I learned yesterday that one of my fave CILs (cousin-in-laws) is scheduled to deliver her first child via c-section in two weeks. Immediately, I wanted to compile a list of things to tell her beforehand so that she would be better prepared than I was. These are some of the things I wish someone had told me before my own c-section:
1) Arm restraints. They might strap your arms down for the surgery. This freaked me out a little, but I think I would have been fine with it if I had known beforehand that it was going to happen. Just know that this is a possibility, although I hear they don’t always do this.
2) “The Shakes”. You might get “the shakes” during surgery. I couldn’t control my upper body when I was lying on the O.R. table, and I was really worried the entire time that I was going to jerk my body and seriously mess something up as they were “working on me”. My anesthesiologist told me that this was a normal reaction to the anesthesia and not to worry.
3) Nausea. You might feel nauseous at some point during the c-section. I felt okay until the moment they took the baby out, and then nausea hit me hard. I told the anesthesiologist and he gave me an anti-nausea medication that provided almost immediate relief.
4) Cough pillow. If you have to cough or sneeze post-surgery, hold a pillow firmly across your incision with both hands while you cough or sneeze (to add counter pressure). My hospital provided a special “cough pillow” for me, but I’m not sure if all do. If you are not near a pillow when you feel a cough or sneeze coming on, use your hands to gently hold your tummy near the incision.
5) High-waisted bottoms. When you pack for the hospital, be sure to bring PJ bottoms or sweats that are loose-fitting and high-waisted. You want to make sure that the waistband will not hit you at the bikini line (like many low-rise styles do). Bring something that you can hike up well over your hips and can be worn granny-style. An alternative is packing a nightgown, if that’s your style.
6) Don’t try to be a hero. Don’t forget that you will have just gone through major abdominal surgery and you probably shouldn’t try to be a hero by forgoing the pain meds. The hospital I went to allowed us to self-administer our pain medication so I tried to take the least amount possible because I was concerned about how it would affect the baby through my breast milk (even though they told us it was safe, I still didn’t feel comfortable). I later learned from one of the nurses that it’s important to stay on top of your pain meds because once you get behind, it takes longer to get relief when you begin taking your meds again. I learned this the hard way.
7) Post-surgery shower. I was really squeamish about taking that first post-surgery shower. Prior to my c-section, I had never even had an IV before so I didn’t know what to expect and I was worried that the soapy water touching my new wound would sting like a mutha. Rest assured that it doesn’t hurt or sting. They cut a lot of nerve endings when they do the c-section so the area will be somewhat numb for quite some time. Be careful not to scrub the incision area. Just let warm water run over it and pat dry with a towel.
8) Soap on a Rope. Buy some soap on a rope, my friend! This might be my most important piece of advice. Trust me, as hard as you try not to, you WILL drop that bar of soap in the shower, and you will NOT be able to easily bend over and pick it up.
9) Don’t Overdo it. After about 4 weeks you may feel like you’re back to your old self again, but don’t overdo it. Baby yourself for a little while longer and let others pamper you. Otherwise you will be very sore around your incision site at night. Trust me. I also learned this the hard way.
So those are the 9 things I wish someone had told me before my c-section. You might be wondering why I didn’t just make this list “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before My C-Section,” but I only had nine things to say and I think it’d be super annoying to add another point just to round out my list.
To all my c-section sistas out there, what have I missed? Is there anything else you wish you knew before you had your c-section?
Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert (obviously). This is merely a personal account of my c-section experience.
Great tips, you remembered a lot! I agree on the shakes. I shook a lot!! They have me a shot to stop the contractions. Then later in the OR, I needed the numbing one and I had to hold really still because I was shaking and also still contracting. I don’t think I got arm straps though. I have some more tips: the belly band/bandage should only be worn at the hospital because you need to let the wound breathe some air. It will hurt to walk around, but you’ll get used to it. ALSO, after you heal, the wound will feel numb. Sometimes the numbness goes away, sometimes you just get used to the numbness. I think I just got used to the numbness. ONE MORE, you won’t be able to get out of bed for the 1st 24 hrs. Be sure they have those leg massagers on to keep the blood flowing. Since you won’t be able to get out bed, you’ll need to have a plan on what to do with baby — depend on hubby, nurse, family member to get him? With #2, I think I’m going to sleep with baby on my chest!
Thanks for the tips, cuz! I never considered of many of these things and I’m sure Kir hadn’t either. But now we are more prepared for the c-section, thanks to your post.
Great list! Some of them didn’t apply to me, because my c-section was emergent and I had anesthesia, but most of them were spot-on. And, mine was further complicated by the fact that my son was rushed to the NICU, so I couldn’t see him right away. For any mamas who are in the same boat as me (hopefully very few), my advice is to make sure daddy knows he should stay with the baby and not worry about mama. It took me quite some time to come out from the drug haze and I made sure my husband was with our son, rather than me. I also remember having to “brace” myself during rides to and from the hospital to visit our son in the NICU, because every bump on the road was killer to my abdominal region. We kept a pillow in the car for that purpose, but it was a bit more challenging when I took public transit to get there!
Also good to try and walk around afterwards, even though it will be painful. Good to get the circulation going. My recovery took a little longer than normal c sections because I had to go under GA (because I could feel them cutting into me). As a result was delayed in getting up and trying to walk. Took me a day to get out of the hospital bed and even then I didn’t get out as much as I should have. My feet were so swollen I thought something was wrong (I seriously paged a nurse and asked them to check if my feet were ok…. and I’m not normally that paranoid!).
That sounds like it was quite the experience. I really hope I don’t ever have to remember these tips!