{"id":347,"date":"2021-11-17T14:11:44","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T14:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.csections.org\/?p=347"},"modified":"2021-12-02T13:44:05","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T13:44:05","slug":"how-you-can-improve-your-caesarean-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/?p=347","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s how you can improve your caesarean experience?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The following is simply a list of all the things you can do before, during and after a caesarean birth to help improve both your experience and your recovery. This is worth thinking about even if you are planning a vaginal birth, as, in many countries, a quarter of births end in caesarean delivery (planned or otherwise).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Before:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime<\/li>\n<li>Accept the anti-nausea meds offered prior to surgery<\/li>\n<li>Be aware you do not need sedatives prior to surgery and have the right to refuse them (I am referring to sedatives, NOT anaesthetic)<\/li>\n<li>Remain hydrated, only stopping liquid intake 2 hours prior to surgery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>During:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A dedicated team member to keep you and your partner up to date and answer any questions<\/li>\n<li>A doula (as well as birth partner) permitted in theatre if you have been working with one in the lead up to birth<\/li>\n<li>Surgical gown on backwards (so it opens at the front) to enable skin-to-skin time in theatre if desired<\/li>\n<li>Delayed cord clamping unless in an emergency situation<\/li>\n<li>Baby passed straight to you unless medical attention is required. Weighing, cleaning etc. can be delayed<\/li>\n<li>Skin closure with stitches, not staples (unless staples are medically necessary)<\/li>\n<li>Appropriate pain relief regime begun immediately<\/li>\n<li>Pressure shoes or stockings applied<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>After:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Encouraged to eat and drink within 2 hours, particularly peppermint to aid with gas (no fizzy drinks)<\/li>\n<li>Immediate breastfeeding support if breastfeeding is the intention<\/li>\n<li>Catheter removal as soon as possible, no later than 12 hours (unless specific medical reasons require it remain in place)<\/li>\n<li>Pressure stockings remain in place for duration of hospital stay<\/li>\n<li>Supported to walk the same day as surgery<\/li>\n<li>Keep on top of the pain medication regime &#8211; once you fall behind by an hour or more it can be difficult to build back up to an effective level<\/li>\n<li>Accept all the help you are offered; you can always say no thank you later<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Once at home:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take it easy. Baby and you come first, not a guest&#8217;s cup of tea &#8211; let them make it and ask them to unload the washing machine while they are at it. Your on-going pain meds can mask signs that you might be over-doing it, so pay close attention<\/li>\n<li>Avoid touching the surgical site, but use clean hands if you really need to<\/li>\n<li>Keep an eye on the surgical site for early signs of infection<\/li>\n<li>Consider continuing to wear the pressure stockings for an extra few days<\/li>\n<li>Do not be tempted to resume exercise too soon, listen to your body &#8211; twinges reveal you may be over-doing it. With care you can begin very gentle exercise prior to 6-week wellness check (I am talking a gentle walk, I am definitely not suggesting situps, nor even a short jog etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some of these ideas are from an excellent article on <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/childbirth-u.com\/what-practices-enhance-cesarean-recovery\/\">ChildbirthU<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>And much more detail can be found in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Caesarean-Birth-Positive-Approach-Preparation\/dp\/0956848028\/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&amp;keywords=caesarean&amp;qid=1635862322&amp;sr=8-6\">Caesarean Birth: A Positive Approach to Preparation and Recovery.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is simply a list of all the things you can do before, during and after a caesarean birth to help improve both your experience and your recovery. This is worth thinking about even if you are planning a vaginal birth, as, in many countries, a quarter of births end in caesarean delivery (planned &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/?p=347\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Here&#8217;s how you can improve your caesarean experience?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csections.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}