What happens immediately after ?
As soon as I was stitched up I was lifted sideways onto a wheely bed and taken round to recovery. I had my little one at 2pm and stayed in recovery until between 5/6pm. I was given dinner and people did everything with baby as I was still numb. No pain whatsoever, completely fine and not even weird like I expected it to be! Sometime between 10 and 12 I got up with help and went the short walk to the chair beside my bed. It was pretty much uneventful, I’d heard a lot of people say they can bleed a lot at that point but I didn’t. It maybe did cause me to bleed more after though as I did end up bleeding through my nightie and onto the bed when I got back in.
What pain relief will I likely be to get ?
I think it depends if you’re breastfeeding or not for morphine (don’t quote me on that). They come round regularly with a little trolley and I took everything that was going. They also put a suppository in your bum 😬 as you’re finished the op so I think that probably helped too. Someone beside me was getting liquid morphine at one point and I was starting to get the sensation back in that area so decided I’d just take some too 😂
Do you get sent home with any?
Barely, it was diclofenac and paracetamol every 4 hours but I really didn’t feel much at all. The only actual pain came when I went to sit up (do not sit up) 🙈
Is the scar dressed?
Yes everywhere does that differently but I had a dressing then a really sticky glue like substance sort of layered over it to keep it on. It actually felt quite good by day 7 and I had been out a walk etc. I had to peel it off myself as the midwives in my area don’t have time to do it. I was told to do it in the bath and it went all stringy and took what felt like days to come off. I didn’t really want to look at it but eventually glanced in the mirror and it wasn’t that horrific, considering 🙈
When can you have a shower?
As soon as you’re up, you can have a bath when you get home. I couldn’t believe that!
How long am I likely to be in for ?
pain? If I have another one I’m going to aim to take it in stages this time. Get over the first day, get the feeling back in your legs, stand up, catheter out, be able to change your pad and do basic things with the baby. Day 2-5 I would take as one chunk. You bleed quite a lot and don’t want to have to bend down for anything. I turned a corner at the end of the first week then again at the end of the second week. Walking slowly about the house isn’t sore, it’s only sitting deep into the sofa and trying to push back up that puts pressure on it, as well as the struggle to get out of bed. I slept in my pregnancy pillow eventually so I wasn’t flat back. From day 14 to week 5 I’d say I was aware something had happened there but I could go out a walk and as long as I didn’t overdo it I knew it would be okay. By week 6 I felt pretty much good as new, which you cannot believe you will ever feel again at the start 😂
Any info on recovery etc will be great
- put a pillow in the car for the drive home to put over your belly below the seat belt
- put your pads up high in the bathroom and anything else you’ll need before you leave for the hospital, then there’s no fumbling in bags needed
- big black high waisted pants x100 - I aimed solely for the hospital and then got home with a horrible bag of bloody pants and couldn’t face asking my husband to put them in the wash for me so bent down and did it myself. I’d get more than 7 next time! Have some comfy ‘visitor is coming’ outfits laid out all ready to go (for you) so you’re not rushing about trying to get dressed.
- Trousers/joggers are quite awkward to get on when you have to pull them up, loose dresses might be easier
- colpermin or peppermint tea for trapped gas, you can get it in your shoulder apparently and it’s really sore. I took that and didn’t!
- even if you feel fine at week 1 or 2, don’t move about too much. I did and the bleeding got heavier again.
- I bled on my compression stockings in the bathroom while getting changed (a particular low point) and wished I’d had another pair. Had to pathetically shout my husband to tell him and instead of saying ‘ew’ he helped me get them off 😂
- you’ll probably get nippy fragmin injections for 10 days after that you or someone else has to do at home. I got him to do them into the flab at the side of my belly, I just pinched a big bit and turned away til it was done. Saw that tip on Jennifer joy’s YouTube channel. Her and eilidh wells section and recovery videos are great!
good luck, I’m a wimp and I managed it! Ask for a bit of local in your hand before the cannula if you’re as bad as me 😂 that was the only bad bit of the whole thing, honest!