How can I help my friend who just had a c-section?

I’ve heard a belly band can help

Help w meals and cleaning was a Huge Help to me. Having an afternoon to rest while someone held baby or gave him a bath helped too.

Help her with house hold stuff food change bubs for her IV had 3 C sections and just a cuppa and a chat helps or help her with her hair help her with bubs so she can have a wash

A pillow for cough or sneezes she has.

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Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and making sure the other little one is taken care of. C-sections are very painful and take a long time to recover

Meals!! Meal prep, housekeeping- don’t ask just do it- tidy up when you go over there, laundry, shopping … She won’t be able to lift much more than baby or bend over & stand comfortably for awhile … Watch / help with the other little & let her rest …

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Make her dinners and take it to her.

Cook a couple meals for her and put in fridge, do some laundry, babysitting for a couple of hours so she can rest, just look around that needs done do it.

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Help her with chores! Nothing worse than trying to move after you’ve been gutted!

I would order her food and have it delivered. Watch her children if she has any. Ask her if she needs help cleaning the house laundry etc.

Sounds to me like you are doing a great job already. Maybe meals for a week or 2 after she comes home?

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Your friend is very lucky to have such an thoughtful friends like you and your husband and it depends on how she is recovering both physically and mentally. If she is recovering well then , you can’t beat a hone cooked meal for the family from you . If she isn’t recovering well maybe just be the ear that hears the words she wants to say free of judgment. I had 3 C Sections and I was brilliant after my first and last baby but the middle one I didn’t do very well at all . I was in a lot of pain after that birth , I had Post Natal Depression/ Disorder but didn’t know what it was but found out from a specialist but it was horrible I can’t lie . I wasn’t depressed I was so so anxious 24/7 nothing could settle me but learning everything I possibly could on it really helped and I had a breast abyss that the doctors or midwives didn’t pick up on until I passed out feeding the baby because it was so incredibly agonising . I woke up in hospital and my doctor told me that I didn’t have breast cancer ( that blew me away as I never thought of having that !) and that he hadn’t operated on an abyss as large as mine in 20 years . It took ages to drain but surprisingly my mental health picked up a noticeable amount once the abyss healed up feel free to inbox me for any information on Post Natal Depression/Disorder it was a long time ago now but I never forgot what I learnt about have PND and should not go untreated because it’s very treatable :rose:

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Do anything that requires lifting for her! She’s going to be hurting! Just be with her! Help her with self care stuff. The same things you would love to have someone do for you!

It takes about 2 weeks to heal. She’ll need help showering, going to the toilet etc. She may be in hospital for about 5 days, so if she needs her presents or baby clothes washed and presents sorted out at home, ready to use. I found the hardest part was being left with the baby after I’d just had a c-sar. So if you can tag team with the hubby so someone is there to help out, passing the baby to her, watching the baby while she sleeps, changing the bubby. I think it’s radiculous that they leave the baby alone with the mum right after a c-sar. And just getting things for her, helping her do the things she needs to do.

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Take the older sibling out for a couple days and let mom rest with the infant.

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Literally everything. Lol from cleaning and organizing to cooking! She won’t be able to move much and will be in pain. Maybe just be present to take care of the kids so her husband can assist her with taking a shower. It was real difficult to get clean because I couldn’t bend to properly scrub myself, I had to ask my husband to do it for me :sob::sob::sob:

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Just being there is a big plus! It’s hard to find friends that even care honestly! You’re a good friend! Food and naps was my favorite things after giving birth :smiley:

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She gonna be sore. So offer to help with meals, chores and stuff like that.

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anything u can to help cook clean take care of infant i didnt get sent home til 2 weeks after my c-section

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House cleaning assistance was the best for me!!

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Meals, housework, helping with the baby, rides to her checkup appts, watch the baby so she can shower: daily, etc.
Letting her rest the first few days, 3-7 depending, will be a tremendous help. She can’t lift anything but the baby, no carrier. As long as she rests, within a week she will more than likely feel human again.
And don’t ask. Pop in and help. Just do it. She may want to argue but this is about her health and healing. She needs to relax as much as she can. :black_heart::black_heart:

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I’ve had two c-sections. One of the biggest things I’d recommend is to help with household chores /cooking. I’d also personally recommend really checking in on momma and see how she is mentally and physically (I felt helpless as I couldn’t do anything - I ended up going through ppd with my first)

Congrats to your friend!

She will definitely need help with chores and meals.

Meals and laundry. Paint her nails, bring her some magazines, snacks.

When she gets home! Help with laundry, cooking, shopping, vacuuming. 3 x c section mom here… I needed help at home more then anything :heart:

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Maybe even make some freezer meals for when they are home.

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Also don’t forget to allow mom and dad some alone time to adjust

Help with cleaning, laundry, floors, errands

Housework is hard and exhausting after a C-section.I’d suggest that!

Make sure she holds a pillow to her bellow if she sneezes or coughs…
Make sure she gets up tonwalk… and yes…take the older one for a day or two

Honestly she’s been through something traumatic and will need emotional support, asking her how she is or doing something purely for her and not about the baby/kids can make a massive difference x

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Get her a fridamom wash peri bottle. It’s such a weird thing and no one ever thinks about it but I swear it craps on the hospital ones and made healing sooo much smoother!! Bonus use, can spray off messy diapers too!!

Help her with housework. Make her meals. Offer to watch the baby so that she can sleep.

Honestly all I wanted was company😊 I couldn’t move much

Best thing you could do is help with house work. I wish more people would’ve come and help me keep things tidy when they could. Bending down hurt way to much but had to do it or it wouldn’t get done. Pre making meals was helpful or easy meals. You’re already doing awesome! She’s lucky to have a best friend like you.

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Help with laundry, dishes, household chores ECT. Meal prep/easy meals to toss in oven or crock pot

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Meals laundry and emotional support

Yes meals are very helpful that they just have to heat up, muffins, scones, cookies , things to nibble on! Offer to get groceries or run errands

As a C-section mama myself, everything that has already been said is a huge help & greatly appreciated :blush:

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If you can spare time to be there to be a set of hands I’m sure that would be helpful. Just do things that need done is my suggestion. I didn’t have a csectoon but having someone to hold the baby while I showered or did anything would have been awesome. Heck I’m 7 weeks pp and it would still be nice. :laughing:

My coworkers planned meals and dropped a few a week off to me for the first few weeks home. That was seriously amazing and such a lifesaver. It was one thing we didn’t need to worry about.

Make sure she’s eating and stays moving. What she can tolerate once she gets home. The longer she sits the more it’ll hurt.

For my husband and i the best was people coming over to keep me company and making freezer meals or meals i can dump from a ziplock back to the crockpot. My aunt also sent us 2 weeks worth of meals from Swann’s so all we had to do was throw it in the oven. And just being there my husband went back to work the day after we came home. So my brother, mom and mil took turns coming and sitting with me and taking walks around the block to get me out of the house and so i wasn’t going crazy. My sister in law cleaned for us for the first month till i could do everything again on my own without being in pain or moving a way i shouldn’t. Plus it was nice for some one to come sit with my son so I could nap every once in a while.

Meals! Laundry, dishes, bottles etc.
Help watch baby while mom naps or showers.
Grocery/house hold shopping
Don’t say - call me for me, let me know what you need
Do say - I’m right here to help

You are a wonderful friend!! I would offer to do laundry as bending over a washer/dryer may be difficult and if they have to go do the laundry somewhere, that is even more stress. Meals, helping the the kids, helping do some cleaning and just being there.

Ask her how she is feeling. Tell her to take some time for herself (shower without the worry of the baby crying) and watch the kids while she takes time for herself

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Even doing a load of dishes or laundry is helpful

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Make sure she has an abdominal binder and wears it all the time it will help with pain management and mobility. Also make sure she stays on her pain meds and add a little ibuprofen in between prescription doses. Lots of water and a bit of walking as she can tolerate. Give her all the time she wants with her baby and pay attention to any foods that may bloat her as this will be super uncomfortable not to mention painful. You’re a wonderful friend to do this for her and please just step in and do things don’t wait for her to ask bc many times we don’t but do appreciate the help we get

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Do laundry. She won’t be able to lift for awhile. Make a meal that will have left overs for another day.

Housework. I had two C sections, and it was frustrating not to be able to lug baskets of laundry around or drag the vacuum upstairs.

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Housework and meals! I had an emergency c section and it was awful. I couldn’t do anything. I started to try eventually and ended up with my incision coming back open and took even longer to recover. People brought meals and it was so helpful.

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Paper plates, plasticware and some grub hub gift cards

honestly, make sure she’s covered as far as nursing pads, depends, maxi pads, witch hazel, etc. make sure she has some very useful medicines as far as stool softeners, advil, and some nipple cream. make up a gift basket of the sorts if you have the funds to.

but also cooked meals, freezer foods that are easy to just pop in the microwave or oven, and snacks. i had an emergency c-section a few months ago and could hardly walk after, but any help no matter how small, made me feel so loved. make sure SHE is good on what will help her heal and not work too hard on anything but her and the sweet baby.

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I didnt have a ton of help or support with my first or last I had my spouse and my mother and they both were not very good help taking care of me support or help well the last baby he was great! but my 2 middle ones my spouse was deployed and I had the invaluable help of my fellow spouses and it made me feel like i could do it i had the help we needed so i could focus on myself and the baby that was it…so first u just being there and making urself available is the best u could possible give i swear to u!! Second do what u can when u can so she can focus on herself and the baby…fyi bending of any kind sitting up standing up laughing coughing pooping all sucks for the first 10 days or so after section! Make lots of ice packs for her or buy them!!!

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You’re an amazing friend. Props to you :heart::heart:

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She’s got to have time to heal. Too much moving and lifting with tear stitches and staples. I had to have help with laundry, cleaning that involved too much bending and lifting, and I had to keep the incision clean and dry.

Cooking helps big time, and helping with housework is awesome. Sometimes running errands and trips to the store for necessities, too, limiting pushing carts and going past her limit.

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Make sure she has a change table :). Having a stick vacuum helped my frustrations of house work… so much easier for clean up (a week or so in ofcorse). Also if I had to go there a third time, I’d look at a bassinet that attached to the bed to prevent having to try n get in and out of bed for feedings

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Ask her how you can help.

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Good on you and your hubby and bless you both
Perhaps organise for some friends to help with cooking meals that can be frozen as well as help with household chores
Perhaps scour fb sites for mom’s of premie babies
They may be able to help with clothes, nappies and support for the family
I hope mom and bubs are doing ok

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I stayed with my sister after her sections cause she couldn’t hardly move and they said she could not lift her toddler. I knew right then she would need help. She needs comfy tight clothes. Loose clothes would pull on her staples if she got them every hospital is different on that part even still today. Like when driving my sister home I had to go extremely slow, stops and bumps in the Rd hurt her. Even with her pillows pressed against her belly.

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Let her rest and take care of her baby. Let her just lay in bed and you take care of the baby.

I went through an emergency c-section, which 2 weeks postpartum, my uterus went septic.

Offer any deep cleaning, or to do grocery shopping/cooking. God forbid your friend has any further complications, but if she does, offer to come over and watch baby so her and her hubby can take care of themselves.

Pretty much offer help, and if she’s resistant, tell her how much you love her, and that you only want to do whatever you can to make this time easier for her, her husband, and new baby.

Edit: She will possibly be on a wound vac, and will most definitely be wearing an abdominal binder. She may have not qualified for a blood transfusion, but may end up anemic. A few months from now she may lose a ton of hair. She shouldn’t be lifting anything heavier than her newborn until she’s fully recovered/8weeks post-partum.

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My doctor said I couldn’t drive For 6 weeks after my c section! Ask about taking her to doctor appointments! Also if he has to go back to work offer to come over and keep her company or even to take the older child to the park or to get ice cream so she can have time to herself! Also a prepped meal like lasagna that all she has to do is bake was super helpful because the last thing I wanted to do was cook! Also offer to clean or wash bottles or do laundry as well! Any little bit helps!

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Honestly during my recovery from both c sections the biggest help was house chores. If they have an older child definitely helping with them as she will be sore and won’t be able to pick him and care for him for at least 2-3 weeks. But the main thing was someone to come help clean and do the chores that need to be done so mom and dad can recover and bond with the new baby and acclimate their older child to the new addition.

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It sounds like you have all of the key items covered. She’s going to be sore for a while. If she needs help walking and rocking the baby, that might be a plus so that she can get some sleep. The worst part after any delivery is the sleep deprivation aspect so any way that you can help with the new baby so that she can grab some sleep would be very good indeed.

As for supplies: Was she able to stock up on diapers, wipes, and back up formula? She will probably need more.

You are a wonderful friend to do so much!

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All the above, You could also arrange to drive or have her driven to any appointments ect as you aren’t to drive for 6 weeks after section, but just being there to make a cuppa ect & any support you are able to give really means so much… Your an awesome friend x

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Ive had 4 csections and didn’t have help. You are one of a kind…

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Make meals for the family provide throw away plates etc , help out with cleaning and taking care of the other kids if there are others, take her to appointment if needed as she won’t be able to drive

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l get paid over $167 per hour working from home. l never thought I’d be able to do it but my buddy makes over $18295 a month doing this and she convinced me to try. The possibility with this is endless.

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She will need a lot of help around the house and to be left either in bed or on the sofa for a full solid week… I had my 3rd section 5 months ago and I also had a 10 and 3 year old at home i had awful complications because I was constantly trying to tend to everyone… its so hard but the best way to help her is calling round with dinners and to do some laundry for her to keep on top everyone heels different and I no myself at my checkups my doc wasn’t happy with my scars heeling said I was doing way to much

She shouldn’t be lifting anything for a while. I would vacuum, sweep and mop for her when needed and maybe help with the laundry. Sweeping and vacuuming is the worst things to do after a surgery.

Cook for her and clean when she comes home!

Get her a belly binder. I wisher I had one after either c section.

I was hard headed after my second c-section and tried to do everything myself washing clothes cooking dishes ect. In doing so I almost ripped my incision open and cause myself all kinds of issues. Any house hold chores you can help with or driving her to appts would be extremely helpful.

I don’t know what floor her laundry is on but help with that after she comes home. They didn’t let me even pick up a laundry basket to carry it up and down the stairs. Also have her get an abdominal binder while she is at the hospital! It helps a ton!! Tell her to wear it for the first few weeks. It’ll help a lot with healing!

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Make meals. And help with basic house work

Any food she wants. A gift card for food delivery. Diapers. A big target gift card. Frida mama. Butt paste. Formula. Go over and do the dishes. Make and freeze casseroles that they can reheat.

Any help around the house you can give would be so crazy helpful. Also watching bubba so she/both can have naps and showers. Always offer, don’t wait to be asked because most likely she wouldn’t ask for that kind of help. You sound like an amazing friend and are already doing so much for them. Just keep doing what you’re doing hun.