Preparing for a caesarean section You will need to fast. That means no food or drink, including water, for up to 6 hours before a planned caesarean. In some cases, you can drink clear fluids up until 2 hours before your admission. Your doctor will advise you about fasting times required for your operation.
The Night Before Your C-section
You may brush your teeth in the morning. Check with your doctor if you are taking any medication. Take a shower before coming to the hospital. Please leave valuables at home and keep your luggage in the car until you are transferred to the postpartum unit.
Bring music, books, inspirational photos etc to help you feel calm as you wait. You might even say a few words to baby as you prepare to meet him. If your cesarean is not planned or perhaps it was your greatest fear or worry, ask for a couple of minutes to adjust to this new reality before the birth.
It's important to get out of bed and walk around within 24 hours after surgery. This can help ease gas pains, help you have a bowel movement, and prevent blood clots.
After a c-section, you should sleep on your back or side. This shouldn't put too much strain on your c-section wound. You can also try sleeping on your back with your head elevated. Use pillows to keep your spine aligned and take pressure off your joints.
Gentle exercise, such as walking, will help you recover from your c-section. But avoid anything more active until you have no pain and you feel ready. For example, avoid driving, carrying anything heavy, having sex or doing heavy housework, such as vacuuming, until you feel able to.
Under most circumstances, undergoing a c-section via Spinal Anesthesia or Epidural Anesthesia (rather than General Anesthesia) is preferred since it involves less risk and has the advantage of allowing you to be awake during your baby's birth.
At first, your cut (incision) will be raised slightly and pinker than the rest of your skin. It will likely appear somewhat puffy. Any pain should decrease after 2 or 3 days, but your cut will remain tender for up to 3 weeks or more. Most women need pain medicine for the first few days to 2 weeks.
Most C-sections are done under regional anesthesia, which numbs only the lower part of your body. This allows you to be awake during the procedure. Common choices include a spinal block and an epidural block. Some C-sections might require general anesthesia.
What is the Golden Hour? After the birth of the baby, both vaginal and c-section birth, the Golden hour consists of uninterrupted and immediate skin to skin contact, limited interventions that are not necessary, if possible and desired having delayed cord clamping, and having the first feeding of baby completed.
On the day of your C-section
Most women will go into the hospital on the morning of their elective caesarean section, where the doctor or midwife will show you and your birth partner to your bed space/room in the postnatal ward. Once settled, you will be: Given an estimated time for your caesarean delivery.
The typical C-section takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. After your provider delivers your baby, they'll stitch your uterus and close the incision in your abdomen. Different types of emergencies can arise during a delivery.
Keep the wound area clean by washing it with mild soap and water. You don't need to scrub it. Often, just letting the water run over your wound in the shower is enough. You may remove your wound dressing and take showers if stitches, staples, or glue were used to close your skin.
The first day after a C-section is often the hardest, and moving around may hurt. Take any prescribed pain medication on schedule, and time your trips to the bathroom or around the room to coincide with when the pain medicine kicks in, suggests Dr. Woeber.
Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.
The mother is given an anesthetic throughout the whole operation. Women who have a Cesarean section usually have a choice of two or three options: A general anesthetic, where they are completely unconscious, and two types of regional anesthetic known as “epidural” and “spinal” anesthesia.
If you have had a general anaesthetic, you will stay in the recovery room until you wake up, usually in about 30 to 60 minutes. You will be able to see your baby when you wake up. Your baby may be allowed to stay with you unless the team is worried about your health or the baby's health.
Most women who have planned C-sections get local anesthesia, either an epidural or a spinal block. This will numb you from the waist down, so you won't feel any pain. This type of anesthesia lets you still be awake and aware of what's going on.
Walking after c-section is encouraged and should be your go to for the first few weeks. You'll start to notice day to day movement getting easier and less discomfort lifting baby or moving around.
It takes about six weeks to recover from a C-section, but each person's timeline will be different. An incision — typically a horizontal cut made in your lower abdomen — can take weeks to heal. During that time, it's recommended that you avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby.