Scheduled C-Section... questions! And advice please!

Mythica

So we've planned a c-section on the 29th or 31st of this month... I'll know on Tuesday what he wants to do. At most, I've got 11 days til I meet my baby girl! And I'm so nervous! Just hoping she's okay, that's all. But I'm still nervous about the section itself.

What should I expect the day before?
What should I expect the day of?
What should I expect the first few days after?
Two weeks after?
When do you start to feel normal again?
How much does it hurt to try to walk around with the incision?
When will I be able to bend over or do things like a normal person?
What are the options for pain relief that I can do at home that will help with or help to avoid heavy medication?
I'm also afraid they're going to "dope me up" immediately after the surgery... my aunt was so out of it that she didn't remember my family visiting her, baby, and her husband... I don't want to be that out of it!!!

I'm already expecting a slightly (hopefully very slightly) extended stay at the hospital due to my little girl having expected problems. She's going straight to the NICU when she gets here. The hospital they have me set to go to has a level 3 NICU, one of only two in the area. So I know she's going to be very well taken care of... they've even got private and semi-private (for the more intense cases) rooms for patients to room-in with their NICU babies, with special waiting rooms for those rooms for the families of the NICU babies. I'm glad I'm going there instead of a normal hospital, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm scared of the c-section. Any help on those questions, or any advice offered would be great!

kayleigh27

Eat one great awesome meal before 12 hours before you go in! It goes by super fast I went in the OR at 8:00 had her had 8:24 and by 8:45 I was in recovery. They weighed her and got her length and then I got to have my skin to skin contact with her and start to breastfeed. I stayed in recovery for about 2 hours then I got wheeled upstairs to my room. I stayed for 3 days. They make u walk a few hours after surgery. They give u pain mess so be sure to ask for them then go walking. You'll be able to walk and bend after u go home but take it easy! Don't lift anything heavier than your baby they tell you! Good luck

New_Mommie11

The day before you will be anxious the day of still anxious few days after it hurts but jus take ur med and try to walk and try to make ur self do # 2 it was scary but wasn't when it finally happened. Two weeks after a little pain stay on ur meds. Yea the doped up part u wont remember i dont remember anyone who came to see us lol. my mom said i was being mean to her lol. But I stay on the third floor of my apartment and I was going up and down my stairs 5 days after the baby was born. I thought it would be worse but if i could do it again I would

mommyo3soon2b4

Nerves are normal! You can request to not have any drugs that make you loopy. Example:with my first I had an emergency after being in labor forever. I had an epidural plus a drug called stadol(sp ) it is something they give to calm nerves but it also makes you forgetful. I don't remember a lot after that delivery and also found out later I flashed my cousins. 2nd was planned and I told them I didn't want anything except epi...no stadol or pain meds(ended up not going the way we wanted she came early from an infection and I had to be put to sleep) #3 planned...nothing except spinal...I was back in recovery within 30 mins nursing my son. Refused all pain meds and was up walking within an hour and half. You have the right to tell them how you want things.

mrs_shu

Day of you'll have panicky thoughts of "OMG I'm not ready yet'. During and after you'll think that wasn't so bad.

Its gonna hurt afterwards getting up but ya gotta do it. Little bit at a time. The longer you put off being mobile the harder it will be. You'll have a catheter at first and may need help changing(pads). Everyone is different but last time around when I stood up to be changed the blood came pouring out..which was gross and kinda embarrassing cuz hubby and his male bff were in the room lol
For me it was more comfortable to have the bed almost inclined all the way. Easier for getting out of bed. You will be slow moving for a few days-quick showers are impossible lol. If anyone makes you laugh you'll feel like crying cuz it hurts so bad.

I don't know what your pain tolerance is but id recommend filling the prescription they give you just in case. Whether you take it or otc STAY ON TOP OF IT!! because if not, you're gonna feel the full amount for what seems like forever by the time meds kick in.

Uhm define normal lol it will be a while. Even as your body heals, your hormones are still out of wack. But you get there eventually and it happens

Once your home..do not push it! Focus on you and the baby. Doing more than you should be can prolong healing and possibly extend post partum bleeding.

mommyo3soon2b4

@mythica I as typing while hubby as driving...so if you have any questions I can Answer please feel free to ask. I have a great Dr who told me after my first that I have the right to refuse UN needed meds....otherwise I never would have known.

Mythica

@kayleigh27 @New_Mommie11 @Mrs_shu @mommyo3soon2b4

Thanks ladies for your replies. I do have another (less important) question...

HOW LONG TIL I CAN SLEEP ON MY TUMMY AGAIN?!! I miss it SOO much!

kayleigh27

I didn't feel comfortable to do that til about 5-6 wks afterwards lol so idk. Im sure as soon as you feel better. 3 wks after I had the csection I was almost feeling 100%

mommyo3soon2b4

I'm not a tummy sleeper...so I'm not sure sorry:)

denois

My c sec wasnt planned but i can tell u about after i had it! I felt numb for about 6 hours after the surgery but once i had feeling back i went walkin straight away i had one lot of pain meds straight after but that was all! I was in hospital three days and just made sure i moved around a lot! I was so worried about takin my dressing off my incision as they told me to so it myself in the shower! In the end i made a nurse take it off for me! I felt very tired for about a week after and also quite weak because i had low iron! My advice would be take things at your own pace one you have the surgery dont rush to get back to daily life! I walked about but made sure i rested plenty and i was feelin great after two weeks! They tell you not to do anything for 6 weeks after but do what you feel able to do! Dont over do it because remember it is major surgery! Good luck you will be fine!

denois

I slept on my tummy 3weeks after but have been having serious back ache when i do! Not sure why though

Mythica

@denois Thanks for the advice. But man, that sucks about the back ache! I am a major tummy sleeper, these last few months have been torture!!

denois

I know i found it so hard sleeping on my side and was so excited at the thought of sleeping on my tummy again but mam does it hurt! Hoping the back ache will go away soon!!

Mythica

@denois how long ago did you have your section done?

preggointx

Idk but congrats hun

denois

Exactly 9 weeks ago in 30mins!! Iv been doing all normal things for the past 6 weeks though! Walking, hoovering,driving etc its just the tummy sleeping im still working on though!:-)

Mythica

@denois yikes! but yay, baby!! And it's great that you're doing so well. ^_^ I hope I can recover as quickly! Lord knows my baby girl is gonna need me asap.

Fwee

I had to have an emergency c-section and I was scared. Don't be scared, I know you will be anxious and nervous, but it will all happen very quickly and you will be in recovery before you know it. The pain is not unbearable, but it is kind of intense. I was up walking around on tuesday after they took out my catheter, which, no worries, is not painful at all either. My advice is to just do things very slowly and take deep breaths to help manage the pain. As far as being too doped up to remember anything, you will be fine. They even gave me a generous amount of the spinal and I remember everything. My c-section over all was a great experience. The only downside I had was that I was itchy after spinal, but they gave me nubane for that. I also threw up on the operating table due to the medicines, but that feeling left after about 30 minutes or so. Trust me once you see your little girl you will forget about the pain and do what you need to do when you see your baby. Another tip is that coughing, sneezing, laughing etc HURTS. Try to take it easy when it comes to those things. I put a pillow over my incision and applied light pressure if i needed to sneeze or cough. I felt pretty close to normal pushing towards the end of 2 weeks.

After your c-section, getting into bed will be painful. What I learned in my hospital, the least painful way of getting back into the bed was 1. Sit as far into the middle of the bed with your butt and your legs still on the side of the bed 2. Make sure the bed is raised to a sitting position 3. Lean against the bed with your shoulder and pull up your legs slowly. It eases the use of abominal muscles. Take the pain medicines they offer you, and don't let your pain get ahead of you. Take the medicines as advised and you will be fine.

jess8d

Im having my C-section at 7:30 this weds...
. Im so happy I came across this "Q" my mom had one YEARS ago and I really hate my doctor.... this helped me a lot, nut I have a "Q?"..


I plan on eating a lot of fiber foods the next two days to push out all the poop in me (tmi)..... is this a good idea? Im afraid of not going number 2 for a while...

Do they break my water, will I bleed a lot? What kind of pads do I need?

Damiens_mommy09

@jess8d I had a csection in 09 they don't break your water, and as for bleeding u will bleed down there since u haven't had a period in 9months, pads they should provide some at the hospital but for when u go home Id recommend Always overnight , after my csection I bled A LOT but everyone is different so idk if you'll bleed a lot.. hope this helps

Damiens_mommy09

@jess8d oh for the fiber food idk about that I would call the doctor and ask

jess8d

@Damiens_mommy09 ummm where does ur water go? Do they suck it out.... I thought u bleed after a c-section down there....? Hmmm

mrs_shu

@jess8d honesty I've never thought about what happens to the water until you asked lol ill have to try googling or asking at my next appointment cuz now I'm curious.
As for pads if you can't remember the name @damiens_mommy09 said, remember "dark purple package". They're the size of a life raft but its needed. Also like she said, because you haven't had a period for 9 months, everyone bleeds after giving birth whether its vaginal or csection. As for length of time everyone is different. My first I bled for about 2 weeks and my second for a smidge over a month

Damiens_mommy09

Everything @mrs_shu said
After my csection I bled for almost 2 months but I think the birth control that I was on at the time had something to do with it

misskeribabee

The day of you'll be nervous of course
It really hit me when I went to the OR...it was so cold and bright in there. After I got the spinal I was good. I went in at 8:10 and he was here at 8:23. I went to recovery about 8:45 and since my hubby was in the room with me they let me have the baby after he was done bathing and all that stuff they do right after birth. I was up and walking that night. The next day I showered and was able to move pretty easy. I took Norco for pain every 4 hours on the dot so I know that helped manage and keep my pain under control. I went home 2 days later and stopped taking meds a week after. The pain for me was not that bad...I expected much worse. Its now been 3 weeks and I feel completely normal..I have stopped bleeding and I've lost 35 lbs. already..2 more lbs and I'll be pre prego weight again But you'll be fine, its really not that bad at all!! Good luck hun!

Mythica

@jess8d @Damiens_mommy09 @mrs_shu I used Always Overnights before for my periods.... My sister said Always Infinity is best for postpartum bleeding because they work 10x better. It's a different material, like spongey instead of cottony? I've never used them myself, but they're what I'm going to try. She said that she had all kinds of leaks and spills til she used those, and they kept everything in and under control. Said they were much cleaner.

@misskeribabee Did you do any of the calming meds? And I'm really nervous about being in recovery too long... The NICU is really hands-on (it seems) and I want to be able to go in there as soon as possible... But not at the risk of my own health, you know? lol. I guess I'm paranoid about all my insides falling out through my incision. >_< I know, irrational fear, but still!!!

mrs_shu

@mythica don't forget you don't have to walk to NICU..wheelchairs baby! Lol if you're not a quesy person you can youtube csections. My hubby did that morning of..of course then he felt a little sick

kayleigh27

I bled a lot too. The first time I stood up after my c section I was dripping blood everywhere! But I had a big baby (9lbs 7oz) so my uterus was not clamping down. So they they had to give me some pitocin to help

Damiens_mommy09

@Mythica I've used always infinity before pregnancy and I love them! They do work better than regular pads and are more comfortable but I'm not sure how much I'm goin to bleed this time so I'm goin to stick with the always overnight for the first week and see how much I bleed then il switch to infinity Thx for the tip though

Mythica

@Mrs_Shu Lol! I've seen maaaaaaany c-section videos. I understand the whole procedure. lol. Just like I've seen many vaginal birth videos, too. I was actually one of the weird ones that wanted to film me giving birth vaginally so I could watch it again later. lol. But that's not gonna happen, apparently. xP lol. But I'm still nervous!! Oh, and I didn't even think of the wheelchairs... lol. But Idk how this hospital works very well... just some vague ideas. I know they're a catholic hospital that employs the use of nearby baptist neonatologists whenever possible! lol?

@Kayleigh27 gehhh.... o_O I don't wanna have to use pitocin. >_<

@Damiens_mommy09 I'm glad to get a second opinion on the infinity. Since they're more expensive, I may do what you're doing... use them the first week and see if I need the infinity. lol. Yay for tip exchanging! xD lol

Damiens_mommy09

Lol