c/s moms

robinsokj

I went to the ob today and found out that B decided to go breech on me.  This led to our first scheduled c/s convo.  We aren't setting a date yet, b/c we're hoping he'll want to flip back, but I have a feeling thats not going to happen. 

Is there anything I need to know about c/s and recovery?  What kind of pants should I wear afterwards?  Where is your scar?  How long did you go without seeing the babies?  Pretty much any and all advice, experiences would be welcome.  

kimarino13

My recovery was easy except for the gas pains.  Take lots of gas meds.  Hardly any incision pain at all.

Get up and walk a lot afterward to get the gas moving.

I didn't poop for 5 days afterward.

Take all the pain meds they will give you, 'round the clock.  Stay ahead of any pain you might have.

Scar is low, right at my bikini line.

I wore drawstring fleece pants from Old Navy.  LOVED them.  I never had a problem with them hitting my incision.  I just pulled them up a little.

I saw my babies within a minute or two of being born (to kiss them and take pics with them), and they were with me in recovery after they got weighed, cleaned up, etc.  I guess that was about a half hour later.  I was able to attempt breastfeeding at that time.

I would have a c/s again in a heart beat.  I had a great experience!

My birth story with more info:

https://dishbaby.blogspot.com/2010/02/lily-and-sophias-birth-story-020210.html

CaliJenny

Stay ahead of the pain and just say yes to all pain medications.  Don't try to be the med free hero.  It's major surgery and you need it!  In the hospital I wore the gown with the heavenly mesh underwear.  See if you can get some of those to wear at home.  They sell them at medical supply places too.  I just wore my maternity pants at home or a pair of big sweat pants that went really high.  The scar is just above the hairline.  Being pg with multiples may help this a little because I never saw my scar and my lovely sagging belly kinda protected that area. 

I saw the babies in the OR within 10 minutes of them being born.  They let DH hold them and I could look.  Then they went right with us to recovery and then to the regular room.  The only time I didn't see them that day was when we sent them to the nursery so I could sleep at night. 

Send them to the nursery at night.  You need your sleep.  We tried one night on our own and it sucked so bad.  They were up all night and I was so tired.  Take advantage of it while you can.  Have you taken your hospital tour yet?  If not, find out when they bring the babies back to the room and what to expect when you send them there at night.  If you are breastfeeding you need to tell them that you want them brought back for that or it's ok for them to formula feed for the night, etc.  Our hospital brought them back no matter what at 6 am on the dot.  Make sure someone is with you for when they drop them back off. 

cholzer

Recovery was a breeze.  They wheeled my bed into the NICU after recovery to hold the babies (2 hours after having them) and then anytime I wanted to go down and see them I could.  The only problem was that you have to be wheeled down in a wheel chair and I didn't have any visitors to take me so I had to get a nurse to take me which meant telling them I wanted to go and then waiting until someone had time and then once I got there I had to call back up to my floor and get someone to come get me and again, I am left waiting for a ride.  But by the last day they let me keep a wheel chair in my room and wheel myself down.  I was never so glad to have my own wheel chair in my life!  You can't even hardly see my scar and it's so low it is in my hair line.  I did swipe some of those net panties to take home with me to wear for awhile so you might ask for a few extra pair upon discharge and FYI you can wash and dry them and reuse!

wndrwmn1998

Is there anything I need to know about c/s and recovery?  My recovery was pretty good. The first few days were pretty painful, but I agree with staying on top of the pain meds. After about a week I felt almost back to normal.

What kind of pants should I wear afterwards?   I lived in yoga pants for most of my maternity leave!

Where is your scar?  Very lower part of my abdomen.

How long did you go without seeing the babies? This was the hard part for me. Mine were in the NICU for a few days, and because I had pre-e and was still at risk for seizures, I was put on magnesium sulfate after delivery and not allowed to leave my bed. I delivered at 4pm and was on the mag til 6pm the next day. So other than a very quick kiss when they were first born and an even quicker sneak visit from the NICU nurse (she brought them to my room even though she wasn't supposed to), I didn't see them for just over 24 hours. In the end it didn't matter, because when I finally did get to see them, it was amazing. 

keg

C/s section wasn't bad at all.  They did keep me on the epidural for 24 hours for pain control, which I didn't realize until that morning.  It also meant the kept the catheter in.  Not a big deal although it's weird not being able to feel your legs for that long!  I was up the next morning and even showered that day. 

The worst pain was the gas pain because it made my shoulder hurt.  I used a heating pad on my shoulder though and it helped. 

I wore scrub pants, but any kind of draw-string pants would work.  Yoga pants would not be good.  Also, just buy some granny panties.  You're not going to want to wear anything that hits lower for quite a while.  I think I tried to wear some bikinis several weeks afterwards and it irritated my incision. 

I can't really say how long it was before I saw the babies because you kind of lose track of time. :-)  Anyway, the greatest problem seeing them wasn't me or the c-section, but because both DDs were in the NICU.  They did wheel me into the NICU from recovery to my room (quite a feat if you've ever been in a NICU) and I saw them and hung out for a little while.  However, because I had the epidural, I couldn't really get back down there that day.  My DH did kidnap me and take me down in a wheelchair with all my tubes and IV pole later that night though.   

carolina1178

I had c/s with ds because he was also breeched...at first I was scared but I had a great experience, not worried one bit about c/s 2nd time around!

other posters have great ideas....stay ahead of the pain. don't let it start hurting and then take meds...bad idea. ask for a stool softner...you are going to need after taking all the painkillers.

my scar is horizontal right below bikini line...it has pretty faded 100% and I can't see it at all. The incision was glued not stapled...try to avoid the staples, higher chance of infection.

As unsightly as they are...get some granny panties :-P these were my life saver...the incision site was very very tender for a few weeks afterwards and it helped to have underwear that the waistlien came to my belly button lol and most of my pants were either drawstring or loose elastic because again...your midsection takes a long time to heal, inside. I had a tingly sensation around incision for at least 6 month post surgery.

The nurses should have you walking around within 24 hours of c/s...it will hurt but you need to keep moving to keeps things loose :-)

It probably took me 2 days before I was confident to get out of bed on my own and get in the shower!

And the spinal anesthia was GREAT!!! it kicked it within seconds...they did the spinal and by the time they laid me back down on the table, my lower body was numb, good stuff!!

I hope your little guy turns but if he doesn't....don't worry!!! you will be fine :-)

charr25

I knew that I was going to have to have a c/s I just didn't know it was going to be so early. I had an emergency c/s so my experience was a little different. That being said here is my advice.

1. Don't drink from a straw bc you will swallow more air and have more gas pains. 

2. get up and walk as much as possible, it hurts but you will recover so much faster and you will feel better than sitting in bed all day. 

3.hang your legs over the edge of the bed, put a pillow over your stomach and hold like you are giving it a hug. Then cough, it doesn't feel good but it does help. 

4. Take the meds. I took mine as needed bc I have a high pain tolerance and I am weird about taking medicine. But when I felt like the pain was going to get bad I would take the Motrin. It was more helpful to me than the Loratabs.

5. Drink lots of water!

6. I had a bm 2 days after my c/s. I was very scared but it was okay. Take the stool softeners, they will save your life.

7. I wore yoga pants. I also highly recommend the "belly bandit" it holds you in and makes you feel more secure. It also makes your stomach flatten a lot faster. 4 days later at discharge, I wore my maternity jeans home. The scar is so low that it didn't bother it. 

My section was a GREAT experience and would have another in a heartbeat.

Good Luck!