Planned c-section

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Hi Mumsnet. I have been advised that I should probably have a c-section for medical reasons (pelvic floor dysfunction). First time pregnancy and I am really worried by all the horror stories I have read online about recovery, particularly as my husband and I do not have a nearby support network so would be alone in looking after baby (and clueless as they would be our first!.). How do people manage in this scenario?

I had a planned c-section (for medical reasons too) and it went smoothly and was very civilised! I was home that evening. It was sore using the tummy muscles for a while - sitting up etc, but nothing major. We got out and about every day etc. i think planned is an easier recovery than having an emergency section after 72 hours in labour.

I had an EMCS with my first, no family locally, no help from friends due to moving to a new area so didn't know anyone.

As you know it is happening, get meals sorted ahead of time, anything that you can put in the oven not anything that requires standing at the hob and stirring. Stock your freezer and cupboards with easy meals. If you can buy premade lunches like chicken salad or whatever so there is something to eat and make time to eat. Get a mug that keeps your coffee/tea hot.

You will have had major abdominal surgery so your Dh needs to understand you cannot lift things, no housework, he needs to be fully involved from day one. The only thing I could do that Dh couldn't was breastfeed. That meant he picked up Ds and handed him to me, I fed him, he winded him, changed his nappy and settled him back to sleep. That also meant Dh was responsible for laundry and cleaning which he was great at.

Both you and the baby will go through a lot of clothing from baby sick, milk, nappy related stuff, Dh was peed on, and you will be bleeding. Consider disposable postpartum knickers. They may not look great but they are convenient.

You will both be tired, it isn't a competition and your body is recovering not only from the c section but also growing a human for 9 months. Take it easy, there is no rush to be racing round outside with the pram. Walk slow, they cut through 7 layers of your body to get your baby out. Do what you feel like, listen to your body.

Recovery from my EMCS was really easy because I took my time. Don't martyr yourself. Recovery from my second section was harder purely because I had a just turned 3 year old to also look after. I was a sahm.

I had a planned c section through choice. I was discharged after about 18 hours. The pain was manageable, I could get around fine. Making sure I stood up enough and straightened up was important otherwise I would bend over a bit but it was absolutely fine. No horror story here. I would do it again without a doubt.

The actually operation was really nice and calm - I appreciate it may be different in an emergency scenario - and I felt really looked after by the staff

An elective c section is very different from an emergency. They aren’t like for like so don’t focus too much on emergency sections.

I had two planned sections (though strictly speaking my first is categorised as emergency as my waters broke a week before my planned date). The environment was calm, friendly and everyone introduced themselves. There was no rushing and no stress.

You are encouraged to start walking just hours after your c section once the epidural / spinal wears off but that is part of recovery. Don’t be a martyr and take your painkillers regularly, so that you stay on top of your pain rather than waiting to feel pain and then wait for the painkillers to kick in.

Really, it’s the first week where you’ll feel sore and sensitive but it gets a lot better after that. We set up camp in the living room so that I was only having to navigate stairs twice a day, but otherwise we spent all our time in the living room.

And if you plan to breastfeed, get a good breastfeeding pillow. It’s not essential and you can manage without bugs it does make it easier.

I had an emergency section not planned but the best advice I could give is take your pain meds as directed, in time, even if it means you have to wake up to take them. (It’s the last thing you want to do on no sleep but it really does help!) I had a notepad where I put down all my timings for meds as well as tracking baby’s feeds and nappies for the first few weeks so I could keep track or DH could prompt me to take them.

Plenty of women recover fine from c-section and plenty have tough recoveries from vaginal birth! At least you have the benefit of being able to plan for the recovery. If you are wanting to breastfeed, it might be beneficial to plan for support as there is a link between planned c-sections and breastfeeding issues.

My planned c section was a lot better than my emergency one.

Agree with advice to keep on top of painkillers. Don’t be afraid to ask for stronger stuff if you need it.

Encourage your partner to take as much time off as possible after the birth to help you recover.

Don’t beat yourself up if you want to breastfeed and it doesn’t work out.

I had 2 planned c-sections, both were for medical reasons but part of me was pleased to have that excuse and not have to have a vaginal birth tbh. We don't have any family around to help but DH gets a good paternity leave package (5 months paid) so he was able to help until I was completely recovered. I ebf with no issues and had skin to skin after the birth. The surgery itself was straightforward and I didn't feel much pain afterwards as I stuck to a painkiller schedule. I
I was out and about quite quickly afterwards but couldn't lift or do certain things that need core strength for a while, but DH helped and you just adapt. You could pay a maternity nanny to help out if your DH has to go back to work quickly.

EMCS - the things I would have found helpful were to have food. I didn't have a chance to plan and I lived on toast and cornettos for a while. I was up and about but overestimated how far I could actually walk and ended up delaying my recovery so be sensible. That's the main thing I would say - be sensible and don't push yourself, listen to your body. Any time you sit down, make sure you have anything you need within reach. I found trying to navigate into chairs with the baby hard but getting out of them again with the baby was really awkward so I don't know if a sling would have been helpful.

This is going to sound probably really obvious to everyone else but it hadn't crossed my mind that I would still bleed immediately after a c section so make sure you've got all your maternity underwear and pads etc just the same as you would have without the c section. It was probably more to do with it being an emergency c section and being in shock but I felt really unprepared and it didn't seem to cross any of the midwives' minds either that I was a first time mum and didn't know any of this. The guidance was fairly non existent. So if you find yourself on the same situation, do not be afraid for you or partner to strongly advocate for whatever you need.

Just set up camp and only do what you can do. Don't pressure yourself to be a Stepford wife, it's not possible.

The first couple of days are the worst, but moving about will help you recover although it feels daunting at first.

One more tip to add to the rest as you may not consider this side of it- peppermint tea! You wouldn’t think of it but even with major abdominal surgery recovery, trapped wind was a painful side effect at first (I think it’s something to do with everything settling back in place!) The midwives recommend it and it did help. Also take lactulose that first week so when you do move your bowels it’s as easy as possible - it may well be a few days.

This is all so helpful. Thank you so much. So it sounds like you can actually move a bit (but carefully) in the days after? I had read that you have to stay in bed which seems impractical if also trying to keep a new baby alive!! @usedtobeaylisNot obvious at all so thanks for mentioning this. I’m sure it gets easier if it’s your second (in terms of knowing what you’re doing at least, not easier given that you’d then have multiple children to care for!) but I hear that first-time parents actually get very little practical guidance and it’s pretty scary.

Absolutely walking about is really important, and it won’t even feel that bad after a few days. I think staying in bed was how they used to do it, but you put yourself at risk of DVT (they give you those stockings to wear when you go to theatre) so they will have you on your feet and catheter out that night all being well. If you don’t have other complications don’t be surprised to come out the next day - I only did 2 nights and that’s because they wanted to see baby was feeding well before discharging otherwise I would have been.

No, the days of bed rest are long gone. Both times I was walking around just hours after. The catheter will be out so if you need to use the bathroom, you will have to get up.

With my first, I stayed in for 3 nights, but that’s because we had issues establishing breastfeeding and I had issues peeing (you have to pee a certain amount before they will discharge you). With my second, I was discharged the following morning.

Also, you can still have the nightmare post birth poo even with a c section. It’s something to do with the drugs slowing down your system, but I was given a pessary to help me go. With my second, I was more prepared so had a high fibre diet in the lead up so it wasn’t bad at all.

And as PP said, you will still bleed post birth. Agree it’s not something that is really talked about, but a friend mentioned it several years before so I was aware, but it’s quite common for women to believe that you don’t bleed after a c section. So maternity pads and big comfy underwear need to be packed too!

If you've ever been to a personal trainer and had a hard core workout, it's basically a similar feeling. Bit like you've been punched in the stomach and it hurts to laugh, to sit up straighter in bed or on the sofa [which is awkward if you are feeding and need to shift straighter] and you suddenly realise just how much your stomach muscles impact your movement generally. Your movement will be as restricted as it was when you were in very late stage pregnancy when you had to roll off the sofa or out of a car for example. Your stomachs not in the way anymore but you can't engage your stomach muscles to pull yourself up.
Getting up the stairs was a huge effort when I got home after a week. But I hadn't had any sleep for about 5 days so I wasn't in a great place generally. If you don't have a downstairs loo you might want to plan to stay upstairs for a couple of days and be waited on hand and foot but the hospital will warn you that you do need to walk, wear the support stockings and not risk a clot. You'll also have blood thinners for about a week which you'll need to inject, or your partner will. If everyone is too squeamish, find a friend who takes Mounjaro !

Take the pain meds religiously for the first week and don't wait for pain to kick in. After that if you were in reasonable health before the birth, you should start to recover. The nice thing is that your nether regions will be intact and other than avoiding baths you can crack on.

Lots of food prepared is handy, as is a list of meal suggestions for lunches and dinners. The lack of sleep gives you some serious brain fog. You can stare into a fridge full of food and not be able to think of a single thing you can eat while holding a baby. Soup is obviously tricky. Think meals you can eat with a fork only or small sandwiches.

If you have high waisted yoga pants they are ideal. The type with a 12 inch deep waistband are so comfy, not cheap ones with a thick elastic band as they'll go right across the scar. Same with big granny knickers, they will be your friend for a few weeks.

I've had a C-section and a vbac. I'd pick a section any day.

Just echoing what a couple of comments have said, an elective is a lot different to an emergency. I had a semi elective (failed induction and asked for c section due to babies heartrate keep going too high) and my experience was incredibly positive. Recovery wasn’t too bad to be honest, I’ve booked in to have another elective this year with my second x

I had a planned C-section. I’d definitely recommend the Frida Baby disposable C-section pants, they come up super high so are comfortable with the wound, and easy to stick a maternity pad in for the bleeding. I went through several packs over the weeks after the birth. Got them through Amazon.