Silly questions about preparing for a c-section...

Hi Ladies :D

I'm booked in for my c-section on the 8th of November, 20 days away! And I wanted to get myself organised and also pamper myself so that i don't have to do much in order to get myself presentable for friends/family visiting at the hospital, iykwim?!

I was thinking i could get a manicure/pedicure but then i thought don't they have to see your nails or something? I remember when i had my tonsils out a few years ago they made me take my nail polish off in case my BP dropped they could see the colour of my nailbed?!! But is it different for a c-section because you're awake?! I'm a bit clueless :rolleyes:

I'm going to get my hair done the day before too, i'll get my eyebrows waxed and i have a great comfy tracksuit to wear around the hospital that won't interfere with my incision/stitches... and i've packed my hospital bag sort of, it's full of maternity pads and black undies!

Is there anything else you would recommend getting/doing? Any tips at all would be great! Sorry if this has all been asked before!

TIA :D

Yep you have to make sure you're nails are visible, this doesn't mean you can't have a manicure or have clear polish on. I had an emergency c/s and they had to quickly get rid of my polish, made a big mess of it too :rolleyes:

What are your undies like? The best ones are old granny ones. Mine were higher than the incision site by an inch or so (hipsters) but the muscles that had been stretched during the op were very sore. I ended up sending Aaron out to buy some high granny undies!! They were so comfy & were good to hold a pad in places over the staples.

If you're into getting a brazillion or something like that I'd recommend that as well. They shave about 1.5cm at the top of your pubic area to do the incision. It's horrible to have itchy regrowth at the same time as a healing wound. I'd say it's much more pleasant to be trimmed & tidy when dealing with lochia (definitely keeping it in mind for my next birth ;)).

Sounds like a great list so far Keira! Something about if you need a general, you need no polish on your toes - having said that mine were beautiful when I went in to be induced but ended up having a c/s and they didnt make me take it off - so Im not sure.
I had comfy trackies, but I ended up getting my sister to get me some nighties - they were just so much more comfortable even when I was up and about and you can get some cute ones now- not daggy! I wore them a bit too when I got home. I also loved having one of my pashminas and my own pillow there, I used the shawl to keep warm, feel beautiful and still take it with me for feeding out and about.
You might want to think about waxing down there? They do shave that spot if you dont - so if that bothers you, waxing might be better.
Cant think of anything right now - if I think of anything else will be back later.

I was made to have repeat C/S with my second.

I knew it could be dangerous for my baby as they were taking him early and when I was not in labour. I worked hard for the month before to make sure I expressed enough EBM to have ready for if he needed to go to SCN.

Turns out he did, he suffered TTN and need to have oxygen and a drip for over 24 hours, the 200 mls of expressed milk really helped him pull through and kept his blood sugars up without the need for ABMS.

All I can say is I can't really remember what I wore or how my hair was I was too worried about my baby.

You can't have any lip colour or other face makeup on during the c-section as they need to be able to check your lips and facial colouring.

Try not to worry about how you look; I know I had a lot of fluid retention and swelling and looked terrible for the first couple of days. Focus on comfort; the tracksuit sounds good.

Wishing you a relaxing and enjoyable birth experience with your c-section and hope your recovery is quick.

I took in some tinted moisturiser, eye-liner and lip gloss because I thought it would be quick way to get made up but after Yasin was born I looked like I'd gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson; no amount of make-up could disguise that amount of fluid retention lol.
When Imran was born I just took eye-liner and lip gloss.

I had a catheter in for a while after I was walking about because they nicked my bladder and I found a skirt much easier to get on and be mobile in than pants.

Please remember that the original poster asked for ideas on what she needs to organise herself for her c/s and not for debate over her birth choice.

Please keep any vaginal vs c/s debate out of this thread. Thanks.

If you want to look nice maybe get an eyelash tint, then you don't have to worry about wearing mascara (or taking it off).

Alot of women want to look nice after the birth, if you get these things done then you feel presentable after bubs is here then you don't have to worry about doing anything after and can just enjoy your baby.

When my last 2 dd were born, i straightened my hair regularaly around my due date as my hair isn't the wash and leave type it is wild if left to dry after washing and when straight i don't have to do a thing for 3-4 days.

Go for the brazillian if you can it will be so much easier (after that is)

Good on you for wanting to look/feel nice nothing at all wrong with that.

Hi Kiera,

How exciting! Not long to go now!

You could take some fav music to have played during the surgery if you are that way inclined. Speak to your Ob first to see if they are happy for it to be played - some surgeons like background music whilst others prefer a quiet theatre.

I actually took my maternity clothes to hosp with me - I wore my PJ's at night time and normal (maternity) clothes during the day so I could feel "normal".

How about writing some of your feelings down before the birth - it might help to prepare you mentally and emotionally for the next step of your journey.

Spend some time with your partner before the birth.

If you haven't already done so, organise some dinners to go into the freezer for when you come home (whether you make them or ask friends/family to do so is up to you).

About the nailpolish - it is really going to depend on the staff you're dealing with. The reason they might check your nailbeds with blood pressure issues is for capillary return - but they can check that on your arms/legs (but the result may be altered if you suffer edema). The other common reason anethetist's ask you to remove nail polish from your fingers is so the sat probe can get an accurate reading (the peg on your finger). There are mixed views on this in many hospitals as some believe the presence of nail polish makes no difference. If the anethetist says no nail polish for this reason, it will also mean no clear nailpolish as the theory is that the polish reflects the beam and screws up the reading. I have cared for plenty of women who have had nail polish on their nails and never had a problem with readings. And for what it is worth - I have never checked someone's nail beds for blood pressure issues. The only time I would check capillary return in nail beds is if they have had surgery which impacts on those limbs (such as knee reconstruction or shoulder reconstruction for the hands) or if they have had a surgical proceedure where the circulation may be affected. Of course, if you had an injury to a limb I would be checking it ;). SO, my advice would be to check with the Ob. I had a pedicure done a week before I was due (2 weeks before DD arrived) and didn't have to remove my nail polish.

HTH and looking forward to hearing about the birth of your little one!

MG

Maybe some snacks in your hospital bag. I was starving after the birth and when breast feeding, but you can get dh to bring you stuff.

I was in bed for the first 24hrs so it was nice to have some like refresher towlettes with a nice scent, it made me feel like a human again.
This is my list for next time :p
Comfy undies (sarah was spot on) I didnt care much about col as they were never invited to join the normal rotation and were threw out
Tops that you can feed without flashing to the world :cryinglaugh:
I would def do a Brazillian saves the nasty clippers.
PADS for the insistion site so clothes dont rub on it.
pedi and manucure I did that last time and although my feet swelled they looked good
Shoes that give as my feet swelled with the fluid c-section
Um that is all I can think of at the moment
Bec

I was thinking of the granny-pants too - lots of friends with sections loved these and wore them while the wound was healing too.

I also wanted to pop in and say WOOT on the date - it's my dad's birthday on the 8th and he is a top bloke! ;) Not biased at all am i....

Have a brilliant birth hun.

Bx

Take your hairdryer (for drying your wound site) and a roll of nice soft dunny paper (they have that horrible scratchy stuff)!

WOW! Thankyou so much for all these great ideas! I'm going to print off this page and get cracking to get me some granny undies!! :cryinglaugh: The ones i have already are just those normal black bonds briefs, they sit just above the edge of your pubic line...

Thankyou for everyones lovely well-wishes! DP and I are really excited! And a little bit nervous too :D

Oh and in regards to the brazilians, i used to get them regularly before being pg, and i was just wondering do u think the fact that i'm extremely "puffy" down there would make a difference to the pain factor and are beauticians ok about doing pg women, i know they can be weird about it when you have your period for that reason - that you're puffier down there at that time and it affects the whole way they wax you!! :rolleyes:

granny knickers are a must :)

And get your hair braided or something. With my first c.s my hair was a mess and it bothered me. I wasn't able to brush it till the following day and even then I had to get DH to do it. 2nd time round I had a nice plait put in the night before . Laying on the bed for hours really messes it up...

As for make up ect can't help you there I don't wear it :)

yeah I second the nighty over trackies for the first 24hrs atleast, because of the catheter and it's hard to bend alot to pull down and pull up your pants.

I found that during the day if I was still in my pj's I felt a bit icky so some nice cassual 3/4 pants would be nice. I also found that the dressing gown, socks, jackets, long sleeves etc were a bit of over kill because they keep hospitals at a constant 21c but layering is great so you can take stuff off.

I took a boomerang pillow which was great for holding to your scar while bfing and great for sitting up in bed.

You can get a bulk pack of full brief undies (better known as the granny undies :lol: ) from coles and Safeway real cheap so you can throw them away when your done.

tissues (if they don't have any in your room) and get hubby to put everything on the bed table close by so if you need tissues, book, water it's all handy and you don't ahve to buzz just so someone can hand you a tissue :lol:

I love the idea of a lash tint that would be lovely.
Lip gloss/balm and tinted moisturiser will make you feel a bit more human and you can put that on while still in bed if it's close by. Plus those moisturising face wipes to make you feel fresh.

A nice hair clip/band for bfing as long hair gets in your eyes when looking down.

Breath mints.

Some comfy but pretty nursing shirts.

oh and a tip. A pad where your incision is is so comfy for those first couple days.. to keep it dry and stop any rubbing. i just put a maternity pad there

Moving to c/s forum.

A pedicure for me was wonderful, bright glossy red toenails made me feel better when I was full of fluid up to my collarbones!!! Also nice comfy slippers you can just slip on. I made myself some soft cotton pj pants with gentle elastic that I could wear nice and high away from the incision area. I found I was sore all over my stomach so the maternity skirts and pants etc with the tight band were quite uncomfortable. Hair band a must! And the refresher towellettes, great idea, would have loved those. I kept a small brush and mirror beside the bed so if I had visitors coming I cuold brush my hair and check I looked ok without having to get up and walk to the bathroom. Also, many of the tops I had I was too hot in, sleeveless is the way to go.

Keira - I normally get brazillan but i had the same concern as you, so just got regular wax with some taken off the top so no shaving necessary during op.
Good luck with your C section. You sound so much like me. I took nail polish to hospital and my sister painted my nails for me while rellies were cuddling DS. I also took a lovely bodywash and sponge - which took my mind off my first shower when the midwife was washing me (she was lovely, i just found it strange!:lol:). I loved every minute of my birth and i hope you do too. :hug:

I dont know about other posters but being visually disadvantaged I was allowed to wear my contact lenses for my c-sect but next time will remember to take a few pairs as with all the happy tears they were in need of throwing every couple of days

Have you guys read Kelly's article - Waxing During Pregnancy?

Dunno if this is going to apply to u but after u have a c-section they usually put morphine in your drip to kill the pain. This works great guns however some people like myself start to itch like crazy especially around the neck, face, lips, hands pretty much everywhere. Once it wears off u are left with very very very dry flakey red skin. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some vasaline in the hospital and I spread that on one day there just before having a nap. When I woke up I gave my baby a feed and went up to the baby bath section and bathed my baby, then went into the kitchen area and made a cup of tea. The whole time people were looking at me but I didnt take much notice until I caught a glimps of myself in the mirror. There was dead skin everywhere on my face just kinda hanging there. It looked discusting. I had to wet a face washer and scrub my face to peel it off. Was all good after that but if u put something on your face to help with the dryness make sure u look at yourself before going out in public again just incase u have giant pieces of skin hanging off your face. Again this is only my reaction to the morphine and this may not happen at all to u.

Good luck with everything and make sure u take all the pain meds they offer u cos its much better if u keep up with the pain if u know what i mean and the granny pants are definately the best things (and blacks the best colour so u have done well there anyways).

Another tip ~ if you are in any sort of pain as gross as it is the anal suppositories really work :) i put it off and put it off due to embarrassment but in the end I had one and wow it worked, The pain wasn't related to the c/s I had back pain..

Hi and congrats on your up and coming birth!

Now granny undies are great but i have found something thats even better than them!!! I am not sure where else you can get them but i know you can order them online through the new beginnings website ( ihope its ok to mention another site). Anyway they are called disposable pants.They are a net elastic type knickers they are great for both VB and C-sec but i highly recommend them for c-secs. They can be washed if you want or just chuck them away. These are there features :- hygenic soft breathable fabric, stretchable one size fits all, PERFECTLY suited for CAESAREAN/gynaelogical applications, Recuperation - allows skin/scar to breathe, and washable up to 20 times!!!!! Now some hospitals actually give you these either while in labour or straight after bubs is born. I know ours does,hence where i got the idea from. So i went in search and found them and i highly recommend them to everyone!!! It is seriously like you are wearing nothing at all..

Other than that do whatever helps you get through! I have had 2 c-secs now but my first was an emergancy c-sec and then i had for VB's and my last was elective c-sec as bub was in breech! I am in the process of doing mass research as i am expecting a surprise number 7 and really want to try to go VB again!

Good luck with your C-sec and i hope you have a speedy recovery! just make sure you have a good support network and accept all help offered, it really makes it so much easier!!!!
I didn't have a good support network and could only rely on DH who had to go back to work shortly after!!!!!!
Cheers
Kat

Thanks for that I will go check it out.

Good luck at geting your VB!

ooohhh what a great thread!

everyone is really providing some fantastic and really practical tips...well done everyone :) :) :)

for the c/s you can still make it really special
special music
requesting no one talk as your baby is being born
skin to skin contact
partner to 'trim' the umbilical cord
b&w photos
special blanket to wrap the beautiful baby
first bf

good luck Kiera...enjoy your baby's beautiful birth

xx yogababy

Lip gloss, comfy socks, your own pillow, a light dressing gown...absolute must for me. Almost forgot...my home made choc balls!!!!

To pamper yourself before you go to hossy I would suggest a preg massage. Wishing you all the best:)

No worries aussienic, i swear by them. I hope i get my VB too but if not i will be writing down some notes from this thread to help make our journey better this time round!