Looks like baby won't be choosing his own birthday. :( - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[JennaSpring]

Hi Ninetales,

I just wanted to jump in and say that I am so sorry you can't have the birthing experience you want.  I haven't posted too much in this DDC, but I have followed along, and I wanted you to know, that you are obviously a fabulous mother to your children.  Keep up the good work!

[Ninetales]

So, I haven't gotten my official preparation information from my doctor.  I assume we'll discuss all that on Monday, but I'm wondering about the fasting beforehand.  It appears to vary from place to place.  My surgery is scheduled for 6 pm, and while I don't love the idea of not eating for 8 hours prior, I can handle it.  But some places appear to have a "nothing by mouth for 8 hours" period.  I don't see that as an option.  It's hot and I'm 39 weeks pregnant!

I notice ACOG's recommendation is that clear liquids are ok up to four hours before surgery for planned sections.  I've printed that out to take to the doctor just in case, but what do you guys think about ignoring the mandate and drinking water anyway?  I know the reasons, and I think they're ridiculous.  I can throw up nothing just as easily as water, and I don't mind fasting completely for the four hours before, because two of those will probably involve me having IV fluids anyway.

[LilyTiger]

I'm not a doctor and am only regurgitating what my Bradley instructor told us, but the risks of aspirating are really really low.  And if you're having a planned c-section you wouldn't be under general anesthesia anyway, no?  So in that case the aspiration issue pretty much goes away.  I would drink and keep yourself hydrated, partially because I imagine that helps with recovery (though the IV fluids may just make it redundant).

[ilovetchotchkes]

Originally Posted by LilyTiger 

I'm not a doctor and am only regurgitating what my Bradley instructor told us, but the risks of aspirating are really really low.  And if you're having a planned c-section you wouldn't be under general anesthesia anyway, no?  So in that case the aspiration issue pretty much goes away.  I would drink and keep yourself hydrated, partially because I imagine that helps with recovery (though the IV fluids may just make it redundant).

This! Aspiration is really only a risk if you're under general. And furthermore, if hypothetically, lets say you were to have to have an extreme emergency c-section under general anyways, the chances are STILL minimal. 

[monkeyscience]

What those two said - aspiration is only a general anesthesia risk, and it is much lower than it used to be. Plus, they do emergency surgeries on people all the time who haven't been fasting. Hopefully, your doctor will just be on board with it all, though!

[Ninetales]

And another question.  I assume because it's surgery there will be antibiotics involved.  I got lucky with my first and didn't have any yeast issues but I don't want to count on that this time.  I already take a 4 billion multidopholus pill - should I take something stronger?  Before surgery or after?

[Tizzy]

I wasn't on any ongoing antibiotics, although I assume they must have given me some kind of long acting antibiotic? 

Also, I don't know if this is an option, but the OB who stitched me up used this technique with dissolvable sutures that folded inward so there was nothing to remove afterward. I keep hearing many complaints about staples getting infected and so on, but this was really slick, and despite being super prone to keloids, my scar healed up very nicely and quickly.

[Ninetales]

My doctor uses the dissolvable sutures already, which is nice.

[ilovetchotchkes]

If you're not vegan, i'd say, nom on yogurt. 

From my understanding, acidophilus is something you can't "OD" on. its like eating too much spinach. :) 

[Ninetales]

I'm not vegan but I can't eat yogurt unfortunately.  It makes me nauseous. 

[ilovetchotchkes]

I understand completely. I HATE yogurt..... 

Maybe something else w/ live cultures? kombucha or something? 

[LilyTiger]

Kombucha would be good.  You could also try kefir (mixed with juice or made into a smoothie).  It's more bitter than yogurt and more liquidy, so it might go down a little easier and be easier to hide in the aforementioned juice.  And my understanding is that you want to start before you go on antibios and continue once you're on them.  Once the antibios have started their work, it can be pretty difficult to get recolonized with good stuff until you're off them again unless there was a substantial colony to begin with (if that makes any sense). 

[Ninetales]

I get to reveal my total lack of sophistication here, but I don't know what either of those things are! 

So whatever I use, I should load up a few days before surgery, then continue in the days after?

[LilyTiger]

Yep, load up before and continue after. 

Kombucha is fermented tea (sort of).  It's actually a combination of a few different things.  You can make your own, but for safety's sake, you can also find it refrigerated at most fancier grocery stores.  Wegmans, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and lots of other ones carry it.  Kefir is fermented milk, sort of halfway between milk and yogurt.  It's sort of fizzy and contains more probiotics than yogurt (from what I understand).  Both are nice because you can just drink them down.  Both contain trace amounts of alcohol, however (like 1% for kombucha) so don't go too crazy.  Kombucha too can have a pretty high sugar content, so you want to make sure you balance that against the probiotics you're getting.  You might want to ask your doc, since while the food sources of probiotics are more bioavailable, it might just be better to take whatever you're taking and not overthink it.

If you like it, you can also munch on fermented vegetables like sauerkraut (just make sure to get the real stuff, not the pasteurized kind).

[Mama Chickadee]

A note on probiotics and antibiotics - for as long as you are on antibiotics, they will be killing off the probiotics. So, firstly, do your best to eat your probiotic food in between antibiotic doses. Then, make sure you continue the probiotics well after you finish your prescription. Best of luck cultivating the good buggies in your system

[Ninetales]

They didn't give me any abx last time, so I'm guessing they just put it in my IV while I'm there.  I don't think I'll be doing any kind of food, but I'll make sure I don't bother taking any pills while I'm hooked up.