What to Bring to the Hospital When Having a C-Section

It can be disheartening to learn that you will need to deliver your baby via Cesarean Section (C-section). The recovery from this operation is longer and more painful than recovery from a vaginal delivery. A C-Section also deprives you of the experience of natural labor and delivery. There is a bright side to everything, though; a planned C-Section affords you the advantage of knowing exactly when your baby will be born. Pack your hospital bags correctly to ease your discomfort and facilitate bonding during your labor, delivery and recovery.

Preparation

• Pre-register at the hospital as soon as your delivery date is confirmed. Bring your insurance card, identification and advance directive to the hospital admissions office.

Delivery

• Have a coach, such as your husband, present in the operating room. The doctors will use a curtain to keep the operation out of your view. This curtain also prevents you from seeing your child come into the world. Your coach can tell you what is happening behind the curtain during delivery. If you choose, the coach can take pictures or video of the delivery. Be sure your coach is well prepared for the C-Section procedure; it can be gory. Since your arms are restrained during the procedure, you will not be able to hold your baby at first. Your coach can lay the baby's head next to yours, so you can enjoy those first moments of life.

Recovery

• Bring a baby wedge to help you feed the baby on your own. C-Section recovery is relentlessly uncomfortable. The slightest motion can cause excruciating pain. Feeding the baby, by breast or bottle, is not always possible without the aid of your coach or nurse. You should not have to miss out on this intimate bonding experience just because you had a C-Section. A baby wedge is a memory-foam pillow, triangular in shape, and covered in a soft cloth. Lay on your side and place the long edge of the wedge near your body. Place the baby between you and the wedge. This position allows for easy bottle or breast feeding with minimal pain.

  Pack some comfortable clothes from home. Hospital gowns are not entirely modest or comfortable. Nurses will constantly have to check your incision site, so do not wear anything that might cover up your stitches. Blood loss from the C-Section may cause you to become chilly for a while. Bring socks and a robe to keep you warm.

Hygiene

• Bring a tote bag to hold your personal hygiene products. Walking to the bathroom may be discouraged at first, especially if you have a catheter. You still want to look as best as you can as you and your baby receive visitors. Your tote bag should be near you at all times and include a toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, hair brush, and a hand mirror.

Pride

• Show off your new baby. Bring a camera to capture your baby's first days of life from your point of view. Fill out birth announcements while you are in bed and the baby is in the nursery. Hospital phones are almost always hard to reach. Have a cell phone within arms reach to stay connected with friends and family. Although your baby did not come into the world in a conventional way, the result is the same. You have every reason to boast about your new bundle of joy and show him off.