C section pain killer combo/sleeping

[OliviaL9530]

Hi all!

I had a section on the 14th and they let me home yesterday (15th) as there was no reason to keep us in.

The section went perfectly and we actually had a lovely experience but for some reason I hadn't thought about what would happen when the spinal block wore off and wow... I am shocked at the pain!

How do you manage/what do you use to cope in those first couple of weeks? How do you sleep, any movement and I'm triggered. Baby kept us both up until 5am this morning and then I struggled getting into any position after she's finally got over as I'm wincing and whining all the time!

Paracetamol and ibuprofen 6 hourly each, but so you are taking one or the other every 3 hours. Take religiously do you keep on top of the pain. Tbh if you are at the stage where the pain is unmanageable you need to contact your GP first thing for a stronger prescription to get you on top of things.

If possible, ask your partner to take tour baby so you can rest as much as possible. It is major surgery but people (incl. Partners) tend to forget because rhe emphasis is on the baby. You need to be firm. With proper rest, painkillers and gentle mobilisation it really shouldn't hurt much. Is the midwife coming ro you today? Speak to them too for tips and to check for infection.

Congratulations!

The best thing to do is to be really strict with paracetamol and ibuprofen. You need to set reminders on your phone and absolutely do not skip a dose. After around ten days/2 weeks you should start to feel a lot better, but I kept this up for nearly 4 weeks after both my sections. I think it's every 8 hours for ibuprofen and every 6 hours for paracetamol-day or night.

After my first section I didn't think it was that important staying on top of the meds and I remember ringing the hospital crying in pain on day 4 as the pain was so bad. As soon as I became a bit obsessive with taking my tablets it was fine!

Also, with getting out of bed, I found that tricky for about 4-5weeks I think and I bought one of those litter picker type grabbers for picking things up that I had dropped. Great little buy! I also think I slept propped up for the first week as it made it easier to get out of bed.

Good luck, it gets a bit easier every day and after about 2 weeks you'll be amazed at your recovery. Just be careful with lifting and bending down, so no loading the washing machine or dish washer etc If you can absolutely help it.

They left you home after a day? In Ireland it's 4 days minimum if you have a section and you're on morphine and difene during that time with an extra 3 to 4 days prescription for difene once you are distarged home. Speak to your GP and get something stronger asap. Paracetamol and ibuprofen would touch the pain imo.

Think it very much depends on the hospital, but I was discharged after 24 hours too, but with a prescription for dihydrocodeine. To be honest I didn't necessarily need it after the first couple of days so you may well find you feel a bit less tender soon, but if not you could always try speaking to GP/midwife to see if they can prescribe something stronger?

Keep on top of the paracetamol and ibuprofen, rotate them every 3 hours so you always have pain relief. I slept on the sofa for the first week as I could wedge myself between the arms and use them to help me move, move regularly in the night otherwise you seize up. I think I actually slept sitting upright the first couple of nights. But it didn't last long, by day 5 I only needed pain killers overnight to stop me seizing up.

@GiltEdges
I have that prescribed too! They gave me the blister pack home with meds in but just seemed to rush over how to take them, midwife is coming today so hopefully I should have a clearer picture of what I'm doing x

@boringcreation I know I was shocked too but my catheter ended up coming out where 8 hours as it wasn't draining, I'd had a wee and wind/bowel movement and was eating and drinking.
I haven't taken any morphine or anything so there was no need to keep me in really. I'm hindsight I should've insisted given it's my first and no idea what to expect pain wise x

@toothache3000

Fantastic idea, I have Dihydrocodeine too so I'll slip that in there somewhere too x

It's 18 years ago now but I was kept in hospital a bit longer and while I was in I was given diclofenac. The key to pain relief is to keep it topped up and, as PPs have said, keep taking it. It sounds like you might need something a bit stronger than ibuprofen.

Congratulations by the way!

Congratulations!!

Take the painkillers regularly, I liked to have something every couple of hours for mine. A maternity pad on top of your knickers over the scar is utter bliss and helps to protect it from little bumps and knocks. Try to move as much as you can, but listen to your body and don’t overdo it. For sleep, I slept on the sofa pretty much upright for the first few nights, I couldn’t physically lie down!

Keep up with the painkillers though - even when I thought I was fine and didn’t need them once my DTs were a week or so old, when I missed a dose i was straight back to agony.

Oh, and if you’ve not already been for a poo, consider getting something in to help you go. Sorry for the tmi, that’s the one thing I wish someone had told me

@FluffMagnet great idea taking them strategically so there's always some sort of pain killer! I've also been given dihydrocodeine so I'll slip that in there too.
Thankfully I'm seeing the midwife today so I should have a clearer picture of what and when to take it was just in the meantime x

I did every 3 hours like so:

00:00 dihydrocodeine
3:00 ibuprofen
6:00 dihydrocodeine
9:00 paracetamol
12:00 dihydrocodeine
15:00 ibuprofen
18:00 dihydrocodeine
21:00 paracetamol

Did that for the first few days, didn’t set alarms overnight just took what was appropriate when I woke up.

Then switched to 4 hourly intervals just rotating paracetamol and ibuprofen.

If possible time it so you are taking something at 8pm. For me the pain always went up a notch then and the nurse told me that happened to everyone.
A lot of the pain is wind, it will pass in both senses of the word.
Lie down as much as you can while getting up briefly and often. If you can master feeding lying on your side it will help a lot.

@MuchTooTired

Thank you!

So for example if I had 2 paracetamols and the dihydrocodeine at 9:30 as they're both 4 hourly what time should I have the ibroprofen? Or the other way around. I'm confusing myself haha

I was discharged a day after my c section back in 2019.
I religiously took paracetamol/ibuprofen as if I didn't take it on time, the pain was overwhelming.

Hope you recover quickly x

As above. I didn't have pain but took paracetamol and diclofenac religiously BEFORE pain set in

@ForkedIt

That's a great example thank you! I was confusing myself with times haha x

Also, should the dihydrocodeine be taken with food? I've only been having it with water

Also look after your bowels! Prune juice, warm water, warm pressure, whatever it take.
congratulations on your baby!!

Yes definitely be aware of trapped wind. It can cause really bad referred pain! When I was a first year student midwife I thought one of the women I was looking after was having a heart attack because she had such severe trapped wind pain! Peppermint oil capsules are really good for this. Careful with codeine as it can constipate and exasperate the problem so make sure you’re eating lots of fibre! X

@OliviaL9530

Also, should the dihydrocodeine be taken with food? I've only been having it with water

I seem to remember being told to take them either with or soon after a meal, but can't be sure! Your midwife may be able to advise

Sorry I forgot to say congrats in my first post! Especially that it's your first!!

I didn't take the morphine after my first because I thought it was making me sick (it wasn't) and I remember the pain was unreal. I had my husband sleep next to the crib for the first two weeks because I couldn't turn fast enough if the baby threw up etc.
My second section was so different because I took ALL the painkillers. Do get onto your GP or HV and see if there's anything stronger they can give you and keep moving, getting up and about will help you get better faster. Just don't over do it!! X

Congratulations OP!

I had my c section in June and like you I was surprised at the pain. DH was fantastic and wrote down what painkillers where due and when. He never let me miss a dose even when I didn't feel terrible!

Also please take it easy! I managed to hurt myself trying to unload the washing machine when I was bored 😳.

I definitely underestimated the recovery, DH had to wash and dry me in the early days and help me out of bed/to the toilet.

I'd say after 3 weeks there was a massive improvement, by 5/6 weeks I felt fine.

Make sure you rest OP and take it easy!

It's not 4 days minimum in Ireland BTW, it's 2-5 days depending on the recovery/situation, I was cleared for discharge 2 days after my recent csection. I got a 7 day a difene prescription, that plus paracetamol, and getting gently moving as much as you can are the best way to get better. If you lie or sit down too long it hurts more and takes longer, but don't overdo it either, a balance is needed!

Thank you all so much!

It's so great to know you're not alone and that the pain is normal! My other half has been fantastic, he's like a little slave 😂 he's been fab at writing out my pain management schedule and administering my fragmin too

Mum and sister came to meet baby today so I was up and out of bed for a couple of hours but was happy to crawl back in with baby once they'd left.

Just cut the ibroprofen back from my 4:45 dose (if I wake up) as it has to be taken with food so this is how the schedule is looking.

I'll be sure to keep on track with my bowls. I have lactulose prescribed so I'll look at getting that again x