairs (3 story house) the day after went and did a small food shop and for a coffee in town just took it easy, good luck!

@le42 I might be repeating what people say but if your hospital allows stay at least 2 nights. Make sure you stock up on paracetamol and ibuprofen (if you can take it) I stayed in 2 nights and was up and about on the 3rd day. When walking up stairs I found it easier to take one at a time. So one foot up, then other foot on same step (takes forever but I found it better) The problem I had was getting off sofa and getting out of bed. My nurse told me when getting out of bed roll onto side and tense up so when pulling yourself upwards your not dragging if that makes sense.
Good luck with the c-section. Remember to take it easy and enjoy your new baby 😊

Following as I'm having an elective in five weeks. I also have hideous SPD and am so, so looking forward to the day I can walk normally again!

We have a shower over bath, is it going to be impossible to get in for a few days?

I've had two c sections, and they were fine!
I was surprised how quick baby came out, and as pp says, you will feel things, but not pain as such. It felt like someone was washing up inside my stomach.
Take some music into the theatre with you too!

I was in hospital for 9 days after mine, so not sure about stairs.

I was ok with standard painkillers, but I had a cough/cold which was interesting.

I was up and mobilised as soon as I could and I think this helped. I was fine in hospital but I developed bad back ache where my spinal was when I got home which lasted for about a month.

I didn’t suffer with wind (all the coughing probably moved it around). Big knickers are a must and you’ll still need maternity pads, but the bleeding was much less than my vaginal birth.

You may well end up constipated as a result of the post op pain relief and your first post c-section poo can be pretty scary, if so. I stayed in for 3 days post section but, it was August Bank Holiday and they let me out without me having pooed. The midwife who visited me at home brought me a suppository because I still hadn’t been about a week post-section. You can’t bear down to poo because you need to protect your incision and anyway, it’s sore. Eat as much fibre as you can in the days running up to your section and afterwards. Hospital food is v poor quality. Get someone to bring you prune juice, fruit, anything....
Also, it’s not certain how long you will have your catheter in. It’s a good idea to have a clean nightie with you so you can feel fresh, even if your not ready for knickers and pyjamas yet because you still have a tube in. I’m not a nightie person so didn’t have one - so I felt a bit smelly until I was tube-free.
Good luck. It’s actually quite a calm way to meet your baby. I didn’t choose mine (full placenta praevia) but I think if I’d gone on to have a 3rd baby, I might have tried to have another one.

I've had two ELCS. If you want to leave quickly (I did and was out after 24 hours with both), Ask to have your catheter taken out as soon as you feel ready/they're willing and get a shower as soon as you can. I managed both the same evening as having DC2 first thing in the morning. The catheter was the one hung that still bothered me three or four months later so for me, the sooner out the better.
With my first, nobody warned me about pooing afterwards and aim as constipated before I had it. With my second, the GP said it was fine to start 15 ml of lactulose as I was getting backed up about a week before the birth. It made it much easier to get things back to rights afterwards - you won't have the same ability to, ahem, push.
Also, with my first I said I wanted to breastfeed and they changed my midwife to someone who literally put my nipple in DC1's mouth ten minutes into recovery. I was still numb from the armpits down and in wonder at actually having a baby. She was great. Baby knew what to do. They kept waking me overnight to let him suckle too. If it's an ELCS, honestly, it's a bit of a party. Enjoy your baby.

Apologies if I’m repeating as haven’t read all the thread but I’d say;

leave hospital as soon as possible. I stayed in 24 hours from op, showered and peed a certain amount to be allowed out. Plus crying babies on the ward is awful. You recover much better in your own home. Plus all the hospital had was ibuprofen and paracetamol so stock up on cocodamol if you can. Stairs were absolutely fine for me but this also depends how good your stomach muscles are to begin with. You will need help to get up but try as much as you can. I really do think this helped me recover very quickly.
Infections are very common post c section so go doctors if you have any discharge from your wound. Expect 6-8 weeks to feel back to your normal self. Don’t lift anything too heavy.

Pack some maternity knickers. Expect to bleed a lot as your body rids itself of the left over blood inside. Not straight away but shortly after baby is born and despite not giving birth vaginally make sure you do your pelvic floor exercises that the physio will show you. These really helped.

Mentally prepare yourself for not being able to jump out of bed to help your newborn the first few nights. I felt like the worst mother in the world but was physical impossible especially at speed. Let your partner do a lot!!! You need to recover for your little one

Avoid any speed bumps on way home. The car journey is awful!

And congrats!!! :-)

Thanks everyone! Super helpful. My PGP is so bad that I am used to getting out of bed very strangely at the moment and taking it super easy so I’ll continue to be very cautious!

Did you request immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding support or was this done automatically?

And lots of good tips re constipation - our hospital is central London so I’ll ask my other half to pop out and get me a fruit salad from pret I think!

I had immediate skin to skin after quick baby check and breastfeeding support in recovery room. Despite c section my first came out literally trying to eat anything she could latch onto, including my neck . Best of luck..I found my elective section very relaxed compared to the nightmare of induction (and then emergency section) with first. The section was easy compared to the induction. I have a tiny scar in my pubes, it was itchy for a while but when I had my second dd I think they sorted it as no issues now. And no vaginal issues from birth is a positive. Do your pelvic floors still though, I got a bit lazy and didn't. I'm fine now, but had mild issues after my second dd.
Def take ear plugs and sweets. Some ladies do feel unwell after, but not me, they couldn't stop me eating!

I'm coping well on paracetamol, but have also been offord omorph should I need it.

I'm beast feeding fine (done it before) but the lady next to me is needing lots of support (and getting it) so ask if you want out.

I didn't have time to get my top off so didn't get skin to skin immediately.

Mine has been a wonderful experience, so much better than my vaginal delivery.

Ie42 I just took bog standard peppermint te, i think you can get capsules from Holland abd Barrett etc. The hospital will be able to give you peppermint oil in hot water if you need it, just ask.

I was central London too and had DD and DS at 2 different hospitals. feel free to PM for specific info!

Re-skin to skin. I asked for this with my first but the drapes come quite high up and they plonked her right on my neck/face which made me freak out as I get claustrophobic. With my second, they gave him straight to OH and I took him half an hour later in recovery. Breastfeeding worked out fine for both DC.

You can ask for delayed clamping and immediate skin to skin but bear in mind that section babies tend to be more mucasy so it might not be possible.

My section was a lovely calm experience, I had requested the above but in my case it wasn't possible as he was all mucasy - a vb helps clear mucas - once he was cleared I was feeling quite woozy and shakey due to meds so my son had a cuddle with his dad instead.

Also, if there is a large, metal lamp above the op table DONT look up into it once the section is underway, unless you want to see more of yourself than you ever thought you would!

Thank you again ladies for all the advice. Bought all the recommendations today on amazon.

I tried 5 mins of yoga on Friday night to relax me and it sent my PGP into overdrive, I’ve spent the day on the cusp of tears just trying to get up to use the toilet..... really wish I could just have a lovely calm pain free few days to get ready before Wednesday. But alas! I’ve been pretty housebound for the past 3 months so I feel like I’m used to being physically immobile.

I just can’t wait to meet our little boy now! My partner and I look very different so it’s going to be such a nice surprise to see how our baby looks!

I found all my ELCS very positive experiences once I had got my head around the idea. My DH is very squeamish and kept well up the head end the first time round. By the third he photographed everything!!!!! I would make sure you have straws and plenty of things you will fancy eating and drinking. I am fairly fussy and after my first I struggled with hunger and low blood pressure however for subsequent ones I had plenty of tasty snacks and my recovery was so much better.

@lorisparkle Oh yes, good tip! I was prepared for everything but ended up forgetting my bag in the maternity ward when I got wheeled into pre/post op ward. My slot was delayed due to an emergency section so by the time I came out of surgery I’d been fasting for 12+ hours and felt a bit wobbly despite the IV fluids. You have to stay in recovery for at least 1-2 hours until the spinal wears off, and I was craving water, gum or something the get rid of the dry feeling in my mouth. Fasting isn‘t so strict after the op, so you may be allowed to eat or drink something if you have it there with you.

Would echo the previous comments. Plus everyone is different. It’s major surgery - people minimise the pain afterwards but it is v painful unless you have a v high pain threshold imo. Take it slow, mobilise and take any help offered. It shouldn’t impact BF unless there are other issues. GL OP I have an ELCS booked in a few weeks so this is a good refresher!