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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Preparing for c section

35 replies

Hankthehonk · 29/01/2024 21:18

I'm booked in for a planned section because my baby is breech. After doing research I decided to decline ECV and book a section, I'm happy with this decision and not looking for opinions about it.
This is my second baby, my first was born vaginally.

I'm looking for advice on how to practically prepare for a section and recovery. Are there any recommendations for things to buy or organise, either to take to hospital or have ready for when we get home?

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
eternalopt · 29/01/2024 23:27

Oh, and silicone scar gel once the incision was starting to heal worked really well for us in reducing it to almost nothing. Mine was back in the day where a bounty pack was given to you on the ward and it had a free sample of a kelocote one which I then bought and it was fab

Mine was an emergency one, so no time for this, but surgeon might let you choose music if you want to think now of what you want your baby to come out to. We had whatever was on radio at time!

FoxtrotSkarloey · 30/01/2024 08:20

Wishicouldthinkofagoodone · 29/01/2024 22:05

Don’t shave or wax!

it’s more hygienic to leave it as it is- removing the hair introduces skin abrasions and micro tears increasing your infection risk.

otherwise, yes, comfy clothes and plenty to do.

Definitely shave or wax! Where I am, if you haven't done it, the HCA will do it with a cheapo bic razor before you go in for the section.

(I appreciate all trusts are different so on the basis that pp said don't, ask your mw so at least you know.)

FoxtrotSkarloey · 30/01/2024 08:27

My must have list for my second, based on my first was:

  • large watertight water bottle with a built in straw so you can just lie it in bed with you so you don't have to ask for assistance when you can't sit up or reach out by yourself
  • 2m phone charging cable
  • eye mask and ear plugs
  • my own pillow
  • flip flops to wear in the shower
  • toiletry bag which you can hang on a hook. There were no surfaces in the bathroom to put anything on
  • snacks
  • very baggy nighty. Better than pjs when you have a catheter and can't wear the bottoms! But it had a strappy top and I wanted to be a bit more covered so just had a large maternity T-shirt over the top. It was easy then to take the t shirt off and take the strap of one shoulder for feeding.
Hankthehonk · 30/01/2024 10:12

So grateful to absolutely everyone who has replied, this is MN at its best! All your collective wisdom and recommendations are like gold.
I am making a list of everything you are suggesting, already feeling more prepared
My DH is already on the case with batch cooking, I've asked him to make things that are as fibre rich as possible (he does the cooking around here).
I'll ask my midwife for advice re the shaving...
Thank you all again!

OP posts:
newmum242 · 30/01/2024 11:40

Laxatives!!!

Honestly I have just had a c-section and the worse thing about it is the constipation and trapped wind after. So painful 😅

Stand as soon as you can and big pants :) you'll be fine! Good luck x

Caterina99 · 30/01/2024 11:58

Totally agree with all the bowels stuff. I’ve had 2 sections and I had no idea about this stuff for the first one (unplanned). The constipation and following drama for the first few weeks afterwards was definitely up there with the trauma of the actual birth.

Second time round I had a planned section and I was very proactive on that front. Huge amount of water, extra fibre, laxatives, wind relief, prune juice, everything and anything that would help. So much better all round.

Other than that, make sure you’ve got help for the first 6 weeks ish and try and actually take it easy (although do walk around etc). I think allowing yourself to heal in those early days is absolutely key.

Inmydreams88 · 30/01/2024 13:20

I'm 3 weeks post section.

They won't let you home until you've passed urine and wind. I was lucky to not have any trapped wind and could pass wind but I couldn't pee for hours and it was very worrying as I thought I'd done lasting damage to my bladder. Luckily I was able to pee after a few hours but it was very painful and it hurt my scar/bladder area when I did go. I wasn't expecting that and it scared me. It hurt to pee for about a week after. I was constipated too and didn't poo for a week after, I took some Senna tablets and went the next day. The first poo felt uncomfortable but didn't hurt like peeing did!

I was stupid enough to walk from the ward to the car park, I wish I'd asked to be wheeled down in a chair as it was very painful and in hindsight was foolish. None of the midwifes offered or suggested this though so I just thought I'd walk it. Make sure you have a pillow for your lap for the car journey home, every bump and turn will be uncomfortable.

Your partner needs to be prepared to be doing nearly everything for the first 2 weeks. Have your partner pass the baby to you for feeding, change them on the bed whilst you are sat down. Don't over do it. House work and cleaning can wait. If it doesn't need to be done, don't do it. Your partner will be doing the majority for at least the first week or two.

Keep on top of your pain medication, I took paracetamol every 4 hours and Ibuprofen every 6 hours. If you need something stronger don't be afraid to contact your hospital and ask. I stopped taking any pain relief after 2 weeks. Now at 3 weeks the area of my stomach above my scar is still completely numb, this is normal and caused by damage to the nerves, the feeling may never come back. The area below the scar is sore when I press it and my lower stomach is still quite tender in general but no real 'pain' now.

Don't sleep laying flat, sleep propped up with pillows for the first week. If you lay down flat then you will struggle to get back up without help and it will hurt your wound.

Keep a close eye on your wound after the bandage comes off, mine had a slight infection. Any redness, swelling, pus or blood contact your midwife or GP. Keep an eye on your own temperature too as you need to watch out for signs of infection.

Start walking slowly round the house every day, take your time with the stairs and try to stand up fully straight even though it might be uncomfortable. Build up your walking so you do little more every day. I went for a short walk around the block after about 5 days but only got to the end of the street before I needed to turn back as my stomach was sore. Now at 3 weeks I can do a much longer walk but I still feel like I've got a long way to go until I feel 'normal'.

Lavender14 · 30/01/2024 13:49

Hi op, I had a planned section for similar reasons. It was a wonderful experience and I have zero regrets!

Things I found helpful:

Still do yourself up a birth plan. There's actually quite a lot of 'small' things you can have a say in when you're having a section. For example I didn't want ds cleaned down before being given to me, I asked for a quieter room when he was coming out, I was able to bring in music to play in the background to distract myself (although I forgot it at the time). Your surgeon will obviously have final say on what they're willing to work with but it was nice to feel like I'd been able to have some say in it all too.

Music for background is really useful, I didn't realise that dh would only be brought in after I was already open, and then he and baby were brought out into recovery while they finished working on me so I wished I'd had it at that point because I was still quite nervous and it does feel weird! Not sore at all but weird! So I'd have a playlist on your phone and bring it in with you.

High waisted everything is your friend.

Loose button down nighties are really good because you'll need an injection every day so it gives easy access for that and checking your bleeding/ wound while you're in hospital.

Pillow for between your stomach and the car seat belt for the way home.

Peppermint tea or peppermint oil capsules for the wind.

A stool softener for that first bowel movement.

An extra long power cable for your phone. Or a power bank. Get your birth partner to set you up before they go home with what you'll need in easy reach. Blue tooth head phones so you can listen to music or watch things on your phone.

Snacks/sandwiches for after you've had baby. I had ds at 9.20am and was back on the ward at about 11am but wasn't fed again until 6pm because I'd missed the lunch order. I was ravenous.

If you are interested in breastfeeding and can harvest colostrum in my experience if was worth doing. Ds was very drowsy after being born and it was difficult to get him to feed so having a few syringes of colostrum to hand in a cool bag helped get him going again. It's not essential though.

Line someone up to be on hand for the first lot of weeks. Dh went back to work when I was 2wks pp and I pulled stitches trying to attach my car seat to the pram at one of our appointments. I wished I'd asked someone to come with me for things like that so I didn't need to do any of the lifting. Same goes for housework. Better to recover well once than do what I did and end up battling infections.

Similarly, air your wound as much as you possibly can once the plaster comes off. I had a slight overhang (doesn't really bother me id never had a flat stomach anyway) after but if your wound is essentially in a crease it can be harder for it to heal. Make sure it's really dry after washing (just literally run warm water over to wash) and then lie on your back making sure it's exposed for a while to ensure it's completely dry. Do that at intervals through the day - it helps with healing.

Take a multivitamin to build yourself back up and eat well. Do a bit of batch cooking to take the pressure off if you feel up to it so you have handy healthy food for lunches etc.

The best advice is really just try not to do too much, let yourself rest and recognise that your body has been through a major operation and you deserve time to recover. Bear that in mind when you're planning visitors and work them to suit you.

Space out your pain relief and if you don't feel like you need it, take it anyway. It's easier to keep on top of it regularly than to catch up when you've already got sore.

I agree with bringing your own pillow and ear plugs. The ward is so loud I didn't sleep at all. And having an extra pillow makes a big difference for holding your wee one because you can use it for arm support.

Have slippers and a dressing gown at the top of your bag on the day. You'll be given a gown for surgery (it will be see through and open at the back) and compression stockings which are slippy to walk in. You'll then need to walk round to the operation room like that so having those will save your modesty!

I looked up the operating theatre on my birth hospitals website in advance. There were lots of photos of the room itself so that helped me feel familiar with it so I knew what to expect on the day.

If you're interested in breastfeeding (no pressure if it's not for you) I'd identify a local support group so you've got that help lined up before baby comes. The help you get in hospital isn't always as good as it could be and I was put under a lot of pressure to offer formula due to how sleepy ds was.

Bring a separate bag for baby as you'll need the midwives/ nurses to help you with changing and lifting baby initially before you can feel your legs!

You'll not be discharged until you've peed a certain amount in one go 3 times. So bring a bottle of water that you can refill and drink lots and try not to do lots of small pees so you can meet the target for discharge if that makes sense!

Congrats op, I hope it all goes well for you! Enjoy the baby bubble!

Hankthehonk · 30/01/2024 14:51

Wow @Lavender14 and @Inmydreams88 I really want to thank you both for taking the time to share so much advice. So incredibly helpful.
I'm going to show my DH this thread as well as he really wants to understand how to support me postpartum and think this is all so useful.
I'm lining up my mum for plenty of childcare for my older daughter, and my sister to come round and help when DH has to go back to work.

OP posts:
Wishicouldthinkofagoodone · 30/01/2024 20:05

FoxtrotSkarloey · 30/01/2024 08:20

Definitely shave or wax! Where I am, if you haven't done it, the HCA will do it with a cheapo bic razor before you go in for the section.

(I appreciate all trusts are different so on the basis that pp said don't, ask your mw so at least you know.)

If they are still shaving/waxing I would be questioning their SOP’s are up to date.

20 years ago it was known that infection outcomes are better if hair is not removed. If they are sticking to outdated practices and not keeping up with current best practice then that is a concern.

The prevalence of MRSA and the like means they absolutely should be on top of stuff like this. Infection is one of the biggest risks of abdominal surgery.

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