C-section mammas please come in : ) Version was a no go.
Met with a specialist yesterday about a possible version. He was the most fantastic Dr. I have ever met, he tried to do a practice version to see if it was even possible to turn LO and he wouldnt budge, his butt is ialready in my pelvis. A C-section will be scheduled for 39 weeks, LO will not be able to turn by himself he is to wedged. I am now trying to learn what I can about having a C, I am fine with the idea things wont go as I had planned but I just want LO to be OK. So I guess I am looking for a plethora of info and advice. Please offer any advice/ websites/ items to have at the hospital/ things I will need at home afterwards.
Lastly is it possible to come home to no additional help besides DH (who would be fantastic at everything but diapers) we dont have any other children who would need us, so is it doable? Thanks so much ladies!
Re: C-section mammas please come in : ) Version was a no go.
My second was a scheduled C/S and it was so easy. I was so tired after laboring for hours and to walk in and get cut open was so nice. I was fine at home with DH's help only. He helped me in the hospital too. Nurses did nothing. DH works in the health care field so he was able to help me sit up, shower, etc. You will be fine.
Honestly whatever is safest to get your child out is the way to go. Try not to worry. Get big granny panties so nothing rests near your incision.
first off, Im sorry things haven't gone as planned for you.
I think my best advice for you would be just to find out ahead of time what hospital policies are regarding c-sections, and take control of your care. With my first, I wasnt expecting a C, and didnt know anything about it. It was a very unhappy experience for me.
The first time around, after they took the baby they took him to the nursery and let my whole family hold him before I even got to see him. He was away from me for a few hours before I got to hold/meet/feed him. They also gave me so much medicine that I wasnt able to care for him during my hospital stay because I was so doped up. He had to stay in the nursery.
This time around was completely different. I asked to have LO in recovery with me. The only time she left my side was to get bathed/checked out by a doctor/have hep B shot and DH got to go with her. The nurses didnt let anyone else touch her (per my orders) until I had a chance to feed her and bond with her.. I also talked to my doctor ahead of time and was able to better manage my pain and still take care of my baby. It was a much more enjoyable experience. I just learned by the first time that you have to make sure you let your doctor and nurses know what your wishes are.
Also, take as many pair of the stretchy hospital underwear home with you as possible. It really helps to wear them for a few weeks so nothing rubs on your incisions. Nursing nightgowns are good for the hospital too, as aposed to pants and a nursing tank, because it doesnt mess with your incision.
Good luck!
M/C Dec 2010 - 5w5d Missing my sweet angel baby.
I had a c section in feb. I'm not gonna lie, it was rough. I don't think I could have done the first 2 weeks home without my husband & moms help.
I could get around ok after the first week, but no stairs or anything, even lifting the baby was a bit of a struggle. but my baby was almost 10 lbs when born.
as for stuff for the hospital, i used my boppy a lot, it's good for the visitors that want to hold the baby too. but i wish i would have brought extra pillows for myself, those beds get super uncomfortable after the first day!
I ended up with an emergency c-section which was the last thing I ever wanted. However, I do have to say, looking back at it, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Yes, it is major surgery. Yes, recovery was a bit hard. But, it is what it is.
I was in the hospital for 6 days after my c-section so I had a ton of help from the nurses, my family, and Nate (H). Let me tell you, listen to your nurses because they know what they are doing. Walk as soon as you can because it relieves the gas pains, take your pain meds when you need it and don't be afraid to say you need it, and remember that your H wants to help.
Once I got home, I pushed myself a lot and maybe I shouldn't have but I was on bedrest for nearly 5 weeks prior and no one could stop me. I was a bit sore after but once I kept up with my pain meds and I did rest a bit, everything was good. I am 4 weeks PP and I feel wonderful. Your H is going to help a lot so let him!
GL!
Everyone is different. I actually consider myself a wimp but I felt fine once I got home from the hospital. I think the hospital was what made me feel so bad and in pain (even though the nurses and everyone was great there). Once I got home I was fine. I was going up and down our stairs that day. For me it was the hospital that made me feel crappy. So my advice would be go home as soon as you can. I was out in 2 days. Oh and listen to everyones advice and let the nursery take your LO at night. You need the rest.
And definatly get panties that go up high so they don't touch your incision. And SNACKS!! I hated hospital food and really wasn't up to eating anything heavy so bringing some snacks from home help a ton.
I think it really, really depends on your recovery as to how you'll manage with no other help. And frankly, your DH is going to have to step up on diapers, especially at night, because you'll need the help from him rather than getting up, out of bed, changing the baby, feeding, and then getting LO back to bed.
I had a really hard time the first three days, and didn't start feeling functional until day 3, when they sent us home. I still had a hard time walking at times and was very sore if I didn't keep up with meds. I was on vicodin for about the first week and a half, and I'm still taking ibuprofen pretty much every day b/c I'm tender sometimes (but I have a toddler and it's hard not to overdo). My mom was here the first two weeks and was pretty helpful with housework and keeping my toddler busy. Hopefully you'll be one of the people with an easy recovery! I think it would've been much easier without a toddler to wrangle.
As far as the hospital -- I was really glad to have three cheap nightgowns, my own toiletries, my boppy, Mother's Milk tea, my own bathrobe, two pillows from home in colored cases, nursing bras/tanks, nursing pads and lanolin. And slippers that you can slide onto your feet, nothing that needs you to bend down and pull them on. Also, my advice is that if you pack the bag, make a list of what is it in and where, and put that list in there. DH got tired of digging through our bag without really knowing what was in it or where, and some things (like a towel from home) I forgot I'd packed and so they never got used even though we would've if we'd realized they were in there.
Good luck! I was in your shoes with a breech baby who never turned. I was really scared of having a c/s, but in the end I was able to relax and enjoy the moment and just appreciate the fact that my baby was being born and we were both safe and healthy.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
I had a planned c-section at 38 weeks due to breech baby. I was terrified of the surgery but it went so well, it was honestly a great experience. I had an amazing anesthesiologist, which helped I think-- I didnt feel any of the numbing shots, and didnt feel a thing during my surgery (not even pressure like most people say). I told the doctors I didn't want to know when they started (it creeped me out to know they were cutting me open), and my husband and the baby nurses talked to me the entire time to distract me which actually worked. Before I knew it (22 mins from the time surgery started) they announced LO was here, and from that moment on, I could have cared less what they were doing to me. It was so much more relaxed than I thought it would have been. Recovery has been pretty easy too-- I had my c-section at 10am, so I slept the night before and wasnt very tired after. I will say to really let the anesthesiologist know exactly how you're feeling and they can help make sure youre comfortable.
We didnt have any help and did just fine. It's a bit tougher as far as bending and moving, but we did totally fine. If your DH is capable you'll do great.
I didn't really need anything special honestly. I felt more relaxed, rested and recovered than most of my friends who had vaginal births.
Thanks for the advice, I will definitly make a list for DH so he knows what and where things are. DH is just new with diapers we both are, so he will do them, he will just need some practice is all : ) Let me ask you about your son being breeched. My LO is frank breeched and after looking on the internet I have myself worried about hip problems and breech head was your LO ok? Did he have any problems resulting in being breeched? I am afraid LO will want to continue to sleep with his legs at his face, it makes sense he has been sitting like that for a month or longer.
Both of my DD were born via c-sections and my mother worked years in labor and delivery so I am going to throw my two cents in:) The actual surgury is not that bad! My babies never left my side. Ask then to put a mirror by your head so you can watch the peds team assess and get your LO ready. Your first night will be hard because you will still have your iv, foley, and compression socks on so don't feel bad about sending LO to the nursery for a bit so you can rest (you won't be able to get out of bed and get her anyway). I agree with PP that the hospital stay if rough. Make sure you bring nice shampoo and body wash...and take a shower as soon as you feel up to it (and take one everyday) they will make you feel human!! I also took my own towel to the hospital (the ones there are very small!!) and my own pillow and light blanket. Get up and walk as soon as you can and do it as often as you can tolerate...it really does help and the nurses and other patients love it when the babies are in the halls:)!! Also watch what you eat in the hospital...with my first section my first BM was HORRIBLE! This time I ate better food and it wasn't a problem.
Good Luck! Yes it is major surgery and a longer recovery....but in the end you still get a healthy little one!!! Your instincts are going to be telling you to focus 100% of they baby but don't forget to take care of yourself!!!
There are a lot of good things about a scheduled c-section. First off, your recovery is a lot easier than if you go through labor and then have a section. Secondly, with a 3-4 day stay in the hospital, you have plenty of time to get help from the nurses and lactation consultants if you plan to breastfeed. And finally, you can actually send the baby to the nursery and get sleep if you need it. It really makes those first few days, which can be hard, much, much easier. You can even turn the room temperature down while you're going through those heat flashes those first days to make it tolerable!
We didn't have any extra help in the house - just me and DH. I knew my mother would want to do something, though, so I told her she could make food. So she made food for the week for us and dropped it off. There was a huge snowstorm around the time of LOs delivery, so no one was going any where. You could easily enough plan those same meals.
I honestly think I've had such an easy time with my baby because I had a scheduled C.
Thanks so much for sharing. Did your LO have any problems arising from being breeched?
I think Dh and I can handle things together it doesn't sound so bad.
I had an unscheduled c-section, after discovering the cord was around my LO's neck. Yes, the recovery is a bit more, but cant beat going in for the procedure and having a baby 45 minutes later!! haha. you are awake thru the whole thing, your sig other is in there with you, and it's truly bizarre.. but you get to hear that first cry, just like if you had a vaginal delivery, and you get to hold your LO soon after delivery (not right away, because they are stitching you up and your numb from the waist down, but my DH got to hold him right away which gave him a special role..by the time i was back in the post op room he was in my arms).
The biggest recovery happens in the hospital. I had the c-section on a monday and left on a thursday..in between you spend a couple days entirely in bed - still recovering from the epideral and surgery- and then can manage to get up to go the bathroom and shower (though it's slow moving). My DH stayed in the room with me, so he got his fair taste of diaper changes, given I couldnt really get up easily to do them (but LO was in the bassinet next to me, in close enough reach for me to pick him up and hold him, put him down, nurse, etc).
Once I went home, I was still sore but it was manageable.. yes, I had family staying with me, but I really did it all with DH. I stayed in the upstairs guest room next to the nursery to avoid stairs (we have a main floor master) but was up and down teh stairs more than I probably shouldve been during the day. My mom helped alot with cooking, laundry etc, which obviously took a major load off, but it would have whether I had a c-section or not. With the help of your DH, you will be able to manage! My LO is now 3 weeks, and I feel nearly completely recovered.
Our pedi examined DD2's hips very thoroughly at her first appointment, which I think was like five days or so after she was born. She said that everything looked very, very good and that she'll keep doing very thorough hip exams for the first few months to make sure everything is developing properly. She said the biggest concern is that the hip joint may not develop deeply enough.
My SIL's first baby was breech as well, and they did an x-ray at six weeks to make sure her hips were okay. Some docs will do that, others (like my pedi) just stick to external exams.
I did notice that during the first couple of days in the hospital, I'd be holding DD on my chest while she slept and suddenly I'd look down and she had wiggled one foot up by her chin.
It was obviously still a comfortable position for her! And her legs would stick straight out a lot, which I guess also is common for breech babies (instead of them being curled up). But neither of those things lasted long.
One of the docs mentioned that LO had a "breech head", but no one ever mentioned it as a problem or issue that needed to be addressed. I got the impression that it was more a distinctive shape than an actual problem -- kind of like vaginal birth babies usually have cone-heads for awhile.
ETA: Also, DD2 was breech from at least 30 weeks, so she sat that way for close to two months and doesn't have any issues from it.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
The past two weeks, I have had my mother, then my MIL, who is still here. It's hell, and I can't wait to be alone - I get more done, and Liam is calmer without all of the overstimulation that comes with two frantic, insane grandparents. Needless to say, my first drink came about at the close of week one, and I am very much due for another one, and stronger.
Edit to add - my birth experience was fantastic, and I recovered better than anyone that I've known that had a vaginal delivery. No problems using the bathroom, and I was climbing stairs regularly as soon as I got home. No pain, numbness, it's been wonderful, and you can barely see the scar.
I had an unexpected csection after 80 hours of labor, so let's just go ahead and assume your recovery will be easier
. One thing I was not remotely prepared for was the constipation and then resulting hemorrhoids, apparently all that rooting around in your insides can put everything on hold for a while. That was probably the most painful part of the recovery, what finally got things going after 10 days of failed laxatives and stool softeners was peach nectar.
I saw a pp recommend getting out of the hospital asap, and I have to completely disagree. My milk didn't come in until the third day and I have no idea how anyone deals with that without the lactation consultants. Of course it depends on your hospital, but I went to a great one and would have stayed an extra week if they would have let me.
Get some high waisted undies so your incision won't be bothered, and stock up on the mesh undies they give you in the hospital. I'm still not wearing anything that will rub up against my incision, so go through your closet now and pick out lots of dresses that you can wear for the next couple weeks.
Edit: Forgot to mention that I would absolutely get help for when you go home. My sister and mother stayed with us for a week after we came home and I don't know what we would have done without them. My poor H was absolutely running himself ragged trying to keep up with taking care of the house, me, the baby, and the pets.