3rd Trimester
question about C-section and nursing
What was your experience with having a c-section and nursing. Did you nurse while you received pain medication? Were you able to nurse right after delivery?
Thanks,
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Re: question about C-section and nursing
I nursed while on pain meds... I think I took them for 1-2 weeks post partum.
I had GD, and after 36 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing (and no food) my DS had very low blood sugar after the c/s. He had one small feeding of formula to stabilize his blood sugars and then we nursed right after that in recovery. We had a successful 6 month bf'ing relationship.
With my RCS, I have requested to nurse as soon as possible. From my experience before, I don't think it will be a problem. They encourage it in recovery, actually.
When I had DS, I didn't get to hold him until about two hours after he was born because they had to stitch me up which took about an hour and then they put me in recovery for about an hour. When they finally put me in my post partum room I got to hold him for the first time but I didn't nurse him until the next day. At that point it was 3 AM and I was so drugged up and tired that nursing probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyway. I nursed him for the first time the following morning with no issues. He latched right away and I never had any issues with it.
This time because it is a scheduled c/s I'm hoping it will go much smoother and I'll be able to hold her and nurse her much sooner. Plus, I am delivering at a different hospital this time and they allow father and baby to go into recovery with me where as my last hospital didn't.
I had a c-section in the middle of the night and so my timeline is off a bit but the recovery room was my 'regular' room and I recall after the 1 hr of heart/lung monitoring for clots and such, and after they gave him his first bath--I think they had me breastfeed---it was fairly quickly though.
The one thing about BFing and c-section that no one tells you is that when you bf your uterus contracts--- that's ok if you had a vag delivery--but when they just carved in to your uterus holy crap does it hurt---- I didn't expect that....so you will NEED pain meds--and they are safe for LO---no issues. I will say that the BFing actually helped contract the uterus--so although a little painful at times---it helped in the healing. I recommend it.
I bf'd my DS for about 20 months.
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I would alternate 800 mg ibuprofin with darvocet and had no problems.
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I had a section (at 11:05pm) and we were nursing by 12:30. I would recommend that you keep reminding the staff that you want to BF and ask that they bring you the baby as soon as possible. (I did threaten to get up out of recovery and go get him myself, but that wasn't necessary!).
Everyone's experience is different, but I didn't end up needing any pain meds at all (not even ibuprofen) after the epidural wore off. They assured me that the meds they give you are safe for BF if you do need them, but since my pain was minimal, I felt fine without taking anything.