Yeah, like Janie, I was pretty much on a very slow shuffle for the first 2-3 days. I needed help to shower and I was a bit wobbly going to the toilet on that first day out of bed. Mind you I had a bit of a rough landing pain-wise after the surgery and I really rode the PCA button overnight, so perhaps it was the after effects of the drugs as well.

I had my CS around 2 in the afternoon, so 12 hours later would've been in the middle of the night??! It was late morning before they got me up and I went all of a metre, if that. I agree with MG, if you need to buzz that button, do it. I wanted DH there because of the experience I had with DD1, when for reasons I still don't understand, there were several occasions when I really needed help and the staff just literally *never* came. I wasn't about to risk that again, plus I was scared about how debilitated the actual surgery would leave me. It's a big thing, giving birth and having surgery all in one hit, but for the staff it's just a normal routine thing. So you need to speak up and be very specific about the help you need. I discovered after my last surgery when I was in bed for 2 full days, some nurses are fantastic, they come in and look around and think about what you need and just do it for you. Others are clueless and will happily leave without checking basic things like do you have a drink, or if you need the light turned off at bedtime. So if it looks like you can't roganise to have DP there, then you just need to ask for the help you need. Not easy when you're used to being so self-sufficient and managing by yourself even in extreme circumstances - but that's what those nurses are there for.