MOLO Advice: How to Cope With a Caesarean

Have a baby by Caesarean-section is far from the easy option, it’s major abdominal surgery and can make the first few weeks with a baby really tough. The brilliant MOLOs in The Motherload® Facebook group came up with this amazing advice for one of our members who was going in for a c-section delivery and we thought it was so helpful (and ingenious) that we’d share it far and wide. Having had two c-section deliveries, I wish I’d been given some of these tips. So, whether you found yourself having an emergency section, or you’re booked in for an elective, there’ll be something to help you. Here we go:

How to Cope With a Caesarean

The Preparation:

Plan meals or ask someone to cook and help you out for these weeks if possible, it will be a great help.

Take a wash-bag that can be hooked over the shower door with your shower gel etc in it so you don’t have to bend for anything in the shower.

Take in straws, or a drinks bottle, as you won’t be able to lean forwards to take a sip at first.

Remember to take shoes or slippers that slip straight onto your feet as you won’t want to bend down.

Pack comfy clothes and ARMPIT HIGH KNICKERS! I’m still wearing mine two years later.

Take a pillow with you to hold against your stomach (especially on the car journey home – speedbumps are HELL).

Don’t forget Lactulose, or stool softener!

The Big Day:

Get to the hospital early. The woman who arrived before me went in first and got a private room!

Relax and just breathe. It’s over very quickly.

Ask if your partner can take photos in theatre because it’s great to keep them and look back. It kind of happens in a blur like a dream and you can hardly believe you’re doing it!

Drink loads of water afterwards, to get your system moving again.

Make sure you rest up and let others help you. I rang the bell constantly to ask for the midwives to pass baby to me from hospital cot as it was too painful.

Beginning the Recovery:

Get up and showered as soon as you can. The quicker you’re moving the quicker you’ll heal BUT don’t rush, do it very slowly. Take all your medication on time.

Get on the fibre straightaway as the constipation after is awful! The first poo after surgery (which will take a couple of days) won’t be pleasant, but once it’s done, it’s done!

Get some peppermint oil capsules, the trapped wind causes most of the pain and peppermint really helps.

When you’re getting out of bed, roll to the side and get up sideways, as trying to use the muscles to get straight up when laying down can be a bit painful.

If they ask to look at your scar insist you lay down as it is less painful!

Make sure you ask for extra painkillers if they aren’t cutting it – I was on the normal meds after my c-section and they weren’t enough so I was given some morphine.

Get out and about as soon as you can. It’s scary at first but I got up 6 hours after my section and was home the next day at 12 in time for Christmas dinner!

Heading Home:

People will tell you to rest, and that’s important especially with a baby. But still make sure you get up and walk around a little even if it is to the bathroom and the kitchen as that will actually help your muscles get stronger. Don’t lift anything other than the baby though.

Arnica homeopathic remedies will take away some of the bruising and inflammation.

Take your meds religiously, accept help and don’t over or under exercise. I can recommend investing in a couple of pairs of c-section knickers too. I wore and washed mine for six weeks.

When you get home, sleep with loads of pillows, sort of propped up. Otherwise if you need a wee in the night, you’ll have a hell of a job getting up!

Accept help from people! The first two weeks are really tough, but it gets better. And really really don’t lift anything! A ruptured incision is no fun!

Don’t rush recovery, my wound was and is perfect but I had a haematoma underneath and it took about 6 months to feel okay. It’s major abdominal surgery, so treat it as such!

Use a hairdryer on cool to dry the wound after a shower. It helps to get it really dry and lowers the risk of infection.

So that’s it – the advice from our MOLOs for how to cope with a c-section. Did we miss anything? You can add your advice in the comments section.

You can read my blog Too Posh To Push: A Tale of Two Caesareans – but be warned, it’s very honest (and only my experience)

About Alison McGarragh-Murphy

Alison writes and edits stuff for The Motherload®, and is also a radio producer and broadcast journalist, a mum of two and a wife of one. Since becoming a mother she has (mostly) gladly swapped a busy social life of gigs, pubs, art galleries and museums for dancing in the kitchen, drinking on the sofa, finger painting and hanging out at the park. She talks incessantly about not having slept for four years.

You can follow Alison on Twitter and find all her blogs on Facebook

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