Slinging after a c-section

[kris10s]

Anyone have experience with this? Is it difficult? I have a friend I made a sling for in North Carolina and I want to ask her about it but I don't want to be insensitive to any c-section/slinging difficulties.

[mamaKristin]

I started DS in the sling the day we got home from the hospital. It was actually pretty easy because he was so snug in there, I could concentrate on getting around and doing the *post c-section* hold...the sort of holding your belly in place so it didn't feel like it was going to fall off. It was darn near impossible to take him into the washroom with me, but then again, I didn't get that slinging skill until he was closer to 6 months. When we had DD, I would sometimes take her out for walks in the sling in those first few weeks. When they are pretty tiny in the beginning (and mine were both over 8 lbs, so tiny is relative) it's not too tough because they can ride high enough not to disturb the incision site. In fact, I just remembered that we took DS to his first ped appointment at 2 weeks post partum in the sling...on the city bus! (the bus was way more trouble than the sling!)

So, I didn't have many problems post c-section and slinging. As long as I was able to adjust the baby to sit high enough on my body that is.

[greenemama]

i've a really high pain tolerance so it wasn't really a problem with us. you do have to be careful with the incision itself, that it not come undone :eek at all, and that it not get kicked or jostled around enough to cause an infection. i think that jude was about 1.5 weeks old (about a week home from the hospital) when i first felt good enough to sling him. :)

but like i said, i have a high pain tolerance. the doc with jude was shocked that i could hold jude on my chest and lay down to have the incision looked at a week after jude's birth. he said to the intern, "this is totally, totally not normal. she's a pro." :grin

maybe you could suggest something like, "i know you're still healing from the c-section but when you're feeling up to it i'd love to hear about and/or help you with your sling."

oh -- and i used a pouch, not a sling, and it hangs pretty low, so . . . the sling does keep newborns up higher so as soon as she's feeling well enough to walk around and carry baby a lot, anyway, the incision wouldn't realy be a factor.

[MamatoBiz]

you do have to be careful with the incision itself, that it not come undone

I lived in fear of sneezing or coughing. DH was always warning me "not to blow your zipper" :sick2 :sick2 :sick2 :sick2

I liked slinging Biz then because with her cradled in front I could pull a pillow up underneath to hold my stomach in while I walked.

I know it sounds dumb, but talking about this is making my scar itch and feel really vulnerable. I still can't stand having it touched, and it's been three years!

Point of post: If you can get the hang of it, slinging is a Godsend after a c-section.

[MamatoBiz]

I forgot something that no one told me until after the birth. If your friend is at all overweight, and you are pretty good friends with her, and you are handy at sewing (sounds like you are that at least) a really nice thing would be to sew her some nice, really soft flannel mama-pads to put on the incision until it heals. You have to keep it dry to avoid thrush, and overweight mommas tend to get the droopy post-baby belly that makes dryness there impossible. I really wished then that I had a nice soft flannel pad instead of a scratchy Always, since that area is so totally sensitive and vulnerable.

[TheSweetLife]

I didn't have any problems slinging dd after my section, recovery didn't seem bad to me either though so it might be different for someone who has had a tough time w/ recovery. I think the first time I used the sling was right about when I was ready to start getting around town again (a couple of weeks after birth).