how on earth do you breastfeed after a c-section

I've just got to ask, I've always wondered, but having had surgery on
Wednesday, I'm reminded just how rough you feel, how immobile you are
etc. I think with constant help and constant supervision, I would have
been able to breastfeed through this, but I really do mean constant help
and supervision, my zonk out times are fairly unpredictable, I don't
think it would be safe to help me position a baby then leave me.
However, this was hip surgery with two tiny incisions, not major
abdominal surgery with a large incision, add in some baby blues and I
really can't fathom how anyone manages it, am I missing something? Or is
it as close to impossible as I'm imagining and that anyone that does it
needs the hugest gold star and pat on the back possible.

Anne

LOL... it is close impossible without adequate support/coaching, but
still possible if one is prepared before hand. I'm not sure how long
postnatal women stay in the hospital where you are from, I would
assume that someone who had a section would be there for at least two
days - in the province I live it is a three to four day stay. Clearly
during the first 24 hours while recovering from anesthetic someone
should be there to help pass you the baby and help position the baby,
though it is doubtful that they will stay and supervise the entire
feeding. One position that I show people after having a section is
laying on one side - nurses or your partner should help position
pillows around you for good support (a body pillow is great for this)
as well with helping you turn as you would likely be stiff and sore;
pull baby in close to you and facing you. She should be cuddled up
right against your body, with her head at breast level; on her side
with ear, shoulder, and hips all lined up. I would suggest placing a
pillow or a rolled receiving blanket over the incision to protect
yourself from baby's kicks. I would also place a pillow or rolled
blanket behind baby's back to help keep her in place and supported in
the event that you do nod off, as well as pulling the side rail up on
the bed. You can lean forward and offer baby both breasts on one side
or you can put baby on your chest and roll to your other side, then
reposition her on that side - all with help of course during the first
couple of days. But the beauty of this position is that if you do nod
off then there is no worry of dropping the baby!

I don't know how well that would work if you have bad hips - it would
depend on the nature of the problem I suspect. Another good position
is the football/clutch hold. In this position you would have baby
facing you and her body is tucked along your side (like a football).
Baby's back should be along your forearm and your hand is spread
supporting her neck; use pillows or a nursing pillow to bring your
baby up to a comfortable height for breast feeding (again nursing
staff or a partner should help with this during the first day or two).
Be sure the baby doesn't have to arch her neck to drink; and if need
be bend her legs up against the back of the bed if you need to move
her further back. If your arm gets tired use pillows or rolled
blankets to give yourself additional support. And again with the bed
rails up, if you nod off the baby will still be safe and sound (always
have a pillow or rolled blanket between baby and the bed rail). This
is a good position to use after a c-section because the baby isn't
over your incision.

Without some help during the first 24-48 hours it would be fairly
difficult and one would get discouraged easily. But that is why nurses
should help you with it... but even if they didn't (which, in my view,
means they would be horrible nurses) if you think about it, even
without breastfeeding you would still have to manage to pick the baby
up and give her a bottle - you still need to find a position that
works and worry about zonking out. So you would still have the same
problems/concerns.

-Jen

Anne Rogers wrote:

I've just got to ask, I've always wondered, but having had surgery on
Wednesday, I'm reminded just how rough you feel, how immobile you are
etc.

The first time, the lactation nurse brought
about 14 pillows to cushion me all around
and set up a place for Pillbug to lay. The
second time, I had a pillow across my tummy
and put the baby there. You do need help
for someone to put the baby on and take the
baby off of you because you cannot move, but
that only lasts a couple of days.

It's a lot easier to breastfeed after a
c-section than it is to cough. (Coughing
or sneezing caused MAJOR PAIN!!!!!!!)

-- Anita --

On Nov 10, 8:14?pm, Anne Rogers wrote:
I've just got to ask, I've always wondered, but having had surgery on
Wednesday, I'm reminded just how rough you feel, how immobile you are
etc. I think with constant help and constant supervision, I would have
been able to breastfeed through this, but I really do mean constant help
and supervision, my zonk out times are fairly unpredictable, I don't
think it would be safe to help me position a baby then leave me.


I think people vary an awful lot in how they react to surgery, but
while a C-section is major surgery, in many ways it's not as disabling
as some situations. I wasn't zonking out all the time after mine. I
did spend a fair amount of time in bed with my sister and husband
bringing me the babies, but I was generally pretty alert and not in
much pain. I had to be careful with certain moves, but not others. The
main problem was that I kept forgetting not to do certain things, just
BECAUSE I felt generally fine if I didn't try to use my stomach
muscles and what not.

I'd say I was definitely less zonked out and less of a mess than after
I had my impacted wisdom teeth out, for instance. (I don't do well
with sedation. Never had an actual general anesthetic.)

--Helen

Anne Rogers wrote:
I've just got to ask, I've always wondered, but having had surgery on
Wednesday, I'm reminded just how rough you feel, how immobile you are
etc. I think with constant help and constant supervision, I would have
been able to breastfeed through this, but I really do mean constant help
and supervision, my zonk out times are fairly unpredictable, I don't
think it would be safe to help me position a baby then leave me.
However, this was hip surgery with two tiny incisions, not major
abdominal surgery with a large incision, add in some baby blues and I
really can't fathom how anyone manages it, am I missing something? Or is
it as close to impossible as I'm imagining and that anyone that does it
needs the hugest gold star and pat on the back possible.

Am I right in guessing that you were under general anaesthetic for the
surgery? I'd guess the unpredictable zonk-outs were down to that rather
than the surgery itself, in which case that wouldn't be a factor with
most Caesareans. Of course, the soreness and difficulty doing anything
physical would be there, but at least if somebody got the baby
positioned for you chances are you'd be able to stay awake until the end
of the feed and wait for them to put the baby back.


All the best,

Sarah
--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.typepad.com

"That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be" - P. C. Hodgell

Am I right in guessing that you were under general anaesthetic for the
surgery? I'd guess the unpredictable zonk-outs were down to that rather
than the surgery itself, in which case that wouldn't be a factor with
most Caesareans. Of course, the soreness and difficulty doing anything
physical would be there, but at least if somebody got the baby
positioned for you chances are you'd be able to stay awake until the end
of the feed and wait for them to put the baby back.

I was under a GA, though I think the zonk outs are more to do with
painkillers and other drugs. I had surgery on my shoulder about 6 year
ago, I was under a GA for the same amount of time but didn't need to
take anything but OTC painmeds afterwards (moving it really hurt, but
you don't have to move a shoulder!) and I didn't feel any ill effects
afterwards. The mention of zonkouts, was more to do with, oh my, not
only is every movement going to hurt and every nursing require
assistance, but I'm not going to have control of when I go flop either!

I suppose the evidence is that it can't on average be as bad as my
imaginings are - if it were, the breastfeeding rate among c-section mums
would be very different to among non c-section mums, when it doesn't
seem there is a dramatic difference - not that I can track down any
helpful statistics though. If I engage my brain and think back to the
behaviour of the women on the postnatal ward the improvement as the
hours passed was noticeable - I think it was the vision of a constant
cycle of pain, needing help, feeling tired, feeling drugged that was
making it seem so impossible.

I think I'd also forgotten the true size of newborns, I just looked up
the weight of my laptop and it's apparently 6.2lb and I'm not having a
problem moving that in a sensible manner, only if I try and lean over
and grab it one handed or something silly like that!

Cheers
Anne

I think people vary an awful lot in how they react to surgery, but
while a C-section is major surgery, in many ways it's not as disabling
as some situations. I wasn't zonking out all the time after mine. I
did spend a fair amount of time in bed with my sister and husband
bringing me the babies, but I was generally pretty alert and not in
much pain. I had to be careful with certain moves, but not others. The
main problem was that I kept forgetting not to do certain things, just
BECAUSE I felt generally fine if I didn't try to use my stomach
muscles and what not.

Whereas I can't imagine having a 6inch incision across your stomach
being forgettable. Maybe my skin doesn't heal normally, I've only ever
had laparascopic surgery and there has always been a not insignificant
period of time where there has been significant pain from the skin
wounds, regardless of what has or hasn't gone on underneath.

I'd say I was definitely less zonked out and less of a mess than after
I had my impacted wisdom teeth out, for instance. (I don't do well
with sedation. Never had an actual general anesthetic.)

When I had impacted wisdom teeth out, we discussed sedation and local v.
general, the anesthetist reckoned I'd feel worse afterwards from the
sedation, which kind of surprised me, I had a GA and though I had some
problems afterwards, they were entirely due to the fact one of them was
very deep and had needed a fair bit of digging to get at, not the GA.


Anne

It's a lot easier to breastfeed after a
c-section than it is to cough. (Coughing
or sneezing caused MAJOR PAIN!!!!!!!)

I can imagine, coughing and laughing isn't necessarily fun after a
vaginal birth, though having had 2 with identical tears, I discovered
it's not directly related to the tears, but more the general bruising
and trauma, my first was very fast, my perineum just pinged over the
baby's head, that really hurt afterwards, 2nd time, I got the same tear,
I presume due to tissue weakness, but it was after very controlled
stretching and releasing of the perineum, I got no pain from that
afterwards.

Anne

Clearly
during the first 24 hours while recovering from anesthetic someone
should be there to help pass you the baby and help position the baby,
though it is doubtful that they will stay and supervise the entire
feeding. One position that I show people after having a section is
laying on one side - nurses or your partner should help position
pillows around you for good support (a body pillow is great for this)
as well with helping you turn as you would likely be stiff and sore;

I think I'd worry more about getting help in the hospital than at home,
I was immobile after the birth of my first, as not thinking I was even
in labour (induced) they gave me a double dose in the epidural and
produced a baby 1.5 hours later, so I couldn't move. I suppose it's
possible they didn't realise I was just as incapable, even though I was
not in pain and just plonked the baby on top of me, with the call button
out of reach and the curtains drawn so I couldn't attract anyone's
attention. I guess the moral of that story is always have the call
button in reach! If I do have another baby AND I had a c-section, at
least I'd have done the breastfeeding bit before, even if they baby
hadn't! There is enough variables that I know I don't come out on the
good side of, that it probably would be more likely that the experience
would be worse than average, such that it probably would be prudent to
express some colostrum in advance - but as one of my babies was IUGR,
I'd do that anyway, it's an easy enough insurance policy if you have any
suspicions you might need to use it.

Cheers
Anne

I had a C section, and my daughter was breastfed from the start. I made
sure to pack my breastfeeding pillow when going to the hospital, and then
after surgery, I just got the pillow and called the nurse to come pass me
the baby when she cried. The incision wasn't really an issue with feeding,
more with trying to get the baby and get situated than anything because
getting out of bed was a big ordeal. In the daytime, there was generally
always someone in the room with me, either her father, or a good friend of
mine, or any member of the family after Suppertime. Mine was a planned
section too, so that may have made it a little easier for me, I didn't labor
for so long, get tired from that, and then have a section. In the hospital
here too, they take the babies to the nursery for the first night, and bring
them back when they need to be fed, I guess if they're formula fed, then
they would feed them too and let the Moms have a full nights sleep. I
actually didn't really like that, but at the same time, I was in a fair
amount of discomfort and drugged a bit, so I wasn't really in a position to
disagree either. I also found that the football hold was great for the
first few weeks, I couldn't really hold her properly the other way till
later on.

Heather


"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
news
I've just got to ask, I've always wondered, but having had surgery on
Wednesday, I'm reminded just how rough you feel, how immobile you are etc.
I think with constant help and constant supervision, I would have been
able to breastfeed through this, but I really do mean constant help and
supervision, my zonk out times are fairly unpredictable, I don't think it
would be safe to help me position a baby then leave me. However, this was
hip surgery with two tiny incisions, not major abdominal surgery with a
large incision, add in some baby blues and I really can't fathom how
anyone manages it, am I missing something? Or is it as close to impossible
as I'm imagining and that anyone that does it needs the hugest gold star
and pat on the back possible.

Anne