Things I wish I had known before having a C Section! 10 Top Tips & Advice!

One of the hardest parts of having a baby has been having to have a C section during the birth of my son. I was in labour for 35 hours and that was a walk in the park compared to how I felt the first couple of weeks after having a C section!

If anyone is having or has had to have a C section I wanted to share some tips because I could have really used a few when recovering.

One: Get extra DVT socks!
If you have had a C section you will have to wear DVT socks for 6 weeks after the operation. This is important for your health of course but they are a real pain. They were only going to give me one pair when I was leaving, ask for another pair! You will have to wear them day and night for 6 weeks so a spare pair is essential!

Two: Injections!
In addition to wearing DVT socks you will also be given injections to take home (and administer at home) to thin your blood and avoid DVT. Be prepared for this. If you don't like needles be aware you will have to get someone else to inject you for about 5-6 days after the C section.

Three: Be careful walking downstairs!
I slipped down the stairs 3 times within 3 weeks because of the DVT socks. Be very, very careful!

Four: Accept help and don't push yourself!
This may sound obvious but I pushed myself too hard after the C section and my scar didn't heal as quickly as it should have done. Accept your limitations and accept help! In fact, if you need help just ask. We got family to stay with us after my son's birth because I really needed all the help I could get. If your partner can take the full 2 weeks paternity leave I would encourage you to make sure he does. I wouldn't have been able to cope without that help for the few couple of weeks.

Five: Delayed Milk
If you have a C section your milk can be delayed coming in. In case you aren't aware your milk takes a few days to come through usually, in the meantime you produce colostrum which is excellent for babies. However, your milk can be delayed coming in, mine took 7 days (instead of the usual 3 or 4). Bare in mind that this may cause your breasts to hurt even more, as your baby is sucking but not getting much in the way of colostrum (it is thick and doesn't flow as freely as milk, there isn't as much of it as milk either). I had complications with breastfeeding due to this, which I wrote about here. If this happens to you, try not to stress about it as stress makes things worse (when it comes to breastfeeding).

Six: Hearing Test
In hospital they will try and perform a hearing test on your newborn. Often babies born via C section still have mucus in their ears (from being in the womb) and it means they can't get a reading. Don't worry, they will give it a week to clear and ask you to come back to do the test again. This was the case with my son, he went back and his hearing test was all clear the next time.

Seven: Mucus
In addition to mucus in the hears babies can sometimes cough up or sick up mucus too (in the first couple of days) due to having been born via C section. Just be aware of this and if they sick it up make sure they aren't on their back so they can get it out.

Eight: Belly Flap
I really hate the term "belly flap" but I discovered it after having a C section. When you have a C section you often get a flabby, postpartum tummy that takes time to go down. It can sometimes cover your scar (as the skin below your scar is tighter than that above it), causing a "flap" over the scar. Your scar needs air to heal so this "belly flap" can be bad for recovery. One thing I found helped was having swabs to pack into the scar area... and of course encourage air to get the scar as much as possible. I know this isn't a subject that most people will like reading about but this is the reality of a C section. I want it to be helpful rather than gloss over a major part of the recovery of a C section.

Nine: Cabin Fever
Your recovery will be longer than normal and you will be very sore afterwards. But if you can, try and get out. Even for a coffee where you drive to the cafe. Getting a bit of sunlight and coffee a couple of days afterwards made me feel human again. Of course, my husband had to push the pram, carry the baby etc. But when we went out for coffee it was amazing to get out.

Ten: Be Realistic!
I am going to be honest, your body isn't going to look great after a C section and it will feel even worse. I felt a lot of pressure to get my postpartum tummy down quickly but in reality you are not able to exercise for a while (I am 11 weeks postpartum and I still have occasional aches around my scar when I push myself). It is going to take longer to recover your body shape after a C section. You are not going to look like the Duchess of Cambridge, who after just 3 weeks was skinny again! Be prepared that the recovery of a C section can be a longer process than normal birth. I have stopped fretting too much about my body shape and started focusing on being happy and healthy for my son. The rest will come with time.

If you have had or are going to have a C section then I hope you have a speedy recovery. If anyone has an questions please feel free to contact me.

My thoughts on antenatal classes...

For anyone considering going along to their local antenatal classes I wanted to share what I had thought about them.

Overall I really enjoyed the experience for lots of reasons but mostly because it was lovely to meet a group of parents at the same stage of pregnancy as me and my husband.

You are part of a group that understands what life is like for you during that stage, full of excitement and a healthy dose of fear (and even worry). I remember on the last lesson the instructor took us out to the main entrance of the labour ward and we said our goodbyes... I felt an overwhelming sense of "oh my goodness"! The next time I am here I will be in labour and meeting my baby! I instantly felt overwhelmed and not ready.

However, despite that moment of "oh my goodness" the classes were really informative and I am happy to report that I will soon be catching up with the lovely Mums from the group. I am really looking forward to comparing birthing, breastfeeding and parenting stories. No one else will understand where I am in my life as much as these Mums and it is lovely how we can all support each other.

Admittedly, I was a complete book worm when I was pregnant and read so many online resources about pregnancy (and the first few months of being a Mum) so I did know a lot of what was covered in the classes already. But it was very good for my husband... I find Dads to be don't do as much reading as Mums do. This is just natural. So going to these classes with my partner really helped teach him a few things he might not otherwise have known, and it was so useful for him to be taught about what to expect during labour. I felt that him knowing what to expect meant he was able to be at his most supportive throughout the process of giving birth.

Overall the classes covered everything but two areas that I really felt it let me down was its stance on formula feeding and natural (pain relief free) birth. The classes we attended were the free NHS, locally run parenting classes so this is just my experience with these. However I have been informed that the paid for NCT classes are very similar in this respect.

I did cover this a little bit in my blog post about my struggle with breastfeeding (which you can read here if you want to), but basically they aren't allowed to discuss formula feeding with the class. This was something we were told by the instructor and she said if we wanted to know about it we had to come to her after the class, to discuss it on a one to one basis. If you have ever been to the classes you will know that after a few hours of parenting lessons you are desperate to eat (you are pregnant after all) and are probably in an information-overload trance. So staying later to discuss formula isn't really something you will do, especially after being repeatedly informed how "breast is best" during the lesson...

In addition to this they do very much follow a plan that strongly encourages natural childbirth, going through the many pros of avoiding the stronger pain relief options (such as epidurals).

I personally find this something that has actually had a very negative effect on me and other Mums. These classes are very "breast is best", all natural birth and natural mother based... I completely understand why (and I am very supportive of anyone who can breastfeed and have a natural birth) but I have found that this attitude doesn't go with reality very well.

Firstly, natural birth is something that seems to have been very illusive to many of the Mums I know. I know of several C sections (even myself), episiotomies, blood transfusions and general complications within my group of Mummy friends... I think that by pushing the message of natural, pain free birth so much we are neglecting women somewhat. Labour is a very traumatic experience and we shouldn't be made to feel guilty for having medical advances help us, or deciding to have pain relief. I laboured for 30 hours before I was so exhausted from labour that I decided that I couldn't cope and asked for a epidural. Essentially going against my natural labour plan, but can you blame me? 30 hours... 3.... 0... hours!

I felt very upset with myself at the time but I hadn't slept for 30 hours... I had reached my limit. I ended up needing the epidural anyway as my labour ended in an emergency C section. A lot of my feelings of failing came down to the pressure that we get in places such as the antenatal classes, and general opinions that are obviously pushed by a "higher power". A "higher power" that dictates that the parenting class instructors aren't allowed to discuss alternative options (such as formula feeding) during the classes.

In addition to the natural pain relief options being very emphasised they push "breast is best" feeding as well. Again I understand why but I really feel that this leaves out a massive section of information that parents should be educated on. I made the decision to move to formula after a few weeks because of the issues I was having but there are plenty of medical reasons that women are truly unable to breastfeed! Surely a balanced approach would be to teach us how to properly administer formula?! I didn't have a clue what to do when I had to do a midnight formula feed for my dehydrated baby (my milk took so long to come in my poor son became dehydrated!).

I feel that the antenatal classes really need to reevaluate their stance on educating parents about formula feeding. It isn't realistic to neglect this in the hopes we all successfully breastfeed. It is important to know that if we need to that we can prepare formula feed properly. Whether it is for medical reasons or personal... lets not forget that the World Health Organisation recommend feeding a baby breast milk for at least 6 months. If you follow this recommendation until 6 months you still cant feed a baby cows milk, as a drink, until they are 12 months. But they still need milk in their diet. This mean you will have to use follow on formula milk from 6 to 12 months old... so why aren't they teaching this in the antenatal classes?

Anyway, I don't want this to be a big negative blog about the classes. They really are very useful and meeting fellow parents is a great, supportive experience. But I want to share my honest opinion as I think it is important that you are aware of, what I believe to be, the areas that they are lacking in.

Overall, I think you should go in hoping to learn but still do your own research on birth and feeding your baby. I think it is always worth researching pain relief options (such as epidurals) and formula feeding in your own time, as you may need this information at some point... and don't forget, no matter how you have your baby (natural, with an epidural, C section etc) or feed your baby as long as you love them, nurture them and try your best then you are being an excellent parent.

TENS Machine for labour: is it worth it?

When I went of to antenatal classes I wasn't sure if I would bother buying or hiring a TENS machine for labour, but during the classes the midwife went through the advantages of TENS machines and I decided I would hire one.

These advantages include:

• Drug free pain relief
• You are able to move around while using a TENS machine
• Natural and safe for you and your baby
• Easy to use
• Can be used with other pain relief options

For me I found that it didnt have a major impact on the pain of a contraction but how it helped was by taking my mind off the contraction. The tingling sensation it causes does help divert your focus away from the contraction.

I wouldnt have it on all the time, I would just turn it on as a contraction came on and have it pulsing throughout the contraction. Having something to focus on (turning it on and then the plusing) helped me during the contractions a lot. It also gave me a feeling of control during the early stages of labour at home.

You can't wear it during a bath or a water birth but you can wear it walking around or bouncing on a birthing ball. This can be very handy when you want to move around during labour.

I would advise hiring a TENS machine (make sure it is one specifically designed for maternity/labour), it is often cheaper than buying one. The company we used was Tens Med and we hired this TENS machine.

It offered a simple delivery and return service, you can keep it for 7 weeks as well. So it gives you plenty of time before and after your due date, in case your baby is early or late.

It also includes everything you need, including: pratice sticky pads, batteries and instruction manuals. The practice pads were especially useful to try out before my due date. I got my husband to go through it with me to make sure he knew where to place the pads on my back.

I would recommend a TENS machine to anyone considering them. They are a great tool for labour and as I mentioned having that button to press can make you feel like you have some control over your labour.