Hi. I have a planned c-section for 9/14 - previa case so there was no chance of natural delivery. If you had a c-section, what do you wish you'd known or been told? What should I bring to the hospital that is different than natural delivery? How long was your recovery? DId breastfeeding still happen for you? How long to your milk came in? Etc. Etc. Thanks!
I had an unexpected C section I wish I would have known there was a chance of being put under but it rarely happens so my doctor didn't bring it up... well I ended up needing that so I would keep an open mind to just about anything going in there. My recovery was about 3 weeks and after that I'm still adjusting to everything, another thing I would consider and I was never told is sometimes it hard to bond with your baby after a c section because you don't get the same closeness you get after a natural birth... they have to wait until you arn't all drowsy before you can hold your baby and then because your so drowsy you might not feel the same things as other mothers feel... but that doesn't mean your a bad mom or that you should feel the same way as other mom's it just can be different and take a little longer to adjust and to bond... I am feeding my baby breast milk through pumping I would suggest trying to breastfeed its much easier then pumping. My milk came in 4 days after birth nothing different then a natural birth. hope this helps
Thanks. Those are some of things I am worried about. I appreciate your experiences.
During my pregnancy, I was completely convinced that I was going to have a natural birth. Everyone told me to be prepared for the possibility of a c-section, so I did minimal research, but I was stubborn and mainly prepared myself for a completely natural birth. Of course, my lovely son decided that he wanted to turn during labor and I never progressed past 5 cm, even after pitocin and 16 hours of hard labor. When my doctor told me that she was going to do a c-section, I was terrified. I had my spinal placed and was ready for surgery and before I knew it, Caleb was screaming and the OR staff was complimenting on my beautiful son. Up until that point, aside from being disappointed that I wasn't able to have a natural birth, things were pretty simple. I had some minor complications with the anesthesia-- the spinal traveled up my spine as well as down, so instead of being numb only below the point of the spinal's placement, I was also numb above it and had poor control of my arms and hands, but it didn't stop me from breastfeeding within an hour of Caleb's birth. I feel lucky in that I never felt that it was hard for me to bond with my son-- I didn't get to hold him closely right away, but my husband did, and as soon as I was able to hold on to him, it acted as a fantastic excuse to not immediately share him with the flock of family and friends that surrounded us. With that, this is the biggest thing I wish I would have considered after Caleb's birth: family and friends. They're fantastic, but we made news of my son's birth WAY too available at first and everyone I know made a point to come to the hospital and see him within a few hours of his birth. I was recovering from major surgery (sans morphine, since I'm allergic. I hear it helps with the pain a lot). People wanted to chat, hang out, and I was exhausted and just wanted to bond with my new family. I hope that other people aren't as eager to share their new one with the world as I thought I would be. I would definitely advise that new moms ask their loved ones to wait a day or two to start making their visits. Sleep is important. Pain is sometimes intense. The other thing you may want to ask your post-partum nurse is to let you know about an hour ahead of time before she wants you to get up and walk for the first time. Mine did and gave me a dose of pain medication before I had to get up and walk. It was still SUPER painful, but I can't imagine what it would have been like without it. **Above all, PLEASE don't let my story or anyone else's scare you off. Everyone is different and handles surgery differently. I'm kind of a wimp. Just remember, you CAN do this, don't be afraid to make your own decisions despite what anyone else says, and I promise you one thing: no matter how inconvenient a c-section may seem, it is SO worth it. You'll understand the moment you see your baby's face.**
I had a planned c-section because my daughter was breech and I had mild preeclampsia. Everything went smoothly...I was rolled into the ER at 12:07, she was born at 12:33 and I was rolled out at 12:54. I did not have an epidural. I only had a spinal block for the procedure and a morphine drip for later. The only downfall for me was that I did not actually get to hold my baby for about 3 hrs. I had to go to recovery until I could somewhat move my legs. I did not actually get out of bed for about 24 hrs.
As far as what to bring, I do not think there are any differences. I did take my own clothes (nursing tanks and loose fitting athletic pants) and they worked out perfect. If you do not have your own towels packed, I would highly suggest them. The hospital towels are not very soft!!
It took me about 3 weeks to completely heal, but my doctor had me on restrictions (no driving, carrying heavy ojects, etc.) for 6 weeks. I had my staples taken out a week after the c-section. I wore a compression wrap around me for about 2 weeks. I just remember being sore and needing some help at first. If you just relax and take your time, you will do great!
I breastfed my baby from the very start. My milk came in about 4 days after I had her.
I hope this helps! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. =)
I had a c-section that was not planned on. But everything worked out ok. As far as feeding, I kept at the nursing part, she is almost 5 months and has no problem latching on and nursing. Since she was a big baby (9 lb 14 oz) I didn't produce enough milk so I supplemented with formula. Sometimes I still do. I use the First Years Breastflow bottles - those are wonderful! I have yet to have a problem with her going from bottle to breast although she definately prefers the breast!
You have a lot of good pointers here. What I would suggest from the cosmetic side of the issue is to wear your belly band after the c-section (when you get home of course and it has healed a bit) and it will help your tummy shrink just a little more than it would if you hadn't. I wish I had done this. I wore jeans as soon as I could fit in them and believe that to have helped my tummy, just wish I had done more.
I just had an emergency csection on sept. 4th. I became very sick with preeclampsia and was rushed into the OR. It all happened so fast I didn't really have time to ask questions since I was throwing up and had a bloody nose and VERY high blood pressure. I was very very sick in the OR and because I was throwing up so much my spinal block was very very painful and they kept missing my spine so I had several bruises on my back afterward which was very painful. The worst part about my section was that due to me being so sick I was on oxygen and wasn't able to see my son for 16hrs after my section. My entire body hurt afterward and I wasn't discharged for a week because of my health. My doctor had told me that my case was very rare and not many people get as sick as I was so to not think that all csections go like that. I would really just suggest to bring something with you that makes you feel at home. After I had my son it was very nice to have his blankie to snuggle with because it smelled like him and I wasn't able to see him or have him in my room for very long since he was a preemie and 5 weeks early.
Good luck to you with your section, let us know how it goes and post pics of your little one :)
Bring what is on the check list. Breastfeeding was really great for me. My milk came in the second day and I breastfeed until she turned 6 months and now she's 9 months with 4 teeth. Breastfeeding babies develop faster than bottle feeding babies (my opinion). Recovery was 6 weeks but I healed up in 3 1/2 weeks. I wanted a natural birth but she kept going back up everytime they do a vaginal check. I had preeclampsia so I had to hurry up and deliver and on top of that I had high blood pressure. Congrats on the new bundle of joy and on your C Section. In a way I enjoyed my C Section but becareful make sure that your physician check you out all the way because I got checked out early and I had pneumonia the same day I checked out the hospital. I checked back inthe hospital that same night. We didn't spend 6 hours in the house. They kept me for a week and they allowed my baby to check in the hospital as well.
I had a planned c-section because my daughter was breach, and from what I've heard from other people who've had unplanned c-sections, planned sections are a lot easier. I had a spinal block , my husband was able to be in the room with me, and once they got the baby cleaned and measured, he was able to hold our DD right where I could see her while they closed me up. I was able to hold her and feed her as soon as we were rolled into recovery, because with a spinal block you can still move your arms. My biggest surprise was how much water I retained after the surgery - even my nose was swollen! It takes about 2 weeks for all the swelling to go down. Also, I took a long cotton dress to wear out of the hospital, becuase I was paranoid about pants rubbing against my incision. My mom stayed with us for 2.5 weeks, and it's a good thing she did, because I was pretty sore for the first week, and couldn't drive until my 2 week check up. I would say it took about 2 months before I really started feeling back to my normal self, but I think a lot of that was sleep deprivation, not really the c-section. Breastfeeding has been great for us since day 1, though, and my milk came in about 4 days after delivery. Congrats on your LO!! Good luck!
I had a scheduled c section also. It all went very smoothly, just like I wanted. I am not sure there was anything I wish I had known ahead of time. I was having alot of pain in my hip the whole time I was prego so there was no way to get comfortable. I do wish that I was not quite as dopey on the pain meds the day after surgery, cause I do not remember everyone that was at the hospital to visit. But other than that, It went great. I think my incision was finally fully healed around 8 months. I had a few ingrown hair issues that made it keep splitting open. Nothing major and the dr said not to worry about it. Breastfeeding did not work for us. My milk just never came in. At 3 weeks ds still had not gained his birth weight back. We gave him formula and pumped and all I fgot was 4 oz in one day. I have PCOS so that could account for that. Dont think it had anything to do with the c section. Good luck!
Naps
For those of you with 1-3 month old babies...
- JobyDay
on Aug. 6, 2010 at 7:52 PM