[SwedishGal]

My baby is breech and I am almost due, so I am looking at a potential C-section. I would like to use my slings (I have the NN & KKAFP) with the baby as early as possible, but I am wondering if anyone has experience with wearing a sling after a C-section. Is it safe? Does it put too much pressure or weight on the scar? Thanks for the help!

 

[TheJoyfulMom]

I found it almost more comfortable to wear mine in the sling than carry her the first few weeks. There was more security.

 

[Electra375]

Oh please read the lastest edition of Mothering Mag NOW about the breech vaginal birth.

Slings and c/s go alright. If you can carry your baby you can use a sling as well. I've had two c/s, not pleasant.

 

[sandsprite]

you are aloud to carry things as heavy as the baby and nothing heavier. so those trendy newborn carseat carriers are a no no. and the sling keeps the baby well above your stitches. and weigh nothing so its probably the best way to get about.

as for pain control. have a heart to heart with you anesthesiologist about post op pain control and take the meds around the clock. Can't tell you what a huge difference it was for me. I took the naproxen every 12 hours and the tylenols every 4 hours and was able to get up on day one and 2 and about pretty well, (except for when I missed a dose) but my roomate in hospital didnt want to take meds, so she ended up going 6 or 8 hours without anything, was in extreme pain when she finally gave in and ended up needing Tylenol #3's and had a great deal of difficulty getting out of bed.

 

[cinnamonamon]

check out spinningbabies.com -- great ideas on moving breech babies!

 

[Electra375]

Second spinningbabies.com is a great site

 

[Alison]

I wore DS in the sling very soon after my totally unwanted but necessary c-section. It was one of the most comfortable ways I found to carry him. It left my hands free to put pressure on my stitches if I had to sneeze or cough or even move sometimes! I wouldn't wish a c-section on anyone, and using the sling afterwards was a lifesaver for me.

Alison

 

[arwMommy]

Yes, wearing the sling after my CS saved me! I had a 5 year old too, and there was no way I could have survived w/o my sling! I started slinging her the day we came home from the hospital. Good for you for slinging from the start! Also, I second the post about pain meds, ask early and often! You will know when you are ready to wean down, but at first, you need to make sure that you are not in pain AT ALL. It can inhibit your milk coming in and make everything much more difficult to get off to the AP start that you are looking for! Enjoy!

 

[sandsprite]

Apparently research tells us that if you can manage post op pain well in the first few days ... usually requiring more pain meds in the first 72 hours, you end up with less pain overall and require less pain medications in the long run (over the 2 week post op period).

 

[Electra375]

why am i the only one suggesting to the OP to research her options of a vaginal breech birth???

I've had 2 c/s and they are aweful. Not just painful, but hard to deal with emotionally, pain meds do and I repeat do interfer with bf and they can make you a little loopy. And c/s interfer with the natural body processes of getting milk to come in quickly.

 

[tammylc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electra375 why am i the only one suggesting to the OP to research her options of a vaginal breech birth??? I've had 2 c/s and they are aweful. Not just painful, but hard to deal with emotionally, pain meds do and I repeat do interfer with bf and they can make you a little loopy. And c/s interfer with the natural body processes of getting milk to come in quickly.

My milk came in 2 days after my c-section (also for breech), so clearly that's not the case for everyone.

Suggesting OP research the options is good, but I don't think this is the place to harangue her about it, so one person mentioning it seems plenty to me. She asked for advice on slinging after c-section, and that's what she's getting.

I've been slinging DS since just days after my c-section and never had any problems - as other posters have said, sometimes it was more comfortable than carrying him. 3 1/2 weeks PP I had him in the sling for 4 hours while my stepmom and I had lunch and did some shopping - couldn't have done that without the sling!

 

[sandsprite]

I asked my OB regarding a breach vaginal delivery. Apparently a very large international study was completed and it showed that C-section is the safer way to deliver a breach delivery. We discussed vaginally delivering my breach son, and I reluctantly aggreed to a C-section. If I had successfully had a vaginal delivery, my OB would have been less hesitant to vaginally deliver a breach, according to him, "my pelvis would have been already tested out" Cuz the big danger is getting the head stuck.

Saying that many many breach deliveries have gone on safely too. Its a personal decision on how much risk there is for you and how much risk you and your physician are willing to live with.