February 2014 Moms

C-Section Mamas

Hey ladies . . . my SIL is having a planned c-section on Monday (her baby girl is transverse). Having had three vaginal births myself I don't really have much advice in that department to share with her. I was wondering if any of you ladies had any advice on the subject? It's a little bit of a tricky situation (read: drama) in terms of care and her being 100% cared for afterbirth by my MIL even though she has a GF who will be there also. I can fill y'all in on that later but I'm just wondering if there is anything major I should prep her for beforehand?
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Re: C-Section Mamas

  • Definitely walking, like Rosie said. And to stay on top of her pain meds. With my first c-section I got behind and it took awhile to start feeling more comfortable again.
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  • I'm not sure if it was mentioned in the aforementioned threads but one thing I wish I had done differently was demand that my baby stay right with me. My Ob had said that she would be so when they took her to the nursery when I was still on the table I didn't really fight it (hello, I was having major surgery, not the best time to start being able to stand up for yourself or others). Then I was in recovery for almost half an hour before they brought her to me. I am still a little sad about that missed time. AS long as LO is ok there shouldn't be any need for her to go off and be away from momma. Plus I'm totally crunchy about BFing and that first magical hour after birth when they are awake and can get a decent feed in. I think it can make or break BFing success sometimes!
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    DD2 - Charlotte Avery - 1/27/14




  • The 2nd and 3rd day is more painful than the first.
    And being really really itchy everywhere is apparently common from the pain meds and not necessarily an allergic reaction.

    @MamaAllison I couldn't do skin to skin right away due to other medical issues, but once LO was cleared and deemed healthy DH held her and I got her right away in recovery
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  • Like others have said, stay ahead of your pain meds for the first week.  I tried to be a hero the first week and only take them if I was really in pain but there's no need because the pain will be there if you skip a dose. 

    I wasn't anticipating the pain of the car ride home.  Every time my husband turned the car or went over a bump, it was painful.  I heard afterward that if you hug a pillow, it's supposed to not hurt as much.  I don't know if it's true but I'm going to try next time. Also, hugging a pillow for sneezing, coughing, etc.  Again, it may be bs but I don't want to feel that pain again.

    I also wasn't anticipating how every piece of furniture in my house was going to put me in pain.  If it's too squishy (my bed), it's hard to get in and out of, if it's too low (my couch), I couldn't get out of it.  I spent the first couple of weeks rolling off of things.  She should take a look around her house for firm but soft furniture (esp. if she's going to try to bf). 

    Also, don't lie on your back on the floor- you'll never get back up because you can't bend your stomach but you also can't roll onto it because stiches/boobs hurt too much.  I thought it'd be cute to lie down and hold LO over my head like in commercials.  It wasn't cute when I was a upside-down turtle, flailing around!

     

  • MrsL32MrsL32 member
    Like the others have said...get up and move around as soon as possible.  Also, for me, this time I had a planned c/s, and the recovery was much smoother than with DS1, when it was unplanned after 40 hours of labor.  I think the lack of exhaustion, etc...was helpful to the recovery.  Also, I'd encourage her to talk to her doctor about the plans for baby right after delivery.  Again, my experiences with each boy were like night and day.  Having a not so great experience the first time, I was able to express my preferences - like being able to see baby right away, skin to skin asap (I was still on the operating table), not taking the baby to the nursery until after the end of my surgery...she should find out the standard procedures, and make any requests that she has.  This helped me a lot the second time around, knowing what to expect.
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  • KSSmithKSSmith member
    Thanks so much ladies - I will be sure to pass on all this information. I know she will find it super helpful since this is her first.
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