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DP was told by a midwife/nurse that she couldn't wear the little fella in a sling for 6 weeks because she'd had a caesarian. Has anyone else had this advice and does it depend on the type of sling? I think she may be a bit jealous of me carrying him around in our BubbaMoe (I'm yet to try the Eden) but can you blame her given how cosy (and quiet) he looks?
My DD was in hospital for 3 months from birth, I had had a CS. Obviously I did not hold DD in a sling however when DD was 10 days old she was transferred into the city, I walked half an hour to the station with a backpack containing bottles of expressed milk, bottle of water etc... then on a train, tram and walk a couple of minutes into hospital. I did not have any discomfort and had no problems, and some days I ever took the stairs to level 3 as the lifts were sooo slow.
Ok so what I went through proberly isn't recommended but what I am trying to say is I think that she will be fine to wear the sling for small amounts at a time. I am no doctor though ;) just my opinion, but I did have an unusually quick and comfortable recovery.
I think your wife will know if it is to much or not, just wait a couple of weeks after the birth to try.
Good Luck.
I had a CS 5 weeks ago and I have been carrying Lachie in our HAB since 3.5 weeks and he weighs 5.3kgs......
i think it's up to how she's feeling....
i think its a lot to do with how she is feeling too
i had a cs, a 4kg bub and was carrying him around in the hug a bub in the cross over both shoulders sling position for short periods of time within a fortnight without a problem. got us both through witching hour in those first few months let me tell you!
HTH.
As with all advice it is good to take it under advisement, but keep in mind it is not the be all and end all for every single person.
The 6 week guideline is there for reason, generally tissues in the body require that much time to allow them to heal. Consider when you break your arm, your arm is put in plaster for about 6 weeks as it takes that long for the bone tissue to heal. The same can be pretty generally applied to you abdomen and uterus. The tissues which have been cut need a decent amount of time to heal. Any exertion on your part cause damage.
That said, we all heal at different rates and all have different thresholds of what we can manage. There are certainly some people who are able to get back into the swing of things really quickly and some who are at the other end of that scale. Most people seem to be pretty able to manage carrying their little one in a sling among other duties, however I have certainly seen a case where someone ended up back in hospital with some pretty serious internal bleeding due to trying to do to much.
I carried my DD in a sling for a bit at the 2 week mark post c-section and I felt ok at the time. Afterward I was absolutely wiped out (I was quite surprised how exausted) and eventually ended up with a problem with the scar healing and an infection. I don't know if that complication had anything to do with my sling wearing though!!
I guess what I am trying to say in a round about way is take the guidelines under advisement but do what feels right for you! Keep an eye on your DP and do what you can to help in every other way so that she can expend the energy carrying your precious DS in the sling. You are right, it's a cosy little spot to hang and she has a reason to be jealous ;)
No, if your DP feels up for it, she can use a carrier straight away after a caesar. If anything, it may actually help to keep strain off the stomach muscles because the weight of the baby is supported by the shoulders or back rather than the arms. Although some carriers are obviously going to be more suitable than others. Ring slings, pouches and wraps are fine, even MTs can be used if they are tied well above the wound site.
I started using carriers almost immediately after my return from hospital (I had no such direction not to use them), and know many others who did too. Of course, it depends on how your wife feels, and with any carrying, it takes a little time to condition the muscles, so she should take it slowly at first and build up her carrying strength. She should also be mindful that the carrier is well fitting and holds bub snugly to her body with no sag or lean, which will put strain on her shoulder muscles and cause the stomach muscles to contract to take up the load. I would recommend looking on YouTube for some videos (or check out thebabywearer) on correct carrying positions.
Congratulations to you both!!
ETA: I should be clear in saying that if she is going to be carrying a babe in arms anyway, (which is often the case, because babies don't know that their mums need to rest and recover, and some babies will only settled whilst being carried and upright, and walked around constantly, like mine did), then using a carrier is preferable because it allows a more natural posture to be maintained and reduces strain on healing muscles. It can be all very well to say that one shouldn't use carriers for six weeks (or do other things), but the reality is that many mums do not have any other option because they have a baby to look after and may not have other support. My DP had to return to work after four days and I had no option but to manage. In my case a carrier helped immensely.
I had Juliette (9lb 14oz) on the Saturday & carried her in the sling from the ward to the car on the Tuesday when we went home. No-one said anything. The way I see it is that I was allowed to carry her so what difference did it make if I carried her in my arms or in the sling. I used the Moby (wrap carrier) for the first time at exactly six weeks.
If she is using the sling properly it isn't going to hurt because as Sarah said, she'd be carrying bub anyway. I can't remember when i tried the carrier but I know I just played it by ear, if I was getting sore or tired I'd stop, if it hurt I'd stop.
If she feels like she can do it then I think it's fine. I was using the Hug-a-bub about 2 wks after my cs. Just made sure it was tied up above my scar. It was actually much easier for me to carry her in it than in my arms.
No problems here either using the HAB within 2 wks of the birth. I'd have used it earlier, but I didn't figure out how to wrap it!
(I was also able to do an emergency brake and drive less than 2 wks after my c/s, which was the criteria according to my ob, and I have never had any problems with my scar or anything else related).