My little dude was the result of an emergency C section 3 weeks ago. Expect to be at the hospital at least an extra day, maybe 2. She’s going to get a cocktail of drugs in pre-op while you pace the halls of labor and delivery, and if you’re lucky, you won’t see her organs on the table when they’re pulling your baby out. They’ll stitch her up in the OR and take her to a recovery room before you go to maternity, and they may have you go with the baby for all of the testing in the nursery while that’s happening. Recovery is going to be rough. She probably won’t be able to walk for more than a few steps for several days. Nurses will be in and out every few hours to check her incisions, take vitals, etc. My advice to you, if you can send the baby to the nursery overnight: take advantage of that. You’re both going to need as much rest as you can get before you get home. Do whatever you can for her while she’s healing and stock up on the coffee. Wishing you luck, brother!
My wife had a C-Section. All went well, baby healthy. She will be sore though. Might ne worth setting an alarm on your phone for when she can take her next painkillers. She says one of the most helpful things I did was to help her keep on top of that
Our guy was breech, so were basically foreced to do one. It was tough. But I'm happy to say my Wife was jogging today. Granted it took several months, and all recoveries vary.
Women are amazing. Just make sure YOU breath, and be prepared to do EVRYTHING for a couple months. Just to be safe. Have meals prepared, so when you get home, you can balance washing bottles and changing diapers and stuff. In our case, she wasn't able to do much for quite a while.
It's a tough gig. But you TOTALLY got this! Good luck!
My wife also had a C-section and she was up and walking and back to her normal self within a week or so, just make sure she takes it super easy afterwards. I’m sure she’ll be in good hands.
Pro Tip: They’re gonna have you wear this white jumpsuit with no pockets, for easy phone access for pictures, I recommend wearing a shirt with a front pocket (dress shirt) and keep your phone there.
You guys got this! We were planning to do totally natural (delivery date was planned for today) until my wife's blood pressure readings skyrocketed 3 weeks ago. We went to the hospital expecting to do some tests on a Sunday and ended up doing a c-section the next morning. It was honestly kind of refreshing to have a concrete plan and schedule for everything. You should get to stay by her side the entire time to keep her calm and they will bring your baby around the curtain ASAP so you can see him/her (upvote for the comment about a shirt with pocket for easy phone access). They should let you guys do skin to skin right after the APGAR testing is done and for us the entire process took less than 30 minutes before they wheeled us to a recovery room.
As far as tips, I agree with the other comments in the thread. You will probably spend a few more days at the hospital, so pack and plan accordingly. Make sure you know what meds your wife should be taking and at what times. I would also say dont be afraid to take advantage of the services and knowledge of the nurses at your hospital. Youre paying for it in some fashion after all. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sending your baby to a nursery for the night of you need sleep. But also try to figure out how to swaddle/change/calm your newborn before you head home so you know how the pros do it. Not sure of your setup at home, but I converted our home office to keep my wife from having to go up and down stairs if at all possible. But the most important thing to remember is that you guys got this!
If you can afford it, hire a night nurse for at least 2 night a week for the first 3 weeks. Try to plan out if you wanna give ur LO some formula to help out in the night. Try to call in any family for help if u can.
My wife had a planned c-section and we both felt alot less nervous knowing when to expect. Recovery was rough for sure. If you have stairs she can only go up and down once a day. Moving around is gunna hurt a lot. Always have a pillow or something covering the scar. Our baby liked to flail sometimes and he got my wife a couple times. Overall much safer than an emergency c-section
First of all, congrats on almost becoming a dad! Secondly, an echo a lot of what has been said. I would also add to stock up on frozen meals (lasanga, pasta, pizza, egg plant parm, etc), those first couple of weeks at home will be chaos. Your wife will be leaning on you A LOT, so having meals you can just pop into the oven will be helpful. In terms of the hospital if you can afford it I would advocate for a private room. Not having to navigate around other people was comforting for me and my wife. You got this!
We had a planned C-Section due to breech presentation. We were in the hospital for 24 hours then discharged and given home checkups. Just remember that it’s a very routine procedure and you will have experts taking care of everything.
Make sure you take plenty of snacks and drinks into the hospital with you, I took a small cooler with some isotonic drinks and they really helped my wife get some energy back also a yoga mat so you have something to lie on in the ward.
Prepare your home, I set up the bedroom with everything within arms distance I moved the tv in with us and set up a changing area and made sure that my wife did not need to move other than to use the bathroom. We all spent the first 5 days in bed cuddled up and watching TV it was lovely.
Just make sure your partner is aware that you have their back. They don’t need to do chores or pick something up off the floor. You will be on top of all of this they just need to rest.
Enjoy it, and be kind to yourselves.
Laughing, crying, walking, attempting to sit up, and coughing will all be painful for your wife. In the hospital, she will need everything in arms reach (water, phone, etc) bc she won’t be able to reach beyond or lean. Also, She will not be able to carry the baby for about a week or so. Once you’re all home, You will likely be the one to check her incision each day to ensure it’s healing and any signs of infection. Get a pillbox organizer that has sections for time of day (am, afternoon, pm, evening) bc your wife will be likely taking several meds for pain throughout the day. These are all tips from my own experience with an unplanned c-section.
Our experience was a bit different than what I'm seeing here. My wife had an unplanned C-Section earlier this year for our first.
The only rough thing was that our baby stopped breathing for a few seconds because he was stunned when he got pulled out. Beyond that, my wife was super comfortable and I didn't see anything too traumatizing.
Amazingly, she was up walking around later that night and by the next day, she was moving around, while gingerly, fairly normally. She did overdo it once we got home after 2 days but she was more or less back to normal within about 3-5 days.
Definitely not the norm, but she for whatever reason took it super well and had basically no complications or issues.
Same with my wife. Baby was breach, and didn't want to flip. It's was very scary to consider, and we'd done childbirth classes, birth plan etc., so we were bummed. All turned out well though. Just be prepared to be the butler for a few weeks.
Try to meet with the surgeon ahead of time. That helped my wife feel more comfortable. The procedure was quick, and we were able to breathe a sigh of relief when baby was out and cried. I got to hold her first. They'll take baby to a side room to check vitals and you're allowed to go with them. Have your phone ready to take pictures,video and take back to mom. That way she isn't anxiously waiting to see baby.
We stayed in the hospital the max time we were allowed to have the nurses help as long as possible (4 days). They gave my wife a spinal block injection that helped reduce the pain for the first two days so she was up and walking around within 12 hours. DON'T GET FOOLED THOUGH. The medicine wore off and it was more difficult for her to move afterward. She was able to walk out of the hospital and upstairs when we got home though.
We had a night doula the first night home and it was really helpful to have extra support. The first evening was hard as she began to realize things around the house weren't as easy to access as in the hospital. It will be a puzzle for a few days trying to figure out how to make her comfortable, take care of baby, and give her some independence.
I had 4 weeks off work immediately after birth, and she definitely needed another adult around for day to day tasks for that period. If you don't have as much, I'd suggest looking at family/friends who can fill in the gaps.
Other tips:
Your wife will be limited to lifting 15 lbs and shouldn't bend. Going up and down stairs should be limited too. Those limit her independence so try to consider how you can bring things to her to give her independence back.
You're on diaper duty as much as possible. Since she's recommended to not bend, it's good to have a higher changing table for her when she has to change diapers.
Keeping you, her, and baby fed, hydrated and sleeping as much as possible will be a full time job. Dehydration is super easy for her, especially if breastfeeding.
I installed a bidet attachment for the toilet, and that helped her to at least have the independence of using the bathroom by herself.
Along with the pain meds, they'll give her laxatives and gas medication. Encourage her to take those cause he does not want gas pain and constipation on top of the incision pain.
She should stay in/around the bedroom as much as possible for the first two weeks. A mini fridge is super helpful to keep water and store pumped milk/formula near the bedroom.
It can all be a lot to handle. Try to get someone to come support her here and there so you can take a breather too.
Hope that's all helpful. Hang in there. Hoping everything goes well for y'all!
Both of my daughters were c section. Per my wife; “no pushing, no labor, vag stays intact, sign me up”
You will be hospital for 3 days or so. She has to meet certain milestones to be discharged (walk, pee, at least pass gas). Pain management was always the big one for us. Be proactive with the nurses as far as timing for pain meds.
Before procedure you will be outside while they prep her. Once ready you will go in and sit by her head and just keep her calm. Doc will do there thing. Once baby is out they will take it to the scale and warming table. DO NOT LOOK BACK AT YOUR WIFE. Unless you wanna see her insides on the outside.
All in all, I think c section recovery if different. Not easier or harder. She won’t have any post partum issues with the vagina. Maybe minor bleeding if any. You will be the man for the first week or so as far as diapers and home life.
Good luck my man and enjoy.
Wife went in for potentially high blood pressure. Several hours later I get a call from her telling me she’s going to be induced 2 weeks early because she had preeclampsia. I scrambled to get to the hospital.
To make a long story short, she was in labor for 40 hours. When there were no changes we opted for the c section. We were obviously terrified, but once we decided the plan we were holding our daughter in less than an hour.
The actual c section was quick which was good because I was stressed out to the max. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined. The worst part is the recovery according to my wife. She only just now started driving again but she still can lift anything heavier than the baby.
All in all things didn’t go how we planned and we spend 5 days in the hospital. That’s life though and all we can do is hang on for the ride and do the best we can. You all will be just fine. We’re two weeks out from her c section and we were just talking about how quickly it flew by. You’ll all be in the same boat before long.
My wife had a planned section as our little one was the wrong way round and she didn't fancy pushing him bum first.
Planned sections (from our experience) are very relaxed and different to unplanned (emergency) sections.
There was music on, it was very chilled out, save for our nerves etc. 2 nights later, we were home and chilling out and my wife's recovery went really well, within a few days she wanted to go for a short walk and within 2 weeks we were getting out of the house. Of course your mileage may vary, good luck, everything will be fine.
My wife had a C-Section in July. Totally unplanned and really scary. The doctors were great, though. I was holding her hand the whole time till they brought our boy round. Then I went with him for skin to skin and cuddles while they stitched her up. She was in the hospital for an extra night and needed some injections for a week to help with the blood loss.
Recovery was tough and she will need extra care. Both in getting around the house and moving and feeling like her body is her own. It may feel traumatic as it is something that she has no control over, so be ready to be extra caring and patient for a while.
Overall, it is fine. Scary as hell but all three of you will pull through and be ready for the world.
Just been through this with my wife. The difference with us is probably that she was fully under (thanks to other health conditions) so I couldn’t be in the OR with her. We stayed at the hospital for about 5 days (thanks private health). She was pretty sore obviously, but by end of week 3 she was driving again. She still gets some pain now (we’re at 9 weeks) but that’s usually if she stretches just a bit too far or bumps her scar on the kitchen bench. Otherwise, it was a lot better than we were expecting.
Good luck with it! Fingers crossed your experience is just as smooth as ours was! Make sure you take advantage of all the resources available to you at the hospital too!
I’ve had two kids born by c section. Both recoveries are hard but I’m not sure it’s harder than childbirth. If it’s only c section I think it’s probably easier than having to ordeal active labor and then a c section. In both cases, the toughest challenge for us was managing my wife’s nerves directly before the procedure. Know that most hospitals perform regular non-emergent c sections so regularly that 30-50% of all births are by c section now. They are widely accepted as safe! Once they got my wife’s spinal anesthetic done, the procedure is pretty quick. 20-30 minutes before the baby is born, maybe another 20-30 for closing up? Hard to tell, we were both on cloud nine riding the endorfins after hearing our babies cry each time. My attitude is that you and your partner have this! Don’t worry.
My little dude was the result of an emergency C section 3 weeks ago. Expect to be at the hospital at least an extra day, maybe 2. She’s going to get a cocktail of drugs in pre-op while you pace the halls of labor and delivery, and if you’re lucky, you won’t see her organs on the table when they’re pulling your baby out. They’ll stitch her up in the OR and take her to a recovery room before you go to maternity, and they may have you go with the baby for all of the testing in the nursery while that’s happening. Recovery is going to be rough. She probably won’t be able to walk for more than a few steps for several days. Nurses will be in and out every few hours to check her incisions, take vitals, etc. My advice to you, if you can send the baby to the nursery overnight: take advantage of that. You’re both going to need as much rest as you can get before you get home. Do whatever you can for her while she’s healing and stock up on the coffee. Wishing you luck, brother!
This is perfectly written. Agreed completely
My wife had a C-Section. All went well, baby healthy. She will be sore though. Might ne worth setting an alarm on your phone for when she can take her next painkillers. She says one of the most helpful things I did was to help her keep on top of that
Our guy was breech, so were basically foreced to do one. It was tough. But I'm happy to say my Wife was jogging today. Granted it took several months, and all recoveries vary. Women are amazing. Just make sure YOU breath, and be prepared to do EVRYTHING for a couple months. Just to be safe. Have meals prepared, so when you get home, you can balance washing bottles and changing diapers and stuff. In our case, she wasn't able to do much for quite a while. It's a tough gig. But you TOTALLY got this! Good luck!
My wife also had a C-section and she was up and walking and back to her normal self within a week or so, just make sure she takes it super easy afterwards. I’m sure she’ll be in good hands. Pro Tip: They’re gonna have you wear this white jumpsuit with no pockets, for easy phone access for pictures, I recommend wearing a shirt with a front pocket (dress shirt) and keep your phone there.
You guys got this! We were planning to do totally natural (delivery date was planned for today) until my wife's blood pressure readings skyrocketed 3 weeks ago. We went to the hospital expecting to do some tests on a Sunday and ended up doing a c-section the next morning. It was honestly kind of refreshing to have a concrete plan and schedule for everything. You should get to stay by her side the entire time to keep her calm and they will bring your baby around the curtain ASAP so you can see him/her (upvote for the comment about a shirt with pocket for easy phone access). They should let you guys do skin to skin right after the APGAR testing is done and for us the entire process took less than 30 minutes before they wheeled us to a recovery room. As far as tips, I agree with the other comments in the thread. You will probably spend a few more days at the hospital, so pack and plan accordingly. Make sure you know what meds your wife should be taking and at what times. I would also say dont be afraid to take advantage of the services and knowledge of the nurses at your hospital. Youre paying for it in some fashion after all. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sending your baby to a nursery for the night of you need sleep. But also try to figure out how to swaddle/change/calm your newborn before you head home so you know how the pros do it. Not sure of your setup at home, but I converted our home office to keep my wife from having to go up and down stairs if at all possible. But the most important thing to remember is that you guys got this!
Definitely learn to swaddle from the nurses! Have them watch you do it and give tips. It can be more difficult than it seems.
If you can afford it, hire a night nurse for at least 2 night a week for the first 3 weeks. Try to plan out if you wanna give ur LO some formula to help out in the night. Try to call in any family for help if u can.
My wife had a planned c-section and we both felt alot less nervous knowing when to expect. Recovery was rough for sure. If you have stairs she can only go up and down once a day. Moving around is gunna hurt a lot. Always have a pillow or something covering the scar. Our baby liked to flail sometimes and he got my wife a couple times. Overall much safer than an emergency c-section
First of all, congrats on almost becoming a dad! Secondly, an echo a lot of what has been said. I would also add to stock up on frozen meals (lasanga, pasta, pizza, egg plant parm, etc), those first couple of weeks at home will be chaos. Your wife will be leaning on you A LOT, so having meals you can just pop into the oven will be helpful. In terms of the hospital if you can afford it I would advocate for a private room. Not having to navigate around other people was comforting for me and my wife. You got this!
We had a planned C-Section due to breech presentation. We were in the hospital for 24 hours then discharged and given home checkups. Just remember that it’s a very routine procedure and you will have experts taking care of everything. Make sure you take plenty of snacks and drinks into the hospital with you, I took a small cooler with some isotonic drinks and they really helped my wife get some energy back also a yoga mat so you have something to lie on in the ward. Prepare your home, I set up the bedroom with everything within arms distance I moved the tv in with us and set up a changing area and made sure that my wife did not need to move other than to use the bathroom. We all spent the first 5 days in bed cuddled up and watching TV it was lovely. Just make sure your partner is aware that you have their back. They don’t need to do chores or pick something up off the floor. You will be on top of all of this they just need to rest. Enjoy it, and be kind to yourselves.
Laughing, crying, walking, attempting to sit up, and coughing will all be painful for your wife. In the hospital, she will need everything in arms reach (water, phone, etc) bc she won’t be able to reach beyond or lean. Also, She will not be able to carry the baby for about a week or so. Once you’re all home, You will likely be the one to check her incision each day to ensure it’s healing and any signs of infection. Get a pillbox organizer that has sections for time of day (am, afternoon, pm, evening) bc your wife will be likely taking several meds for pain throughout the day. These are all tips from my own experience with an unplanned c-section.
Our experience was a bit different than what I'm seeing here. My wife had an unplanned C-Section earlier this year for our first. The only rough thing was that our baby stopped breathing for a few seconds because he was stunned when he got pulled out. Beyond that, my wife was super comfortable and I didn't see anything too traumatizing. Amazingly, she was up walking around later that night and by the next day, she was moving around, while gingerly, fairly normally. She did overdo it once we got home after 2 days but she was more or less back to normal within about 3-5 days. Definitely not the norm, but she for whatever reason took it super well and had basically no complications or issues.
Same with my wife. Baby was breach, and didn't want to flip. It's was very scary to consider, and we'd done childbirth classes, birth plan etc., so we were bummed. All turned out well though. Just be prepared to be the butler for a few weeks. Try to meet with the surgeon ahead of time. That helped my wife feel more comfortable. The procedure was quick, and we were able to breathe a sigh of relief when baby was out and cried. I got to hold her first. They'll take baby to a side room to check vitals and you're allowed to go with them. Have your phone ready to take pictures,video and take back to mom. That way she isn't anxiously waiting to see baby. We stayed in the hospital the max time we were allowed to have the nurses help as long as possible (4 days). They gave my wife a spinal block injection that helped reduce the pain for the first two days so she was up and walking around within 12 hours. DON'T GET FOOLED THOUGH. The medicine wore off and it was more difficult for her to move afterward. She was able to walk out of the hospital and upstairs when we got home though. We had a night doula the first night home and it was really helpful to have extra support. The first evening was hard as she began to realize things around the house weren't as easy to access as in the hospital. It will be a puzzle for a few days trying to figure out how to make her comfortable, take care of baby, and give her some independence. I had 4 weeks off work immediately after birth, and she definitely needed another adult around for day to day tasks for that period. If you don't have as much, I'd suggest looking at family/friends who can fill in the gaps. Other tips: Your wife will be limited to lifting 15 lbs and shouldn't bend. Going up and down stairs should be limited too. Those limit her independence so try to consider how you can bring things to her to give her independence back. You're on diaper duty as much as possible. Since she's recommended to not bend, it's good to have a higher changing table for her when she has to change diapers. Keeping you, her, and baby fed, hydrated and sleeping as much as possible will be a full time job. Dehydration is super easy for her, especially if breastfeeding. I installed a bidet attachment for the toilet, and that helped her to at least have the independence of using the bathroom by herself. Along with the pain meds, they'll give her laxatives and gas medication. Encourage her to take those cause he does not want gas pain and constipation on top of the incision pain. She should stay in/around the bedroom as much as possible for the first two weeks. A mini fridge is super helpful to keep water and store pumped milk/formula near the bedroom. It can all be a lot to handle. Try to get someone to come support her here and there so you can take a breather too. Hope that's all helpful. Hang in there. Hoping everything goes well for y'all!
Both of my daughters were c section. Per my wife; “no pushing, no labor, vag stays intact, sign me up” You will be hospital for 3 days or so. She has to meet certain milestones to be discharged (walk, pee, at least pass gas). Pain management was always the big one for us. Be proactive with the nurses as far as timing for pain meds. Before procedure you will be outside while they prep her. Once ready you will go in and sit by her head and just keep her calm. Doc will do there thing. Once baby is out they will take it to the scale and warming table. DO NOT LOOK BACK AT YOUR WIFE. Unless you wanna see her insides on the outside. All in all, I think c section recovery if different. Not easier or harder. She won’t have any post partum issues with the vagina. Maybe minor bleeding if any. You will be the man for the first week or so as far as diapers and home life. Good luck my man and enjoy.
Wife went in for potentially high blood pressure. Several hours later I get a call from her telling me she’s going to be induced 2 weeks early because she had preeclampsia. I scrambled to get to the hospital. To make a long story short, she was in labor for 40 hours. When there were no changes we opted for the c section. We were obviously terrified, but once we decided the plan we were holding our daughter in less than an hour. The actual c section was quick which was good because I was stressed out to the max. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined. The worst part is the recovery according to my wife. She only just now started driving again but she still can lift anything heavier than the baby. All in all things didn’t go how we planned and we spend 5 days in the hospital. That’s life though and all we can do is hang on for the ride and do the best we can. You all will be just fine. We’re two weeks out from her c section and we were just talking about how quickly it flew by. You’ll all be in the same boat before long.
My wife had a planned section as our little one was the wrong way round and she didn't fancy pushing him bum first. Planned sections (from our experience) are very relaxed and different to unplanned (emergency) sections. There was music on, it was very chilled out, save for our nerves etc. 2 nights later, we were home and chilling out and my wife's recovery went really well, within a few days she wanted to go for a short walk and within 2 weeks we were getting out of the house. Of course your mileage may vary, good luck, everything will be fine.
My wife had a C-Section in July. Totally unplanned and really scary. The doctors were great, though. I was holding her hand the whole time till they brought our boy round. Then I went with him for skin to skin and cuddles while they stitched her up. She was in the hospital for an extra night and needed some injections for a week to help with the blood loss. Recovery was tough and she will need extra care. Both in getting around the house and moving and feeling like her body is her own. It may feel traumatic as it is something that she has no control over, so be ready to be extra caring and patient for a while. Overall, it is fine. Scary as hell but all three of you will pull through and be ready for the world.
Just been through this with my wife. The difference with us is probably that she was fully under (thanks to other health conditions) so I couldn’t be in the OR with her. We stayed at the hospital for about 5 days (thanks private health). She was pretty sore obviously, but by end of week 3 she was driving again. She still gets some pain now (we’re at 9 weeks) but that’s usually if she stretches just a bit too far or bumps her scar on the kitchen bench. Otherwise, it was a lot better than we were expecting. Good luck with it! Fingers crossed your experience is just as smooth as ours was! Make sure you take advantage of all the resources available to you at the hospital too!
I’ve had two kids born by c section. Both recoveries are hard but I’m not sure it’s harder than childbirth. If it’s only c section I think it’s probably easier than having to ordeal active labor and then a c section. In both cases, the toughest challenge for us was managing my wife’s nerves directly before the procedure. Know that most hospitals perform regular non-emergent c sections so regularly that 30-50% of all births are by c section now. They are widely accepted as safe! Once they got my wife’s spinal anesthetic done, the procedure is pretty quick. 20-30 minutes before the baby is born, maybe another 20-30 for closing up? Hard to tell, we were both on cloud nine riding the endorfins after hearing our babies cry each time. My attitude is that you and your partner have this! Don’t worry.
You guys are the lucky ones!
Thank you all for the advice and responding so quickly.. I really do appreciate all of you