Post c-section must haves

In this episode of Rosie’s Rituals we’re talking post c-section must haves, I’ll go through exactly what I had packed for the hospital and then waiting at home. 

Planned vs unplanned caesarean section 

I was one of the lucky ones and had a dreamy pregnancy from the beginning, no sickness, no pains and no weird cravings. 

However, half way through my pregnancy I found out that I had Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Due to this, I had to be super careful with what I ate and check my blood sugar levels four times a day. If you’d like me to write a blog post about my GDM experience and how I managed my blood sugar levels unmedicated, please let me know in the comments. Anyway, the fact that I had GDM also meant that I couldn’t go more than a week over my due date. I was then booked in for an induction and not allowed to go any later than a week over, due to risks to the baby. 

In the UK, approximately one in three (roughly 33–36%) inductions of labour result in a caesarean section and I was one of those. I was super worried about a caesarean section and really wanted a vaginal birth but after 3 days in labour my baby was under too much stress and she was delivered by an emergency caesarean. 

If I’m being really honest, I felt defeated and quite scared when the news of the operation was broken to me. But, I went on to have a completely painless beautiful experience and had no need to feel that way. 

My recovery was tough both physically and mentally. I had major surgery that I didn’t plan on and a new scar to think about that wasn’t even an option for me pre-labour. I have heard that a planned c-section is a little easier to recover from if you haven’t laboured before but I am unable to comment on this, as I only had one after labour and can’t compare. 

Post c-section must haves! 

As mentioned above, my c-section wasn’t planned so I hadn’t packed or prepared for one. Luckily for me I have the best family that made sure I had everything I needed. Here’s exactly what I’ll be getting in advance of baby no. 2 whether or not I have a planned c-section. 

1. Disposable postpartum underwear: This is my number one recommendation if you don’t do anything else! I went through two packs of these. They’re so comfortable and catch any leaks. They sit right above your scar avoiding any rubbing and are super comfortable. Once you’ve worn them, you can just throw them away. They do not roll down and have a nice fit. 
2. Pure cotton full briefs: Once I was done with the above disposable briefs, I moved on to some cotton M&S briefs that still sat way above my scar and again didn’t roll down. I wore these for a couple of months, as I struggled to come to terms with my scar and couldn’t bare the thought of a seam rubbing.  
3. Maternity pads: This may be an obvious one but I had a lot of postpartum bleeding and needed large comfortable pads. I used and liked the Boots Bump & Beyond.
4. Maternity clothing: I was sore and swollen for about 2 weeks after the procedure and lived in my maternity clothes. I would recommend having some soft and comfortable maternity clothes with you in your hospital bag and some clean waiting at home. I had a H&M maternity two piece at home and some maternity pyjamas with me.
5. Scar cream: I didn’t put anything on my scar for at least 8 weeks, but once I felt comfortable I started using Naydaya scar cream. It’s really helped to ease the tightness and made scar massages much more comfortable and is definitely a must have for me! 

Getting back home 

Something no one warned me about was the car journey home… my husband drove extremely carefully and slowly and it was very painful for me. When the car wobbled side to side it made my stomach shake and caused very sharp pain. I didn’t expect this, so didn’t plan for it. But when I next have a baby I will definitely invest in postpartum belt to help secure my stomach for the journey home. They are designed to help reduce incision pain, minimise swelling, and stabilise your core so you can move around more comfortably during early recovery. As I said this isn’t something I used but I will definitely try it next time round. 

I also wanted to mention that not everyone experiences this in the car, I’ve noticed those who didn’t labour before the procedure found it less of a problem but this is just based on my own experience and those close to me. Please make sure you do your own medical research. 

What you need ready at home 

A lot of what you need at home is listed above, make sure you have plenty of disposable underwear, maternity pads, high waisted cotton briefs and clean maternity clothes. 

I was also really lucky to have such thoughtful gifts from family waiting for me at home. I had beautiful new pyjamas in the size up from my usual size and nice fluffy socks. I did have a winter baby, so this was needed. This is something I’d have ready for round two, there’s no better feeling than fresh new pyjamas! Obviously this isn’t essential but it’s a nice to have if you’re able! 

What you need to prepare 

In summary of all the above, this is what I’d have in my hospital bag next time whether or not I have a c-section planned; 

1. Disposable underwear 
2. Maternity pads
3. Comfortable maternity clothing 
4. Postpartum belt 

I would also recommend purchasing scar cream once you feel ready postpartum and have nice clean maternity clothes and new pyjamas waiting for you at home. 

Everyone’s experience is different and this blog post is all about my own. I highly recommend doing your own medical research. 

As always, thank you for reading! 

Rosie xx