Post Cesarean Healing Essentials
Without making it sound easy here are the things I used to make post csection healing with a newborn easier for me.
If you read My Birth Story blog you will know that I ended up having an emergency csection; my original postpartum healing plan went out the window and life with a newborn got a little bit harder. Some of the things I got for my newborn actually came in handy for me to use for myself and other things were essential for getting through each day while healing.
The first thing on my list is the Boppy Feeding Pillow, this pillow made it easier to hold the baby while feeding and sleeping and keep her off my abdomen in the first few weeks. I really liked the Boppy because it was very plush but also easy to remove it when I needed to get up from feedings.
I know there is a lot of controversy about bed sharing but for us that was something we decided we wanted to do and now having an incision it became the easiest way to sleep so I didn’t have to keep getting out of bed for feedings and diaper changes.
I slept sitting up with pillows behind my back and head and I used the Boppy Feeding pillow to hold her while I fed her and she slept in my arms. I did this because I felt secure enough that I wouldn’t drop her while sleeping. For the first week my husband would do the night time diaper changes because it was difficult to get in and out of bed.
The Dockatot was something we used a lot; we put it in the bed between us and she would sleep in it a couple times and I used it to put her in while I got out of bed and than pick her up from there. I also use it to put her in on the bed while I fold laundry. I used it the first couple weeks on the couch to put her in while I got off the couch. Also during the first two weeks when we put her in her bassinet we used the Dockatot also because it held close around her and made her more comfortable than just a wide open bassinet.
The next thing is the Boppy Lounger, I used this to sit on on the couch and in the nursery chair. The nursery chair has a deep seat and I had trouble getting up holding the baby because I couldn’t use my abdominal muscles so putting the Boppy lounger under me and a pillow behind me made it so much easier to get up. I would also use the Boppy feeding pillow in the chair and on the couch.
The Boba Wrap is such a lifesaver also! I love my Nuna Cudl carrier but it is bulky and put some pressure on my abdomen so using the Boba Wrap was better because the baby sits higher and closer to the body so it didn’t put pressure on my lower abdomen. My baby girl around week 3-4 wanted to be held all day and walked around while putting her to sleep for bed so the Boba Wrap made it easy to hold her all day while getting things done, eating, going for walks, putting her to sleep and even sleeping with her at night. My baby girl loves being in the Boba Wrap because it holds her close to me, it’s soft And like a hug.
Another thing I used everyday that I could was Joovv Red Light which helps with healing the incision, reducing the look of stretch marks and the scar and creating ATP in the Mitochondria so you heal faster and have more energy through the day.
By week 2 I was able to help around the house and also get up and do night time diaper changes. My husband had to get up early for work and needed to get sleep so this worked out great.
At night we kept a salt lamp on low all night in the bedroom and bathroom. This helped when I got up I wouldn’t trip over anything, during feedings I can see what I was doing and when she was asleep so I could go back to sleep and during diaper changes.
Having this low orange light is very important because you aren’t turning on harsh overhead blue light or using your phone to see what your doing and this won’t interrupt your sleep cycle so it will be a lot easier to get back to sleep.
White noise turned out to be a lifesaver to calm baby girl down when she was overtired and nothing else we did helped. We got the Baby Frida sound machine that plays white noise, shushing, ocean waves, and nature noises. The battery life is really long and you can travel with it and it has a strap. Baby girl loves the shushing and white noise for bed time and also for car rides.
Hydration is super important while breastfeeding and healing so I got a 35oz insulated bottle that has a twist off lid on a hinge or you can put a straw lid on it, it has a rubber bottom cover so opening it one handed is doable and it has a handle so you can easily pick it up while holding the baby and go from room to room.
Supplementation is also very important along side nutrition for healing and providing nutrients to your baby if you’re breastfeeding. It’s important to continue taking your prenatal, magnesium is great at bed time to get you sleepy for bed which helps create melatonin for you and the baby and it also helps you go to the bathroom. Only a couple days did I not poop and the magnesium helps with this.
I was able to convince the hospital to let me keep my placenta and I had it encapsulated and I take it twice a days since day 3. It’s great for getting hormones and nutrients back into your body, I feel so lucky I haven’t had any dental issues or hair falling out. Despite having broken sleep each night I have good energy each day. I also take some other supplements which you can message me for more info about energy and alkalization and probiotics that I take.
It is important that as soon as you can to get up and start walking, even just a little bit at first a more and more as you start to heal. Walking keeps your muscles from atrophying, blood flowing to your legs and feet and also your lymphatic system draining properly. Chiropractic and massage therapy is important for healing and keeping you feeling good while you are stuck most of the days sitting and leaning forward feeding the baby.
if you’re interested in personalized Health Coaching for weight loss, nutrition coaching, Hormone Balancing or PreConception Preparation please check out my coaching pages and send me a message. Please share with your friends and family and thank you for following my journey.
