Caesarian advice needed!

[Opprobrium]

As it's definitely going to be a caesarian now, does anyone have any advice? Anything I should prepare for? Anything I should take to hospital, make sure I have ready at home to help afterwards?

I've had a few little minor ops before so I'm trying to think what helped back then & quadruple it, but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Ta!

What about clothes?? I'm thinking trousers & knickers - things with waist bands where I would imagine the scar to be, might be a bit of a nightmare. TMI but do you still get the 'lumps of liver' thing after a caesar?? Do I still need to stock up on industrial strength pads??

Not looked into the c-section thing!

[Littlejojo]

make sure you have big knickers so they go above the scar. The scar is quite low to be honest just above your pubic hair line, so i would say loose clothes.

You do stilln eed big pads, i bled for quite a few weeks, my scar also leaked to beware of that, no one had told me that I was so scared. So there i was bleeding leaking nipples and leaking scar.

[dora the ex...]

i didnt have one but want to wish you all the luck in the world xx

[Opprobrium]

Ain't pregnancy & birth glam?!?!

OK, so I should invest in some gauze & pads etc for the scar, have a brazillian before I go in & get cheap Bridget Jones pants I don't care about ruining.

Will have to check my wardrobe as I've been living in trousers during pg, all below the bump very low hipster types (as are my knickies) so I'm thinking I should get some Simon Cowell type waisted trousers or higher waisted skirts or dresses... will look in Primark & seconds shops...

It's hard with not knowing how big I'll still be afterwards.

Will also invest in some arnica & witch hazel for bruising. I'd usually take a tonne of Vit C, Vit E & Zinc for an op to aid healing but is that safe during pg??

How long will I be in for? How much stuff should I take in for Bean?? How many baby grows will she wear in that time? Do I need to take in her sleeping grobag thingy? What about her Moses Basket? Just thinking if she's in with me for a few days would it be better to get her used to her own bed rather than used to the hospital one then change everything the night she comes home - that must be quite unsettling for her.

ETA: Thanks Dora! I was freaked out at first but I'm coming round to the idea now & there's not much I can do about it now. At least I won't have to deal with tearing! Every cloud...! Best thing to do now is just look forward to meeting Bean & be as prepared as I can be.

[Mad Madam Mim]

Hi Oppro

I had an emergency C-section and the first thing we had to do when I got home was buy a changing table (a high one) so I didn't have to bend down which really put a strain on the wound. If you haven't already got one I'd reccommend this. It was a total God-send. And yes, by God you do need the pads!!!

I think ts 4-5 days after a c-section. I was in for a lot longer (10 days) but this was for other problems we had, both myself with feeding and Dylan with weight loss and such.

I went through babygros at a rate of knots in that time - though the hospital was so warm we also had lots of vests. I'm thinking maybe 5-6 gros a day plus some for luck (OH was taking them home washing them and bringing them back) Although maybe that was just D being a mucky newborn :laff:

No need to take the Moses basket the clear ones they have in hospital are around the same dimensions - that will be fine.

I think it is a bit unsettling when they get home but that would happen anyway to be honest - don't worry.

Good luck with it all - you'll be fine :smile:

[Helsbells]

I too had a planned section. It's really weird going into hospital knowing that you'll have you baby in the next couple of hours!
I didn't bleed very much afterwards - most on the first day and you'll be laid on a pad in the bed then. I was told that sometimes they 'clean' you up inside so my bleeding was only like a normal period.
One thing that nobody told me about was the incredible wind that I got. I was too embarassed initially to tell them about it but once I did mention it they gave me some peppermint water which did help. They also told me the that it's also normal not to have a poo for a while as your insides have been messed around with and the digestive system slows down.
Just thought that you'd like to be aware of this as I wish someone had told me!
Btw, I'm still wearing 'big' knickers seven months on as I still cant stand anything rubbing on my scar.

[lewpylew]

Hey DG :loco:

I cannot believe your little girl is almost here!!!!

I have had 2 caesareans - one emergency and one elective and I do not have a bad word to say about them.

One thing I did differently this time was to get OH to trim me up down there as with Henry I was dry shaved and it was not a pleasant experience. You need to trim the hair to a fingers width above the slit! Sorry there was no other way to describe it :happyno:

Over the bump knickers are great for the first few weeks when the scar is tender.

For the first 24 hours you will have a catheter in and a pad between your legs. So glam but unfortunately this is how it works!

I used Always Night Time pads which were so much comfier and thinner than those awful 3 in thick maternity pads. Stock up is all I can say.

Liver type clots will only happen if you get an infection.

I was out within 48 hours with Holly and 3 days with Henry so do not expect to be in for the full 5 days as in the olden days - there is just not the staff or the beds.

Nighties are probably more comfy or some loose fitting joggers if you don't want to slum it in your bedwear.

The nurses will be on hand to help you get baby for feeds, nappy changes etc.

Hope it all goes well & look forward to hearing all about Baby DG soon

Lots of love & luck

Lewpy xx :cheer2:

[Littlejojo]

the first 24 hours you are kind of attached to the bed with your catheter 9Sp??) and then there is a drainage thing for the blood i think, goes into the scar.

Try to have some snacks on hand for the night when you are your own. My friend bought me up some nutrigrain things, and was very happy as in the middle of the night i got a bit hungry.

They gave me a leaflet when i left the hospital on how to poo, it is kind of scarey because it you are scared of bursting the scar.

Take it easy afterwards, you have just had major surgery, i did too much as I thought well i am going to be on my own in 2 weeks time so i better do it now. I have heard that some people find it difficult to walk to the end of the street, i wasnt too bad, and a week afterwards had to walk about 30 minutes home.

Good luck you will be fine. Do you know what you are having I can not remember??

[Cat]

I had a planned one too and was really worried, but it was so much better than I thought. You do have to be careful of the scar so bending is a no-no but I seemed to recover faster than some people who'd had vaginal births.
One thing to check, cos you've had an abdominal operation, you can't drive for at least 6 weeks afterwards (check your insurance) which was a bit of a pain, although I can understand why, its deemed you couldn't do an emergency stop if needed
Good luck!

[redhed]

Like Lewpy have had an emergency and a planned - both v positive experiences. The girls have said it all really - trying to think if there's anything else....

Re: the driving - varies with diff insurance companies, mine said I was OK to drive once the doc signed me off, and she signed me off after 3 weeks so was driving then.

Re: the scar - you will want to keep it dry once the dressing comes off so don't wear v tight/sweaty clothes.

Re: the pants - Big Pants Rule.

Are you prone to thrush? If so, be aware you will be on intravenous antibiotics during the delivery and so at higher risk of thrush post-surgery which in my case eventually ended up in my nipples and baby's mouth and we're only just getting rid now 4 months on. So stock up on probiotics.

You should have a physio come round afterwards to talk to you about things like how to get in and out of bed and postnatal exercises etc. They are worth doing if you can make time. Also get her to tell you how to cough/sneeze. It's easier if you support the scar and sod's law you'll get hayfever or something 2 hours after the op. I came down with a cold...

[Littlejojo]

oh god i forgot the sneezing and coughing,

[littlepinkpiglet]

I've had two as well! :ellie: Loved it. It's so nice when it's planned. You know exactly when you are going to meet your baby and you can prepare yourself. It was a nice calm, serene experience both times.

My recs. would be of course to sort out the shaving/immacing bit out before hand. As Lewpy says, the dry shave was probably the worst part first time round.

Bring a pillow! You never know if you're going to get enough in hospital. We got a good tip - put a coloured pillow case on it so it doesn't get mixed up with the hospital's. It's also handy because you need a pillow to hold over your scar for coughing and sneezing/sitting up etc. Everything is a lot easier if you have one pulled quite tight over it.

Redhed - I had a nasty cough with my first one! :no: It hurt like hell but they said that it's the best thing to do. It stops your scar from sticking to other things.

DON'T drink through a straw, it gives you more wind. Also drink lots and lots of water. It might mean that you have to get up out of bed more but in the long run it's better for you to move around a lot and it aids in ahem :oops: going to the loo later. Take some fiber if you can too, it really helps.

I found a nightie much more comfortable than pjs. I also brought something that fit at 6 months pregnant foolishly thinking it would fit after the baby.... I could barely do it up. Second time around I swallowed my pride and bought some of my nicer maternity clothes to go home in.

I'll add more if I can think of it later. I can't believe she's almost here! I'm so very excited for you, I've followed your story for years. :clap:

LPP xxx

[Micah]

errmm...I wasn't shaved- mine was an emergency so maybe there wasn't time. The scar is about 1" below the "hairline". I would ask your m/w or surgeon what the protocol is.

I would definately wear big knickers and an "over the bump" skirt. I couldn't wear anything with a front zip for months. I had a running stitch which is one long piece of thread so I had "beads" holding it all in place either side, so I had to be careful with clothes there. I think they like the wound to air so I would check about gauze pads too.

Usually the minimum stay is 3 days (god I was desparate to be out!). Plenty of wipes- I found these great to wipe myself down with- it's bl00dy hot in there! You will be given anti-clot injections too. I didn't know about physios/excercises etc, and certainly wasn't given any help afterwards, but apparently the help is there, so you may have to ask for it.

18 months on my scar still gives me quite a bit of grief, and can be quite sore. Also be prepared for an "overhang", you might be lucky but quite often there is a little roll of flesh overhanging the scar, mine has gone down alot bit is still there.

[~Flutterby~]

Post section, get mobile as soon as you can. It aids in a speedier recovery and stops you form develping DVT's and such.
:luck:

[Angel]

Most of the advice I'd thought of has been done already !

I can't stress how important it is to have big pants though :wik:, anything rubbing or even touching the scar in the first few weeks is just a horrifying thought.

If you're planning on breast-feeding then maybe get yourself one of the V shaped cushions as it's more comfortable positioning baby with one.

Good luck with it all though !

[Rez]

I had a planned section as DD was breech and it was a really calm and pleasant experience.

Try Tesco for the big pants. They do packs of them which nearly come up to your armpits for a couple of quid. I just bought my usual size and they were still huge at 9 months pregnant!

I wouldn't get the gauze personally. I agree your wound needs air to heal. In fact they check your wound pretty often in hospital so would imagine they wouldn't let you have it on in there. The midwife comes every day for the first few days once you are home as well so she'll check it too.

Definitely sort out your bikini line in advance. They threatened to dry shave me unless it was done and the surgeon complimented DH on his shaving skills while I was on the table.

One final thing can think of - don't wear nail varnish on your toes. They need to be able to see the colour of your nail bed to check for circulation. That was the thing that bothered me most, I have grim toenails which are never seen without nail varnish.

Good luck! :)

[Matilde]

basically, what everybody said. :)

bringing your own pillows in non-white covers is a brilliant idea, I did this!

Just one thing, going to the loo (or even passing wind) is very scary in the first few days. everytime someone comes by your door they'll ask you about this, so be prepared. ;). I took lactulose for a few days before and after and only ate fruit salad for the first 24 hours. Husband used to make me the salad in the morning and I'd have it during the day as i was hungry. I put some nuts for energy but basically i was too concerned with being constipated to care too much about wanting to eat other stuff. Plenty of water helps too. Just make sure you eat things that will make life easy, if you know what I mean. The first wee without the catheter is not pleasant either, but it's not that bad. bring some snacks because you'll be tired and hungry and the food is HORRENDOUS.

I also took slippers and flip flops for the shower so i didnt have to walk barefoot anywhere.

[Amethyst]

I`ve had two sections nothing to add just want to wish you luck:luck.

Amethyst x:smile:

[Cat]

I agree with matilde about eating lots of fruit BUT, if you're breastfeeding NOT GRAPES. I ate loads one day and DS screamed all night - apparently, they change your milk somehow and gives the baby an upset tum.