C Section ?

So Im having my C Section 2 weeks and 6 days from now..... SOOO CLOSE. I just have a few questions.

1) How long are you in recovery?
2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all?
3) When do you start to breastfeed them?
4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied?
5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs??

Im sorry Im like really clueless and my mom had a c section but it was soooooo long ago that anything she told me would be pretty much outta date. Its just that I really wanna hold my babies and see them before my in laws come in ..... Im not really worried so much about my parents .... had a BAD experience when I had my daughter.....LONG story.... But I really want to get to hold them and have my daughter get somewhat adjusted before they bumbard us. I really want her to see them before anyone else. ANY advice would be appreciated! Thanks sooo much girls!

 

1) Time in recovery varies. I needed to be able to wiggle my toes before they moved me to my room. I believe it was under an hour each time.

2) I highly suggest that you talk to the hospital where you are delivering next week to find out their policy. I plan to follow the same procedure with the twins as last time. I requested that my daughter not be bathed or receive eyedrops until I had a chance to hold and nurse her. There is a scent on their skin when they are born that triggers a nursing reflex. It is super cool to see it in action. They wiped her clean, she just wasn't bathed. She was brought to the nursery to be kept warm while the finished sewing me up, but as soon as I was in recovery she came to me and we nursed.

3) I breastfeed in recovery last time and plan to do the same again. In fact, my husband and my doula are each assigned a twin and their job is to get those babies to me ASAP so I can nurse. This may sound crazy, but I didn't nurse my first in recovery and we had all sort of problems, I nursed my second w/in an hour of birth and she nursed like a champ from the beginning.

4) I have no idea about having your tubes tied, but I do know that the first section is pretty quick because they don't have to remove the old scars.

5) Things I wish I had known before my first:
- Take your meds on schedule around the clock for the first few days - it is easier to stay painfree than it is to catch up once you are in pain
- Make sure your OB writes a prescription for gas-x or the equivilent - if this is a problem you don't want to wait for them to track him/her down
- Get out of bed as soon as possible and then walk as much as you can. At first it's painful, but the more you move the quicker you will feel better. This will also
help with the gas issues
- When you get out of bed or a chair, put a pillow across your lap and press against the incision site. It will make it a lot less painful to get up and down.

I'll come back if I think of more. All in all, I was terrified of my first c-section and in the end it really wasn't a bad experience. The discomfort passed very quickly and I was able to leave the hospital a day early and stop most pain meds in under a week.


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Hi there!

We have a great sticky HERE that covers a ton of things regarding having a c-section I think you will find it reallllly helpful :good:

My C-section took less than an hour from beginning to end ~ and they did clean up the babies while I was being sewn up. Luckily my girls were big enough & doing well enough (37.5 weeks) so they were wheeled to my room along with me

Good luck!!

 

1) How long are you in recovery?
I was in recovery for about 45 minutes for both of my c-sections. The first c-section I had I slept through most of recovery (I had been in 24 hours of intense labor and it turned into an emergency c-section). The 2nd I was awake the entire time (for the twins) and it seemed to take forever, I just wanted to get to my room and hold my babies!

2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all?
With both my c-sections my dh was by my side and when the baby/babies were born they checked them out then I got to see them and then they took my ds away because he had some liqued in his lungs and needed to be suctioned. My dd was able to spend a good amount of time with me in the or with my dh. Then my dh and babies left while they closed me up and went to recovery. My dh was with them the entire time and my oldest ds met them in the hall on the way to the nursery. He wasn't able to go into the nursery but he did get to see it all through the window. My dh was in there while they did all the bathing and shots and stuff. I had my best friend be there so she could take pictures! When I was being wheeled into my room the babies were already done and my husband and mil were holding the babies. So I think if I were you I would talk to a nurse about them keeping them in the nursery until YOU get out of surgery and are able to be there.

3) When do you start to breastfeed them?
I wasn't able to bf for at least an hour because I was throwing up from the spinal. I did nurse once it wore off...

4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied?
I have no idea-- however I"m having my tubes tied this c-section and the doctor said it shouldn't take long at all, maybe another 5 minutes.

5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs??
It's cold in the room so wear socks. They say no make-up but it's nice to have chapstick. Also I was told no food or drinks but my dear friend was one of my OR nurses and she said that you can have one of those listerine strip things, those really thin breath mints that just melt in your mouth. That was really nice to have! I was able to bring my camera in to the or and my VERY BEST pictures were taken by my Anesthesiologiest, you might want to ask if they're willing to take pictures.


I'm sure everything will go great! No matter how many times you go through it, it's still nerve racking so know that you're not alone! Good luck!

 

For me it was no longer than vaginal delivery--as far as moving into a room. I had to be sewn up for vaginal, so I really didn't notice any difference in time. I was in a room fairly quickly considering I had just had major surgery.

While I was being taken care of the babies were taken to the nursery and washed down and checked over--they were a month early so precautions were taken. I asked my husband (who was able to watch them being taken care of in the nursery) and he said within an hour or so we had them in the room with us.

I immediately breastfeed as soon as I got them--so within an hour or so after having them.

I didn't have my tubes tied, but I remember my OB telling me it would take about a half hour or so to do the procedure (I thought about doing that but decided against it and instead had an IUD put in after a few months and hubby got the big V)

Don't skip on the meds. I didn't want anything strong, so my OB gave me a script that was a little stronger than an Aleve and it worked great and did not make me sleepy. Hold a pillow over your incision when coughing or laughing or sneezing because it does hurt. Get up and walk as soon as you can and don't overload on drinks until you can urinate (made that bad decision and it was painful!!).

Good Luck!!

 

Thanks for all the advice girls!

 

DD #1 and DD #2 were vaginal, so I was not happy about a C-section for the twins.
But it was best for them and I cannot ever regret it.
So!
Nurse them as soon as you can. I nursed one in delivery and would have nursed the other there, but the first one would not quit and I did not know yet how to tandem nurse. The other nursed as soon as I got in my recovery room. Be sure your Ped,your nurse and your DH know that nursing them quick is MOST IMPORTANT!

I would recommend having a third or even fourth person designated at the hospital so after the c-section one person can stay with you and one with EACH baby. That probably means watching through the window- but you will feel better knowing someone is watching them all the time till they can get to you. Have them keep a paper and pencil and camera to take down lots of photos and weights and times and details and pictures!!!

Yes, move the soonest you can. DH practically carried me to take my first shower. It got easier after that.

c-sections are not that bad. All that matters is healthy babies. THERE IS NO PRICE ON THOSE!!!!!

 

I've had 2 C-sections so far....I'm scheduled to have another on Feb. 19th for the twins. I think the experience will basically be the same but I do anticipate some differences...here's what it was like before:


1) How long are you in recovery? I think around a couple of hours...it's kind of a blur!

2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all? They held the baby up for me to see quickly right after they took her out and then brought her to get cleaned up right in the same room. Once they got her all wrapped up they brought her over by my head so I could see her for a couple of minutes while they were sewing me up..at that point they brought her into the recovery room...where I met back up with her..not long at all. This part I anticipate to be different with the twins though...I've been told that I might not see them in the O.R....they bring them directly into the other room to get checked out by the neonatologist, etc. So I might not get to see them until I go into the recovery room.

3) When do you start to breastfeed them? I nursed right in the recovery room, pretty soon after I got in there. Hope to do the same with my twins.

4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied? don't know about this one

5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs?? I would say the most important thing is to ask the nurses how to go about getting your pain meds...."Do I need to ask each time for pain meds?" "Should I keep track of what time I am due for my pain meds?" "Can I get shots instead of pills for the first day or so?" For my first C-section I was under the impression that they would just bring them to me...but I found out that if I didn't ask....it didn't necessarily happen...I got my first dose late on the day after my C-section and then I just felt AWFUL for a couple of days...it really took a while to get back on top of the pain. It was not a good experience. However, on my second C-section... I kept track of everything better and asked each time I was due...I took advantage of the options available to me....fairly strong stuff for the first day or two before switching over to just pills. PLUS, I got up and out of bed a lot sooner with my second and that helped a lot....taking little walks....shifting side to side in bed a bit....all of this helped the recovery to go a lot better.

Like I said, I're sure it will be different for me this time with twins but there will be some similarities. Good luck!!!! You will do great!!!!

shannon

 

Thanks for posting the question and all the great replies. We are back and forth on having a c section, Dr said as long as bigger baby is head down, but then someone said something about the bigger baby had to be the bottom one to push them out. Anyway Im trying to mentally prepare myself becuase I HATE hospitals, I have a seroius control freak problem in situations like that. My BF is trying to calm me though it doesnt really help.

 

How much longer will you be in the hospital with a C Section??? Or is it like a normal 2-3 day stay?

 

QUOTE(~*~Danyellerz~*~ @ Jan 18 2009, 10:31 AM) [snapback]1151827[/snapback]
How much longer will you be in the hospital with a C Section??? Or is it like a normal 2-3 day stay?


I had my boys at 1 in the morning on Sunday and went home Wednesday. I had an emergency c-section.

 

I think it's usually 4 days.

shannon

 

I just had a c-section last week, and I still can't believe how easy it was! It was an emergency section, after discovering via ultrasound that my baby A had barely any amniotic fluid - from ultrasound to delivery, it was a whirlwind 3 hours total!

1) I wasn't really in "recovery" at all. After they finished sewing me up, they took me and my baby B back to my hospital room together (ETA my baby A had to go to the NICU)
2) They brought each of my girls to me to snuggle and touch for a moment before they cleaned them up... so I got to see them all covered in vernix and see them before they had ointment in their eyes. Then they took them and cleaned them up.
3) I started to breastfeed right when I got back to my hospital room... within 1/2 hour of the c-section.
4) Not sure; didn't have mine tied
5) The best thing I can say is don't be scared of the section. I was planning a vaginal birth, but that day, aside from finding A had no fluid left, we also discovered that B had turned breech and was a pound larger than A. We opted for the c-section so I would be fresh for the surgery, and not exhausted by trying to go through labor first. I had a spinal, it didn't hurt AT ALL! I had no spinal headaches, no shaking, and only slight nausea (which I told them about and they gave me anti-nausea medication and it went away). The whole thing took about 40 min start to finish, and thank God both babies were healthy and my doc did a great job sewing me up. The staples didn't hurt being taken out (be sure you have them removed at about 48 hours, though) and I was feeling completely back to normal within about 4 days. Now, at nearly 3 weeks postpartum, my skin is still tender, but I have no pains, nothing. Except when I laugh really hard, or sneeze - then it pulls, but not bad.

I hope you have an amazing birth!!! Congratulations!

 

1) How long are you in recovery? about an hour for me

2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all? They brought both girls up by my head for me to see before they whisked them away to the NICU. DH went with them and then came back to be with me in the recovery room.

3) When do you start to breastfeed them? I couldn't bf, so no advice here.

4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied? Don't know about this either. Our hospital is Catholic, so they won't allow you to do both at once.

5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs?? I'll echo what some pps have said...take your pain meds on schedule for at least the first 3 days. After that, if you're feeling better, you can begin to lower the dosage and/or space them out a bit more. Also, get up and walk as soon as you can. The first time hurts like nothing you've ever felt in your life...no lie. But after that, it gets easier each time. Just take it slowly. Don't get in the wheelchair! Walk, walk, walk. It actually hurts worse to get in and out of the chair than if you'd just walk and begin to use those muscles again. Once you get home, don't over-do it. You don't want to injur yourself and end up in worse shape than if you'd let the laundry go a day or two.

Truly, the c-section is not that bad. I know different people have different experiences to share, but mine was pretty text book. I had an epi/spinal combo and no headache, no nausea, no weird side effects. If you're at a 'teaching' hospital, don't be afraid to tell them you don't want a student putting in your epi or spinal. As for your in-laws, just make sure your doctors know that you want to hold them first. Be very vocal. These are, after all, YOUR children!

 

1) How long are you in recovery? Some hospitals dont have recovery rooms, you just go back to your room and are monitored by a nurse. In recovery or in your room, its until you can wiggle your toes.

2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all? Chances are you wont get them while you are on the table, not enough room. You will get to see them after you are out of the OR. Mine were always in my room waiting.

3) When do you start to breastfeed them? In recovery.

4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied? Nope.

5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs?? DISOLVABLE STITCHES!!!!!!!!!!! And get up ASAP, its going to hurt... alot, but in the long run you will be glad you did!

 

1) How long are you in recovery?
I was in recovery until I the boys were ready to be seen. I think it was about 2 hours

2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all?
My baby A was taken past my head for a quick visit, but baby B was taken out the back door

3) When do you start to breastfeed them?
no advice here
4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied?
or here
5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs??
I agree with PP it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I didn't think getting up the first time was THAT bad, but I did go in the wheel chair to the NICU.
And my experience was different than yours will be because mine was an emergency, not scheduled

 

QUOTE(~*~Danyellerz~*~ @ Jan 18 2009, 09:31 AM) [snapback]1151827[/snapback]
How much longer will you be in the hospital with a C Section??? Or is it like a normal 2-3 day stay?


I was able to stay one day longer (which was by choice) with a c-section than with vaginal. I had the girls on a Saturday and left on Tuesday.

And, to answer the question about seeing the babies in the OR. I was a month early, but my girls had no complications. I was able to see the babies and my husband was able to carry the babies out of the OR into the nursery. I know all hospitals are different, but if there are no complications, it really isn't much different than a singleton (besides the number of people present, of course).

 

QUOTE(~*~Danyellerz~*~ @ Jan 18 2009, 10:31 AM) [snapback]1151827[/snapback]
How much longer will you be in the hospital with a C Section??? Or is it like a normal 2-3 day stay?


The standard stay for a c-section is 4 days/3 nights. If you and the babies are doing well, you can usually go home on the 3rd day. I did that with my other two, but I am going to try and stay the whole time with the twins.

 

1) How long are you in recovery?

I was in recovery for about an hour. They tried to get me down to my room with the babies as quickly as possible. I kept having reactions to the meds they were giving me (and they kept giving me more meds to combat the reaction...throwing up, dizzy, sleepy, etc...). I barely remember seeing the little ones for the first time. It feels more like a really good dream but they did get me down there pretty fast.

2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all?

I don't know if this is standard but they wiped them off with a towel/blanket and cleaned most of the "white stuff" off of them while I was in recovery but they didn't get their bath until I had cuddled them and breastfed them. After that initial meeting and breastfeeding they took them back to the nursery for their baths.

3) When do you start to breastfeed them?

I breastfed them the first time I saw them. I think it was mostly to get the bonding/breastfeeding started but it was right away. Then they made sure we were breastfeeding them at least every 3 hours from then on. We had to keep a log.

4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied?

Not sure.

5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs??

I was really clueless going in so it just all happened so quick and it almost seemed like it was happening to someone else. I would say just be prepared for how you will feel. If you don't want to see the surgery be careful not to look at the light overhead. Thankfully they warned me about that before they started and I kind of peeked when they pulled out Baby B. Baby A was out and over the curtain looking at me before I even realized they had cut me open. There is definitely a lot of pulling but no pain. It actually felt like a relief to me because I was so "full" of babies. Each time they took one out I felt like I could breathe better. Watch the meds they give you in recovery. My nose was REALLY itchy from the morphine during surgery and they gave me something to help that but that made me throw up and get the dry heaves. They gave me something for that and that made me super drowsy. I felt like I couldn't win and I was very frustrated. I was pretty much doped up until the next morning and I hated it. SO I would ask them what the drugs could make you feel like before they give them to you and decide if you want to take that chance. That was my biggest issue. Get up and moving as soon as they allow you. I didn't walk as much as I should have at first but each time I did it got easier and I felt better. Also - each shower feels SOOOO good! I felt so much better every time I took a shower. So definitely get in there as soon as you can.

QUOTE
Its just that I really wanna hold my babies and see them before my in laws come in ..... Im not really worried so much about my parents .... had a BAD experience when I had my daughter.....LONG story.... But I really want to get to hold them and have my daughter get somewhat adjusted before they bumbard us. I really want her to see them before anyone else.


I had this same issue. I was very determined NO ONE (besides DH of course) was going to see them until I had my time with them. We gave strict orders that no one was to see them until I had my time with them. The nursery staff were instructed this as well and actually closed the curtains in the nursery until we gave the go ahead (ours were the only babies in there at the time). I was glad we spoke up and very happy they helped out so much. Use the nurses. That is what they are there for. Tell them your wishes and they will usually do whatever they can. We also told everyone that we would call them when we were ready to have visitors. My DS was one of the very first people to hold them. I think possibly my in-laws got up there first but it all worked out very well.

Good luck to you!! It will all work out great. Oh and I stayed 3 nights and 4 days. I had them at noon on Wednesday and went home about 5pm on Saturday.

 

QUOTE(LMW1015 @ Jan 19 2009, 10:01 AM) [snapback]1152895[/snapback]
I had this same issue. I was very determined NO ONE (besides DH of course) was going to see them until I had my time with them. We gave strict orders that no one was to see them until I had my time with them. The nursery staff were instructed this as well and actually closed the curtains in the nursery until we gave the go ahead (ours were the only babies in there at the time). I was glad we spoke up and very happy they helped out so much. Use the nurses. That is what they are there for. Tell them your wishes and they will usually do whatever they can. We also told everyone that we would call them when we were ready to have visitors. My DS was one of the very first people to hold them. I think possibly my in-laws got up there first but it all worked out very well.


I thought I was the only one with the inlaws. Cause I know them and I know how they work so they would wanna be in there holding them and all before me. When I had my daughter I was with her for like 10 min or holding her for that long then they just came in and took her from me and passed her around for thier pictures and all and then i had to practically pry her from them to let my parents see her. After all that I wanted NO ONE in the room when the get you cleaned up (it was a vaginal delivery) cause they basically got you completely naked and they INSISTED on staying when i told them no and finally I just yelled EVERYONE OUT Cept my husband of course. Just a bad experience that I REALLY dont wanna go through again.

 

I had a couple more ? if anyone sees this:

How long did you keep the staples in?
How long till you sat up?
What did you put on the inscision when you got home?

Thanks Girls!

 

I didn't get staples, I had stiches inside. I was able to sit up with the help of the bed right away. My doctor told me to keep the incision dry and use soap and water in the shower. Good luck!!

 

THANKS!!

 

QUOTE(~*~Danyellerz~*~ @ Jan 27 2009, 08:09 PM) [snapback]1164863[/snapback]
I had a couple more ? if anyone sees this:

How long did you keep the staples in?
How long till you sat up?
What did you put on the inscision when you got home?

Thanks Girls!



For my ds they left the staples in for 5 days (the max stay, since he was in the NICU I maxed out my insurance stay). For my dd they took them out on day 3 when we went home.

DS ~ I didn't get up until about 28-30 hrs after I had him, mostly because I was drugged out and had no clue what was going on (IV pain meds are evil evil evil....).
DD ~ About 23 hrs after surgery, right at my last dose of the "good" pain meds! My hospital likes spinal patients to stay fairly reclined for about 24 hrs or so, not flat on your back but in bed at least UNLESS you chose to get up earlier.

Incision ~ Not sure what you mean...once the staples were out they put steri-strips on, when I showed I had to watch not to let the water hit it directly. Once the steri-strips fell off (about a week-10 days later) I was free to shower/bath as I wanted.

 

QUOTE(~*~Danyellerz~*~ @ Jan 27 2009, 07:09 PM) [snapback]1164863[/snapback]
I had a couple more ? if anyone sees this:

How long did you keep the staples in?
How long till you sat up?
What did you put on the inscision when you got home?

Thanks Girls!


I had staples in for about 5 days I think--it was a long time ago so I think that is right--and boy are they a pain in the you know what.

I could sit up right away, but had to have help.

Neosporin was all I put on it and I kept it bandaged otherwise the staples would sometimes get hung or get fuzz on them and it irritated me to death.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt to have them removed, just a little pinch.

 

Is it just a preference of the doctor whether they use staples or stitches? Or is there more reasoning behind it?

 

1) How long are you in recovery?
I was in recovery for about 2 hours with my boys. They were monitoring my blood pressure and because I delivered super early in the morning we waited a little longer because of morning rounds. Both of the boys went right to recovery with me, in fact they never even left my sight since they were wheeled down the hall in front of me.
2) Do you get your babies right away or do they clean them up completely while they are sewing you up and all?
I'm sure this is different with everyone's situation, but for me they held each of the boys up right away so I could see them, then took them to the side of the room to get them cleaned up. DH watched them get wiped down and then he brought baby A over to me while they finished cleaning baby B. Then a nurse brought us baby B and took a picture of the 4 of us together. I was able to give them kisses and touch their faces while I was getting stitched up.
3) When do you start to breastfeed them?
I started while we were in recovery, they were probably an hour or so old at that point. Neither was great at latching and they didn't really try for long that first time, just seemed to get enough for a little taste and then to sleep. Being born was tiring for them.
4) Does surgery take ALOT longer if you have your tubes tied?
I don't know since I didn't have mine tied.
5) Is there anything I reallllllllly should know before going into it..... Like anything I should bring, do, say to drs??
The one part of my c-section that really freaked me out was the spinal block. Since I didn't labor at all with them I had the spinal instead of the epidural and it was the weirdest sensation while I was numbing to be able to feel your legs, but not be able to move them. I started to freak out and the nurse told me that a lot of women aren't prepared for that. The other thing was being so cold, they brought me warm blankets to keep me warm but all those drugs made me cold!

Also I was able to have my parents and in-laws come into see me while I was in recovery. This was nice for me. My dad came in and I told him the babies names and he cried. He never cries so this is one of the most touching memories I have of their birth. BUT the nurse made it very clear that if I didn't want anyone in there SHE would make sure that they stayed in the hallway and she made it clear that this was the policy on the floor too that if you didn't want someone in your room the nurses would get them to leave.


How long did you keep the staples in?
My staples were removed by the visiting nurse at my home 5 days pp.
How long till you sat up?
I sort of sat up in recovery, propped more I guess, but I don't really remember when I could really get up. About 4 hours after my surgery they told me that as soon as I could get up they would let me take a shower and take the catheter out. I was up by about 6 hours after....I really wanted that shower!
What did you put on the inscision when you got home?
My incision was covered with a gauze pad that was removed when my staples came out. Then I had just the little steri-strips on it. They fell off about 2 weeks after the staples came out. I didn't have to keep it covered, but I wore huge white cotton granny panties that let it get some air.