Planned C Section Nerves

MargotBamborough · 01/09/2023 20:35

Is it your first baby?

My first was born by EMCS after about 30 hours of labour and honestly the recovery was OK. It's a bit scary for the first few days because it's very difficult to sit and stand up. You don't realise how much you use your abs for everything until you can't. You will need to take things easy and let other people (literally) do the heavy lifting for a while.

Stay on top of your painkillers and get some Movicol or glycerine suppositories for your first postpartum poos, because although you won't have any stitches in your perineum, you won't want to be straining your abdominal muscles.

But other than that, it's honestly fine and the advantage of having an elective C-section is that you aren't tired from being in labour first.

Wale90 · 01/09/2023 20:35

I had a planned section 8 days ago.

Day 1-2 were rough but manageable - very achey but handled with painkillers.

I have only had sparodic paracetamol since then and non for the last 2 days.

I drove for the first time today comfortably and can walk fine. I am still going steady in terms of movement and find myself still struggling from laying to sitting/first thing in the morning.

I would read up/be conscious of the trapped wind that can develop from surgery. It's often an acute very sharp pain but it does ease off, not everyone gets it.

Jellycats4life · 01/09/2023 20:42

I had a planned section and, compared with the recovery from a third degree tear after my first baby, it was a walk in the park!

I remember feeling pain when the epidural wore off, so I was given IV paracetamol which worked well. Was discharged with ibuprofen and paracetamol which I took dutifully, but after about a week I realised I wasn’t in pain so I stopped taking them.

Honestly, the recovery really wasn’t that bad. I even asked to be discharged the day after birth, because postnatal wards are sleepless hellholes and I knew I’d be better off resting at home. I did overdo it that first evening at home (blame having a three year old to take care of) and had to go to bed with the shakes, which was a bit scary but it passed.

Runkle · 01/09/2023 20:51

I thankfully had a great recovery with mine. First baby, 35+years old. I drove after 8 days and on day 9 I took baby and dog out together for a walk. It is painful for the first few days (felt really tight around scar and I was scared to stretch) but keep on top of painkillers, take arnica and peppermint capsules (for trapped wind) and only do what you can manage. I did over do it some days so listened to my body and rested. I was always able to pick up and hold baby fine (9lbs) or DP passed her to me.

Fluffyowl00 · 01/09/2023 20:56

It is fine. Could you try practicing getting out of bed by rolling onto your side, putting feet fully on the floor and pushing using your arms to help you get up now for a week? And using the arms of chairs to get up? That was what I found hard. I’d forget and try to leap up 😂.

It goes really quickly but there was a couple of days, maybe day 4 and 5 where I was a bit miserable because I felt so exhausted, but I think actually that might have been the spinal block wearing off. Mind you that was probably my fault for refusing all morphine in the hospital! Trust me, it doesn’t last. You do go back to normal (except more tired…due to a baby!)

It is an operation. Relax and rest. Get everyone to pamper you and remind them that you are having an operation and you want cuddles with the baby and to recover.

From what I’ve heard, recovery is no different to a difficult vaginal birth

Pip1402 · 01/09/2023 21:05

@Fluffyowl00 would you mind me asking why you refused morphine? I also have a c section coming up and am wondering about painkillers. Thanks

Fluffyowl00 · 01/09/2023 21:24

Pip1402 · 01/09/2023 21:05

@Fluffyowl00 would you mind me asking why you refused morphine? I also have a c section coming up and am wondering about painkillers. Thanks

Because I thought I would be constipated! (I wasn’t). And the spinal block meant I thought I was ok. When it hurt I had to wait 4 hours for the next morphine trolley. I think that then meant I didn’t have much built up in my system.

Don’t be me! Take all the drugs (and the ones they let you take home).

If you gadget any other questions, please ask. Happy to help.

Pip1402 · 01/09/2023 21:28

Thanks so much @Fluffyowl00!

Please could I ask you about nausea/vomiting during and after the c section? Did you suffer with that? I'm pretty scared of being sick at the best of times so the thought of it when paralysed in an operating theatre or after having my stomach muscles cut is worrying me. I know it should really be the least of my worries considering everything that could happen!

Fluffyowl00 · 01/09/2023 21:34

Before the section the anaesthetist came to speak to me. I told him I was quite nervous about it all, and that if he thought it was necessary, I was happy to have anything that might make me calmer whilst the procedure was happening ‘if you know what I mean’. He assured me that he did. And it was great. The team all introduced themselves. The radio was playing. It took less than half an hour. They asked me if I wanted to see her. I did. They lowered the screen and I realised I couldn’t see anything over my bump anyway 😂. Baby came out. On my chest. (Some sorting out down there but was so busy thinking -oh my god- that’s my baby right there!). Baby In cot. Onto recovery (toast, tea, baby, blood pressure checks).

You’ve got this, ladies!

lovemycbf · 01/09/2023 21:44

I've had two c sections
1st 36 hour labour and ended up emergency c section
2nd was an elective and I had absolutely no regrets.
Recovery was painful but manageable with painkillers and I had only an 18 month gap between babies.
i found after two weeks I felt so much better,just take things slowly and don't rush yourself to be up and about too soon

AblationQ · 01/09/2023 21:53

I’ve had a natural (water birth, no drugs, candles and shit) birth and an elective c section. I was under the impression that a vaginal birth hurt at the time but recovery was faster and a c section was ‘easy’ for the procedure but the recovery was hard.
I asked 12 hours after my section ‘when will the pain get bad?’ The midwife looked at me like I had two heads and said ‘er, it’s not supposed to’
I took every painkiller offered but she was right. I was never in pain, mobility issues sure, but not pain.

This is a controversial take but I think lots of mums find the recovery from a C-section hard as they find the procedure traumatic - especially unplanned sections. Obviously there is always the risk that you will have a difficult recovery (could be said for any birth), but I think an elective section, that hasn’t been entered into under circumstances that you find traumatic, is unlikely to cause you all that much trouble.

Twimum23 · 01/09/2023 21:54

I had my first c section with my twins 8weeks ago tomo. The only thing I had was the epidural...tried gas and air but for the ump as it didn’t seem to do anything (Both came out bum first born at 33wks) painkillers I just took paracetamol and ibuprofen together every 6hrs which done the job
like people say try and roll on you side when u want to get out of bed and use your arms to help you get up that’s what I did and I had my partner to help push me up for the first night or two.....get a padded cushion to sit on that will help get u up from the sofa but the more you walk around but still take it slowly the better I found I was almost back to normal within like 4-5 days when you go to pick something up off the floor I found going into a squat position helped other than heavy lifting I got other people to do and driving which I started about 2weeks ago

madeleine85 · 02/09/2023 04:48

I had oligohydraminos (very little fluid) and a breach baby. C section recovery advice… as soon as you are allowed, get up and move. Push yourself a little as long as you feel ok, while listening to the discharge instructions. I set alarms for taking ibuprofen and paracetamol as I had to alternate them every 4 hours. If I missed a dose at first it hurt quite a bit. I was home after 48 hours. By day 2 home from hospital I walked very slowly to the local shop with my husband (he carried the baby). By day 3, I did the school run pick up. Each one was 10 mins one way. There was a balance where I did enough it healed fast, but if the scar stings, you’re prob doing too much. By week 2 I was very “normal”. Thought I had the joys of a toddler forcing me to be 😂. Also, I found the belly band and high waisted undies really useful for the first few weeks to take pressure off. I put some compression top leggings over that and I was in business!

madeleine85 · 02/09/2023 04:50

Oh one other thing I did was create a “staton” which had all the c section and nursing supplies on one of the little 3 level wheelie carts so I could move it where I needed it. Loved that thing. Like the others say, side rolling and using a mini step for bed, very helpful. Good luck!

thosegirlsmama · 02/09/2023 05:13

I'm 5 months post planned section, I was so so scared about the recovery especially with also having a 3yo to look after, but actually it was okay.
I was out of hospital the next day, out for a short slow walk within a week and back to doing the nursery run (on foot) within 3 weeks. Try and get up and about as quickly as you feel okay to, you'll feel better for it. Just take it as easy as you possibly can, let your body rest and recover, take all the help you can get and keep on top of the pain killers. I made the mistake on day 5 of stopping the painkillers because I felt amazing but quickly went backwards, once I was back ontop of it I was fine and was able to slowly stop all pain relief at day 10.
It took me around 7 weeks to be able to drive again I tried from week 5 but was very achy after a few minutes, that wasn't the worst for me though because we have a lot within walking distance.
Ask for a good stool softener home with you and make sure you keep taking it, everything digestion wise slows down post section so that first poo with likely be horrendous, breath and use a rolled up towel against your scar makes it a lot more manageable.
I think the worst part of recovery for me was actually the blood thinning injections I had to do at home, I had 10 days with both births, but I found breathing through them and doing it slowly helped.
Good luck! It will all be worth it when you have your beautiful baby in your arms!

MargotBamborough · 02/09/2023 10:09

Sorry to bang this drum again but if you wait until you really need a poo and then take a glycerine suppository, your first postpartum poo will not be horrendous, it will just slide out. Absolute essential for your hospital bag/medicine cabinet IMO. Take one before every poo for at least the first ten days.

thosegirlsmama · 02/09/2023 10:42

@MargotBamborough wish I'd had this info!

Elttek · 02/09/2023 16:16

Fluffyowl00 · 01/09/2023 21:34

Before the section the anaesthetist came to speak to me. I told him I was quite nervous about it all, and that if he thought it was necessary, I was happy to have anything that might make me calmer whilst the procedure was happening ‘if you know what I mean’. He assured me that he did. And it was great. The team all introduced themselves. The radio was playing. It took less than half an hour. They asked me if I wanted to see her. I did. They lowered the screen and I realised I couldn’t see anything over my bump anyway 😂. Baby came out. On my chest. (Some sorting out down there but was so busy thinking -oh my god- that’s my baby right there!). Baby In cot. Onto recovery (toast, tea, baby, blood pressure checks).

You’ve got this, ladies!

that's really good to know. I'm booked in for one next month after an EMCS first time. I don't do well in hospital settings but remember being 'ok' during the EMCS because i was already so drugged up. Really worrying me that I'll be going into this one 'sober' so to speak and I'm scared of panicking. So if there's anything that can be given to help, I'm all for it!