What is my point? In some ways you should prepare yourself for a C Section in case it comes to it. A lot of ways that you can do this is not much different than preparing for a vaginal birth. For instance, you should make sure to pack the following items in your hospital bag:
1. Boppy Pillow. This is a life saver after a C Section because it helps you hold the baby off and away from your incision when breast feeding.
2. Comfortable clothes to go home in. This can be a skirt and shirt, high wasted pants and a shirt, etc. Your incision will be in the same general area that the elastic rests on your waist on maternity pants and you definitely don't want anything on your incision, especially when sitting in a car on the way home.
3. Disposable underwear or high wasted underwear. The mesh underwear that the hospital gives you can get stuck on the adhesive that is on your skin around your incision. Ouch! Cotton high wasted underwear is what I prefer because the pads stay put unlike any disposable underwear.
Other ways to be prepared for a C Section even when expecting a vaginal birth:
Have a rocking chair or glider chair. After a C Section you are unable to use your stomach muscles and may not be able to get out of bed by yourself if your bed frame doesn't provide something to grab to pull yourself up. Therefore, this will be a great alternative for sleeping. You'll want a rocking chair that has arm rests and that is not too soft or cushy for support when sitting or when getting up. I have found it very helpful to have one that also comes with a foot rest. My feet and ankles swell a lot after a c section and I put a pillow on the foot rest to elevate my feet. (the swelling is due to all the fluids they give you in the IV and pitocin that they give to you to help your uterus return to size.)
What to Expect During a C Section
1. You will be laying on a table with your arms out stretched and away from you and strapped down to prevent you from moving and to give the anesthesiologist easy/quick access to your arms and IV.
2. They will put a sheet up close in front of you to shield you from seeing what the doctors are doing.
3. You will have an IV in and a catheter and possibly oxygen.
4. You may experience nausea and may even throw up, shake uncontrollably, feel itchy or may have an allergic reaction to anything they use, the anesthesiologist can give you medication to combat these side affects.
5. You should not experience any pain but you will feel tugging, pulling and pressure.
6. The doctor should get your baby out within the first 5 mins and the last 40 minutes will be them finishing the surgery, so expect to hear your baby cry soon after they start.
7. You will be in the recovery room for at least an hour afterward before being taken to your room.
After the C Section and Recovery
Breastfeeding - C Section moms' milk may take a few more days than usual to come in. You should not be concerned about this because your baby should still be getting plenty to eat. But you should seek help from a lactation consultant if you feel it is necessary or that your baby isn't getting enough.
Visitors - Take time to bond with your baby and have visitors come later so that you and your husband have time to bond as a new family and have privacy. You will still have plenty of hospital staff coming in. Also, after waiting about 2 hours (surgery time and time spent in the recovery room) to see or hold your baby for the first time, you need time to enjoy your baby before sharing your baby with friends and family. This will also give you the much needed time to start to heal and get adjusted.
Walking - the hospital staff will have you up and walking soon after. Moving around and walking promotes proper healing. It helps with circulation to prevent blood clots, helps relieve gas (since your digestive system will be struggling), and keeps your bowels functioning, gives you energy and helps you sleep.
Avoid walking up and down stairs - “I try and limit the amount of stairs patients do for the first week, as it can be very difficult for some to go up and down steps,” says Dr. Robert Atlas, an OB-GYN at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “Steps can put quite a bit of pressure and strain to the muscles in the lower abdomen.”
Constipation - The narcotics for pain relief can cause severe constipation and your digestion system will be struggling because of the surgery. Make sure you are well hydrated, eat plenty of fiber, take your stool softeners that your doctor will prescribe and avoid eating foods that create gas such as broccoli, beans, etc.
Pain Medications - Make sure you stay on top of your medications. When I was recovering from my last C Section I was strongly advised to slightly overlap my medications so I won't have pain between the medication wearing off and the next dose kicking in. Also.... make sure you wean yourself off your medication gently. Some of those medications can be a beast to wean yourself off of.
Belly Binder - If you know you are going to have a C Section. Invest in a Belly Binder. Belly binders support your abdomen during healing and helps when coughing, laughing or sneezing. These are also supposed to help you lose the weight faster. I purchased mine from Target.com for approximately $35 (including shipping). It had lots of great reviews and really made a huge difference for me and helped me be more independent without hurting myself. It really provided extra support to my abdomen and I wish I could have had it with my first C Section.Examine your incision often - Its important to look at your incision so that you can recognize any changes that may indicate infection or other problems.
Don't expect the incision to feel "better" as you heal - You will go through phases of pain, numbness, itchiness, soreness, etc even after several years. Plus, within the few weeks you may notice that you feel worse before you start to actually feel better and struggle less to get up and down and experience pain.
Experiencing grief or depression because of failure to birth your baby vaginally. A lot of moms experience depression because they feel less of a mom or feel cheated out of being able to bond with their baby when it is born. Take time to grieve. Don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't be upset about having a c section. Moms that haven't experienced a c section may have the attitude that you had it easy and do not understand the lack of bonding time you experience with your baby, the fact that you probably went through a very long labor, the severe pain you have, the side affects of the surgery, etc. Take time to accept your experiences and that if you have to have c sections, there can be advantages to it and let go of the disadvantages. I like to think I'm a stronger person than before because of the experiences I have endured.
