If you planned a c-section (or had one unplanned and want to chime in with hindsight), did you add anything different to your hospital bag? Anything that helped you recover, or clothing that would be best for a incision site?
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I had a planned c section, and I didn't really add anything different to my bag. I had all the normal stuff everyone suggests you take. Clothing wise I had some stretchy maternity yoga pants that were comfy. They didn't bother my incision at all. I preferred pants because you have a big pad on.
Eta: my advice is take your pain meds if you need them and move around as soon as you can. I found recovery was not bad.
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@Mamasig: I agree with your recovery tips
If you don't like the mesh panties, bring your own granny panties. I'm almost 5 weeks pp and my underwear still rub my incision. So maybe get some for home too. And comfy pants.
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@Ash: is your regular undies high waisted? I usually wear low rise type panties, and I wonder if they're going to bother the site since they stop right where the site will be?
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I liked pants that either had a loose waistband that sat at my "natural" waistline, or pants that had a broad, stretchy waist. Anything that would have put pressure directly on my incision site was a no-go. I use EMAB Mama Bottom Balm on my incision site almost right away, and I really think it helped it heal more quickly. The doctors commented several times on how fast and cleanly it was healing up, and the ointment feels cooling on contact, and kept the skin from drying out. For me, postpartum pooping was way more traumatic both times than the surgery. Fortunately, the second time I made sure that my first meals were high fiber, and that I was taking colace immediately. Also, the second time I asked for a support belt at the hospital. I really felt more secure and supported-- that new-mama-tummy can be a little floppy post-surgery, and having something to take away some of the bounce and jiggle made moving around more comfy, and, as others have already said, getting moving is one of the fastest ways to recover smoothly. Definitely take pain meds if you need them; it's not the time to try to prove your super-human pain tolerance
I got some extra large cloth pads to use with the mesh panties for pp bleeding.
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@Dandelion: they're low rise and hit right on my incision. I definitely recommend a higher waisted panty for postpartum.
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@Mrs. Twine: where did you get the balm from? What's in it?
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@Dandelion: I had gotten it back when I had pregnancy induced hemmorhoids, and was planning on a VBAC. I asked my doctor if I could use it on the incision site since it was designed to be used on injured skin (so like a perineal incision site), and she said it was fine to use. This is it, but you can also order directly from them or through many other retailers: http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Mama-Angel-Baby-2-Ounce/dp/B000JVEEZC It's not a bad idea to double check with your doctor before using it, but I found it really helpful.
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@Mrs. Twine: thanks for the info! I wish I knew about that stuff after my ordeal with S!
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@Dandelion: It's actually a decent first-aid type cream because it numbs the skin a little, too. I use it on the girls for cuts and scrapes, so I keep a jar in the diaper bag. It's good stuff
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@Dandelion: loose fitting clothing worked best, but I personally found I was more comfortable in my hospital gown. I bled through my pants and didn't want to be bothered with extra laundry! I liked wearing nursing tops, though.
I packed flip flops to shower in. I also used them when I took a walk down the hall.
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Loose high waisted underwear
Boppy or Brest friend nursing pillow - I was there 4 days so it would have been nice to have it with me
Mothers milk tea and honey - warm liquids help with moving the air out of your abdomen and most csection mamas I talked to found their milk took longer to come in
Slippers to get up and walk around. I was there for 4 days and walking helps with moving the air in your abdomen
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@sandy: I LOVED my my brest friend nursing pillow-- it had a pocket where I could keep little things I needed, and the clip-around waist was supportive and comfy. It felt like it stayed in place better than the boppy, and I thought it was better for positioning for nursing, too.
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@sandy: I'll put my boppy on my list! Good idea
I always get an oversupply of milk so I'll skip the tea. Not sure if the cs will be different though.
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@Mrs. Twine: I uses the Brest friend pillow exclusively for the first 3 months and then switched to the Boppy. I loved both so much!
@Dandelion: even if you skip the mothers milk tea I would bring your own favorite kind of tea to encourage yourself to drink plenty of warm liquids to move the air out of your tummy. I only wanted ice chips the first few days but once I listened to the nurses and drank some warm liquids I started feeling much better
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I agree with the high waisted, loose panties & pants. 10 weeks later my incision gets sore when I wear low cut undies.
I personally had issues with breastfeeding & that can be related to C sections because of delayed latching, drugs, etc. so I plan to bring Mother's Milk tea & lactation cookies next time!
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I think the only things I actually wore from my hospital bag were a robe when visitors came to throw over my hospital gown and socks with the non slide grips on them. I wore the hospital gown and the mesh underwear the whole time. I was bleeding a lot and it was just easier that way. My incision site was and still is pretty swollen so regular underwear is not very comfortable - even high waisted unless it has a very stretchy elastic, which the ones I bought didn't. So at 2 weeks pp I still wear the hospital underwear most days and yoga pants. I've just started switching to the high waisted tighter underwear. My underwear is all low rise and my incision is very low so I can't wear them yet.
As for other things I used, my hospital food was seriously lacking in quantity so I packed lots of snacks and was so glad I did! But aside from that, the hospital gave me everything I needed. And bring your own pillow - the hospital ones suck!
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@Pirouette: I love the mesh undies lol. With S they let me take a huge stash home with me. I was so sad when I had to go back to normal ones lol. I had a big epi/tear so they were perfect.
I'll have them stock me up again! The hospital bed in general was uncomfy but I did like that it could sit me up lol. I missed that part when I got home lol.
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yoga pants and snacks
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@Dandelion: I took a pack home thinking I wouldn't wear them but boy was I wrong! They are so great for over the incision. I liked that the bed moved but the pillow had no support and I kept getting back pains when I tried to bf.
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I just wore the hospital gown and mesh panties. I didn't even bother with wearing any of my own clothes until going home. Didn't have to worry about them getting stained and honestly the gown was comfy enough. I just didn't care about clothes at that point. Just cared about getting sleep, the pain and my new baby! Definitely need high-waist underwear, though. I wore them (husband bought me granny panties) for a few weeks afterwards.
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I loved the gowns/robe combos you can get at destination maternity. They were awesome for nursing, didn't touch my incision and super comfortable. I brought my own pillow but I might bring more than one next time - it's just so hard to get comfortable. I agree with others about giant underwear although I just loved the mesh panties. I used the big underwear once I got home. Also you might pack an extra package of diapers and wipes. We went through the one bag provided and got charged for a second, which was way more expensive. Oh and definitely snacks!
I got some extra large cloth pads to use with the mesh panties for pp bleeding.
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