Are you scheduled for a caesarean soon? If you are, and you’re not sure what to expect we’ve come up with some tips that can help you at the hospital and when you get home too.
Make sure you are prepared to take a few days of rest postnatally at the hospital, although the faster you get up and walking around after surgery, the better you will heal. Most hospitals will have you come in a few hours before your surgery (fasted overnight) and will usually keep you 3-4 days post delivery. Once you get home, it’s important to have a support system in place (whether that be a postpartum doula, your birth partner, or other family members) it can be difficult taking care of a baby while recovering from major abdominal surgery.
The trip to the hospital can be a bit surreal for some women if their caesarean is scheduled, showing up at an exact date and time knowing that you will meet baby in just a few hours. Women who know they will be delivering by caesarean need to pack a little differently than those delivering vaginally. Be sure to pack up your suitcase with loose comfortable clothing and toiletries to get through the three to five days you’ll be in the hospital, and even though your caesarean is scheduled for a specific date, it is always possible that baby may arrive ahead of time. So pack your hospital bag for a caesarean delivery in advance, preferably once you hit the third trimester.
Packing tips:
• Be sure to pack all your documents and other paperwork you may need at the hospital for insurance, all your medical record papers and files, and your wallet with cash (also some change) and card.
• It is best to have a separate bag for you, your birth partner (your birth partner will most likely be staying over with you in the hospital, so packing a bag for them is also a good idea) and baby.
• Storage space can be limited at the hospital so it is a good idea to keep a few things in the car or ready in a bag at home. Your birth partner can always go and get it when needed.
• After delivery, once the first day or two of recovery is over, you will probably want to slip into some of your own clothes. Pack pajamas that have a loose elastic waist that sits higher than the hip (dark colours to hide stains). This will ensure that the pants do not irritate the surgery area.
• Most underwear hits exactly where the incision will be. While some hospitals offer disposable gauze underwear, play it safe by packing some larger briefs that won’t press too hard on your incision line.
• Nursing bras and nursing pads.
• Nursing pillow
• You’ve just had major abdominal surgery, the first day or so post delivery will more than likely be rough. Getting out of bed to wash your face and brush your teeth will be a big task. One way to make cleaning up a bit easier is to use with facial wipes that can be kept beside your bed.
• Toiletries like a toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, hair ties, chap stick or lip balm, some gentle body lotion, deodorant, a body wash, shampoo, moisturizer for your face, you may even want to pack basic makeup.
• A few days in the hospital can mean several rounds of visitors. If you pack a bathrobe you may be more comfortable (you can also wear I when you’re up and walking around), look for a lightweight robe that won’t make you feel too warm or bulky.
• Three to five nights in a hospital bed can have you missing some comforts from home. Pack your own pillow (preferably with a case you don’t care too much about) and it might make it easier for you to sleep.
• Spending your days in bed and eventually making it out and into the hospital hallways will make you crave a comfortable pair of socks. Opting for socks that can also be used as slippers mean one less thing you have to pack. When you head home, you can just toss them in the trash.
• Eventually you will be able to make your way into the shower. Be sure to pack a pair of flip flops that will give you some stability and barrier between your bare feet and the floor.
• Cell phone and charger
• A light book or magazine– you may get bored during the time you spend before surgery.
What your birth partner will need:
• Their wallet and identification papers.
• Change for vending machines
• Their phone, charger, and headphone.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste.
• A comfortable pair of clothes.
• Socks and comfortable footwear.
• Pillow – to help them rest and be fresh and ready to take care of you and baby!
• Keys – make sure they carry the house and car keys!
Here are a few things that you can do to prepare ahead of time or that you can do after delivery, even if it you were not previously prepared for a caesarean:
• Have meals prepared and frozen or meals brought in by family and friends.
• Talk to your doctor about what type of birth experience you want to have (most hospitals now offer skin to skin, immediate breastfeeding, and delayed cord clamping, will you want one arm unrestrained so you can touch baby after s(he) is born, some hospitals can even provide see through surgical drapes or mirrors so you are able to see the arrival of baby).
• Talk to your doctor about what kind of suturing they will do.
• Get up and move around as soon as possible after surgery. It’s hard, but you can do it with support, but do not overdo it. This can lead to complications. Rest, nurse and bond with baby.
• Take your pain medicine! Don’t be a hero.
• Wearing a sanitary pad across your incision will help your clothes from rubbing against it.
• Eat foods that soften your bowels and keep you regular (stool softener if needed).
• Careful when sneezing, laughing and coughing.
• Set up a support system (family, friends, a postpartum doula, etc.) for when you get home from the hospital
Many women can feel as though they are “less than” for having a caesarean. There is a large motherhood myth created around natural deliveries and an unspoken pressure on women to have as natural a birth as possible. Having a caesarean has no influence on your capabilities as a mother. It has no influence on if you will get up at night when you child is crying. It has no influence on if you pick them up after they fall. It has no influence on if you will worry about them your whole life and if you are doing all you can to care for them. Women are already under immense pressure to be the image of the perfect mother. Pressure and the judgement starts as when a woman starts to show they are pregnant, if not earlier. It does not stop, but it really should. This judging doesn’t do any good for anyone, especially mothers having had births different from those they had originally planned. New mothers don’t need judgement they need support. Having a caesarean has no affect on how loved your child will be.
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