Tell me about C-Sections (questions..)

LadyNikon · November 2012

So, I am having my twins on Thursday.

How long is the typical hospital stay?

I hear about belly bands help with the healing. Is this hospital provided or do I need to buy my own?

My husband works 12 hour days which means he will be gone for 16 hrs at a time. What is the best way to handle twins WHILE trying to heal from all the abdominal trauma?

One woman told me she couldn't go up and down the steps cause of the pain from her C-Section. Is this typical?

My husband is working from home til the babies are born. Should I have him request to work from home for another 2 weeks to deal with recovery time?

Any advice for someone who has never had major surgery and is scared??

tombomb84 · November 2012

Sorry, no advice here. Just wanted to wish you GOOD LUCK!

kgs0505 · November 2012

I would definitely have your husband home for at least 2 weeks after. On vacation not just working there. Even with my one baby who we adopted and no recovery time. I needed him around for the help. You really need to rest after a surgery. You can't be on all the time. And you dh will need to sleep too between shifts. Newborns are on a 23 hour schedule for several weeks.

so72409 · November 2012

First off...good luck on Thursday and an early congratulations!!!

1. Stay-I was able to stay for 3 nights, being discharged on the 4th day. I didn't have to actually check out of the hospital until 11:59 that day, which was nice, since the girls were in the NICU and I wasn't actually going anywhere.

2. belly bands-I didn't have one, so I don't know if that helps with healing or now. I can tell you that any pressure was not enjoyable...I'm almost 5 weeks postpartum and I still can't stand to have anything tight on my stomach from my belly button down.

3. Recovery time-I would have your DH stay home with you after the babes are here. I was able to recover pretty quickly because the girls were in the NICU for the 1st 12 days, but even after they came home I had help. I was feeling really good by the time we were home, though.

Advice-WALK AFTER AND WALK OFTEN! They will encourage you to get up and walk after your out of recovery. It freakin sucks and hurts, but it helps with the healing process. Take your pain meds. I'm not a big pill popper and it was hard for me to accept taking my drug cocktail. Only a few days after the c/s I thought I would start to "cut back." Big mistake. Take the drugs, they are your friend.

I'll be thinking of you!! Good luck!

LadyNikon · November 2012

kgs0505:
I would definitely have your husband home for at least 2 weeks after. On vacation not just working .

He doesn't have any vacation left. He only has 5 days of new parent leave sadly.

mamainseptember · November 2012

I'm butting in on the thread (not a MoM) but I did have a singleton c-section. I stayed in the hospital for 4 nights and 5 days. DH took a week off after DS was born and my mom took 3 weeks off. I needed every bit of help for the first 2 weeks after DS was born. Stairs were tough, not horrible, but I tried not to do them for the first week or so. You also can't drive for 2 solid weeks, so I didn't want to be alone with a newborn god forbid. My friend had twins via c-section in April and she also had DH/family members taking time off for the first 6 weeks. I'm sure its do able without any help, but its tough recovering from major surgery!

macschic · November 2012

I stayed for three nights. I would definitely ask your husband to stay at home for at least 2 weeks. Is there anyone else that can help if he has to work? Twins are a handful and your DD will also need your attention. This is what I found to be the most difficult--balancing my time between DD and the twins. To be honest, I am still not comfortable being alone with all three so I hired a helper who will be with me until 12 weeks,

As for the cs pain, definitely manageable with pain meds. Start walking as soon as you are allowed, but be sure to premedicate! I never had an abdominal binder, but lots of women say they are helpful. I bet they have them in the hospital.

Good luck!

LadyNikon · November 2012

my MIL is here but has to leave on Friday. So no

. I guess I will just have to make due :S.

RobinR91 · November 2012

Hi! You'll do gear LN! I was in for 5days 4 nights I think. Recovery is sloooow, but the percosets helped. For me, I took them for three days then switched to Motrin. I don't handle drugs well and my body had been through a lot. I asked my mfm about abdominal bands, she said some women prefer the feeling of being "held together" but that there isn't any proof that they help healing/recovery. They do increase post partum bleeding though, so I steered clear yet still bleeding seven weeks latergo figure! you'll need as much help as possible for the first two weeks. I consider myself pretty independentbut it took two weeks to even feel like a person again.

You'll do great! We are thinking of you!

FondieJoy · November 2012

I had an unplanned C-section with my son and the recovery wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'll be having another one with these two.

I stayed in the hospital for 3 nights after the birth of my son. I was lucky to have my mom staying with me for the first 2 1/2 weeks after my son was born and my hubby took a week off as well. You can't drive for atleast 2 weeks post surgery and you also can't lift anything heavy for several weeks so that you don't herniate or irritate your incision. My bed is kinda high and it was hard getting in and out of bed all night with a newborn but my hubby went and got me a stool after a couple days and that helped a lot. The worst part for me post surgery was that I had a lot of swelling which I finally realized was being caused by the pain meds. I weaned off the pain meds as soon as I got home and went down to only bumped up IB Profen and that made all the swelling go away. My hospital provided me with a tummy constrictor band thing and I highly recommend wearing it atleast for the first 2 weeks. The best advice I got from my nurses was to get up and start walking around as much as you can and as soon as you can post surgery- makes recovery go much smoother!! Good luck- you'll do great!!

Reilly626 · November 2012

My stay was 7 days- I had c section complications so the 3 of us stayed. I had to buy my own band, I hardly used it. The best way to handle the twins is have help for the first two weeks and live on one floor and do not drive! My advice is yes it's a terrible surgery, but you will heal in time - this is coming from someone whomhad 5 complications! And you'll have two beauties to boot!

huntertwin · November 2012

I don't think you can know what you are going into, everyone's experience is so personal. With me, I stayed at the hospital for 4 days, had no complications, and was fine once we got home. The hospital stay was hard, but my recovery was fast. The babies slept for 23 hours a day for the first month or so so we were fine.

BananaPancake · November 2012

Ladynikon:
So, I am having my twins on Thursday.
How long is the typical hospital stay? Typical is 3 days. I've done a 3 night stay with each of my girls. You might get more if you have complications, but I think you'll probably be out by Sunday morning.
I hear about belly bands help with the healing. Is this hospital provided or do I need to buy my own? I loved mine. Some hospitals provide them automatically, others do not. I would ask your OB to write an order for one. They're really helpful when it comes to bending and twisting, just helping to remind you that there's a big incision there.
My husband works 12 hour days which means he will be gone for 16 hrs at a time. What is the best way to handle twins WHILE trying to heal from all the abdominal trauma? Handling the twins, NO problem. Handling Cathleen? That could be a challenge. If you can have her at daycare, do so for the days through the first two weeks. As far as the babies go, you're going to be spending a LOT of time watching them sleep. Your c-section will have almost nothing to do with the babies, as they're light and require very little lifting. Set up a changing station in the living room, have snacks ready ahead of time, etc. You'll start to go batty being inside for a couple of weeks, but I can promise that adjusting to the babies will be ten times harder than your physical recovery. Just by the end of week one you'll be feeling surprisingly good, which is why you have to really make yourself take it easy!
One woman told me she couldn't go up and down the steps cause of the pain from her C-Section. Is this typical? Because of the pain? Not really. They don't like you putting stress on yourself or getting too tired because you'll heal slower. When I needed to do steps I just did them nice and slow. The pain will really be under control by about day 3 or 4. Once you leave the hospital you'll be feeling pretty good - keep up on your pain meds and don't try to be a hero. :-)
My husband is working from home til the babies are born. Should I have him request to work from home for another 2 weeks to deal with recovery time? I probably wouldn't worry about it if you have a place for sister to hang out. Maybe the first 4 or 5 days, but you'll really be feeling good by about Day 8 or 9.
Any advice for someone who has never had major surgery and is scared?? It's a very easy surgery, and it'll be over FAST. The spinal is always my least favorite part, but they're really, really good at what they do. You won't feel anything but the OB wiggling you around when he takes the babies out, and he'll have you sewn up and into recovery pretty quick! Every OB is different and I know it's stressful for you, but try to remember that performing c-sections for them is like doing laundry for you. They do a MILLION of them and they're almost always quick and simple! From spinal to baby-kissing you've got a max of about 20 minutes, and then you're home free. Can't wait to see pics!

chickaboo1974 · November 2012

I stayed for 5 days- they would have sent me home sooner but I continued to have high BP so they wanted it somewhat under control before I left.

I didn't use a bellyband- I had not issues with abdomnial pain- I took prescription pain killers for a week and then tylenol at night for a week. We had stairs- I was walking up and down them multiple times a day when I went home(after 5 days)- didn't bother me in the least. I was also driving after 10 days- so I could spend hours at the hospital being with the boys.

My guys spent 17 days in NICU- but my DH took no time off when they came home- we brought them home at 7pm on a Monday and he left for work at 6 am Tuesday. I still had issues with my BP- so it was not ideal.

I never had major surgery before ( I did IVF) so the one thing that freaked me out was the epidural- a needle in my spine was terrifying to me. I had back pain from the epidural for about 2 days and a HUGE bruise for awhile too. Make sure you get up as soon as they let you- walking is a good thing- oh and expect swelling in your legs- I had horrible swelling- it finally went down with the help of a water pill.

AmyJoy728 · November 2012

I was induced Tues morning and had a Cs at 9pm and was discharged Friday.

Didn't use a belly band, and only used ibeuprofen once I was home. steps were okay as long as I took them very slow and wasn't carrying anything, but I only could do them once a day.

I had help the first two weeks only and was okay on my own. You will need him or someone to help you with doc appt (ob, ped) since you can't drive or carry carseats.

How to deal with newborns and heal.... Sleep when they sleep, do no housework and I recommend making pitchers of formula. I have heard sending DD to daycare helps.

Ourfamilyof5 · November 2012

My twins were just born 16 days ago...baby A was a vaginal delivery, but I had an emergency c-section for baby B. My recovery has obviously been a little different since I'm healing in two places, but I'll just answer for the c-section part

1. My babies were born at 8:34 and 8:47 p.m. on a Thursday night and we were home by Sunday afternoon. So I was not even in the hospital for a full 3 days. My OB gave me the option of going home on Monday, but I didn't feel another night in the hospital was necessary even though I was still in pain. I preferred to be in my own house and back with DS who I was missing terribly while in the hospital. I wouldn't have gone home if I felt like I couldn't physically do it, but it was definitely do-able for me.

2. The hospital gave me a belly binder, which I used for all of 10 minutes before I decided that it was too uncomfortable for me. Two days after we got home (5 days post c-section) I was doing some light cleaning in the kitchen and felt like I needed some extra support while standing up for awhile so I did wear it for about 30 minutes. That's the most mine has been used...actually, I don't even know where it is now

3. I don't feel like I have a great answer for your third question, because I honestly think it varies from person to person. The first night and day after my c-section I felt HORRIBLE and I was in so much pain. However, each day gets better and better and by the time we got home, I felt like I was moving around pretty well. My IL's stayed with us for the first 2 nights and my MIL helped DH with the night feedings so that I could get some rest and recover more quickly. That was a huge help...but I need to add that I'm not breastfeeding or pumping. I made the decision early on to formula feed from day one and I'm SO glad that I did. I couldn't imagine nursing on top of recovering from a double whammy and taking care of an almost 2 year old...anyway, all that to say, I think the best thing you can do is let everything go that you can (don't try to cook, clean, etc.) so that the only things you have to focus on are resting your body when possible and taking care of the twins. Everything else can wait and you can catch up later!

4. When I was discharged, the nurse told me to limit the amount of times I went upstairs and to only go up if necessary. She said to not go more than 6 times a day for the first week. We live in a one and a half story home where most of our main living areas are downstairs so I didn't really have a NEED to go up. I didn't even try to go upstairs until about 2 days after I was home from the hospital...I made one trip up to grab something from a closet and that did not bother me at all.

5. If your husband can take an extra 2 weeks to be at home, I would definitely have him do so. The extra help certainly can't hurt and you'll appreciate the extra set of hands and moments to rest. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I honestly felt pretty good by one week after my c-section. I was still taking my pain meds, but the time between doses was stretching out more and more each day. I forced myself to take it easy because I knew that's what I needed to be doing, but it was really tempting for me to pick up my 22 month old son (who weights 25 lbs) and play on the floor with him etc. simply because I felt totally up to it. I do part time photography so when my babies were 1 week old, I did newborn photos of them...that involved a lot of bending over and a bit of squatting. I was in a good amount of pain when I was finished, but I guess my point is that I was physically able to do it at a week post-op...so don't let the first couple of days fool you into thinking you'll be in horrible pain for weeks!

As soon as they let you out of bed at the hospital, get up! It hurts really bad the first time...in fact, they had me walk from the bed to a chair and I was nervous about making my way back about an hour later. Everyone says the first time you get up is the worse and that's true. Go slow and take it easy, but get moving when you're allowed to! I forced myself to walk the halls a few times the next day and though it was slow and painful, it really did help. Also, listen to your body! If you're walking the halls and feel pain, head back to your room and lay down. The more you listen to your body, the faster I think you recover.

GL! Can't believe you're c-section is less than a week away!

kelandspence2012 · November 2012

I stayed in the hospital for 3 days and was released on the 4th day ! The hospital that I delivered at did provide a binder, which was great because it stabilized my belly which was helpful ! The pain was manageable but just make sure to take your meds ! If you have help take it ! I'm a single mom and I didn't have any help and it was rough but I got through it ! If you won't have help... you can do it but if someone offers to help or your DH can be at home then take the help ! GL and congrats on your babies !

amh04 · November 2012

No advice for suggestions with recovering with the twins at home with you.

My hospital provided a Velcro binder, and I would of been discharged on the 4th day, but opted to stay an additional day to be closer to my babies. Normal is 3-5 days. I didn't have issues with stairs.

I highly recommend moving around the day after, and taking the suppository, I also recommend a small pillow to hold against your incision on the car ride home.

I think 2 weeks is good, I'm moving around fine, but it still is pretty sore and bothersome when standing up and down, and I'm at 3 weeks pp.

No advice, this was my first major surgery but I also didn't have time to process what was going on. Good Luck!!

HeyLadyloo · November 2012

Good luck! Enjoy these last few days (as much as possible given the last days were the toughest for me)

I stayed in the hospital 4 nights, which is typical for my doctor and the hospital I delivered at. I also availed myself of the nursery so that I could get some rest at night. It really helped.

If possible, see if your husband could work from home for a week or two after you get home. Mine went back to work when the babies were a week old and it was tough. He is gone 13+ hours a day, so I really was on my own a lot (with twins plus a 4 year old) and he started traveling when they were 4 weeks.

My recovery really wasn't that bad at all and was up and down the stairs from day one. The first few days were tough, but it got easy pretty quickly. And I was driving long before the two week mark (but didn't tell my doctor that!). I weaned myself of pain meds slowly but early, which I think helped with recovery time because I could feel what my limits were rather than trying to overdo things because I was pain free.

Just take things slowly and let other people help as much as possible. See if you can get people to bring meals so that you don't have to cook. That was a lifesaver for me because I really didn't have my wits about me in the early weeks and you need to eat in order to have the energy and stamina to survive!

Good luck! The first weeks are exhausting, but you'll totally get through it.

kelandspence2012 · November 2012

I forgot to add in my post that i slept in a recliner ... 1 baby in the swing and 1 in a bouncy seat ! I only went upstairs to take a shower!

WeAreSmalls · November 2012

My c-section was just with a singleton but my experience was 4 nights in the hospital. The first 2 nights in the hospital I was in a lot of pain. Keep up on your pain meds!! Take them before you start to feel the pain or you will be playing catch up. By the time I got home the pain wasn't too bad...worst was getting in and out of bed but once I was up I was fine. My husband stayed home a week. After that I was pretty much on my own. I did have someone drive me to my check up and DD's second week appt.

I'm sure twins will be a lot more work than one, but if you are in the hospital 3-4 days and your husband can take off the first 5 days you are home from the hospital, you should be physically ok by that point. If there is anyone close by - family or friend - who can stop in and keep an eye on the babies while you eat or take a shower, that should help too. Good luck!

mamak0328 · November 2012

No advice but I wanted to say good luck! Can't wait to hear an update!

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