Emergency C-Section: Products to Make Recovery Easier

Around 1 in 4 women in the UK deliver by caesarean section every year, yet there is still very little information out there for mama’s postnatally. The chances are you probably won’t have been expecting the ‘emergency’ part of the delivery, so you may feel a little unprepared after the birth. To help in the early days, we’ve pulled together our top products to help make the postnatal recovery a little more comfortable.

For you…

Big cotton knickers

After nine months of pregnancy, you’ll probably long for the day that you can downsize your big pants – but in the weeks after birth, big soft cotton knickers that will help air to circulate around your wound and won’t rub will feel incredible.

We recommend TU at Sainsbury’s full briefs – go for a dark colour and size up for extra comfort.

Postnatal vitamins

Sleep deprivation and barely having time to eat can lead to you feeling rundown. After major abdominal surgery it’s important to get the nutrients you need to help your body heal, so along with taking it easy make sure you get those vitamins.

Vitabiotics have a range of postnatal vitamins to support new mum and baby’s health.

Feeding pillow

Your stomach is likely to be quite tender, and you’ll want to protect it just as you did when you were pregnant. A feeding pillow is great for keeping a soft cushy barrier between you and baby, or if you have any pets or other children that might want cuddles too.

Chewing gum

A helpful tip from the surgeon…”chew chew chew”. Chewing gum is a natural laxative and the chewing action helps to get things moving. You’ll want to avoid any strain so make sure you pack those Airwaves.

Loose pyjamas

As with the big pants, you want to make sure your pyjamas are just as breezy. Choose loungewear or sleepwear that is easy to get on and off but allows good circulation of air to your stomach and pubic area.

Baby sponge

Yep, this one’s for you! You’ll be advised to gently squeeze soapy water over your wound and avoid baths or soaking the area until your six-week check, this prevents the wound from opening up. A baby sponge is soft enough to gently cleanse the area and is gentle on the surrounding skin which will be quite sensitive too.

For baby…

A next to me crib

Choose a soft fabric next to me crib that can attach to your bedside. Since you’ll be resting up, and bed is the comfiest place to do so in those hazy newborn days, you’ll want baby close and at a height comfortable to you to avoid having to bend or twist.

We love Kinderkraft’s Bedside Crib UNO, doubling up as a travel cot and adjustable height to suit you.

A baby nest or cushion

Guidelines discourage letting baby sleep in pods or nests unsupervised, but they come in handy when you are struggling to hold baby for long periods of time or you’re wary about any jolty baby kicks to your sensitive tum. Whether you pop them in them on the bed or sofa next to you, or you keep them cosy whilst sitting on the floor they’ll make your life much easier.

Babymoov have a great range of ergonomic specifically for newborns.

Camera

With a newborn baby and recovery from abdominal surgery, you may not be in the mood for photographs but time passes so quickly, make sure you have your camera set up and ready to capture those days spent recovering in hospital and the early days back at home. For some extra encouragement, add our baby milestone cards into the mix.

Tall baby bouncer/seat

Anything that helps you to avoid bending or stretching to lift, and since most baby bouncers are close to the floor, look for something with extendable legs to keep you and baby comfortable.

ASDA have a great compact height bouncer which is great value too.

Baby bath stand

As with the tall baby seat, you can get baby bath stands so you can still enjoy the bath time process without having to awkwardly bend and lift over the side of your bath.

Remember that you’ve undergone major abdominal surgery so hopefully this list will help to make your recovery gentler on you, and help you enjoy and soak up those first weeks with baby.