MoM's who had a C-section

ktjune06

Looks like I'm definitely having a c section.  Baby A has been breech the entire time.  That must be my stubborn baby so I doubt he/she will want to turn at the last minute.  My OB said that it may be difficult to BF because I won't be able to sit up too much right after the section.  Please share your story if you were able to BF and were you able to do things with the babies or  were you mostly immobile at first.  I just don't see how I can lay around with two newborns.  Thanks!

JustaKidAtHeart

as soon as I got the boys I was able to breast feed.  It only hurt to transition but once I was where I need to be I was good til I had to move again. 

FaeryStarGazer

erm.. I wasn't able to BF. I had no let down and after 10 days of trying and Molly loosing weight (Lilly was never BFed) I had to stop. I was, however, able to get up and walk around the next day. It hurt like a mo'fo but I did it. I was able to walk semi-normally when we came home but needed a lot of help with the babies. I never carried both of them at the same time- they need a lot of head support so picking them both up wasn't safe until they could hold their own heads up. I had help for 9w. Hubs stayed home 5w, MIL was here for 2w, then my mom came for 2w.

lutzcowgirlie

I never had any issues with the pain interfering with nursing. Sitting up after I had been reclined for a while hurt like crazy at first, but I didn't have any problems with lifting, holding, or positioning the babies.

PianoPlayingSarah

I couldn't get out of my bed for the first 24 hours but after that, they encourage you to get up, etc.  One of the nurses brought one of my girls in to see me and try BF that first night - I didn't have to get up.

You may be in some pain moving around in the bed but that will not stop you from being able to BF.

MandieSueM

I can't believe she said that to you.  All 4 of my kids (and both my pgs) were c-sections.  I was BFing my first as soon as I could hold her (the anestesia made my arms numb and I couldn't really hold her well) and she nursed like a champ!  My trio was born much earlier and didn't really nurse nutritively, although as soon as they were off the feeding tubes I got in there and tried.  I had nipple shields and everything, but that's neither here nor there, LOL  They get you all hopped up on meds so you barely even notice that you had surgery.  After I got home I did have to take it easy but only for like 2 weeks, and DH was home to deliver me the baby and change her when she woke for a feeding.  It wasn't so bad, really...  I've heard worse horror stories from vag deliveries.

soxfan812

It's totally do-able.  I agree with pp about the fact that it's painful at first to get you and the babies into position, but once you are there, it's totally fine.  And, I really didn't think it was all that bad.  I had a vaginal delivery with DD, and a c-section certainly made me more sore, but even a vaginal delivery comes with some discomfort.  I wouldn't have said I was 'immobile' at all.  Sore? Yes, in excrutiating pain?  No. 

I know everyone says this, but the sooner you can get sitting up and then walking, the better.  If you just lie around, you are really going to regret it when you do have to move.  I felt worst in the morning after I had been lying down for several hours.  Keep moving (just don't overdo it) and you'll be fine!

bunny731

It is totally doable. For me positioning and feeding felt tight but it was not excruciating. The first so many hours after post-op you are on some heavy cr*p-you feel like you can run a 5k-it doesn't hurt.

Other than the original post-op drugs I only took Motrin-not to be a hero-I just didn't need anything stronger, otherwise I would have taken it.

mnj917

I had no problems breastfeeding - it was really only painful to get up after sitting or lying down.  Remember that if you bf in the hospital to keep the call button close though - you won't be able to get up and put the babies down by yourself.  I made that mistake a few times and was stuck for awhile.  You'd think I would have learned after doing it once...haha!  Oh - I started out feeding one at a time, but was tandem feeding by the end of the first week.  My boys were around 5.7 and 6.8 pounds each.  Best of luck!

bunny731

I disagree with one pp-only based on my experiences and they vary.

Not getting and moving around as soon as possible helped me avoid taking heavier meds. I let DH take care of the basics the first couple days. I didn't walk the hallways, I took it real slow and I really think that lead to early healing, I waited a little longer to take that much anticipated and wonderful shower. 

But like I said everyone's experience is different and there are many ways to go about it.

jmn69

I was able to breastfeed immediately and I was up moving around the next day and by the time we got home I was up and down the stairs and barely noticed I'd had a section.  I'm not sure if the fact that I'd had abdominal surgery before contributed to the easy-ness or just that I was in a new MoM fog...

Skatcat

I had  no trouble at all breastfeeding, at least not because of the c-section. I agree with the pps, the more I got up and moved around the better I felt, because it helps with the stiffness and also gets your bowels moving, which is important.

You won't want to do a WHOLE lot of activity or lifting for at least a couple of weeks, but a bit of walking every day really helps. If possible, you'll want to get help with bfing, especially tandem bfing for awhile. Get your DH or whoever can help you to bring the babies to you and help you get them latched. 

You can absolutely do it..good luck with your c-section!

Cato3

How exciting that you'll be seeing your twins soon!  I had c-sections with both of my pregnancies and I had no problems BF/pumping.  I was attempting to breastfeed both my oldest daughter and the twins when they were born, and when my oldest was moved to the NICU, I continued pumping.

I will say that I noticed a big difference in my recovery based on the length of my hospital stay.  With my oldest daughter, I was in the hospital for 4 days and was moving around just fine when I came home.  With the twins, I was only in the hospital for 2 days and was still quite sore and had a much harder time moving around when I came home.  I would suggest having someone there to help you out, so that the option is there if you feel you need it.  Listen to your body and have a good support system and you'll be just fine.  Good luck!

Brongemonger

I had a c-section with my boys and when I came home, I had my almost 2 year old at home. I didn't breastfeed so I can't answer about that.

 

However, I can tell you that I didn't need to lay around really at all. There was pain, yes, but it was manageable with medicine. My c-section went great and I actually felt really good afterwards! 

hopewill

i experienced the double whammy...csection and vaginal birth... i was able to breastfeed my baby b right away.  baby a went to the nicu.  it wasn't a big deal at all.

tnkrbl21

PianoPlayingSarah:

I couldn't get out of my bed for the first 24 hours but after that, they encourage you to get up, etc.  One of the nurses brought one of my girls in to see me and try BF that first night - I didn't have to get up.

You may be in some pain moving around in the bed but that will not stop you from being able to BF.

this was my experience as well.  I wouldnt have changed anything about my c-section experience.  I didnt have an issue getting up to BF;it just took me a while to get into position. 

My main piece of advice - get help from the nurses!!  Mine were amazing with helping me BF and while I couldnt keep up with EBF'ing, I can't imagine what my hospital experince would have been like wihtout the nurses.

Leah5185

well my story isn't exactly typical, but just incase! ?Tate was only 4 lbs at 36 weeks when i had my c-section so he couldn't breastfeed, he had to go to the nicu. ?Gracie we tried right away and then several times, but then she couldn't hold her temp and had to go to the nicu as well. They were there for a week. ?I pumped every 2 hours and brought them what little I could make. We kept trying gracie bfeeding off and on, but they thought the sucking was burning mroe calories for her than just eating. by time we brought them home they were on the bottle. i pumped exclusively for 8 weeks and they bottle fed. ?I really didn't think the c-section recovery was that bad. I was able to get up and around within a couple of days and just moved slowly. ?So I was mobile by time we left the hospital. You are on pain meds in the hospital so you will be able to sit up to bfeed.

MelZull

They had my trying to BF about an hour after my c/s. The first time sitting up wasn't bad since I was still numb, but moving around did hurt... a lot. I was stuck in bed that first day and way too early the following morning my nurse came in and let me free of the leg cuffs, my catheder (sp?), and anything else that was holding me down. That was my first time standing, to be honest, it felt like someone was ripping out my insides and moving around those first few days was tough at first, but once you get going it isnt so bad. They encouraged me to move around to help for a faster recovery.?