C-section recovery

I've had 2 c-sections and dealt with recovery of both in a fairly similar, straightforward way so I thought i'd let you know my personal tips for recovery.  This is not official advice, simply a few things that worked for me.  It won't be the same for everyone considering every mother's circumstance for a c-section is unique to them, whether it be emergency or elective.

My recovery with my first child was pretty quick and pleasant.  I felt that I healed in good time, was fit to get out and about, had no infection and didn't suffer much discomfort and certainly no pain.  Or at least pain that was agonising or unable to cope with.  My second recovery has not been quick at all.  Six months later and I am just about feeling normal but still very aware that my body is tired and taking its time to heal.  Things have still been fairly straightforward, I've been out and about since the early days, had very little discomfort or pain and no infections, although, I did have a slight issue with a rogue suture.  It was quickly and painlessly removed and i just had to keep a careful monitor of it to make sure it didn't get infected.

Obligatory baby pic to capture your attention ;) photo c/o the amazing Bella and Duck

As a c-section mama, i think we forget that we don't just have an external wound to contend with but the surgery has cut through many layers and sometimes it's the internal wound and scarring that we don't give enough care to.  This is when we need to remember to slow down, take it easy, there really is no rush to do everything and anything too soon.

So here are my top tips that helped my recovery and might be useful for you:

BIG PANTS 
You will have an incision very low on your abdomen, which in fact, in time (if you have had a good surgeon) will be barely noticeable, yay! However, g-strings and lacy knickers will be staying in the underwear drawer a little while longer.  You don't want anything rubbing on your wound, it will hurt and the wound may leak or get infected.  You really do want parachute proportion panties for ultimate comfort.  I even sent my husband to the shops to stock up on more for me while I was in hospital, if that's not a passion killer for you, i don't know what is!  I bought mine from Primark.  In my first pregnancy, i stocked up on M&S knickers but honestly, i think they are rubbish and the cheap ones served me much better and i didn't feel any shred of disappointment binning them at a later date.
You may also want to stay wearing maternity leggings for a  little while longer and also stock up on big sanitary towels.  Not too big, I once picked up adult nappies by mistake - let's just say, they made walking very awkward.  I bled for about 10 days after my first section, and about 6 weeks after my second section fyi.  TMI?

ARNICA TABLETS
Arnica is said to help bruising, swelling and aching.  As a homeopathic medicine, it's difficult to prove it's effectiveness but having had a fairly smooth recovery both times, I do think they helped plus I will give anything a go as long as it is safe - which it is.  I bought Nelson's Arnica tablets from Holland & Barrett.

DRINK WATER
It goes without saying really, water will help flush out toxins in your body and will help ease any bloating or swelling.  I will never forget laying in a ward with another c-section mum who was drinking bottle upon bottle of full fat coke!  She kept complaining of tummy pains and i couldn't help but think it was from all the gas in the coke which would be incredibly sore when you have wounds to heal from.

MOBILISE 
After my first section, I was mobilised after 6 hours when my spinal had worn off and my catheter was removed.  I had a severe case of jelly legs but it was so good to be standing and moving (well, shuffling) around the ward.  I was able to go for a shower almost right away which is another thing i would recommend, don't be afraid to go for one, your wound will be covered in a plaster so nothing to fear. This time around, I was mobilised after 6 hours with assistance but policy had changed and my catheter had to be kept in for 12 hours so although i got up and down to my baby's cot to pick her up, I didn't leave the ward, but that was because of my own personal feelings regarding the catheter.  As soon as it was gone, i was doing laps of the ward! Those first few steps are tentative ones as you work out the best way to position yourself but you'll get the hang of it in no time.

TAKE YOUR MEDS
Self explanatory.  You will be sent home with painkillers and and anti-inflammatories. Take them. As and when prescribed.  Don't forget/refuse to take them then tell everyone you are in agony over being cut in half.  You'll never win a medal for it and you will only put the fear of life into someone who has yet to experience a birth of any sort.  Be kind to yourself and to others.

KEEP YOUR WOUND CLEAN AND DRY
Take heed.  I showered morning and night (easier said than done, especially when you already have kids).  I would gently pat my wound clean using Aveeno body wash - which has no nasties or fragrance, and I always used a fresh clean towel for every shower.  I was absolutely meticulous about this.  I was desperate to avoid infection. You must keep your wound dry.  This is easier in the beginning as you will have a plaster over the wound but around day 5 the plaster is removed (I removed my own which I would recommend and the MW was happy for me to do so).  I took extra measures to keep it dry once the plaster was off - I would pat dry with a clean towel, lay down to air dry (again, this is easier when it's your first baby), and my new tip because I had another child to look after - the hairdryer on cool setting! Now, please beware of this tip, as some midwives will recommend it and others will tell you there is a risk of blowing infection bugs onto the wound this way.  Thankfully, it worked well for me.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR 
Check out your wound in the mirror.  I bet you will be terrified the first time you go to look then be pleasantly surprised at how small and (hopefully) neat it is.  I would look at mine everytime I got out of the shower, to make sure it didn't look red or pussy - as I said, I was obsessed about avoiding infection.  I ended up having a rogue suture left behind after my second section but it only became noticeable after the midwives had signed me off so had I not been checking, I may not have noticed and it would have been a breeding ground for infection.

J-BREATH 
This is a game changer ... the J-breath used in hypnobirthing to deliver your baby... well, you now get to use it for delivering your first post birth poo.  It works, trust me.

Those are my main tips for aiding recovery and they really worked well for me.  There's not much if anything I would do different.  Other things that helped me was breast feeding - apparently it helps with the healing process but if anything it forces you into resting up.  Also, accepting help.  As a mum, it's hard to take up the offer of help but do it.  People are dying to help new mums out and all offers are genuine so take them up on it!

What have I missed?  Any other c-section mamas have any tips they would like to share?
 

Birth Story 2

After my last experience, which in the end was really quite lovely (although not according to plan - but what birth ever is?) and you can read about here, I decided to opt for a planned c-section.  It's what felt right for me..  I did consider a V-BAC for about 5 minutes then decided i liked my bits box fresh and intact.  Only kidding natural birth mamas ... you are my heroes!
No matter how hard i try to overcome the fear, there is something about natural birth and the unknowns related to it that make it far too daunting for my mind and perhaps, my body, although i will never know, to contemplate.
 
So 3 weeks prior to my section date, I took quite unwell and ended up in hospital for 3 nights with a very bad chest infection.  It took me a while to recover and i honestly didn't feel back to normal until days before the birth.  It really shook things up and meant i was feeling a bit vulnerable, weak and nervous about the c-section.

In the run up to the section, I made sure to do my prep work.  By prep work, I mean, nails, tan, brows, blowdry ... obviously.  Oh, and of course, i tried to listen to positive affirmations and practise my hypnobirth breathing as much as possible.  They don't just come in useful for natural births, believe me.  Hypnobirthing principles can get your through many experiences!

The day before the section, my husband and I dropped our eldest off at Granny's (emosh - my baby was becoming the big girl) and I went in for my pre-op which is just routine blood tests.  I was so nervous, i had no idea why as i knew exactly what to expect and that there was nothing to fear.  Anyway, we were in and out in half an hour and since it was just the two of us, we decided to go wild and go out for dinner and a cinema date. Rock on.  We went to see Girl on the Train.  I remember sitting through the film, desperately wanting to get lost in the plot but instead nervously fidgeting as I couldn't get my mind off what was awaiting me the next morning. I hardly slept that night.

We were told to arrive at the hospital at 7.30am, I was so tired and bleary eyed.  When you have a section, you are told to wear no make up. Aherm, no chance.  I went as natural as I could but I had the basic mascara, concealer, bronzer combo.  We got to hospital and ushered to a waiting room with another couple also booked in that morning.  I quickly found out I was third in the queue, not counting emergency sections that might skip.  It was a waiting game.  I was taken to a room with a bed and toilet and asked to gown up in anticipation of being taken to theatre imminently.  We must have waited in that room for around 3.5hours which didn't do much for my nerves but the husband and I had a bit of a laugh, especially as he loves to take endless selfies while dressed in scrubs.  I peed about 500 times despite not being allowed anything to eat or drink since the evening before.

In the run up to going to theatre I was visited by the anaesthetist, surgeon and a number of midwives answering questions and filling forms.  Just before 12noon, a midwife arrived and took us to theatre.  This was it!  My husband was asked to sit outside while I went into theatre.  To start things off, the anaesthetist inserted a cannula in my hand.  For anyone nervous about this, don't be.  It's a very easy process and often completely painless.  I was then asked to sit up on the bed for my spinal.  Again, the spinal is very straightforward, the hardest part is getting yourself into position - you are asked to slouch over which is quite hard to do with a massive bump.  The spinal itself is not painful.  You feel a deep pressure on your lower back where it is applied and then you start to feel your legs go warm and that's it kicking in thick and fast. The midwives then laid me on the bed and a sheet was put in place. Now, at this point I asked them not to tell me what was happening as I can get very squeamish but apparently by law they have to tell me what they are doing.  And with that, a catheter was inserted. Not a thing was felt.  From the chest down, I was numb.  But just the thought of the catheter being in made me feel woozy and I started to feel quite sick and dizzy so made sure to let the midwife know.  I remember her saying 'Don't worry we have drugs for that!' and i immediately protested, i didn't want more drugs but she must have pumped something through the IV because in an instant i started to feel better.

My husband was invited in to sit next to me and the next 10 minutes went pretty quick.  I could hear the surgeon chat about incisions so the husband and i tried to chat to each other so not to hear it as it could throw either one of us over the squeamish edge.  Before we knew it, at 12:06pm, Ada Charlotte Read, had entered the world with a quack.  A literal quack.  Like a duck.  And we loved her, instantly.  I was full of tears and giggles when we were shown a quick peek of her before she was whisked off for a tidy up as all c-section babies are.  It always amazes me how quickly your baby enters the world after waiting so long to meet them, and just the slightest sound or smell of them and you feel like you have known them forever. It's the sweetest feeling in the world.

I should mention that you can request instant skin on skin contact but after a discussion with our consultant we decided not to.  It's one of those things that I will always feel I missed out on and I literally dream of what that instant contact must be like.  Our hospital, the Royal Alexandra Maternity Hospital in Paisley, as standard delay cord clamping for 1 minute so I was happy with that.  My husband, thanks to his squeamish disposition chose not to cut the cord so Ada was still being seen to when we overheard the surgeon discuss rather loudly details of me being stitched up.  This is where it gets interesting.

I turn to my husband and I say 'talk to me, talk to me!' ... I needed us to chat over the surgeons words on what was going on down below.  But in that moment of panic, neither of us had a clue what to say to each other!! We had been making each other laugh all morning, had just delivered our second daughter but we had no words to speak.  No. damn. words.  Fortunately, one of us managed to hold it together while the other one needed urgent medical attention.  That's right.  He felt faint and was promptly evicted from theatre so he could pass out in peace.  I was left to listen to the gory details of my stitching up.  By this point, Ada had been put in a cot and sat beside me as I was unable to hold her.. and she just lay there crying.  I felt so helpless, I was desperate to cuddle and soothe my baby.  If the situation hadn't been so comical I would have been an emotional wreck! There was even a point I started singing 'lalalalala' softly to try and drown out the surgeon.

Before I knew it (possibly 20minutes later), my husband was upright and I was holding my baby, being wheeled to recovery.  It was bliss being able to hold my baby, she was just beautiful.  Actually, no, she was really quite ugly but a few hours later when the wrinkles had ironed out, she was the most gorgeous little darling.  As soon as I arrived in recovery, I requested some help from the midwife to breastfeed.  Because I didn't get immediate skin on skin contact, I didn't get to experience the breast crawl either so just like i did with my eldest, I made sure i fed her as soon as i was  in recovery.  Ada latched on and fed but it wasn't all that comfortable but we managed.  I'll keep details of our breastfeeding journey for another post though.

The hospital was quite busy so it took a few hours for them to find me a bed on the ward.  Once on the ward, i was mobilised (catheter still lingering) quickly.  After my first baby, I requested the removal of the catheter after 6 hours which was allowed but policy has changed and I had to wait 12 hours.  I was so uncomfortable knowing it was in and really didn't want to move around too much until it was out.  I couldn't even feel it, just knowing it was there bugged me and i worried the whole day and night about how it would feel getting it removed.  Turns out that felt of absolutely nothing too and I needn't have worried.  Honestly, what a woose.  Once it was removed, I was much happier to get up and about, I just felt much more normal with nothing attached to me.

Getting up and about is the best thing for it after a c-section.  My wound felt tender but at no point did it restrict basic mobility and the hospital make sure while you are in their care, you are topped up regularly with pain killers.  As much as i was desperate to get home, there is something lovely about having some quality time with your baby in the precious first few days before the madness of visitors descend upon your home, so i tried to make the most of it. 

And I guess that's all there is to tell for now about my beautiful baby entering the world. I've been very lucky with both my c-section experiences and i realise how different it can be for other mums.  Even with my first, which wasn't planned, it was still a very positive experience for me.  In another post, I will talk a bit about recovery as again, both times, it has been pretty straightforward.

How does your c-section experience compare?  Or are you booked in for one? I am happy to answer any questions if anyone is concerned about an impending experience?

This happened.

Since taking up blogging again and converting this particular blog to all things parenthood, I have been positively lax with keeping it up to date.  I have had little time to sit at my laptop because 11 weeks ago today, this happened:

This little angel came into our lives.  Sylvie Florence Paterson Read came into our world on Sunday 8 June, weighing in at 7lb 13oz.  With a thick mass of dark hair, plump cheeks, rosy lips and a pair of lungs that made my heart burst the minute I heard her cry ... Sylvie Read had arrived! 

I was 41+2 weeks when she decided it was time.  I was feeling impatient, fed up and downright demented by that stage.  I had so hoped she would come on time or even a few days early, so as you can imagine the waiting was driving me insane. 

I had a dream pregnancy but had trained hard for the birth, consuming my evenings reading about the nature of childbirth as well as going to hypnotherapy classes and practising relaxation techniques, visualisation and breathing.  I had planned on a water birth and had the tankini at the ready along with my aromatherapy oils and music playlist in my hospital bag.  

I wasn't naive enough to think that all would go to plan but I hadn't banked on what was ahead of me.  2 days before Sylvie's arrival and after a week of birth ball bouncing, eating pineapple and curries and going vigorous county walks, my waters at last started to show! I was elated and was sure this was the start of what I thought would be a beautiful journey to birthing my baby.

In actual fact my waters were leaking and when I merrily called the midwife to let her know, it transpired this wasn't actually a good thing as it meant there was a risk of infection.  They asked me to go to the hospital to be checked out which I admit I dilly dallied about as I really wanted to avoid any medical intervention (induction, drugs, monitoring etc).  At hospital, they confirmed my waters were leaking and they booked me in for induction the next morning, I was distraught.  I did not want this.  It was so off plan it broke my heart.  Just as I was about to leave hospital, they did one more check of my waters and this time it showed meconium. This is when your baby's poo is in your waters and can sometimes signal foetal distress.  They kept me in and cut to 12 hours later after a long night of contractions and monitoring, one thing led to another and Sylvie arrived by Caesarean section at 12:16 in the afternoon. 

I will never forget the emotional torment as I made my way to theatre.  I was so upset that things had gone way off plan and that I was now missing out on a natural birth.  Everything I had learned about over the past 9 months was all about how nature should run its course and not to accept medical interventions, in fact, I would go as far to say that everything I had read in terms of positive birthing put real shame and disgust on a c-section birth.  I was positive I would feel sorrowful and possibly resentful of how Sylvie had arrived. 

Thankfully, this couldn't have been further from the truth.  My c-section, although unplanned turned out to be a pleasant experience.  Nothing like the violent, unnatural, disgusting process that many mummy forums, positive birthing sites and even some Mothers had painted it to be.  Sylvie arrived within minutes and before I knew it, I was in the recovery room lapping up my wonderful new baby.  We had skin on skin contact at the earliest opportunity and she breastfed while in recovery.  Any fears  of not bonding or breastfeeding being hindered went out the window.  I had a very alert baby (not drugged up) who was already exceeding all my expectations.

My own recovery has been absolutely fine, I never felt too uncomfortable or in pain.  I was up and walking about, holding my baby within 6 hours of delivery (as soon as spinal had worn off) and I was back home within 48 hours.  Although it is major abdominal surgery, I do believe are a lot of myths surrounding c-sections and their recovery that didn't ring true for me but everyone is different.  

Anyway, that's my birth story of sorts and now that I can reflect 11 weeks on, the scariest part of it all is how quickly your baby grows and progresses.  I already feel like I have lost my newborn baby so my advice to any new mums is soak it all up.  Don't miss a minute of your baby because it all passes in a flash! 

Sylvie at 10 weeks