c-section mama's--What do I need and what to expect?

[Lrobins]

I found out today that I'm definitly having a c-section. I'm scheduled for Aug. 29th which will be 39 weeks (ish). Two questions...

1. How long did it take you from NOT being thinned or dialated to being one/both?

2. Actually my real question...What did you have or wished you had to make your recovery easier? What kind of pain meds did you get? Did they work? Should I purchase C-section underware? How soon where you able to B/F after your C/S?

I'm always much better if I know what to expect...or at least as much as possible. Thanks for the support!

[ibbtwins91101]

I think you will definitely need briefs for underwear for a while. I had not even given this any thought and my hipsters hit right were my incision was! Ouch! As far as drugs? I think it depends on your body. The percaset (sp?) while it is in your system makes it almost painless but you are so out of it you can't take care of the babies (at least that is how I was) I wasn't offered anything else except a lot of Motrin so I ended up just taking that and going slow. Take the Dr seriously when they say to take an easy when you go home and not to lift things like the laundry~you will pay for it later and stairs are a killer. But it is only really hard for the first 2-3 weeks and those go by pretty fast! Best wishes!

[beths]

The pain meds work just fine. Keep taking them around the clock for the first few days. Don't wait until the pain comes to take them or they never really are as effective. You will be able to breastfeed within a couple of hours after delivery. The hardest part is getting on/off the toilet those first two weeks and also laughing (as I did when my newborn peed in his two grandmothers faces as they were trying to change his diaper together just after arriving home!)

You will be so high on adrenaline and excited about your babies that you will do just fine.

Good luck, my section will be about a month after yours!

[Media]

linda I will try to post a response to you later (dead tired!!)-but I did post something about this on the bedrest support thread a week or so after my own c/s--so around 7/16/03???

I nursed within an hour of coming out of the OR!

Keep up w/ pain meds--nurses won't always bring it to you--keep a chart of your meds on the whiteboard in yr room along with your babies' feed/poo/pee chart--that way you'll know when to ask for meds.

I got really constipated... it's to be expected post surgery, but it lasted for me several days once I was home. They gave me milk ofmagnesia when I left, but it didn't work. I took colace and metamucil, ate all kinds of fruit etc. So I would be aggressive abt having them give you stuff to get things moving earlier in the game (it was really not comfortable!)

re: underwear: I just used the hospital underwear and took a bunch home with me. Call me crazy but I love them...

Day of and after surgery were the worst. TAKE IT EASY.

Once you have your catheter out, make sure you empty your bladder regularly... one night we slept a few hours and when I woke up to pee, my bladder was so not used to being distended at all (having had the mini bladder of twin pregnancy for so long) that it REALLY hurt. So pee often!

don't be surprised if surgery makes you retain water; after losing some fluid retention from not being pregnant anymore, I lost my ankles AGAIN b/c of the surgery and it didn't go away for like a week.

the nitty gritty!

otherwise, everythign went fine with me.

good luck!!! You'll do great.

[Lrobins]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm looking for the straight-up nitty-gritty advice and wisdom!!! So I really appreciate the responses. My pain control plan is Demeral and in the beginning I will have a PCA pump (so I can release meds when I feel pain).

So much to think about....so little brain cells to work with these days :o

[oneplusII]

You will be just fine. Just remember to ask for the pain meds when you need them and take them at home. Sometimes I felt like I was feeling better and would do more things, and I regretted that. So remember to take it very easy those first few weeks.

Take care!

[Momma to 3 Wonderful Boys]

Linda, you've already gotten a lot of answers, but I'll throw mine in there too. Having a c section was my biggest fear, but then by the end I didn't care how they came out as long as they were both the same way. Oh well, things don't always work like that, I had one each way! The c section was an emergency, so I was put under general anesthesia, but I'm sure recovery is about the same. Like Media, I also used the hospital underwear for a good week after going home. Then I switched to my maternity underwear and that worked fine. For some reason, I still had quite a bit of pain with percocet so they gave me darvocet and it worked fine. Strange though because a nurse told me percocet is stronger. You will probably be given duramorph at first which is awesome for pain- it lasts 24 hours, but a side effect is it can make your face itchy. I was so so so itchy. They can give you benadryl for that, so if you are itchy, let them know. Like others said, don't wait until you are in pain before taking meds. They take 20-30 minutes to take affect and you don't want to have them wear off on you. Media also brought up a good point about keeping your bladder empty. Even if you don't feel like you need to go after they remove the catheter, try. The nurse told me to try to go every 2-3 hours. When getting up at first, it helps if you hold a pillow over your incision. Also, try hard not to laugh. My brother came in to visit me and he was cracking me up but it hurt so bad. I told him he had to stop making me laugh or he'd have to leave! :) My recovery went very well. I actually felt better after a c section and vaginal delivery with episiotomy than after my first son because I had a level 4 episiotomy with him. I walked funny for weeks! :D

[Burkstwins]

The more you walk after the surgery the quicker the recovery. Don't over do but get up and take short walks around the nurses station. I did this with my second section and it was much less painful. The more still you are the more sore you are.

[Laurie13]

I LOVED the catheter! I was so sad when they took it out the second day and worried it would hurt but it didn't. I too was really itchy from the surgery but the meds helped that. I never knew ahead about that. I didn't like the undies, brought my own big pregnancy ones and I also hated the hospital pads after the first day, too bulky. I brought my own with wings and they were much better. I also had really bad swelling in my lower legs afterwards and my toes. It took a week to go away. I loved having my own robe to wear and my own gowns and slippers. Much nicer especially since I had to trek across the hospital to the NICU. And what everyone says about getting up and moving is right. The more you move the better. Good luck!

[2boys2girls]

DEFINITELY request that they use Duramorph! It was wonderful!! Yes, it did make me itchy, too, but I would much rather have the itching than the pain!!

Also, make sure that you get up and move around as much as possible. The quicker and better you are up and moving around, the better. The worst thing to get is gas pains from not moving around. They are way worse than the actual incision pain.

[expecting2]

I agree with everything said here! I was in the hospital, on magnesium (ICK!) for a few days before my water broke so I had a bit of a hard time when it came to moving around-I have no idea how those of you that were on bedrest for so long did it! I also brought my maternity undies-worked great! A couple things I wish I had were my own robe and slippers cause I too had to walk to NICU to see my babies. I also wish I had taken some snacks. I would get pretty hungry before meals, especially when I was used to eating dinner around 6 or 7 and they give it to you at 5-I would wake up at 3am starving!!! I was given Vicotin for the pain and Motrin for the inflamation which helped with the cramping (uterus going down). I have to agree to keep up with the meds. I hate any type of pain killer aside from Tylenol or Advil so I didn't want to keep taking it but realized it was for my own good. It helped get me moving around also. That is all I can think of right now...hope this helps!

[Babies4Willis]

This will be my first c-section (my first two were quick unmedicated births).

I was wondering if there's any affect to breastmilk with the pain meds?

Also, I'm scared to death of an epidural. Did anyone have problems? Who did an epidural, spinal, general anesthetic. Which one is better? Did anyone have any long lasting effects from the spinal or epidural? I have scoliosis (spine curvature). I heard that this can cause problems administering the spinal/epidural. Has anyone experienced this?

Sorry for all the questions. I figured with the c-section subject, I'd throw out these questions too.

[Media]

Sherry

They won't give you anything that will affect the babies thru the breast milk. Voice your concern tho and they will reassure you. Pain meds post op are the same. I was on percoset and supercharged advil. Percoset is even ok during pregnancy, provided it is necessary.

Re: curve of spine--apparently, I have a slight curvature of spine, which sounds vaguely familiar from jr high school, and I haven't thought abt since then until the anesthesiologist for my c/s said so! IT made it more difficult for them to do what they needed to do to administer the meds. They kept asking me to "arch your back like a cat--more; more". And being 37w4d pregnant with twins, I found this to be a hateful request! (esp since they also required me to do this back arching with my knees together under my belly).

The anesthesiologist and his resident went off to whisper about the implications for a curved spine and doing the spinal block. I thought about trying to eavesdrop but then decided I didn't need the distraction from the impending birth of my babies!!

So yes, I think it is an issue, but if you indicate it ahead of time maybe they can work with it. And my experience doesn't indicate whether or not a more severe curvature would be more problematic or not.

Sorry not to be more helpful--if you get info from your doc I'd be interested in hearing it!

[zel+two]

I'd mostly echo what has already been said...

First and second day are by far the worst. The first time they get you up out of bed is very miserable and scary to think you are going to have to take care of two babies feeling like this. The good part is that within another day or so you begin to feel much, much better. I think moving around as much as possible at first is also important to speed recovery. Be sure and bring slippers and a robe so you feel comfortable taking laps around the hospital floor. I had demerol on a PCA pump the first day post-surgery and then percoset. I was glad when they took away the demerol. True, it was great for the pain, but I was in a fog and couldn't enjoy my babies or visitors. After about the first week, I felt much better and by three weeks very close to back to normal. I'm now a little over 4 weeks and still tire easily, but have not pain issues at all anymore.

Sherry, Can't tell you anything about the spinal curvature issue, but I had a spinal for the c/s and it was really quite easy. I did jump a bit when he stuck the needle in for the local anesthetic before the spinal needle, but that was mostly because he didn't warn me when he was going to stick me. The curling up thing was a challenge as Media said, but I had a nurse holding on to my shoulders and encouraging me, so it wasn't too bad. Helped too that it was a scheduled c/s, so I wasn't having any contrax.

[expecting2]

I had the epidural with my first (vaginal) and a spinal with my twins (emergency c-section). The biggest difference that I noticed is the spinal is MUCH quicker to kick in. My legs were numb before I layed back! With the epidural you have to lay on your side for it to kick in and I still felt the pressure of the contractions-no pain though, and with the spinal I felt nothing. They did a great jpb with my spinal as well-and did warn me about the poke for the local anesthetic thank god! Both worked great for me for the types of deliveries I had. Good luck to you!!

[WendyL]

I had a spinal and had no problems, I didn't even feel the needle going in. I also had a GREAT anaesthetist who talked me through the experience, said your mouth may feel dry now, you may feel a little short of breath but you're not, & this & that and it was so reassuring. I too was terrified of having it done but once it got started & the first baby was out, I didn't have another thought about it. We were actually joking with my OB while he was stitching me up! I really wouldn't be worried if I had to do it again.

Do remember to take your pain meds regularly, that was my problem. I was feeling good so I fell behind and I did pay for it for a few hours. And it may be good to get up & move around, but don't over do it as well.

And laughing kills! I have very fond memories of being in the special care nursery with a few other C-section moms, all of us laughing and holding onto our incisions & trying not to laugh at the same time. It was very funny!

Good luck!
Wendy