what i wish i knew - c-section related

from a BTDT mom:

i had a good recovery experience but it could have been so much better! this is what i wish i knew (or wish i had paid attention to), and what i will do differently next time!

1. i will be more aggressive with asking for my pain meds.

i only took motrin because that is all i needed, and the percoset made me loopy, but there were times where i buzzed the nurses station and i didn't hear from them for a half hour to an hour and i was in a lot of pain. the nurse finally told me that if i don't see a nurse in my room within 10-15 minutes to buzz again. ladies do NOT worry about being a pain in the butt - this is their JOB and it important that you get your pain meds on time.

2. i will speak up when i have a headache that won't go away.

i had a bad spinal headache starting the day after my c-section, and it lasted for 4 days. i suspected that it was because of my spinal but i wasn't sure, and one of my nurses kind of brushed me off because i wasn't describing symptoms that to her were typical of a spinal headache. if painkillers are not helping you NEED to get a blood patch. it's a simple procedure and from what i have heard works wonders.

3. i will remember to ask for the gas pills!

when you have a c-section and they sew you back up, gas gets trapped inside. very often you feel the gas pain in your upper back and shoulders.

i was not good about taking the gas pills they had (forget what they were called) but i know that next time, i will be - the pain is awful, and it didn't have to be!

4. if i need sleep, i will not feel guilty about sending my baby back to the nursery!

i knew that i was going to BF DS from the start, but what i didn't know was how hard it would be! i had flat nipples and he had a LOT of trouble latching, which meant he would get hysterical and so would i - even with the help of an LC. sometimes, learning to BF just takes time. this took a toll on both of us and i was a MESS.

i had an ANGEL of a nurse the second night i was there who took DS, showed me how to cup feed him a little bit of formula (it's a technique they use that doesn't cause nipple confusion) and told me to go get some sleep. i slept for 4 glorious hours. at 2am they brought me DS to BF, he latched on pretty well because he wasn't starving, and i sent him back for another wonderful 3 hours of sleep. i was like a new woman the next day!


good luck to all you lovely ladies!

Re: what i wish i knew - c-section related

I will add if you are itchy tell someone. I had a reaction to the spinal the 1st time and didn't know that was the cause. All I needed was a little bendryl and I was back to normal!

Oh and GET UP AND WALK!!! As soon as they say ok do it and do it often.

Re: what i wish i knew - c-section related

I agree with everything the OP said and will add that I took the pain meds. only when I felt I really need them and when I'd start to feel better I would overdo it thinking I was Super woman because I didn't feel the pain. But I payed for it after the meds wore off. So my advice it to really take it easy the first week.

Re: what i wish i knew - c-section related

thank you ALL so much for this thread!!!!! I bookmarked it!!!

Re: what i wish i knew - c-section related

I hope to not have a c-section, but I bookmarked this page as well. Thank you.

Re: what i wish i knew - c-section related

Going into the ER its a bit intimidating b/c your hands are strapped and the ER was freezing to me. I also felt at one point that I wasn't breathing b/c the epidural had me totally numb.

Afterwards, like a PP said, I made sure I got up as soon as possible.

Definitely take the gas pills they give you, the 2nd day was pretty tough.

Have your DH be the go-between w/ visitors...if you are tired, have him be the bad guy (at the hospital & at home). You need to rest.