The one with the planned c-section….

So our topic this month is all things Caesarean section – and to kick start it here is a lovely blog from one of our Baby Journey Mums (we are going to call her Mrs Wonderful as she’d like to remain anonymous!) So put your feet up for 10 minutes with a cuppa and enjoy….

“The journey to motherhood for my husband and I was to say the least a tough and emotional one…. after 8 years of trying to have a baby, we’d encountered numerous miscarriages, surgical procedures and plenty of heartache. We decided that enough was enough so opted for IVF as the way forward for us. When we finally received a positive pregnancy test after our first round and we couldn’t have been happier! Our dream of becoming parents was a step closer… we still had a long way to go but it was a very very positive start! I won’t bore you with the details but the pregnancy itself was as you’d expect filled with worry, sickness and lots of surreal moments!
Fast forward to 38 weeks and we had a routine consultant visit. What I did not expect at this visit was to come away with a C-Section date due to a breach baby! I did not have any preconceived plans… in a strange kind of a way, I lived each day at a time, appreciating every moment and not wanting to look too far ahead. So anyway… the day arrived, bags packed and sunglasses on! From start to finish the whole experience was incredibly surreal. Our consultant finished our consultation by saying, ‘so let’s go and meet your baby!’ That phrase will stick with me forever! The actual procedure itself went well and the sheer joy when we met our little miracle was beyond any words or experience I could ever explain!
You hear lots of things about feeding being difficult after a C-Section, for us this wasn’t the case but I know that for many regardless of birth type this can be so tough.
Hours past and we were on the ward. I found being on the ward the toughest part, the staff were exceptional but stretched to capacity and often if you rang the bell for assistance… you’d be waiting about 20 minutes. There was something illogical about the over night arrangement, my husband had to leave even though I physically couldn’t move to help my baby. It just demonstrated the immense pressure our NHS is under. The care from professionals, when we received it was faultless. We ended up staying in hospital for two nights and if I’m honest, I couldn’t wait to leave and get home to home comforts. Although there were a few negatives with the hospital experience, overall the experience was great!
At home, recovery was not as bad as I’d thought it would be. I was able to drive sooner than I’d thought and was up and about the day after the actual procedure.
The C-Section experience itself was such a positive one… so much so, that I am about 90% sure I will have another one in a few months time when I am due to have our second child (can’t believe I’m writing this… it happened naturally!!!)

So if you are in the position of knowing you are having a C-Section or end up having an emergency one, here are some top tips:
1️⃣ For hospital, pack a night dress rather than PJs as you don’t want anything that will come in contact with your scar. Have the same in mind for any clothes you wear for the weeks to follow.
2️⃣ Take Spa Tone (or similar iron supplement) you loose a lot of blood during a C-Section and this will help replenish your blood cells.
3️⃣ Coconut oil for your scar is great.
4️⃣ Skip if you don’t like poo talk… if you find yourself not having done a poo for around 2/3 days. I didn’t even have this on the radar but it ended up being 6 days and I can honestly tell you that when I finally did, I cried and the pain was worse than any C-Section pain. Just let your midwife know and they’ll give you a pessary to insert up your bum!
5️⃣ Probiotics are a must… your gut linings are interfered with after you have an anaesthetic so fill yourself up with yoghurts. A dear friend of mine stocked me up on these in a Hospital Survival Kit!
6️⃣ Slippers and a thin dressing gown – it’s so so hot in the hospital so thin cotton material is a must.
7️⃣ It’s common after a C-Section to have lots of trapped air between shoulders and neck. Lots of massages required!
8️⃣ Be kind to yourself and I mean really kind. You will have just been through a massive operation and then be thrown in to looking after a little human and all that that entails… Good luck!”

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