C-section Question

Hi gals. I figured I'd post this here since some of you have gone through this recently. My c-section is scheduled for April 11th and I'm a nervous wreck. I wake up at night worried about the pain. How bad is it...honestly? When do you really start to feel better? My husband is going to stay home with me for one week when I come home and we have lost of stairs in the house, but we set up the pack and play, swing, boucers, and changing table in the living room so when he goes back to work I will just stay on one floor until he gets home. But, when he goes back to work I have no more help, it's all me. Also, when can I go back to driving?

Any tips or advice????

Thanks!

 

The first few days in the hospital getting up and down and turning over in bed was difficult. Take the pain meds and it is doable to get up and around, shower, rock babies, etc. I was in the hospital an extended stay, so I didn't come home until a week after giving birth. I didn't bring the babies home until two days later we brought DD home and then a week later DS. Since I was eased into it, I did ok. A week's worth of help should be good though to get you feeling better.

Honestly, after a week I felt fantastic compared to being pregnant. I remember skipping down to the mail box a couple weeks after giving birth and thinking - OMG I feel like ME again.

 

Hi!
First congratulations you are almost done!
Now... being on the main floor is the smartest move you can make. My doctor told me I could only go up and down the stair a total of three times a day, so I did the same as you and basically lived in the living room for the first month. To be honest some will tell you they were up and moving the a few days afterwards, but for me personally I was in pain but I could move around (granted in very tiny steps). After the first week I could move better but was sore depending on how I moved.

My DH, my Mom and I divided the baby "watching" time in shifts for the first month. DH also went back to work so I did the 11PM to 6AM shift (which was fine since I slept whenever they slept), if you have help they can do the morning shift (6AM to 11AM) and you can get a good solid 4 hours of sleep while someone else tends to your little ones. After that you can be awake to the babies (and maybe a little less cranky). When DH came home he would do the majority of the evening shift while I was more of the "support person" and my Mom would cook and clean after the day. And then we'd start the schedule all over again.

The driving part.... I couldn't drive for 6 weeks per the doctor. But I really didn't want to anyway because the car seats were heavy and it wasn't worth it (they were born in November and it was BRRR cold!)

Hope this helps.

Ann

 

i drove after two weeks... know your own limits and know when to slow down and rest. Also the best advice i have is get off the pain meds quickly. I quit taking mine before i left the hospital and only took Motrin 800 home with me. They wanted to push them onto me but i needed to go home with a clear head. It all worked out fine for me...Pain? Once i was up and about i was fine. I had to be on the mag drip and that kicked my butt i wont lie. It was hard because i did not get out of bed for like 48 hours and that made me sore but you will be up within 24 hours and it is eaiser on your body. By the third day i was fine. I had some low numbers on blood work and tired easy. However i left with them 4 days after i had them and i never had help at home (me and dh only). We did just fine and thank goodness we had great babies and i simply kept my emotions in check and just was so familiar with what i might go through. I expected the worse and really i feel like i came out of it all great. It was nothing like i imagined... At all... it was so much easier to me... and being a mom to twins has been so much eaiser than i ever imagined... Keep your head up it will all be fine and you will do great.

 

I too was very worried about it all. I was terrified actually. I was imagining not sleeping at all for a couple days before. We ended up have a semi-emergency c-section and it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The spinal was a little painful, but not as bad as I had imagined. The recovery was a zillion times easier than I thought. My surgery was at 4pm and at 8am the next morning I was up to go to the bathroom and shower. That shower felt so good. 42 hours after the C-section I waddled up to the 6th floor (from the 3rd) and took a picture of the babies to show the ladies in my Peri's office. On day 3 I wanted to go home so badly.

The biggest discomfort for me was getting in and out of bed. I could not sleep without an incline and I was worried as I did not have a bed that would incline at home. It turns out I did ok. The first couple nights home DH let me sleep all night and he cared for the babies. (We came home on a Saturday) On the Monday he went back to work and I survived just fine. Getting up and down was still hard but not awful.

That same Monday I had my 27 staples taken out and the kids went to the peds. Turns out the PED was on mat leave and we couldnt see her. The next day I found a new ped and made an appointment for Wednesday. I drove to that appointment. I was 1 week post-partum.

I took percocet in the hospital for 2 days and then just ibuprofen which they made me take to keep the swelling down. I did not need it for pain.


I have talked to others who think it was awful though.

My best friend labored and pushed for close to 24 hours. She ended up with a section and she said she never wants to labor again.



CONGRATS!

 

I had a c-section I hadn't planned for. And it really wasn't bad at all! Seriously, I wanted to avoid a c-section all pregnancy (I still would have liked to, but it was the best thing in my situation), and even with not wanting it that badly, it still wasn't bad (I don't know if that makes sense). It was quick, I didn't feel a thing, and the recovery wasn't bad at all. It didn't seem like it would have been any better/any worse in my case just having a vaginal delivery, it was just different.

One of the worst things for me was a bad reaction I had to percoset, and nobody in the hospital figured it out (they kept telling me it was hormones). It was a nurse friend of mine who helped out in the first couple weeks who put two and two together. I basically stopped sleeping when I was taking it, sleeping only for 30 seconds to five minutes at a time, and I got to the point where I was so tired I was almost hallucinating. Once she figured that out, I stopped taking it cold turkey, and did fine just on Ibuprofen. Like someone else said, I felt so much better after the c-section just not being pregnant. But whatever meds you're on afterwards, do take the pain medications before you're in much pain so that it doesn't hit a downward cycle.

Do try to have help in the first couple of weeks. It was frustrating not being able to pick up or carry more than one baby. We have stairs in the house, and it helped so much to have my DH or someone who was staying with me take babies down in the morning, and their car seats (which otherwise would have taken four trips up and down stairs, not cool). If you can stay on the main floor, that's terrific.

Seriously, it wasn't bad! There are some books out there on preparing for a c-section, if information would help calm your fears (I was always geeky like that--the more I knew, for the most part, the better I felt).

 

Mine was no big deal. And I'm a big friggin' baby when it comes to pain. I went home a day early (at my request) and did fine. I also have lots of stairs, but made it a point not to climb them two much. However, by the second week home, I was carrying laundry up and down the stairs like old times.

Seriously, like a pp said, the recovery was easier than the last few weeks of pregnancy.

 

QUOTE(amyjoy3 @ Mar 25 2008, 09:57 AM) [snapback]685934[/snapback]
Hi gals. I figured I'd post this here since some of you have gone through this recently. My c-section is scheduled for April 11th and I'm a nervous wreck. I wake up at night worried about the pain. How bad is it...honestly? When do you really start to feel better? My husband is going to stay home with me for one week when I come home and we have lost of stairs in the house, but we set up the pack and play, swing, boucers, and changing table in the living room so when he goes back to work I will just stay on one floor until he gets home. But, when he goes back to work I have no more help, it's all me. Also, when can I go back to driving?

Any tips or advice????

Thanks!


It's really not that bad. They give you wonderful meds! And honestly, even immediately post-surgery I felt so much better than I did when pregnant. By a week after, I still had pain but again felt so much better than when pregnant! When they gave me the epidural I realized it was the first time in months that I had not been in pain, and even though there is post-surgery pain, I felt better. I would say that two weeks out is when you really start to feel back to normal. My doctor told me no driving for two weeks - really it's when you are capable of slamming on the brakes, which I would have been after a week. I was really scared too, and the anticipation was a lot worse than the surgery.

 

I agree with the pp- I thought it was much easier than I thought it would be. My first day was hard- I was so sore, more from the doc having to push on my belly to get the babies out than the incision (the girls were laying in funny positions and he had trouble getting baby "a" out). I never really had much pain in my incision- and that area is still pretty numb to this day. By the time I left the hospital I felt pretty normal again. And was doing fine when I got home as far as pain goes. I don't have steps or anything so I don't know how that will go. I too only too motrin for pain, not the pain pills, after I left the hospital- and mine was more for the soreness that was left over in my hips and back than anything.
I think taking your pain meds pretty routinely the first 2 days or so is not a bad idea. And I think you are smart to have all of your things in your living room for the first little bit.
I think the thing that helped me most post op was the abdominal binder they put on. Also get up soon after, as soon as they will let you. I was up within 7 hours of having them- all because they were in the nursery and couldn't come out- and I wanted to go see them- and that was the only way I could! And take some sort of stool softeners!
Good luck, I am sure it will all go well- and you will soon be holding your precious babies!

 

Hi there, I found that with the Csection it just wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be.

I had a spinal...which I recommend over the epidural. I delivered the boys at 5:20 and 5:22 pm. I was in my room by 6:45 pm and was in the NICU by 10 pm....I was transferring from my bed to a wheelchair...and walking some too! by 6 am I had ditched the wheelchair and was WALKING! I was so miserable at the end of my pregnancy it felt great to walk!

I was released to drive at 2 weeks.

Good luck and you are going to do great!!!

 

Sounds like everyone has pretty much said it all. The C-section wasn't bad at all. The worse part for me was trying to get the IV in. I was poked 5 different times! The spinal was no big deal and I didn't even feel it. I had my girls at 8:00 and 8:01 in the morning and was back to my room by 9:30. I didn't get up until the next day and I wont sugar coat it....It really hurt, but the more you move the better you will feel. I kept up on the pain meds to stay ahead of the pain. I felt more like myself by the second week. Congratulations on your twins and don't worry yourself over the c-section. You will do just fine.

 

I agree, it wasn't that bad, but 2 things of advice.....
1. be careful when you do get out of bed for a shower (I fainted 2x, luckily DH was in there w/ me)
2. w/ a c-section, you don't have to massage your uterus ( I had a new nurse that told me this and it cost me an extra day in the hosp w/ major pain meds)
- Good luck !!!

 

I had a repeat c-section for the twins. The nights before my scheduled date I would keep myself up thinking about it. I wont lie- its no picnic. But if you just try not to think about it and go one day at a time, and think in the back of your head "this too will pass" and before you know it you will be home and feeling normal. The hard part for me was after the spinal, laying on my back getting prepped for surgery. I felt like I couldnt breathe. The anesthiologist offered me oxygen and that helped. So ask for it if they dont offer it. The pumps they put on your legs to prevent bloodclots, were annoying, itchy and completly brused me. But if you get out of bed the next day, they take those off. I didnt take a shower till day 3, but wish I treid earlier as after I felt so much better. As for the meds, I tried to take less but realized how much better I was if I just took them every few hours that was allowed. I cam home after 3 nights and was driving by 1 week. You will be fine, but its good to know what to expect and remember if all goes well by a week you should be pretty mobile. good luck!

 

Thanks everyone. Your thoughts and words of advice are encouraging. I'm sure this is different than any other surgery because the outcome is going to be wonderful. I have a high tolerance for pain, I'm just overall worried, I guess. I mean...no one likes surgery! But, I do feel better reading everyone's thoughts.

 

QUOTE(amyjoy3 @ Mar 25 2008, 01:19 PM) [snapback]686388[/snapback]
Thanks everyone. Your thoughts and words of advice are encouraging. I'm sure this is different than any other surgery because the outcome is going to be wonderful. I have a high tolerance for pain, I'm just overall worried, I guess. I mean...no one likes surgery! But, I do feel better reading everyone's thoughts.


My recovery was complicated by a staph infection in my incision but the hardest part for me was getting out of bed. I slept on the sofa for a few weeks so I didn't have to use my muscles as much to get into a sitting position. Also I wore bicycling shorts which offered some support for my stomach muscles. The shorts helped keep things in place when I was up walking around. My dr cleared me to drive after 2.5 weeks as long as I promised I was comfortable slamming on the brakes/stopping short. My babies were in the NICU and my dh went back to work as soon as I was released so my dr understood my need to drive ASAP.

Good luck!

Christy

 

The hardest part for me was getting in and out of bed, or going from a sitting to a standing position or vice versa. Once I was up I was fine, or once I was down I was fine.

My best advice... take your pain meds on time. It's easy to forget when you have two little babies to care for, but by the time it starts to hurt, it is too late. I mean, of course you can still take your meds then -- but it takes a while to take effect and in the meantime, you are in pain. If I took my meds on time it was mostly very manageable.

 

Sounds like you've gotten some very good advice already. For me the important thing was to take the pain meds on a schedule, not when you really need them. Oh, and I don't know what gender your babies are, but if one of them pees as dh is changing a diaper, don't laugh. No matter how funny it is. It hurts!

 

Great advice I can only add that I was allergic to morphine and it caused me to itch and itch and itch. So much so I was bleeding in places. I think it's quite a common side effect and you can ask for antihistamine's to stop this. If a friend hadn't mentioned this I wouldn't have known to ask.

And it's so important to keep on top of the pain med's - makes recovery so much easier.

 

I was really worried too - I started crying and actually threw up from nerves when I found out I was having a C-Section because I had a vaginal the first time. I was worried when people talked about feeling "pressure" during the procedure...I didn't feel a thing! I had so many drugs in my IV - I was feeling no pain! Afterwards wasn't too bad either - I had more than enough pain meds to get through it. The worst part was the allergic reaction I had from the stuff they put on you before they start to cut; I had a rash for weeks!

I know how you feel - but you'll be fine!

 

QUOTE(rrodman @ Mar 25 2008, 10:00 AM) [snapback]686035[/snapback]
It's really not that bad. They give you wonderful meds! And honestly, even immediately post-surgery I felt so much better than I did when pregnant. By a week after, I still had pain but again felt so much better than when pregnant! When they gave me the epidural I realized it was the first time in months that I had not been in pain, and even though there is post-surgery pain, I felt better.


Exactly how I felt! The anticipation was the worst part. I cried on the way to the OR. The spinal was not bad at all, just a little sting. I did get referred pain in my shoulder that was excruciating from all the pushing and pulling but the anesthesiologist took care of it right away. It is a strange sensation b/c you don't feel pain but you can feel pressure and pushing around. I was puking for the rest of the day, but it wasn't too bad b/c I would only feel sick for a minute before throwing up and then I felt fine. The worst parts were things that I wasn't expecting, like the pressure cuffs I had to wear on my legs all night, the supplemental oxygen I needed for the first 24 hours, the severe gas pains I had, the magnesium I needed for high BP. The surgery itself wasn't nearly as bad as I thought but these other things caught me off guard.
Immediately after the surgery I felt sooooo comfortable. It was amazing. And I was very sleepy but didn't feel loopy. A big mistake I made was the next day I was so afraid to get out of bed that I kept putting it off. Finally I had to pee so badly that I had to get up, but by then my bladder was overly full and I could barely get a few drops out! They ended up having to catheterize me again b/c my bladder just wouldn't contract. So after that I had to make sure and get up as soon as I thought I might have to go. The pain wasn't too bad, just had to move slowly.
We also have stairs and we set up camp downstairs during the day. I could go up and down the stairs a lot easier than when I was pg. I kept taking the pain meds for about 10 days b/c without them I was pretty miserable but with them I was great. The only trouble I had was having to do things that required me to stand for a while, like changing a diaper, putting the babies in or out of the bassinet, or cooking. But again it wasn't that bad. My MIL came over every morning at 7 so I could sleep for 3 hours, then helped me with cooking or cleaning throughout the day. She's fantastic. I was still sore on day 10 but suddenly on day 11 I felt almost completely normal. I don't think I drove until 4 weeks, but then I really didn't need to.

Good luck! And don't worry too much. It really wasn't a bad experience.

Jen

 

I had a singleton c- section (and plan on having a c-section with the twins even though they are both head down) and I know everyone is different, but I just wanted to tell you that mine was so NOT painful, I didn’t even take Tylenol… now, I am not above meds and if I feel like I need them I will take them… it just simply didn’t hurt… just thought I would share

 

The only bad thing about my recovery from my c-section (with one baby, haven't tried it with twins yet) was the spinal headache. So if you have an awful, awful headache--tell them! They can do something about it. I wound up getting a spinal patch (caffeine drip didn't do anything but keep me awake) and it made all the difference in the world. But I didn't even know it was a possible side effect and thought it was just from lying around too much.

 

The c-section itself wasn't to bad...like pp said make sure you walk around ASAP, the first time you get up is painful. I had alot of pain from where they pushed my daughter out, she was stuck under my hip and my whole left side of my body ached for weeks after the surgery. My hip and left side of my body actually hurt worse then the incision. The morphine also made me itch really bad, especially my face. I drove 2 weeks after I had them, and I felt pretty good most of the time (your body will let you know when to stop pushing yourself). The worst thing now is that some areas are numb still by the incision, and the nerves are healing and sometimes I get a pinchy feeling. I was petrified of a c-section and it wasn't that bad.....good luck!!

 

QUOTE(amyjoy3 @ Mar 26 2008, 12:57 AM) [snapback]685934[/snapback]
Hi gals. I figured I'd post this here since some of you have gone through this recently. My c-section is scheduled for April 11th and I'm a nervous wreck. I wake up at night worried about the pain. How bad is it...honestly? When do you really start to feel better? My husband is going to stay home with me for one week when I come home and we have lost of stairs in the house, but we set up the pack and play, swing, boucers, and changing table in the living room so when he goes back to work I will just stay on one floor until he gets home. But, when he goes back to work I have no more help, it's all me. Also, when can I go back to driving?

Any tips or advice????

Thanks!


Hi, Congratulations your almost there.
I felt great after day two of surgery and felt significantly better on day 3, then better again on day 4 etc etc. It really depends on the person, but I too felt great after day 2 and was walking around without a problem.I would do it again in a heartbeat.