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help - recovery from c section and wont sleep unless held

bodlondonbodlondon
in My baby was born in Apr 2010
hello. I will do my birth story soon but the quick synopsis is that after being induced, i was in labour for 46 hrs before they decided to do c section.
I was wondering how long it wd be before things get back to normal - i'm wlking very gingerly and i'm finding it sore to get up and dpwn from chairs/struggle to get out of bed. When will this get easier?


Also, i had a reallyrough night in hospital as my little man wouldnt settle in his cot and the only way he'd go to sleep was when i was holding him. I'm knackered cos i've been in labouur for 2 days and then to end up with a section.
Any suggestion
B x

Replies

  • foxinsocksandbump2foxinsocksandbump2
    I was pain free after about 10 days but the first 6 days were the hardest. Hopefully your baby will start sleeping better soon. If not, then ask your HB or anyone else to hold him so that you can get some sleep. Good luck hun x
  • Maenad_Maenad_
    Baby - swaddle swaddle swaddle! It will calm him and give the feeling of being held. We use SwaddleMe wraps.

    You - drugs drugs drugs. Seriously - what have they given you to take home, painkillerwise? If you don't have Voltarol (diclofenac) and 500mg paracetamol, ring your GP and ask him to issue a prescription. You should have sufficient painkillers that getting out of chairs should be doable with relative ease by day 2. Take. The. Drugs!
  • KayeCee_And_CoKayeCee_And_Co
    Hey bod. Really sorry to hear you are feeling rotten. I was able to get myself in/out of the bath and wash my hair on day 6 (up until then hubby had had to help). Hopefully that gives you some indication of recovery. Completely agree with MrsS re the drugs! I am still taking paracetamol every now and again as my tummy still feels very tender. Hope you start feeling better soon - it's really hard trying to start motherhood when you haven't slept for 2 days and then have a section (my induction was the same).

    K x
  • HayleyR_HayleyR_
    I agree with Mrs S and KayeCee re the drugs! Make sure you take them so they are in your system, don't wait until you're in agony. I must admit I felt better after I had my stitches out (day 5) as they were pulling by then.

    I would also be tempted to swaddle your lo, don't forget they are used to being all snuggled inside you.

    It will get better, I know how you feel as my section was after a long labour. Try and get as much rest while he is sleeping and if people offer to help - take them up on it.

    Take care xx
  • bodlondonbodlondon
    thanks ladies, i really appreciate it.
    Am on paracetamol and codine but cant have diclofenac as i'm asthmatic. Not sure what they're giving me to take home bt i'll ask. Am hoping by day 6 i'll feel much more like me again!
    Am hoping to leave hospital today too!
    B and baby bod (no name as yet)
  • Maenad_Maenad_
    You WILL feel human again! I know right now it's hard to imagine being able to cough without feeling like your insides are about to fall out, but soon you'll feel normal again.

    Hossie nights are the hardest, no DH to share the burden, our 2nd hossie night was hell. It's easier at home in your own environment. xx
  • KayeCee_And_CoKayeCee_And_Co
    Completely agree - my second night in hopsital was pretty horrific. First night was fine as I think both Matilda and I were in shock! It's so much better once you are at home x
  • HayleyR_HayleyR_
    You will feel better once you're home bod. I hated it in hospital at night, I would be in tears when my hubby had to go home.

    Take care xx
  • Feebs76Feebs76
    Ditto to all of the above. My C-Section was with my DD1 3 year's ago and I also had a horrendous 2nd night in hospital and rang my DH in tears at 6am begging him to come in asap and take over. It is MUCH easier once you are home with dh on hand overnight. Also, the 2nd night was difficult as she seemed to have gotten over her sleepiness from the c-section drugs (I presume) and was feeding like crazy but my milk hadn;t come in so she wasn't getting much statisfaction!

    I found it very painful for the first week and made sure I took all the drugs I was given religiously for the first 10 days - don't wait til your last dose wears off, keep yourself topped up!! After that it was much easier although I found sitting up in bed or getting up from the sofa really painful for about a month. Once up and about or sitting/lying down though I was fine so it was just a case of gritting my teeth when I needed to get up (I often had my DH pushing me upright in bed for night feeds as it was easier than struggling by myself).

    With regard to the only sleeping when held, this is a problem I've had this time around. Grace still will only sleep for short bursts on her own and I invariably end up taking her into bed with me for part of the night - I usually give up trying to settle her from 4ish as I just want to get some sleep by that point. She does now however go to sleep on her own initally which is an improvement. I'm sure it's because she prefers lying on her tummy which she only gets to do on my/DH's chest as she's very snuffly when on her back. I did find swaddling helped in the first week or so but now she seems more comfortable in a grobag. I'm not being very contrructive here as I'm still trying to solve this problem myself (didn;t have it at all with DD1) but I've resigned myself to the fact that, regardless of the NHS guidelines, we're going to be partly co-sleeping for a few more weeks until she's sleeping through for longer on a night. One thing I can say is that for the first week she wanted to be held literally all the time, day or night whereas now she will sleep quite well in the day in her pram or car seat and ocassionally in her moses basket so you will see some improvement once you get this first tough week out of the way.

    HTH

    xxx Feebs & Grace (3.5 weeks)
  • Pumpkin-PiePumpkin-Pie
    G/C from May but i've just hit day 6 and feeling a whole lot better. I find holding my stomach when i need to cough helps lots! Also agree with the others about painkillers. the first few days you feel like you've been hot by a bus but it does get easier xx
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