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C-sections
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C-Section next week...what do you wish you know?
[Deleted User]
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in C-sections
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Re: C-Section next week...what do you wish you know?
A group of close g/f sent me a "list" of things to know before I had mine. I wish I still had it, but the #1 thing I remember was to get up and start walking as soon as they will let you.
Another tip that helped me was to take a maxi pad and use the absorbant side against your incision to give it extra "padding" for comfort.
I also remember when I did get up to take my 1st shower, it was difficult to stand up straight and lift my arms to wash my hair. Once I did it, it was fine- but it was an odd feeling and no one had warned me.
Just take it easy and listen to what your body tells you! Good luck!!!
I wish someone would have told me to ask about hospital policy regarding when you see you LO. I've noticed that many ppl on here were able to hold their LOs right away. I didn't see her for hours and I was terrified, hurting and lonely in the recovery room. I would also ask if someone was able to be with me in the recovery room.
But, my c/s was emergency and unplanned so I might just be jaded about the whole experience. Congratulations and good luck!
~Started TTC 2/09. BFP #1 11/09. EDD 8/7/10. DS born 8/7/10.~
~Surprise BFP #2 5/11 while still BF'ing. Natural M/C @ 7w3d.~
~BFP #3 8/11. EDD 4/24/12. Heavy bleeding episodes from a lost twin. DD born 4/14/12.~
~Started TTC 2/13. BFP #4 3/13. EDD 11/8/13. Hoping for smooth sailing!~
I second the pillow thing. When trying to get up use a rolled up towel or blanket and press it against your battle wound. It seems weird but if you press hard it keeps everything together as you move.
Walk right away
The gas sucks
I was unprepared for the total and overwhelming anxiety I had as they were prepping me. I felt like a naked, exposed whale in a room full of bustling people and I hated it. No one explained what was going on and I didn't feel like a person as it was happening. Also, suck, suck, sucks to not be able to hold your baby for several hours afterward so check to see what your hospital's policy is so you can be mentally prepared for a potential separation. I really felt like the whole hospital just expected me to check my emotions at the door and it was a very cold, surgical, and severe experience that I had not anticipated.
Also, I had this weird divot where the scar is which I totally hated so be prepared for your scar looking odd. I also wish my scar wasn't as jagged and gross as it is.
The incision pain is just weird, too.
I would suggest being prepared for the reaction to the drugs they give you to numb you. I couldn't stop shaking through the whole surgery and then in recovery. I didn't expect that. And ask them what is normal to feel during surgery. If you should feel anything, or pain or tugging.
Just wanted to say, I am so sorry for you guys who didn't get to see and hold baby for hours after surgery! I got to see her right away, my husband got to hold her so I could kiss her while they were putting me back together. And then I was only in recovery for an hour then I got to hold and nurse her immediately after I got to our room. So each hospital's policies are different, and it would be good to know what yours does!
I was surprised at just how frozen I was. I got to see/hold DD right away (once I was wheeled into recovery) but couldn't nurse her until I could feel my boobs. It took longer than I had expected.
Squeeze a pillow when you laugh/cough/sneeze.
I had the shakes really bad after surgery, and I was really, really sweaty for the first few weeks, PP. Totally normal.
Get up and walk as soon as you can. It hurts like hell but it's worth it. You'll heal faster.
TMI: The amount of lochia that came out the first time I got out of bed after surgery scared me. Thankfully, it lessened quickly, and was totally gone within three weeks.
Check with your hospital's policy on pain meds - it turns out mine does not give pain meds unless you ask for them, and no one told me this. So I didn't get any all night the first night, and woke up in a lot of pain.
Also, (TMI) if I ever have to have another c-section, I will be taking laxatives or a suppository much sooner. Last time I went 5 days without pooping and when I finally went it was the most horrible and painful experience of my life. And I had been taking my stool softeners regularly too. It's as close to a "natural birth" as I ever want to get.
Oh, and the narcotic they give you is what makes you so constipated, so next time I would stop taking it sooner and deal with a little more discomfort. I didn't know that before. I mean, take it if you need it, but don't stay on it for a long time if you don't have to.
I agree about stool softeners, and telling them to bring you or your DH the baby right away. Also, in general, ask questions all the time. Sometimes I would wait because the nurses seemed in a hurry, and probably had some inconveniences that weren't necessary. If you have a hard time peeing afterward, use the peri bottle to squirt water on your crotch as you try. Ask the nurses to bring you an abdominal binder as soon as you start getting out of bed and trying to walk. Get help arranging pillows so you're really comfy in bed and in a good position to breastfeed.
Be patient with yourself and your baby if breastfeeding is hard at first - your baby may be lazy with all the pain meds in their system. Two or three days after you stop taking your pain meds, your baby will probably seem a lot more alert but also more fussy than when all the pain meds were still in their system.
Make sure you have some help at home from DH or someone else. You need to get some good rest and good healthy food to help heal. I spent a lot of time just holding my babies in the recliner and sleeping.
This..plus I was up itching and crying b/c I SWORE they had sewed scissors up inside of me. I was having such sharp pains in my gut. I remember the nurse suggesting that maybe it was gas and me basically telling her to go fly a kite. Sure enough though -- she gave me some IV gas meds and it was gone.
My list of things I didn't expect:
-the catheter to be inserted BEFORE anesthesia. That was honestly the worst part about the whole procedure for me. The catheter was NOT pleasant. My hospital does them before anesthesia because they were noticing a drop in APGAR scores when it was done after.
-I felt nauseous and had to breathe deeply during the surgery. They said I was breathing fine, but the anesthesia might cause you to feel like you can't catch your breath (but you can).
-I didn't get to see DS immediately after he was taken out of me, I had hoped they'd show me him, even for a second. But, I had to wait until he was cleaned up, so probably like 5-10 minutes later.
-Coughing/sneezing HURTS, so be prepared! Like others said, try to cover you tummy with a pillow if you need to.
-Ask for a belly binder when they have you get up and walk. It REALLY helped. It made me feel like everything was staying intact when I got up. Getting up those first few times really took my breath away, go slow, and give yourself a chance to breathe!
-Like others, make yourself get up and walk as soon as you can, and then force yourself to get up periodically, even if just to walk around your room! It's tempting to stay in bed all comfy, but your body will heal and adjust faster if you get up and moving.
-Stay in the hospital for the full time allotted! DH's cousin had a c-section and she told me to tell the nurses I felt fine so that we could come home faster. I never could understand why she'd want to rush home. I liked getting the extra care and attention after having such a major surgery! DS got the care he needed, and so did I, for the FULL 4 nights/5 days we stayed. I'm glad I didn't rush home.
-I had staples, and it was NOT bad at all coming out. I was terrified when they were removed, but barely felt a thing!
-You WILL bleed just as long as those who had a vaginal birth. I guess I never thought about it, but soon realized that having a baby, is having a baby! Your uterus and everything needs to go back into place and you will have the same clotting and bleeding.
-I had read a blog that talked about the "vaginal carwash" after having a c-section. When it finally happened I almost laughed because it really is a good way to describe it. A nurse came in my room in the middle of the night (the night after the c-sec) and had me lift my butt up and slid a bed pan type thing underneath me. She then squirted my lady parts off - thus giving me a vaginal carwash, lol. Really not that bad, but since you can't get out of bed for a certain time period, they do it so that you stay cleaned up!
-Take colace!!!! I had to keep asking the nurse for it, but keep taking it for the whole duration of your stay. The first time going #2 is rough, and the colace will help ease things a bit!
-Also ask for a gas pill periodically too. It helped with any gas pains! I had severe pain in my shoulder, which I soon found it was from the gas issues! Weird how that works...
Mine was an emergency, so I didn't know I was having it, so you're ahead of me there :-)
The thing I wished I had understood was the hospital policy regarding painkillers/laxatives. I guess at my hospital, you have to specifically "ask" for everything. Since I'd never had a c-section before, I didn't really know what I needed.
When my doctor came to check on me, she was sort of like, "When was your last dose of painkillers?" and I didn't remember... She was shocked. She basically accused me of "Trying to be a hero and 'tough it out.'" I wasn't. I just didn't know what to ask the nurses for.
Once I understood to ask for painkillers/whatever every four hours, I felt much, much better.
ETA: Someone else mentioned the shaking. A doctor friend told me this is caused by adrenaline. They were going to let me hold my LO right away, but I was shaking so badly, I couldn't. I honestly would have dropped him. They put him on my pillow so our faces could touch, and I just kept crying, "He's so little. He's so little." (Like, I said, mine was an emergency, so I had NO idea I was going to the hospital to have a baby that day.) So, you might not be so adrenalized and really emotional. One of the nurses in the recovery room finally gave me some sort of shot to stop my shaking, and then I was fine and able to see/hold/nurse my baby.
My experience is that they expect you to ask for everything, but you might not know what you need. Giving birth was my first overnight stay ever in a hospital, so I had no idea that I could just "ask" if there was something to stop my shaking. I guess what I'm saying is stand up for yourself or make sure your DH or whoever is with you will if you're not able to.
Mac and cheese lover!
I've never heard of this lol I was made to get up and have a shower the next day. It sucked, but now that I read this I'm thankful! I'd rather shower than have a vag carwash!
How freaking bad it was going to hurt! My c/s friends all acted like their c/s were blessed get-out-of-labor-free cards. It hurt so bad. Not trying to scare you, just be prepared for the pain and do all you can for it. Take the pills, accept the help, ask for whatever makes you more comfortable. I wish I'd known to be more prepared to be a person grateful for narcotics than one trying to just brush it off like I usually am. Don't let the pain get ahead of the meds is my advice. I did one evening and it was so much worse.
And I wish I'd known what kind of clothes to bring to wear afterward. I had been wearing low cut panties and under belly maternity pants. That was not going to happen after being cut open. Even the regular maternity panel pants had the seam hitting right on my incision. I wore the hospital gowns mostly b/c they folded from shoulder down to nurse but loose fitting pjs pulled above the wound worked after a couple days.