How do I prepare for a caesarian birth?
I am often asked how a woman can best prepare for an upcoming cesarean section, whether it be a planned surgery or the result of unexpected events during vaginal birth. It’s very important that you don’t skip this section in the birthing books or tune out during the birthing classes you may take.
Prepare!
Understand why you may need a cesarean section. Is the baby breech? Do you have placenta previa? Does your doctor have a strict time limit on how long you can labor or push before determining a cesarean is necessary to birth your baby?
Know what is involved in the procedure and how your partner is going to be involved. If you have some idea of how the process will unwind, you may feel more emotionally prepared. Some women I have talked to expressed how taken by surprise they were that they ended up with a cesarean and were not mentally or emotionally prepared for the experience.
You can also ask your doctor to talk you through what a cesarean birth entails or look for videos online. BabyCenter has a video that shows the general experience of a c-section. Remember – you can still have skin to skin contact with your baby as soon as it is cleared with the pediatrician!
Learn relaxation techniques. We do this a lot in prenatal yoga to help prepare for the work of labor and delivery. But many of these techniques are useful for any stressful or anxiety prone situation.
Plan ahead for your hospital stay. For those who are having a scheduled cesarean, remember that you will be in the hospital for 3-5 days, so that will require more clothes in your hospital bag. For those who plan to have a vaginal birth but end up with a cesarean, have a small extra bag packed at home that your partner or friend can run home and get for a longer stay then a vaginal birth requires.
Know how to care for your incision. Before leaving the hospital, get clear directions on how to care for the incision; what should you look out for that is out of the ordinary. What pain medications, if any, will you still be taking? What does your care provider suggest in terms of returning to physical activities? Most doctors recommend gentle activity each day, such as a short walk which can aid in recovery and help prevent deep vein thrombosis (blood clots).
Buy some “granny panties” ahead of time. You may find it uncomfortable to have your underwear rubbing against the bandages of your incision. You may even want take the disposable underwear from the hospital.
Take care when feeding. Have extra pillows on hand that may help support the baby’s weight for breastfeeding since your abdomen will be sensitive. It is also recommended to brace your abdomen with a pillow when sneezing or coughing.
Have support set up for afterwards. This could involve having family around to help out with some basic household chores like food shopping, laundry and stocking your refrigerator with healthy, easy to grab foods. Or you could hire a postpartum doula or baby nurse to help you adjust to your new routine as a mother.
Have information for a lactation consultant ready.
Find support within your community. Research ahead of time to find new mother support groups or a postpartum counselor, should you have a hard time with the transition into motherhood or undigested feelings about a cesarean. For some mothers that had planned for a vaginal birth and ended up with a cesarean, this experience could be a lot to process. Don’t allow anyone to talk you out of your feelings as you heal from the experience.
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Debra Flashenberg, CD(DONA), LCCE, E-RYT 500 is the director of the Prenatal Yoga Center. She has spent most of her life performing and was introduced to yoga through a choreographer in 1997. After several years as a yoga student, she decided to continue her education and became certified as a Bikram Yoga instructor. After being witness to several “typical” hospital births, Debra felt it was important to move beyond the yoga room and be present in the birthing room. In 2006, Debra received her certification as a Lamaze® Certified Childbirth Educator. In September of 2007, Debra completed a Midwife Assistant Program with Ina May Gaskin, Pamela Hunt and many of the other Farm Midwives at The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee. Drawing on her experience as a prenatal yoga teacher, labor support doula and childbirth educator, Debra looks to establish safe and effective classes for pregnancy and beyond. She is the proud (and tired) mother of new baby boy, Shay.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.
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