Need advice

tigers413 · July 2011

A little background on me. My name is Cleo and I am almost 32 weeks pregnant. My doctors have decided to deliver my LO this coming Thursday because of ruptured membranes and other complications I have had since week 18. I have placenta previa and I have a 5-10 percent chance of having placenta accreta (placenta have embedded to the second layer of the uterus and my need a hysterectomy). I have bled 9 times since week 18 and my doctors really don't want a 10th time which may be the time I will bleed heavily.

First off what to expect during and after a c-section? Also how long after your c-section were you back to normal doing daily things around the house and driving?

Second what can I expect at the NICU? Anything special I need to know?

Third any other information or advice that I may need I would be super grateful. Smile

Thank you in advance for any input you may have for me! Smile

jjilly7 · July 2011

first off all, congrats on your little one! Sorry you have to join the NICU life tho!

My situation is different, so I am not sure if your c section will be like mine. I had to go under general, so i was not awake, and DH was not there. Recovery for me was hard and painful. I was in a lot of pain for a good week, and was very sore, and was afraid to move for a good 3 weeks. The rule of not driving for 2 weeks, ya, i followed that, and even if i wanted to try earlier, there was no physical way.

my cousin who had a c section healed amazingly, and within 3 days she was moving around like she had nothing done. So i think everyone is different, but take care, take it easy, and let others help you during your healing time.

While LO is in the nicu, the beginning will be hard as your recovering. Don't beat yourself up if you're in too much pain to visit. listen to your body, your LO will be better if you're taking care of yourself.

Nicu life isn't easy, and hopefully yours will be short. Try to do as much w/ LO as they will allow you. Being hands on will help you bond...which I did have a tough time doing. Kangaroo care really is very helpful. Ask lots of questions. I always tried to make it to the hospital during rounds, so i could get all of his updated info.

The most stressful thing was people asking to come visit the nicu. do what you feel comfortable, tho some nicus are more rigid than others. We could bring whomever if they were w/ us, and were allowed to give access to our parents. I only let our parents go. I figured, he came early, and no one was expecting to see him til after his due date, and that's how i kept it. Life is stressful enough there, so getting added pressure is annoying.

be patient, and you'll do great. It is stressful waiting for the day the baby comes home, and you feel like it will never come, but it will good luck....sorry so long

caitdana · July 2011

I am so sorry you are here but good job cooking to 32 weeks! C-Section was okay. I knew from 16 weeks on they would be early. At 24 weeks they said to expect around 32 weeks. Then at 27 weeks I got my steriod shots and 48 hours later they were here! Although i "knew" they were going to be preemies I think I was numb or just scared to death so I didnt really think too much about my c-section for some reason. It was not bad. Just remember to breath while they are tugging. Also makes sure you have good support for you in the OR. I am a bit of a crazy woman. I am the bread winner in the family and I had used a majority of my leave time while pregnant since we had so many complications. So, I went back to work 2.5 weeks after my c-section so that I could save what little time I did have for when the girls actually did get to come home. Less than a week after my csection I was home alone (DH was back at work) and I did not have a ride to the NICU. I had a melt down about not getting to see my babies so I got in the car and went.

Words of Wisdom- Eat, Breathe, Pray, and Pump... That was my life. Remember it is temporary and just try to stay positive. I started a caring bridge page for the girls to update family and friends. So I didnt have to repeat the same stories over and over and over. I would write journal entries to update and DH was very odd and protective. So, I always tried to put a positive spin on things. I focused on the accomplisments that were positive. Vent as much as you need. People will not understand the life of a preemie, but there are some great women here that do! Also as hard as it may be, do something nice for yourself once time a day (a long hot shower, cup of starbucks, mani/pedi, etc)

damabo80 · July 2011

Hey Cleo, I posted on Aub's thread about my c section advice/experience. Click me

Regarding the NICU, for the most part you figure it out as you go. This board has a lot of good info. Some things I wish I would have known:

-apply for SSI click me

-don't wait for the nurses to ask you if you want to hold/change diapers etc. Some will, some won't. Speak up, ask questions. You will find that there are different schools of thought. One nurse thought that holding sessions should be limited to 2x/day, but the nurses on the next shift thought that we should hold as often as possible. It was frustrating getting conflicting info.

urbanflowerpot · July 2011

Welcome, Cleo! You've gotten a lot of fantastic advice from PP's so I mainly wanted to say hello I'm sorry that you're joining us, but glad you've had a lot of attention and care that have gotten you further along in your pregnancy. Every day counts. Get ready to kangaroo!

Are you planning to BF? If so, relax, your milk will come in! It's stressful - delivering early then it feels like the pressure is on to provide, but every drop will count. If you make a teaspoon your baby can eat that - I took pictures of my 'work' every day just so I could have the visual encouragement that yes, I was producing more.

tigers413 · July 2011

Thank you for all the advice. When I posted this 2 days ago LO decided he wanted to show up that DAY!!!! So I didn't get to read this until late last night. I saw my son last night after waiting 31 hours to see and hold him. I know I will learn alot from everyone here and thank you again for having me!

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