Last updated on February 3rd, 2024 at 10:26 am
Read the best c-section prep tips from moms of twins who have experienced a c-section. Includes tips on prep, during, and after delivery.
If you are pregnant with twins, there’s a good chance you could have a c-section birth. You might even have one planned in advance. But even if you plan to have a vaginal birth (which is very common with twins) you never know what might happen. It’s always good to be prepared. Check out some of the best c-section prep tips that we gathered from our Facebook fans — who have been there, done that — to get ready for your BIG DAY!
Take your pain meds on time whether you are in pain at that time or not! I loved wearing fold-over yoga pants with the top unfolded over my belly for support.
Drink lots of water, walk immediately after cesarean section surgery (or as soon as you can). It’ll be tough, but the sooner you walk the sooner you’ll start feeling better!
Take advantage of the nighttime nursery. Your c-section recovery is very important and there is plenty of time to forego sleeping once you take them home!!
Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for healing slowly. C-sections take a while to heal. If you don’t feel comfortable doing something, then don’t. Listen to your body.
I wish I would have known to start pumping IMMEDIATELY. My milk didn’t come in well at all… pump pump pump…. take a wheelchair with you when you walk. Rest and have them bring in the massage therapist to work on the swelling.
Drink lots of Gatorade in the days before the c-section. It will help you avoid a spinal headache afterwards. It will make you veins easier for access.
Take help when offered by family, nurses, husband, friends! This will allow you to walk and recover quicker. Things will fall into place sooner than you think!
Buy the largest, most absorbent overnight pads you can find and bring them in your hospital bag. My hospital provided pads but they were too thin and didn’t even have the stick-on on the back (so they shifted around a lot while I was in bed), and the ones I brought with were so much better! There’s a lot of blood and clots that come out (yes, even after a c-section) so you want to soak that stuff up. Have plenty at home too because the bleeding will still go on for a while. Mine totally stopped at 4 weeks postpartum, but it was heaviest in the first week or so.
And take those meds before you think you need them. Don’t be a hero! I had to put a reminder in my phone to keep on schedule so I didn’t miss my meds. Norco was my best friend for the first week at home!
Don’t do too much too soon. Ask for help even lifting them. If you’re going to nurse, get a foot stool – that will help with uterine cramps.
Wear panties higher on your waist! Bring help to change diapers in the first days, (my husband changed the first 50 diapers or so). Tell family members to be there with you during the day so you may rest a little. Take your pills for the pain BEFORE the pain starts. If you’re going to breastfeed don’t listen to those who just will discourage you. You can do it!
Get as much rest as you can while you are in the hospital. If they offer to take your babies to the nursery, let them. Don’t feel like you are abandoning your kids cause when you get home there will be little sleep. Try to walk around as soon as you get the all clear from your doctor, but don’t over do it. My first c-section (singleton) I walked so many times to the NICU to show her off that I got stuck there and had to wait for someone to get a wheelchair and bring me back to my room. Finally, take the pain pills even if you don’t feel pain cause it can creep up on you and you want to be ahead of the game. The nurses have a schedule of when to offer them to you.
In the hospital, we had the babies stay in the nursery overnight so I could get rest. I took care of them during the day though so I could get a routine with them. It’s so much fun! Oh, and get a notebook to write down what time they are and how much they ate and diapers and all that. It took me a few weeks to be able to keep track of them without my notebook.
Walk ASAP! Eat tons of fiber and take a stool softener.
I know it might sound weird, but don’t use a straw, and avoid carbonated drinks–they can contribute to gas build up. My gas pains were worse than the pain from my incision.
Rest. Don’t pick up anything heavier than the babies. Let people help you. I busted my stitches with the first pregnancy by doing too much. This time I took it easy and was just a mommy for a few weeks. The incision healed wonderfully.
(1) Get up and walk; (2) don’t plan on anything other than small light meals the first 24 hours afterwards; (3) take stool softener; (4) bring flip-flops; (5) use the nursery; (6) bring the number of a lactation consultant who can visit you in the hospital if you plan to nurse; (7) try to line up 1:1 adult to baby for the first few weeks, especially late afternoon and early evening.
Another suggestion about walking: I’m not sure if they will have NICU time, but bring a wheelchair when you go see them. A nurse suggested this to me. I used it as a walker, and had something just in case I was in too much pain to walk back on my own.
Pee every 4 hours…even at night…(full bladder hurt me from the inside). Bring really baggy pants and huge flip flops…the swelling from a twin c section is a LOT. I was like Shrek. My size 7 foot became an 11! Don’t worry, you pee it out by 2 weeks!
Go purchase some cheap high waist granny panties. All my bikini cut panties seemed to lay right on my incision and I didn’t want that to happen for several weeks after.
I guess I do well with pain because it didn’t bother me to get up. I showered, fed babies, dressed them, clothed them. My husband took a shower with me to make sure I didn’t fall and he washed my back/feet. I took my own supplies for a shower. Makes you feel more like home.
Before the day of the c-section, talk about your fears with your partner. Get them out so you can rest better. Make sure your hubby and you know where to park and where you check in. Talk with your family about emergency situations and what you would want!
For me, it was forgetting to hit the button for the pain pump after the c-section. I was just so fascinated with the twins the first couple hours, the epidural wore off and I hadn’t hit the button once, so the pain just hit me at once and they had to come give me an extra shot to get on top of the pain. Talk to your doctor before the section, each person handles pain management differently.
Have a massage as soon as you get released from the hospital (and feel up to it)–to help release all of the fluid that will be pumped into you from the surgery. There will be a lot of discomfort from the swelling and moderate pressure. Swedish massage can help with that. I have had 2 c-sections (twins and a singleton) and yes, I am a licensed massage therapist. Good luck!
The first 5 days were really tough and painful but after that I felt good. I didn’t take any pain medication at home (once I left the hospital) and I felt close to 100% by 10 days later.
Make sure in the hospital that you send your babies to the nursery at night. You’re going to need your recovery rest. It also helps them master BOTH breast and bottle so when you leave the hospital everyone can help and feed those babies (obviously disregard if not breastfeeding.) Listen to your docs, take care of that incision and it will be great. It’s a longer recovery than vaginal, but my c-section was a piece of cake! Think positively! Honestly the best part of delivery is feeling like someone just lifted a truck off your body!! Ahhh, to be able to breathe again!!!!
Send the babies to the nursery at night so you can get some rest!!!! Use the nighttime, daytime, anytime nursery any time you can. You only have a couple of days off your feet with professionals all around to help you with the babies. Once you get home you simply don’t have that luxury. I had a 3.5 yr old as home as well, so I used the hospital as some “me” time so that I could heal, get the pain under control, get some one-on-one twin time, and get my wits about me. And I have not regretted it one second. And I have bonded with my children just fine.
Rest as much as possible! I tore my incision open a week later.
I held a pillow to me while I was in the hospital. And had an ice pack. Don’t worry about schedules right away because they don’t follow right away. If you have to cry, let it out. Allow people to help as much as they want.
Don’t push yourself, don’t stand up real fast. Hold a pillow against your tummy if you have to cough or sneeze. I had one baby natural and one c-section and I was walking normally in about 1 and half weeks.
I’m a single mom who had one twin in the NICU after my C-section and one twin I brought home. I asked my doctor about driving and he said as long as I wasn’t driving on prescription meds, I was ok to drive. So I ended up taking Tylenol with Codeine only when I really couldn’t stand it anymore, usually first thing after I’d get back from visiting my son in the NICU so I had time for it to wear off before going back to visit him.
The best advice I can think to give is to accept help from almost anyone at any time for anything, no matter how small the task seems. If someone offers to do something, let them. If someone says something like “just let me know if you need any help” have a list ready to say something like “now that you mention it, can you come fold laundry” or “wash dishes” or whatever is on your list.
The more you can lay around that first week or two, the quicker you will recover. Sleep is the only time your body does repair work so you need as much as possible to heal that slice up quickly at a time when you are least likely to get sleep. As much as you might want to get back to “normal” the quicker you accept that “normal” is gone and start taking care of yourself, the quicker you can get back to being the mommy you always hoped you would be. Rest Rest Rest!!
Make sure you prepare your husband for all he is about to see and do for you! My husband saw my insides and it completely freaked him out. He also had to help me do a LOT after recovery. He literally had to shower me, comb my hair, help me go to the bathroom (and everything that entails), and some other things that are probably not appropriate for Facebook.
Rest, leave the hospital when you feel you’re ready. The hospital tried to check me out and I could barely walk, I was like.. Hell no.
Take it easy, don’t push yourself c-sections take some time to heal. But also when the doc and nurses say it’s time to get up and walk, do it! No matter how slow you go, walking helps the fluid retention that happens after a c-section. Stay ahead of your pain! The nurses might not tell you it’s time for pain medication, you might have to ask. Don’t skip pain doses in the first few days — if the nurses say every 4 hours they mean it!
