Running on no sleep in hospital after c section help

[KMG30]

Hi guys
had my twins on 30th
still in hospital due to my blood pressure being high
I can self discharge with medication but they still want to monitor me?
i haven’t slept since night before my c section
I’ve had about 3 hours sleep through power napping since then
my partner is staying with me as twins cry every time we put them down
apperently he is not allowed to leave with the twins and I stay for my high blood pressure?!
we both are running on no sleep.
we’ve been on loud ward with everyone else baby crying. Been given our own room which is helping with being more relaxed but babies still won’t settle here

You have my full sympathy. I was admitted to maternative wars after 34 hours of labour, an emergency caesarean section and eclampsia.

I discharged myself after 3 nights. I didn't get any sleep in a four bed room. All the babies were crying non stop. No help from nurses at all.
Fathers had to go home at 7pm. Could come at 10 am. Room was so crowded with people. One shared bathromm.
It was hell.

It went well for me/us.
The health visitor came a few days later and my own doctor saw me two day after getting home. He did my blood presure medication for me and help me sort it.
We were ready to pay for help if needed instead of the hospital.

Can your partner bring the pushchair and take the babies out for a good walk round and round and round the hospital for a couple of hours? He can take them down to the canteen and have them coffee or something for a bit and just give you a chance to get a solid nap.

I was also kept in due to high BP, and I'd had pre-eclampsia in my previous pregnancy so they were extra paranoid. I stayed 2 weeks in total, trying different medications and slowly going insane from lack of sleep. Every night ask if a midwife can take then off you so you can get a 2 or 3hr stretch at least. Every moment you see, day or night, grasp the opportunity to sleep.

A word of caution as you wanted to self discharge - I also got fed up and insisted on self discharging despite their warnings of fits and eclampsia. I ended up going home, taking a BP reading of 158/112 and being rushed back in as a semi emergency. Out and then readmitted within a few hours.

On a level they know what they're on about. Appreciate it's absolute hell on the ward though. You may be able to insist on your own room if available, esp with twins.

Mum of one year old twins. Remember exactly what you describe - it is relentless with two at this stage. I don't know what your financial or family situation is but we managed by getting a night nanny in two nights a week for this first couple of months, which gave me just about enough sleep to get through. If not a night nanny, is there a relative who might do similar?

We also mix fed so that they weren't always on me. Personal choice obvs. If you do this, hire a hospital grade double pump.

Also cannot recommend the miracle blanket swaddles enough. Ours slept really well with these - and independently - so much better than our first baby who we didn't swaddle.

It is so hard but gets easier when you can leave. My partner wasn’t allowed to stay overnight after my csection and by the third day I was on my knees with tiredness and looking after baby all night.

It’s good that you have family close by, my parents ended up holding baby for several hours during the day so I could get some sleep. I would enlist their help where you can. PP suggestion to ask your partner to bring the pram and take them for a walk was also a good suggestion. My baby would sleep hours in a pram too.

You must prioritise sleep if you can. I was kept in due to a fast heart rate which I’m sure was because I was so tired. A nice midwife finally firmly told my DH to take baby away for a few hours so I could sleep and my heart rate then came down.

I had a prolonged hospital stay after dc1 due to high blood pressure after pre eclampsia and C-section. Eventually self discharged on day 7 (I’d been there 14 days at that point). We agreed I’d get a blood pressure monitor and check it regularly at home, on bedrest, we live near hospital. As soon as we got home my bp dropped and it was way higher than yours. After sleeping at home it dropped again. I checked it every hour during the day for the first few days and it consistently went down, but if it hadn’t I could’ve called them or gone back quickly if I needed to. It was so much better all round.

Do you have another family member who can take over for a few hours & give your DH a rest so he is able to be more use to you??

I completely agree it's hell on earth. I don't know why we put up with it. There must be evidence that it slows the recovery of the mother.

I did discharge myself but issue was baby not me (jaundice but ok ). Baby just needed to be fed to flush it through. We agreed that I would return daily for checks

Hey ladies
just wanted to update you all
after getting our private room in the hospital on the Saturday night we did have much more of a relaxed night but still I was running on no sleep. My blood pressure dropped slowly also which was good. In the Sunday Doctors still wanted to keep me in to monitor it but I refused and self discharged
I’ve been home since Sunday afternoon and I am feeling so much better and I am so happy
my blood pressure has dropped at every reading I’ve done and I’m keeping on top of my medication to keep it down. So clearly you could see being at the hospital was doing me and my family no good!
Even though I’m still exhausted I have slept wooo! Me and my partner are doing shifts in the night and allowing each of us to nap during the day.
Im so much happier 💙❤️🩷

Good for you, and congratulations! x

He might be very tired but he has to step up now. You can't worry about his needs right now he should be worrying about yours and pulling heaven and earth to get you and the babies through.

Yay so glad you're home. Enjoy your little ones.