Originally Posted by
Melbel
I have had 3 planned CS, starting with DS who was quite large (9 lbs, 3 oz., 23 inches and breech). A few things I learned along the way...
- They may strap your arms down in a cross pose. I do not know if it is necessary.
- To deliver DS (my big one) it took significant tugging, pulling and pressure, much more than I expected.
- You tend to get better care if you schedule such that you are in the hospital during the week, not the weekend.
- I did my own prep for shaving (not necessary to shave entire bikini area); it may be worthwhile to ask how much prep is necessary.
- It is wonderful to have hair cut, mani, pedi before the CS.
- It is wonderful to be able to line up childcare for other DC in advance and otherwise prepare DC for the big arrival.
- You can nurse the baby right away.
- It may not be in your best interest to get the catheter out quickly. The night after DD2 was born, I was up the entire time with the sensation of having to pee. Up all night miserable.
- Recovery was not difficult so long as you keep the pain under control (much more difficult to play catch up) and do not try to do too much too soon.
- A planned CS is very well organized w/ very little stress IME.
- CS babies are beautiful w/ nice round heads and no battle wounds which makes for great newbie pix!
Good luck and congratulations!
I've had 3 c/s. The first was emergency, the second were planned. My arms were strapped for the first one but not for the last two. With the second and third ones, the nurses made me promise that I wouldn't try to move my hand past the sterile drape. If they saw me starting to reach down, they said they'd have to strap me down.
I've had an epidural as well as a spinal. You will most likely get a spinal and frankly, I'd take that ANY day over an epidural. The spinal is one shot in the back. It's actually pretty easy- having a tooth filled hurts more and longer! The spinal works nearly immediately and starts to wear off pretty quickly too.
i felt a lot of tugging with my first baby but nearly none during my second and even with the twins! I had told my OB how much tugging and pulling I felt during the first c/s and he said he'd take care of that. Probably talked to the anesthesiologist. I dont' care who he talked to, those last 2 were a breeze!
I was also told not to shave myself because it can more easily lead to an infection. Also, I used a preventative wash on my skin (Hibiclens?) that I got from the pharmacist at Walgreens to help fight bacteria from my skin getting into my incision. I was told to shower with it for 2 days before the operation.
I LOVED the catheter! I was able to relax comfortably in bed without having to pee for the first time in months. It was wonderful. I begged them to leave it in longer but they said I had to start walking. No more vegging for me!
I agree with the others that it really is a stress-free situation. You can line-up adequate childcare before hand, have everything done that ABSOLUTELY needs to be done, and you will have 4 days in the hospital to sleep and work on nursing. A pediatrician comes and checks on your baby daily and the OB checks on you daily. Super-duper care for 4 days. Use that time to SLEEP!!!
I wasn't prepared for how much I'd bleed and for how long. I thought that when you had a c/s they just got all that stuff out on the operating table! I didn't know I"d bleed like a vaginal birth afterwards. silly me. I went through a LOT of thick pads. I think I stopped bleeding red after 3 weeks. I still bled but it turned dark (sorry if TMI but that surprised and frightened me the first time).
Get serious, MIL-type help for the first 7 days out of the hospital. You'll probably be off the pain meds before a week is up at home. But you'll still be forced to take it easy and rest, so get help if possible.
Another thing I learned was that cold drinks and carbonated drinks are NOT good for you after an abdominal operation. Neither is drinking through a straw. The carbonation, and bubbles can give you gas (ouch!), and cold drinks and food can make your bowel contract or tighten up or something like that. Anyway, it's NOT comfortable. Oh, and take some dried fruit or ask for stool softeners right off the bat so that you don't have a hard time passing gas or having a bm. You definitely don't want to get constipated.
Can't think of anything else. It'll be a lot easier than you think, trust me.
" I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mahatma Gandhi
"This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems." Martin Luther King, Jr.