Shower after c-section? How?

[dreamerkr]

Hey guys, I have my ELCS next week and I’ve been thinking about every teeny tiny thing. I’ve heard they make you take a shower before you get discharged from the ward? How many hours after c-section? And how exactly do you shower after the operation? A proper shower or like a sponge bath? Sorry if this is a silly question!

The first poo was the worse, even worse than labour 😬

I was desperate to take a shower and wah my hair?

It really wasn't too hard. You walk very slowly

I was in ICU so had a bed bath from one of the nurses about 3 days later I had a shower. Remember the showers will be accessible with stools to sit on and a chair for your clothes. Wait until your dh visits and he can help you if necessary.

And don't dry the wound with a hair dryer... Let it air dry

I think I had it the next day or following. Normal shower. I had to take baby with me though who just lay in the cot while I had it.

Nobody made me shower after mine (4 years ago) nor have a poo before I went home.

Two things I’d say about having an elcs - have something in the house to help you poo, because that was agony when the time came. Bloody awful! And secondly, poo a pad on top of your knickers to cover your scar area, that was complete bliss when I read about it on here as it meant I could move much more without it hurting. Oh, and keep up with the pain killers even if you think you don’t need them!

I wasn't asked to shower after my emergency section 4 years ago, they did do a sponge bath in bed when I came around, I was in for 2 days so showered the following day when j was up and about.

With my son 18 months ago I had an elective c section, it was sponge wash in bed again then I showered the next day at home as I was discharged early morning.

Yes, a proper shower. Remember to take a small towel with you - drying myself with paper towels after one of my c sections want very nice!

You'll feel like you can't possibly do it, but you really really can. You'll also feel like hunching over abs shuffling to the shower - try not to! Take some time and stand yourself upright and steady before you walk, then go slowly but upright. You'll heal better and without as much damage to your core strength/posture if you get upright from day 1 and don't hunch around for a week.

Good luck. It is worth it for the baby, I promise!

Had waterproof dressing on the wound. Showered the day after my c section as I had a catheter in for about 20 hours. Bathroom was a big wet room with a toilet and sink and shower and the shower had a chair in it if I needed to sit (I didn't).

I don't know what it's like for other people but I didn't find it hard to shower at all. I just moved slowly and carefully and showered 'properly' just fine.

Good luck op 😊 and congratulations

And I think midwife told me to take off my dressing around 5 days after? But can't remember for sure

Take your partner with you if you can. Makes it so much easier to have help and shows them what you've gone through to bring the baby in to the world too! 💪💪 I was bleeding everywhere, DH had to carry my catheter on its little stand and help me wash, dry, dress, mop up blood etc but he realised how much work had gone in to it all. Mine was an emergency csection after failed induction but the concept is still the same- you've created a human and someone cuts it out of you so you deserve lots of help and praise from your partner.

Also like everyone says, it's hard work doing the showering but once it's done and you're dressed in fresh pyjamas you will feel so good!

You will know when your ready

don’t let anyone force you , 1/5 of mine where a cs delivery and I was so rough , pain meds weren’t being given on time , I was very swollen and struggled with walking , very dizzy , etc

was told to take a shower , took me a good 20 mins to hobble to it 🥴 once I got there the facilities were disgusting with no locks and I point blank refused and hobbled back

once I got home I still couldn’t shower , getting up and down the stairs were a nightmare and there was no way I was lifting my legs over the bath , slepted on the sofa and just flannel washed for around 5 days

No one forced me to have a shower but as soon as i could feel my legs and stand i had one. Genuinely the best showers ive ever had it made me feel human 🤣

Was pre covid so not sure what the rules are but with my first my mum came in to visit and watched the baby and DP helped me shower. With the 2nd and 3rd my mum was looking after the older ones so DP helped me into the shower then sat outside with the baby incase i needed help.

I had a shower the same day with DD2 -ELCS, the midwife came with me and helped, it felt lovely, she took the catheter out too. I just sat on the chair and she passed me what I needed as I felt a bit wobbly. I had one the next day too when DH came in that was much easier.

1988, emergency section. 1990 elective section.
Showered the next day both times.
Felt a bit faint, but the midwife was close by.

I asked for a shower 24 hours later. Went home 6 hours after shower.

I made the mistake of saying I was managing the pain, however that was when I was laying down. When I got up it was a different story and was only given paracetamol and ibuprofen which seems ridiculous!

With my LO a midwife helped me shower pretty much as soon as I could get up, but I sat on a chair and just washed as best I could. Looking back, I was pretty covered in blood so probably needed it!

Sorry, I should probably add that the blood was normal postpartum bleeding… mine just decided to come out quite quickly. The section itself was fine so please don’t worry 🙂

Nobody made me shower after my section last month, wee yes, but shower no.

Hi OP. I had an ELCS in April.

Section at 4pm on Thursday. Up and out of bed at 10pm. Catheter out at 4am. No one made me shower or poo, they just needed me to pass a certain amount of urine once the catheter was out. Drink loads otherwise they won't let you go home! I went home at 4pm on the Friday.

I think I showered on the Saturday. It's a waterproof dressing so as long as you don't soak it, it will be fine.

In my trust they remove the dressing at day 5, but apparently in a neighbouring London trust they remove it at day 2 🤷‍♀️

I was really worried about the same sort of stuff as you, but honestly it's fine and nowhere near as scary as you might think. I was surprised how mobile I was. I do think it depends if you've had an ELCS v EMCS though!

My hospital didn't have that rule of I might still be there. One shower for the whole ward which had about 40 beds. Each time I tried to get into the shower it was busy.

I had my c-section at 1am on a Tuesday morning and was discharged 11am Wednesday. The key test was having a wee once the Catheter and being signed off by the doctor when he did his rounds.

I was keen to get home (2nd baby) so on the Wednesday morning at the 7am rounds I stated I was keen to go home and what did I need to do?

I had a C-section just before midnight and I think I showered the following evening. I had the catheter removed around lunchtime, I think, and a midwife helped me get out of bed to use the loo. A few hours later I got up by myself to have a shower.

Sitting and standing up was a bit painful and scary for the first few days.

The dressing was waterproof so that was no issue for the shower. I can't remember how long it stayed on for but I think I just let the water run over it, no soap or anything, and the same after it came off.

I had an ELCS in 2019 and was pestering the nurses to take my catheter out so I could take a shower. I was SO sweaty and disgusting, having a shower was lovely. I don't remember if I washed my hair.