Pittsburgh Postpartum resources- cesarean RECOVERY guide
Whether you planned to have a cesarean, or had a cesarean section as an outcome of your birth- your recovery can make all the difference in your healing, and the relationship with your body and your baby. We are here to make it as smooth as possible with some of our best advice and resources.
If you are in Pittsburgh we have the local professionals that can help you feel better in the list below. So let’s get right to it!
Here are our best tips for healing from a C-Section:
Baby yourself too. Stay on top of your stool softeners and pain management. When your pain gets to a 3 out of 10, treat it so it doesn’t surpass a 5 out of 10. Ask your provider about stronger pain medications if needed! The medicine in labor you received can cause some constipation, stool softeners are great- even when you do not think you’ll need them! (Smooth Move tea also can do the trick!)
Gas-X is your new BFF. During your surgery, air can get trapped in the abdomen, you may find that you feel like you have some gas bubbles in your chest and belly, this can be a weird and uncomfortable sensation- Gas X is one of our favorite go-to tricks to help with this.
Spice it up! Clear Liquid Diets (immediate postpartum) do not have to be boring- our favorite tip is order Pho from a local Vietnamese restaurant. (Add ins on the side for your partner to munch on) this vitamin rich broth means faster healing because of its iron rich content!
Ask your nurse for an abdominal binder. These are a great tool to help you heal and give you that supported put-together feeling. We will worry about strengthening your core in a few weeks, this is a great start to getting back some of that structure.
Hold your incision when you cough or sneeze! That gentle pressure can ensure you are healing, sutures are strong, but as they dissolve they are weaker as your skin and muscles heal to carry the responsibility of keeping all those tissues together. Ask your nurse for some extra sterile gauze or steri-strips to take home and change them out if you would like to have that extra layer of skin protection as you heal. (Not necessary but some folks like to have it on hand! If you notice your incision starts to leak or smell let your provider know)
Football hold is awesome to keep your baby off of your incision! Babies have the instinct to kick and massage your uterus to keep it clamped down and prevent bleeding. Your uterus should still contract during feedings to help with healing it and getting it back down to size. Football hold is an easy hold for new parents and a great way to control baby and breast without interfering with your incision!
Go backwards! If you are nervous about steps going into your home like most Pittsburgh pregnant people have, hand off your baby and car seat to your partner and take your time going up backwards, carefully. This puts less stress on your incision- just take your time!
Create a feeding/snack station and sleeping area on the same floor as the bathroom for the first few days you are home. At UPMC Magee and AHN West Penn you will be in the hospital for 3-Nights from the time the baby is born. This is a great time to ask family who are eager to help to make sleeping arrangements for you at home, and to fill your fridge and freezer with yummy postpartum meals. (Whole foods and iron rich veggies preferred!)
5-HTP for mood support and Marshmallow Root for milk supply! These are a few natural supplements we recommend to our postpartum parents when they struggle with these things. Make a note of it in your phone or text your partner to add it to your Amazon cart! If you’d like to support local, Amethyst Midwitchery makes amazing tinctures for anxiety and mood support.
Rent a hospital grade pump to take home. These are stronger than your pump at home and will bring in your white milk faster. Your body turns your blood to milk- since most folks lose more blood volume during cesareans… this can have an impact. Sometimes your body takes a bit longer for your white milk to come in after a cesarean section- so get a jumpstart on the pumping after feedings if needed! (Chat with one of the Lactation Specialists in the Mother and Baby Unit while you are there! Magee has pumps available for rent that you can take home when you leave!)
See a Pelvic PT. On our resources tab we have a few awesome ones listed. Pittsburgh Pelvic Health has a few of our favorites!
See a Chiropractor for you and baby. Getting yanked and pulled and pushed out of the womb surgically or vaginally is tough on little bodies. Check out some of our favorite chiropractors to help get you both back to feeling great. (Roots Chiropractic in The South Hills, Thrive Chiropractic in Cranberry, and Live Well Chiropractic are a few of our favorites)
Consider a postpartum doula or first night home service to help you navigate sleep, healing, feeding, and household management daytime or night time. Sometimes called night nurses, postpartum doulas add so much value because they are able to give you advice specific to your baby, body, and struggles you are having. They are not only baby experts- they are postpartum experts! (We offer this service, check us out!)
Do a Lactation Consult or join La Leche League if you are breastfeeding. It takes a village… having this kind of support can make a huge difference! Being surrounded by people who have been there and support your journey is so important. Need an LC? Check our resources tab! (Growing Love Birth Services and Pittsburgh Birth Nerd are two LC resources) We have folks we can refer available for Zoom consults or in-person. Also your doula can help your source donor milk if your supply dips, or recommend a formula for your baby’s needs. There is also the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh on Beechwood where many new parents find incredible advice. They are attached to our favorite pediatrician- Kids Plus Pediatrics.
Honor yourself. Just because your birth may not have gone as planned, doesn’t mean you cannot be proud of yourself and recognize the strong person you are. Birth is amazing no matter how it happens. And if you need a bit more mental health support processing your birth, we can connect you with peer support or a therapist or group support!
On the plus side; We can find gratitude that you are baby are now on the other side of this experience. You will probably have less bleeding, likely no perennial or vagina tearing, pass on the peri-bottle and sitz baths, instead- baby your body with restful naps and nourish food rich in iron! Whether it is with waters or broths- Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate!
Congratulations on your incredible little human, and overcoming the feat of birth! You are now a parent and is the first of many decisions that you have made on behalf of your child’s well-being- which makes you a great one in our book!
Happy Healing- XOXO the doulas at GLDS