Homemaker Barbi » Pregnancy

7 Tips to Recover From a C-Section

Tiffany B. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:57:00 +0000

Tiffany is a sleep-deprived mom to a teen, a toddler, and a newborn. You can catch her blogging over a cup of coffee at Lattes And Life. You can also find her Twitter feed @give_me_a_latte.

C-Section Recoveries

Any parent can tell you that caring for a newborn is hard work! Those first few days (and weeks) at home often pass in a blur.

As hard as it may be, mom needs to focus on herself during those early weeks though. She can’t give 100% to the newborn if she doesn’t take care of herself. And if she doesn’t take care of herself, she can slow down her own recovery, which nobody wants!

There’s a plethora of information on the Internet about recovering from a vaginal birth. Instead of adding to that, I thought I’d share some helpful hints for moms who find themselves having “belly births”.

C-sections are vastly different than vaginal births, with very different recoveries. Many moms aren’t prepared, and it can be difficult to find good information out there to help.

After two belly births of my own, these are some things that worked for me. Always check with your doctor first if you have any questions about your own situation (I am not a medical professional, nor do I play one on TV!).

7 Tips to Recover from a Belly Birth (C-Section)

1. Shave your legs before you give birth! As difficult as it is to shave your legs at the end of pregnancy, it’s even harder after a C-section. You won’t be able to bend and twist at the waist for awhile, so start your recovery with shaved legs!

2. Fiber is your friend. You will be without food for 24-hours or more when you give birth. (Twelve hours before surgery, and usually another twelve after). Then you’ll be on narcotics for pain. This combination tends to slow things down, if you get what I mean. Ask your doctor how best to handle this, and make sure to drink lots of fluids. Eating fiber (bran muffins are good!) and taking Metamucil can help as well.

3. Think about where you’ll sleep when you get home. It can be quite painful to get in and out of bed for a few weeks. If you have a recliner, that may be your best option. Just remember that you might need help getting up from there as well!

4. Embrace the granny panties! No, they aren’t the most attractive. But your low-rise underwear won’t work after a C-section. They sit right where your incision will be, and trust me, you don’t want anything touching that area for awhile!

5. Stock up on super maxi pads. Yes, for the obvious reason. But you’ll use them for your incision, also. It’s important to keep that area dry to speed healing. What worked for me was to place a super maxi pad against my incision, and use my granny panties to keep it in place. This keeps the area dry, and also gives a little bit of support and comfort.

6. Invest in a hair dryer with a cool setting. As I mentioned, keeping your incision dry is imperative. When you get out of the shower, and throughout the day, aim a hair dryer (on cool setting) at your incision. This works much better than towels at keeping the area dry.

7. Have help lined up. A C-section is MAJOR surgery. There is no other major surgery where you’d be expected to take care of a newborn child immediately afterward! You will need help when you get home. I personally required help for the first two weeks, at least. Your body needs time to rest and heal. Try to have help lined up in advance for as long as you can arrange it.

Putting an emphasis on mom’s recovery will make the newborn stage so much easier to get through. Taking care of a newborn is difficult enough without adding the problems that can come with a slow recovery. Focusing on your needs won’t automatically guarantee a smooth and speedy recovery, but it will help you feel the best you can, and allow you to relax and enjoy your first few weeks with your new baby.

Stay tuned next Thursday for more Life with a Newborn from Tiffany! Photo of Baby Donovan’s birth by Robert S. Donovan.

Am I Pregnant? 13 Early Signs of Pregnancy

Staff Writer — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Are you wondering, “Am I pregnant”? Even if you haven’t missed your period yet, you may be experiencing one or more of the early signs of pregnancy and be waiting until you can take a home pregnancy test to know for sure. If you are pregnant, it is important for you to tell as soon as possible. It will be helpful if you are already aware of these common pregnancy symptoms.

Pregnancy symptoms vary according to the stage of the pregnancy, and also in the frequency and duration they occur. These are 13 very common pregnancy symptoms that can happen in the early stages of pregnancy.

13 Early Signs of Pregnancy

1. Spotting: Spotting in a pink or brown color, together with severe cramps in the early stages are commonly observed in the initial days, just after ovulation has taken place.

2. Frequent urination: Frequent urination is a very common sign too. Most women are prone to this pregnancy symptom even before missing a period.

3. Missing a period: Missing your monthly period is the most obvious pregnancy symptom. It almost immediately sets off a red flag for most women.

4. Increase in body temperature: Body temperature tends to increase after ovulation. This condition can remain for a long time during your pregnancy. You may feel warm from inside, almost feverish when you are pregnant.

5. Morning sickness: The feeling of nausea and frequent vomiting first thing in the morning happens to some women early in pregnancy.

6. Night sickness: Night sickness is a feeling of nausea or vomiting at about the same time every night. This symptom is commonly called morning sickness, but depending on the person, it can happen any time of the day or night. The good news is that it is usually around the same time every day, so you will be able to predict when you won’t be feeling well.

7. Sensitive breasts: The breasts tend to get swollen and tender. You will notice this obvious change in your breasts, as they are getting ready for producing milk for your baby after a few months.

8. Darkening of the areolas: The skin around your nipples can become a shade or two darker, right from the early stages for the pregnancy. This is a generally a clear pregnancy symptom.

9. Dizziness and fatigue: You will feel tired and be exhausted by the end of day. Your energy levels mainly decrease due to the changes in the hormones in the initial stages, but you will get better later on in the pregnancy.

10. Food cravings: You will feel the sudden urge to have a specific dish or food, and won’t be content until you have had it. Food cravings may however be due to other reasons too, so you can’t rely only on this pregnancy symptom alone.

11. Constipation: You may be prone to constipation due to the hormonal changes in the initial stages of pregnancy.

12. Skin breakouts and acne: Changes in hormones can cause flare-ups, even if you’re not usually prone to adult acne.

13. Dry, flaky skin: You may suddenly have patches of dry skin when it was never a problem for you before. The changing levels of hormones and oil production can cause dry skin as an early pregnancy symptom.

One or more of these symptoms may raise your suspicions that something different is going on with your body! Experiencing any of the early pregnancy symptoms will usually have you wanting to take a home pregnancy test just to be sure. Most home pregnancy tests now are up to 99% accurate, and can even test a few days before you miss a period.

It’s best to know about your pregnancy as soon as possible so that you can start taking care of your body in the early stages of pregnancy.

Get more Thursday Thirteen at the new Thursday 13 and Happy to be at Home. For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, visit We are That Family.

Pregnancy photos by diluvi.