Can I be the sole caretaker of baby after C-Section?

[Anonymous]

We are moving in a week for my husband's new job, and I will have no support network at the new location. I will have minimal support from my husband, who won't have any leave accumulated to stay with the baby.

I feel comfortable with the idea of taking care of the baby by myself (mostly) right after birth. I'm planning on a natural birth, but, of course, you never know what turn things could take, which got me thinking: what if I will need a C-section? Would I be sufficiently healed by the time I leave the hospital to feed, carry and otherwise tend to the baby by myself? Should I hire a doula/ nurse for a brief period of time, just in case?

[Anonymous]

No. Not for the first couple of weeks.

Women do it, but I would have been a wreck. I was wreck enough with DH home. And you can't drive for those first two weeks after a c-section. Will they not let him go in the hole with leave to at least take a week off? Then fly out your mother/sister/friend or hire a doula or something?

Part of the issue too is that you'll want DH's help in the middle of the night. DH made it so I did not get out of bed when the baby cried. He got up, changed the diaper, reswaddled, gave me the baby to feed, then took the baby again to burp and soothe to sleep. DH won't be able to offer that kind of support and be functional at the office, I would imagine.

[Anonymous]

Not for the first two weeks at home. Hard to go up and down stairs, hard to get up from lying down/sitting. Hard to pick up the baby. Hard to carry the baby for any length of time. (ok to hold while sitting, but carrying around the house, up & down stairs, etc. can be very hard)

You're not allowed to drive for a short period (can't remember exactly how long - it might have been 10 days).

You may feel better in a shorter period of time, but I think two weeks is about right. (I had 2 c-sections)

[Anonymous]

i haven't had a c-section so i wouldn't know the recovery but maybe you could have a list of night nurses/post-partum doulas ready for you to call and make arrangements with as needed. you would be in the hospital for the first several days so you would have a small window to try and get something set up, maybe longer if your husband can take just a couple of days when you get home from the hospital. or if possible, have a friend or family member that would be able to fly out after the baby is born to help you.

[Anonymous]

My issue wouldn't be with the physical aspect, but with the emotional part of it all. It is exhausting, nuring can be challenging, baby can be fussy and so on. I found that I needed the emotional support more than anything. It is also nice to be able ot have someone around ot hold the baby if he is fussy and you need a nap.

Maybe had help on call and see how you feel.

[Anonymous]

I took care of my first born after a c section for the first couple of weeks without much help since DH was working crazy overtime and had no close friends or family around (just moved to new city while pregnant). I did get a post partum doula to help during the day for a week and it was honestly a little overkill, but it was nice having her help with driving and carrying the baby in car seat to doctor's appointments.

[Anonymous]

After a csection, I was taking care of my newborn twins by myself during the day (while DH was at work) starting when they were 5 days old.

So it definetly can be done.

I think the key is to get up and moving as soon as possible.

[Anonymous]

Similiar to a PP - I did the majority of the taking care of my twins after the c-section. I was driving two days after being released (I took them to their first appt) - you just have to be off the percoset and by then I was taking ibuprofen.

The more walking and moving you do the faster you recover. So I was up and at it but just moving slower than my normal (which was almost as fast as the last few weeks of a twin pregnancy).


It is a very doable thing.

[Anonymous]

Do NOT depend on anyone else's experience. Your vaginal birth or surgery recovery could be very different, and you don't know until you know.

I would hire a doula the first few days home as a matter of course. You should have a clearer picture of your needs and capabilities and be able to extend that if necessary. If you can afford it, I wouldn't think twice, although you may also want to budget for a little help later on, if the baby has colic or you get sick.

If you're planning to breastfeed, look for a doula with an IBCLC certification. One who can come to the hospital to help you establish after a section and continue to support you at home could be helpful.

I had a healthy vaginal birth, was up and about almost immediately, but I still needed a little help with cooking and some latch problems. Having help makes it so much easier to relax, adjust, and heal. We really aren't meant to handle this all on our own, even if we can, technically. This is not the time to prove your toughness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similiar to a PP - I did the majority of the taking care of my twins after the c-section. I was driving two days after being released (I took them to their first appt) - you just have to be off the percoset and by then I was taking ibuprofen.

The more walking and moving you do the faster you recover. So I was up and at it but just moving slower than my normal (which was almost as fast as the last few weeks of a twin pregnancy).


It is a very doable thing.

Most doctors (though I cannot speak for all doctors as I am not one) would advise against this. I would ask your OB, or the one you are switching to in the new city, what they say about driving. Myself and most people I know were told 2 weeks. In reality I had no where I needed to go besides the pediatrician. But for that you would need DH to take some time off or you would probably need to find someone to drive you. Technically you do not NEED help- you can order most of what you need from diapers.com, do grocery delivery, and order in. But I agree with PP who said this isn't time to prove your toughness. If you can swing it financially I would definitely get some help, at for the first week to 10 days if DH can't be around. I didn't find it that hard to lift the baby and do basic care, but you will be moving more slowly, you will be tired, and bending down and getting baby up off the floor is hard (if you want your baby to play on the floor and have tummy time). From what I heard, folks who did too much too soon had longer more drawn out recoveries (again, this is a generalization, so I'm sure some people like pp did a lot and recovered fine, but I'm not sure that is the norm). And that goes for some of my friends who had vaginal births too- some are uneventful, but some of those can have tough recoveries too. I had a lot of help at home and felt pretty good 2 weeks after (maybe even sooner). But I really think having the help really helped me to recover to better and faster.

[Anonymous]

What are you doing to minimize your chance of a C Section OP?

I thought I was high risk for C Section (family history of Cs, first birth, big baby) and was planning on having my husband home only 1 wk and not much additional help so I went the midwife/doula/natural childbirth route. I could have never got that baby out naturally without all the help I had.

In my case it turned out well. I had a long delivery but recovered quickly and was capable of doing the baby stuff pretty much by myself. After DH was back at work, we still had to take turns holding the baby at night so we did sleep in shifts for a while. But even that worked out ok, and we were able to transfer baby to bassinet before too long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similiar to a PP - I did the majority of the taking care of my twins after the c-section. I was driving two days after being released (I took them to their first appt) - you just have to be off the percoset and by then I was taking ibuprofen.

The not driving is NOT just about being off percoset. The issue is that it can be painful to make sharp movements after surgery, and if you need to swerve suddenly or brake sharply, the pain may prevent you from completing whatever emergency maneuver you're trying to make.

[Anonymous]

I am a single mom and had an unplanned c-section. My mother had taken off a week to help me out but that was 2 weeks after my DD was born. So I was home alone all day by myself and my mom came over some nights after work w/ food, etc. Just take the pain meds and you should be fine. It is easier when it is just you and the baby and no other kids. The no driving thing sucked but I didn't push it and asked for help from people who came to visit. This is when you shouldn't be shy to ask for help. Ask people to bring whatever you need from the store if they plan on visiting. They won't say no.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you'll be fine. I was the sole caretaker for my newborn and 4 year old after my second section. It sure wasn't fun but there was no reason I was physically unable to do it.

[Anonymous]

I see you're already getting lots of responses from posters saying "Oh yes, I took care of twins by myself and didn't take pain meds and drove my newborns all over town against the ob's advice and I am amazing, blah blah blah."

I had an unplanned c-section and I did need lots of help from my husband and I am not ashamed of that! You will probably be sore and exhausted and emotional. Depending on your financial situation and comfort level I would definitely either hire someone or ask a friend or family member to come help. You won't have to ask them to do the night time stuff, but it would nice to have another set of hands to make food for you, run errands, and hold the baby so you can rest.

That being said, if you're able to have the natural childbirth you are planning than you'll probably be okay.